Sony released the first commercial PlayStation console in Japan in 1994.
The original PlayStation went on sale in Japan on December 3, 1994. Sony Computer Entertainment developed the system after Sony’s earlier work on a proposed Nintendo-related CD project did not lead to a finished joint console. Sony then pursued its own platform.
The console used CD-ROM game software rather than cartridges, helping publishers store larger amounts of audio and visual data. It became a major success in Japan and later launched in North America and Europe in 1995.
The original PlayStation is sometimes confused with the PlayStation 2 because the later machine became the best-selling home console of its time. The first system established the PlayStation name and introduced many players to Sony’s console ecosystem, but online features and DVD playback belonged mainly to later generations.