Which PlayStation console was the first to include a built-in DVD player?

The PlayStation 2 was the first PlayStation console to include a built-in DVD player.

Sony designed the PlayStation 2 to play DVD-Video discs as well as games. This gave the console a significant advantage when DVDs were becoming the dominant home-video format, because buyers could use one machine for both video games and movie playback.

The original PlayStation used CD-ROM technology for its games and did not include native DVD playback. The PlayStation 2 continued to use DVD-ROM discs for many games, while also supporting DVD-Video movies through its optical disc drive.

DVD playback was one reason the PlayStation 2 attracted people who might not otherwise have purchased a dedicated game console. It is important not to confuse this feature with Blu-ray playback, which arrived with the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 2’s optical drive could read DVDs, but it was not a Blu-ray player.