Sony PlayStation

Sony PlayStation

Table of Contents

History of PlayStation Consoles

Since the release of the first PlayStation in 1994, Sony released four additional major gaming consoles.

Let’s take a look at a summary of PlayStation versions:

PlayStation 1

Release Date
December 3, 1994
CPU
RISC MIPS R3000A (32-bit); 33 MHz
GPU
R800A (32-bit); 33 MHz
Resolution
256×224, 640×480 (SD)
Memory
CD-ROM
Storage
Memory Cards (1MB)
Optical Drive
CD-ROM
Video Output
S-Video, SCART (RGB)

 

The first-ever PlayStation was a critical success, selling 100,000 units on its first-day in-stores. 

Sony sold over 102.49 million PlayStation units until it was discontinued in March 23, 2006. 

PS One

Release Date July 7, 2000

Sony sold over 28.15 million copies of the PS One. It was discontinued on March 26, 2006.

 

PlayStation Classic

Release Date December 3, 2018

Sonny released PlayStation Classic on December 3, 2018. The model was based on the original PlayStation.

 The unit was sold to commemorate the console’s 24th anniversary.

PlayStation 2

Release Date
March 4, 2000
CPU
MIPS R5900 (64-bit); 294 MHz
GPU
Graphics Synthesizer; 147 MHz
Resolution
720×480 (SD), 1280×720 (HD)
Memory
8 MB
Network
Ethernet
Storage
40 GB HDD 
Optical Drive
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
Video Output
AV Multi-Out

As of March 2012, PlayStation 2 sold 155 million copies. 

The unit is backward-compatible with previous PlayStation games. Aside from video games, the unit can play audio CDs and DVDs.

PlayStation 2 Slim

Release Date October 29, 2004

The slimmer and thinner version of PlayStation 2 didn’t have an internal disk drive and an internal power supply.

 

PlayStation 3

Release Date
November 11, 2006
CPU
Cell Broadband Engine 6-core; 3.2 GHz
GPU
Nvidia/SCEI RSX; 550 MHz
Resolution
  • 720×480 (SD)
  • 1280×720 (HD)
  • 1920×1080 (FHD)
Memory
256MB XDR
Storage
2.5” Serial ATA 80GB HDD
Network
Ethernet, Wireless
Optical Drive
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blue-ray
Video Output
  • HDMI (1080p)
  • AV Multi-Out

PlayStation sold 87.4 million units of PS3 as of March 2017. The unit was the first to PlayStation to support Blu-ray.

 

PlayStation 3 Slim

Release Date September 1, 2009

PS3 Slim is not backward-compatible with PS2 games. It had an upgradeable hard drive up to 320GB.

 

PlayStation 3 Super Slim

Release Date September 1, 2009

PS3 Super Slim was redesigned to be thinner and lighter than the previous models. Units were available with either 250GB or 500GB hard drives. 

 

PlayStation 3 Guides

 

PlayStation 4

Release Date
November 15, 2013
CPU
AMD Jaguar 8-core; 1.6 GHz
GPU
AMD Radeon, 1.84 TFLOPS; 800 MHz
Resolution
  • AMD R720×480 (SD)
  • 1280×720 (HD)
  • 1920×1080 (Full HD)
Memory
8GB GDDR5
Storage
500GB HDD
Network
Ethernet, Wireless
Optical Drive
DVD, Blu-Ray
Video Output
HDMI

As of September 2019, Sony sold over 102.8 million PS4 units worldwide.

It can output HDR and 4K resolution multimedia. It could also access  PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store services.

 

PlayStation 4 Slim

Release Date September 16, 2016

PS4 Slim offers an upgraded GPU and a higher CPU clock rate. It could also support 4K video games.

 

PlayStation 4 Pro

Release Date November 10, 2016

PS4 Pro is considered the premium version of PS4. It offers 4K gaming capabilities and console-exclusive games.

 

Playstation 4 Guides

 

PlayStation 5

Release Date
November 12, 2020
CPU
AMD Zen 8-core; 3.5GHz
GPU
Custom RDNA 2 (2.23GHz, 36 CUs, 10.28 TFLOPs)
Resolution
  • 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
  • 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD)
  • 7680 x 4320 (8K UHD)
Memory
16 GB GDDR6; 256-bit
Storage
825GB SSD Custom
Network
Ethernet, Wireless
Video Output
HDMI 2.1

With the boom of home entertainment due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony reported a 26% increase in profits after the latest PlayStation console (PS5) became the fastest-selling gaming console in history.

Playstation 5 Guides

 

Playstation Plus Guides