For the PlayStation brand’s 30th anniversary, we rank five generations of PlayStation consoles and multiple handhelds.
The original PlayStation launched in Japan on Dec. 3, 1994, meaning that Sony’s video game brand is celebrating its 30th birthday. Once dismissed as an also-ran beside powerhouse console makers Nintendo and Sega, PlayStation has since become a dominant player in the video game industry. But it hasn’t always been easy; Sony has enjoyed the highest of highs and some rough patches as a console maker.
For PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, we present our ranking of the best PlayStations, considering Sony’s consoles and handhelds not just for their lasting impact on the market, but their game libraries, hardware design, and controllers. And their crimes.1. PlayStation 2
Sony’s PlayStation 2 is not just the best-selling console of all time, it’s one of the best consoles of all time for about a million good reasons. It helped bring online gaming to the console masses, thanks to games like SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, Final Fantasy 11, and a long list of sports games that supported online multiplayer. It was backward-compatible with thousands of original PlayStation games. It was more graphically advanced than any other console on the market. It was a moderately priced DVD player, helping the burgeoning video format replace VHS tapes. And it had a sleek, grown-up look; the PS2’s physical design made it look more like a piece of mid-range AV equipment and less like a kid-friendly gaming console.
But the PlayStation 2’s biggest strength was its software. The system was home to groundbreaking new game franchises, like God of War, Guitar Hero, Yakuza, SSX, and Kingdom Hearts, as well as landmark sequels like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Metal Gear Solid 2. Beyond the blockbusters, game developers experimented with bold new ideas in games like Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Katamari Damacy, EyeToy Play, and Kill Switch. More than 4,000 PS2 games were released, making the system’s library one of the largest and most varied ever.
It was also just… cool. Armed with a chip slickly named the “Emotion Engine,” PlayStation 2 overshadowed its competition on virtually all fronts, winning the console generation handily against Nintendo and Microsoft — and taking Sega out of the console-making business for good.2. PlayStation
Only slightly less impactful than the PlayStation 2 was the original PlayStation. Sony’s first foray into console hardware was a revolution for 3D gaming — and console gaming as a pursuit that was finally deemed mature, thanks to a huge list of original, grown-up franchises. Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, and Tekken launched the PlayStation to success. Snatching franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest from creaky rival Nintendo was a coup, thanks in no small part to Sony embracing CD-ROMs as the PlayStation’s storage format. The PlayStation’s game library was overstuffed with original ideas like PaRappa the Rapper, Vib-Ribbon, Vagrant Story, and Bushido Blade.
While Sony innovated in focusing on 3D graphics and optical storage, it wasn’t afraid to steal a few good ideas. After launching with a so-so digital game controller, Sony shipped the dual-analog-stick-equipped DualShock, taking inspiration from Nintendo’s N64 controller and Rumble Pak.
The OG PlayStation also boasts arguably the best console revision in history, in the form of the PS One, a gorgeously soft, diminutive reimagining of the dull gray box Sony originally shipped.
