How the PlayStation Changed Everything

Sony’s PlayStation wasn’t just a console. It was the revolution that began the modern era of video games. This is the story of how its legacy began, told by two former Sony presidents; Andrew House, one of the original minds behind the PlayStation’s groundbreaking marketing who rose to CEO status; and Shawn Layden, who helped developers bring some of PlayStation's most beloved games to life for over 20 years. Here's how the PlayStation changed everything.
#IGN #Gaming #PlayStation

[@rus.t]

IGN needs to make more of these retrospectives/documentaries

[@ANM21985]

at least they won't have to worry about p1ssing people off when they're dropping spoilers

[@ad_stayfly7]

SoftdrinkTv has some great videos like this already

[@supizgamerpro101]

@rus.t Facts.

[@beautepley8352]

Documentaries like this are always my favorite kind to watch. Well done.

[@leeartlee915]

Wow, IGN putting out a great retrospective video with awesome interviews. Who knew they still had it in them.

[@CardanoWEEDStakePool]

They should keep going in this direction

[@mattpuccinelli9478]

They're scared of noclip

[@wesgrossAV]

Big Facts

[@william1760201]

IGN has really been stepping up their game lately !!!

[@bakaneiro]

IGN is legendary. Please keep that in mind, you are part of videogame history!

[@Razear]

The DualShock controller was just as ground-breaking as the console itself. Legendary design that is still widely used decades later.

[@hxnslshhax9011]

even the normal ps1 controller shape was still used until ps3.

[@karelpipa]

The first one was called Dual Analog. It had some things done even better, Dunno why they discontinued it only a year after its release

[@tougeruzbay]

The Analog controller should've been the stable house with its concave thumbsticks and longer handles.

[@zZiL341yRj736]

And the Dualsense redefined gaming once again, with haptic trigger, speaker, track pad, gyro.

[@StreetsofATL_19]

@@karelpipaThey kept changing the PlayStation controller based on Nintendo’s analog stick and later the rumble pack.

[@udemeebong3242]

Optical disc, 3D graphics, advertising, branding, $299 mic drop, the games, the Dualshock, etc. So many iconic moves. More videos like this please.

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

The PlayStation killed Sega with that “299” then mic drop and that was just the beginning of PlayStation’s domination.

[@Jum_jamb0]

However you view it, the "giant enemy crab" is another iconic moment

[@Drenn23]

one of the best parts of gaming around the ps1 era was watching tv and be surprised with a commercial for a video game, they were so unique, you have no idea it was a video game at the time

[@victorhardin2186]

Underrated comment.

[@MicklowFilms]

Who cares! Hope they go out of business soon!

[@Drenn23]

@MicklowFilms aww such a cute little hater....must be jealous of sony's dominance

[@Adawong2012favs]

​@@MicklowFilmsJealous

[@JonBlack413]

@@MicklowFilmschill dude

[@KingKarimYT]

The name they come up with, “PlayStation” also played a huge part. It was easy to understand what the machine was, also very catchy and so recognizable.

[@mel-nm6oh]

Thank you Sony and PlayStation for the countless hours of fun.. to more years of gaming..🎮

[@adammurray365]

Im a huge Xbox guy… without PlayStation we all would be playing goofy children games… they brought maturity to gaming

[@PulseOfMe]

​@adammurray365 and without nintendo and "goofy" children's game we wouldn't have video games at all.

[@legendarynoobz]

@@PulseOfMe the video game crash only happened in the US. And besides, arcades were still a thing back then. The video games industry would still have survived regardless.

[@arisen456]

​@@PulseOfMei think you mean atari

[@worawatsr9803]

@@PulseOfMeNintendo didn’t create console gaming. There were many other consoles that were released before the first Nintendo system

[@onemorechris]

the marketing for Playstation was wild, possibly the best that will ever exist. it’s hard to overstate how cool and cutting edge it was at the time. and the jump from 2D to 3D on CDs felt like the future.

[@eugenb9017]

The CD was the key here. Not only games were cheaper to make, but you could have much more content, including high quality music. And you could use the console as a CD player, back then it was a HUGE advantage. A decent standalone CD Player was probably more expensive that the Playstation.

[@skycloud4802]

It's a shame that Sony has forgotten about bringing value to customers today. They seem to be more concerned about nickel and diming playstation players now.

[@MementoMori_2070]

One of my first PS1 games was Metal Gear solid. Which was attached to a Pizza Hut box during delivery.

[@MrScarfacempl]

Demo?

[@FurryEwoks]

Wow tool 😂

[@vgjr300]

has to be@@MrScarfacempl

[@RhythmGrizz]

*Demo

[@politepeppermint]

SAME 🍕

[@HollowRick]

The ps1 intro still gives me chills castlevania symphony of the night is still one of my favourite games off all time a long with final fantasy 7 and resident evil 2

[@marcheining5697]

3 of my top 5 ps1 games.

[@HollowRick]

​@@marcheining5697 hell yeah 😄 what are your others?

[@chriswinspear7965]

Ps2 was one of the cheapest Dvd players you could buy when it launched, once of the reasons it sold so much.

[@PartyMarty321]

weren't some audiophiles buying ps1 units due to the cd audio?

[@froggydarren]

​@@PartyMarty321the ps1 when it released was a excellent cd player the price outclassed standalone players easily

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

Another reason is that the PS2 has the best library of games on any console.

[@PogeyMane]

​@@Adamtendo_player_1not originally though

[@LueyDLS]

​@@PogeyManehuh?

[@ryutou-ki4dl]

as great as the ps1 was, its wild to think they followed this groundbreaking system with the ps2 which can be measured as the greatest console of all time by almost every metric possible.

[@sajlee]

What a wonderful walk down memory lane. Great video guys. Thank you!

[@a-man2530]

The PlayStation 1 and MegaDrive will forever be my favourite consoles. The initial excitement of playing WipeOut, Tekken 2, MGS and FF7 cant be matched.

[@benm3382]

It's hard to explain how it felt being a kid in the year 2000... Surely a feeling I'll never have again in this lifetime.

[@SeeDaRipper...]

Maybe next time eh?🤭

[@JonBlack413]

IKR, Between the PS2 and the OG XBOX Video Games to me have never been more magical than the 2000s.

[@grantmccarthy9723]

Couldn’t have said this better man…

[@23gt17]

8:25 and 17:30 - two sounds that will forever be indelible in my mind as a reminder of a wonderful time in my youth. I'll never forget the original PS1 boot-up sound and that intro to FF7 - the console and game that made me a dedicated gamer forever and after.

[@Sinn0100]

Whoa...this was from IGN?! This is the kind of thing that brings gamers back into the fold. A decent documentary filled with thought provoking interviews from Playstation insiders giving us a behind the curtains peek at the 5th generation. Nice work.

[@dsimpson530]

Don't forget that Sony imagesoft made SNES games (David jaffe was a tester for SIS) prior to PlayStation. Sony even collaborated with Sega on the Sega CD. Tom Kalinske (Sega America CEO) wanted to partner with Sony on a console but Sega Japan shot down the partnership.

[@lewisclark1122]

Yes, and Sony's games were some of the worst on the SNES (like Last Action Hero). Some people even speculated that they were trying to sink the 16 bit deliberately with a flood of games that they knew were dreadful.

[@RhythmGrizz]

Jaffe's a tool

[@todesziege]

Imagesoft is clearly something Sony wants to sweep under the rug. There's a lot of convenient omissions and half-truths like that in this story.

[@davidmylchreest3306]

As an Amiga owner, that magazine page announcing the death of Commodore alongside the start of Playstation was a snapshot of my childhood.

[@themagicbeanbag]

1. Maybe the best IGN thumbnail I've seen. 2. Great to see them branching out into these doc like videos

[@MegaCloud05]

Crash 2, Spyro 2, Tekken 2 and 3, 3Xtreme, and Final Fantasy 7 were my favorites.

[@Vagorim]

How could you forget legend of dragoon 😭

[@clivematthews95]

This story always makes me emotional 🥹 I just love PlayStation so much ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@twosnakse]

Amazing work to get such high profile people to speak about this. Fascinating.

[@RDJ134]

08:00 WipEout was my reason to get a PlayStation, still my favorite Sony race game ever.

[@lmcgregoruk]

wipE′out″ came out on Sega Saturn and PC too, as did Tomb Raider.

[@edz]

Loved every single second of this video. Fantastic work. Thank you!

[@atranimecs]

The fact that Naughty Dog developers programmed games BETTER than Sony itself speaks to the ingenuity and innovation developers craved with the new hardware. People need to see the interview about how Crash Bandicoot was even created on the limited hardware on PS1. New developers are spoiled, optimization was a huge focus back then to squeeze every ounce of processing power. If that focus existed today who know what we would see.

[@mohammedganai9636]

Optimization is just a hurdle. It's not like PS4/PS5 lacked any magic potential that could be unlocked that they would have had if they were complex a la the PS3.

[@AaronAirstrike]

Always owned and enjoyed every PlayStation and Nintendo console since PS1 and SNES.

[@johnmc3862]

It didn’t introduce the modern era of Videogames, it just brought it to a new level. The era was huge already with the Genesis and the Super Nintendo.

[@dellzincht]

The PlayStation firmly pushed videogames into the mainstream, though. In the UK especially, the console was constantly referenced in tv shows and "lads mags" like FHM, Loaded and GQ. Before the PlayStation gaming was largely seen as a kid's hobby.

[@bringdapain8462]

Excellent documentary. Well done Matt!

[@Rossesh101]

Amazing console!. Sooo many childhood memories playing all time classics like Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid and FF7 etc. The console boot up jingle alone gets me all sentimental haha

[@weekendtrailerparksupervis3216]

We need more of these retrospectives! Great stuff!

[@SZeall]

This could have been double or triple the size and you’d still have my undivided attention - amazing work boys!

[@m4l1c33]

Great timing of this video. Just started replaying silent hill on my ps1 a few days ago

[@ReeseLightning]

This is fantastic! Very well done 👏👏

[@mayamousavi]

MORE OF THIS PLEASE Very well made

[@brianlevesque8742]

That Classic Startup

[@pauljakeman]

IGN need to do more videos like this. This was awesome. It goes to show that one of the main things that made the PS1 a hit, was them taking risks. Its what we need again these days. No one is taking many risks any more. In the wider world its the same with the music and movie industries. No ones taking risks. That's why sometimes it doesn't feel as much fun anymore.

[@akarohit9290]

Provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of video games, including the entry of third-party developers into the industry and the subsequent shift in the dominance previously held by Nintendo and Sega. It's fascinating to witness how the landscape of the gaming industry has transformed over time.

[@Forcecaster]

PlayStation defined generations. No matter what the future holds, PlayStation will never be fully forgotten.

[@dareh87]

This reminded me of the old Gametrailers Retrospective-shows which were great. More of these please!

[@Riknos]

Awesome doco - well done Matt & Cardy! Clear, concise, but with some meat to it. PSX will always be my favourite console due to everything you've highlighted in this vid - it really was a game changer!

[@agent_mc]

The playstation one was freaking awesome to grow up with!! So many great games and lots of RPGs when squaresoft used to make great games 😊

[@andrewdoug8084]

Love my first playstation with tekken .

[@ot9523]

Tekken 2 and 3 was my most played games

[@Spo8]

Absolutely love this format. Please please produce more stuff like this.

[@owenpotter1638]

Simpler times.

[@randez626]

Better times

[@doomslayerdave]

If you really want a great retrospective go watch Bedrooms to Billions: The PlayStation Years. Yes that film series always had more of a British slant because the first 2 films were mainly about the ZX Spectrum, C64 and Amiga but the PlayStation iteration is absolutely amazing.

[@Remix26]

Loved this video! So awesome seeing the history of PS.

[@Punisher2all]

That PS startup sound. *chef's kiss*

[@samirshah5411]

This was a Phenomenal trip down memory lane, thank you!

[@mrbrandon6]

This is the best video I’ve ever seen from IGN. Please make more deep dive videos like this!

[@DarkMerchant2222]

Great video. Miss Shawn and Andrew.

[@jc4446]

Great stuff . Going from nes and sega to psx (what we used to call it) was freaking mind boggling , the 3D gaming and polygon graphics were something we could only find in arcades …

[@Riknos]

Well done for correctly using PSX moniker, which was the term used for years until they changed it to PS1 later /geekmodeoff

[@alexcoupe.]

It was never called PSX. PSX was a Japan only PS2 with a dvr built in and was the first Sony machine to us the XMB interface that the PS3 and PSP built upon.

[@jc4446]

@@Riknos yea right on!

[@RinaldoJonathan]

@@alexcoupe. yes, but original PS also called PSX by codename.

[@I_AM_N_evitablE]

This was a great way to bridge the gap between those who were too young to remember Sony creating a lane for themselves with those that grew up in that era! Well done! Great quality too

[@leelana985]

08:24 There arent many things in the world that give me goosebumps like the sound of the PS1 intro :D

[@Louielulus]

Diggin’ this video. Reminds me of an episode of G4’s Icons

[@mohammedganai9636]

That episode had errors.

[@andreasrutledge93]

This is my number 1 game console ever right next to the SNES and Xbox 360,I have so many memories playing it's games like crash bandicoot and ape escape,awesome retrospective on this legendary game changing console.

[@Gamesta100]

Minus the 360 being 3rd I'm the same. PS1, SNES, PS2 for me.

[@RadicalDreamer9000]

@@Gamesta100 Same. SNES and PS1 are both legendary to me. PS2 extremely close behind them. Such amazing libraries and so many awesome memories.

[@atomosfabian]

Amazing retrospective 💙

[@andrewdenzov3303]

Been there. My first gaming system. 1997-98

[@Ptolemy336VV]

My best console together with Playstation 2 and 4. The games have been beyond any other console which is what a console is about for me. The amount of games is like 6,7,8x above their competitore in some eras. And with it many unique games. Also. Anyone loving MGS or JRPGs where especially in ps1 and 2 in ultimate heaven. Never has this glory come back in the amounts as in these 2 era's

[@JD-xz1mx]

"My best console together with Playstation 2 and 4. The games have been beyond any other console which is what a console is about for me" You're putting the PS4 above the SNES?

[@Chiefrocka.]

​@@JD-xz1mxyes

[@Largentina.]

​@@JD-xz1mx"Your opinion of this console is different than mine? I'm confused...."

[@toxicavenger7073]

The "$299" was the ultimate mic drop of all time 🫳🎤

[@mickael486]

and no one would have known besides 2 dozen people if it wasn't for that one dude that decided to record it.

[@jameschou7342]

Sega did an entire presentation about their features benefits to justify the price. Sony knew it was similar and just dropped their presentation to just say the price. That was it

[@FurryEwoks]

Calm tf down. Ain’t that serious buddy

[@JaeliusFairmout]

no built-in memory storage, no game included. somehow it costs less. *shocked pikachu face*

[@hugoboss917]

​@furryewoks don't ever underestimate the power of PlayStation

[@eyokfla]

8:24 a great step in the video game history

[@MrpawpawGaming]

great retrospectives/documentaries

[@M.sami12]

People don't realize how revolutionary PS1 was. Gaming would never be the same without it.

[@fionnmaccuill415]

They do it was a massive success.

[@jack8162]

They realize, but people remember Nintendo single handedly saving the gaming industry as a whole also.

[@mikeberg6407]

Cause it wasnt at all? Theres a reason despite having 4 x the library of the N64 that there is no fan base for the system outside of a few franchises that cant even carry a video alone without referring to future installments. Literally 30 N64 games in Twitch's top watched, and 3 PS1 games lmfao.

[@khaimk4r4su]

@@jack8162 ONLY in USA.

[@KokoroKatsura]

@@khaimk4r4su south america can't afford videogames, uk made great nintendo games too

[@jonathancreasman535]

Would love to see IGN make more content like this

[@thomaspena1308]

Awesome video! Thank you 👏🏼

[@CS_1989]

What made the PS2 most successful was BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY!! Bcuz not everyone iz going to rush to get the latest & newest hardware. The fact that u could still enjoy titles u still have&havent played on AS well as u have time to get into the next Gen iz a Huge factor!

[@CS_1989]

Companies need to embrace Backwards Compatibility especially now with development times taking YRS now, letting gamers have options to play older titles gives consumers the confidence in having content to explore while developers perfect the nxt platform

[@ThomastheDankEngine8900]

Actually it was huge third party support, a year headstart, and DVD playback as the biggest advantages of the PlayStation 2.

[@skycloud4802]

PS2 had a lot going for it. Backwards compatibility, dvd playback, and huge command of third party exclusives.

[@MrVariant]

@@skycloud4802$20 greatest hits reprints was great. Shame that died with 3ds Nintendo selects for the $70 game that needs dlc for the complete experience. Sony did drive the price of gaming down for a while with discs (even if ps1 final fantasy 1-9 and chrono trigger may have had bad load times for some, it was ahead of its time) compared to $70+ games back then that are at least double if you adjust for inflation today.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

Don't forget the huge amounts of hype, Sony was showing demos of the PS2 running characters from the 2001 Final Fantasy movie.

[@jameslyddall]

Wipeout 2097 and Dino crisis were my favourite games of this era. Such fond memories of being 11 years old and being scared shitless playing Dino crisis. So much nostalgia.

[@bmabs35]

Got a PS2 somehwere around 2005 or so. That was my first ever gaming console and it was a glorious time.

[@emmanuelibus]

When the Playstation boot music played, it was so nostalgic, all that was in my head was "gotta time the disc swap just right..."

[@williamgrimm1353]

Need more of these

[@martincoviella5468]

8:25 Insert chills here..

[@InternetWarrior187]

8:25 this hits hard 🥹

[@homiej8163]

Really loved this. Would really love to see a deep dive into Xbox or the history of Nintendo and Sega rivalry

[@swarming1092]

Really enjoyed this!

[@K3vinTuCara]

More of these please

[@jprmercado]

Wow, this just took me back! This documentary was really well done!

[@MrDevilwing]

8:25 goosebumps...

[@alanprather8399]

Tomb raider, metal gear solid, tenchu, resident evil 2, twisted metal, oddworld, final fantasy, Tony hawk... the list continues. they made the best games. they were more adult oriented which is why we loved it.

[@artvandelay4485]

8:25 now that some nostalgia for ya!

[@itswrongtokillanimalsifyou2837]

Superb job, Matt!

[@AmirZaimMohdZaini]

PlayStation today is a lot of different than what is going around in 90's, from being marketed to everyone into marketed mainly for adults. PS4 era was the peak era until PS5 era where number of exclusives still can be counted with fingers and even some of these titles were ported to PC. Old times where 1st party PS titles were best selling ones. Now Sony admitted that their 1st party title isn't best selling enough, it just a freaking COD franchise that they felt it as "life support" after all.

[@DDT-lr3zz]

It was third party exclusives that sold the most on PS2 or well developed for PS2 in mind. Besides a bunch of PS4 players are casuals that play COD at all.

[@adamw2307]

Great video. Really interesting. Loved it. Can you do one for xbox please?

[@jayarcee7847]

Great job with this one!

[@scottspiegel9078]

Thank you for this IGN. ❤

[@adamcnperi]

Fantastic video!! Thank you IGN!

[@Post-Apocalyptic-Response]

1st version is also a brilliant CD player

[@ultimate_president]

Playstation became the synonym for gaming 💙

[@StreetsofATL_19]

No it didn’t. Only Atari and Nintendo did that sir! The video game market was thriving in 94-95. If anything. Sony helped normalized Gaming in the CD format, normalize 3D polygon graphics and normalize the usage of CGI cut scenes. The PlayStation was the system that forced the industry to ADAPT!😮

[@Chiefrocka.]

​@@StreetsofATL_19cope

[@wolverineiscool7161]

it changed my life for sure!

[@kevinbennett1534]

Excellent video!

[@jasoncuevas4100]

Woah ign! More of this please !

[@revantharyan]

ign should keep doing video's like this do one on xbox.nintendo,sega,activison,rockstar etc like the companies that changed gaming.

[@adamfn7086]

one of my favourite childhood consoles

[@pauldeasy1665]

Remember getting a playstation 1 for christmas at the time it was mind blowing

[@fizzyfuzz5878]

Only thing I'd really say was missing here is more about why the saturn failed outside of Japan. The premature launch and internal fighting. Also how once final fantasy 7 released the PlayStation outsold the Saturn in japan. Then truly being the global number one.

[@zigbingham6086]

Sonys advertising was out of this world. From the crazy ads to perforated roachable PlayStation magazine inserts.

[@paulrivers564]

Can you do a retrospective of the N64?

[@cinnabar546]

Great docu IGN very nostalgic it feels like the IGN of old

[@ghostofthefuture]

Grew up through the early console wars. It's crazy that Nintendo and Sega were battling it out for years and then Sony swooped in and just took over.

[@worawatsr9803]

They destroyed the competition with much higher quality games and graphics.