Sony: "Your idea sucks", Man: Invents PlayStation

The story of Sony’s Playstation is filled with secret deals, underhanded moves, dishonor and backstabbing. But the video game industry wouldn’t be the same without one man, Ken Kutaragi, who risked it all to bring his vision to life.
This is the Dark Rise of PlayStation.
Sources:
[Articles]
www.atlasobscura.com/articles...
arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/0...
kotaku.com/the-weird-history-...
www.gamespot.com/articles/ken...
playstation.fandom.com/wiki/N...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlaySta...
www.sportskeeda.com/esports/w...
playstation.fandom.com/wiki/N...
www.gamespot.com/articles/ken...
www.engadget.com/2007-06-19-s...
[Media]
• The PS1 Changed Gaming...
• Console Wars - NINTEND...
• 1991 Summer CES
• Nintendo Vs Sony Full ...
• The Complete History o...
• Evolution of PlayStati...
• The Nintendo Playstati...
• Brands With Best-Selli...
• Why The Nintendo PlayS...
• Nintendo PlayStation P...
• State of Play - Ken Ku...
• Father of the PlayStat...
• The Story of the Plays...
• The Story of the Sony ...
• How Crash Bandicoot Ha...
• Evolution of PlayStati...
• A Game on the SNES CD!...
• 1994 Summer CES
• News 8 attends the CES...
• DF Retro Extra: Sony a...
• E3 2004 - Nintendo DS ...
• Very first Nintendo Fa...
• A Rare Look Inside Nin...
• 1998 - Interview with ...
• Sony PlayStation - Pre...
• PlayStation Classic | ...
• PS5 Hardware Reveal Tr...
• PlayStation 5 Global L...
• All PlayStation Startu...
[Spotify]
open.spotify.com/episode/1Iq1...
open.spotify.com/episode/3UiO...
[Image Licensing]
• State of Play - Ken Ku...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
www.theverge.com/2013/1/4/382...
flic.kr/p/meLELr
www.newegg.com/sony-model-cdu...
www.ebay.com.au/itm/153962961436
flic.kr/p/2ieMdUr
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norio_O...
• Gran Turismo 25th Anni...
[Music Licensing]
Code: 3DE9ABCVSVG5QPQV, O3HCC2AT2QDCV331, 8VBELEEOSMYXHUYO, JXGDKJYQP93OR7H4, M4VODBDDQRGUSEMM, EU3ATDU24DDTVUGA, KQLFLVTPHXJCXJVT, A0MJOS7FJJFWPHTA

[@gconol]

What is more impressive to me is that Ken's boss believed in him. Any other boss would've fired him on the spot the first time, and some would have given up on him the moment Nintendo threw away the deal.

[@GeorgeMartinus]

Yes, without Norio's encouragement, PlayStation wouldn't be exist.

[@JewelFornillas]

The guy was a leader, not a boss. Bosses just scold around and fire people

[@Ali_Al-Nasir]

Norio looks like a good man honestly

[@shuishironuga]

nah his boss doesn't believe him, his big boss did.

[@aldrenkimconcordia3220]

Exactly! Such a good boss

[@lipslikesugar8470]

The stubbornness of Ken Kutaragi faved the way for the greatest gaming experience a lot of us now enjoys. Thank you Ken. And thank you Sony.

[@SonyEnthusiast]

You're welcome

[@MrVariant]

not completely true (I feel PS1 is the best system and PS2 best successor to do backwards compatibility/play movies for their times) given all the crazy hiccups PS3-PS5 and cumbersome VR 1 and limited VR2. However, they did help make gaming more affordable with discs, despite the $10 PS5 tax to $70. I just wouldn't want a repeat of ridiculous system prices/demands, exaggerated feedback claims about controllers (those haptics aren't going to be detected in most stuff let alone astro's playroom crashes on me a lot) and confusing backwards compatibility/online plans (PS essential is complete bs and premium only to dip into new stuff that extra doesn't have). The main thing playstation has is exclusives/imports and that credit card.

[@CalisthenicsMuscle]

Even XBOX would have never come to life without Sony's success in Playstation. We all know that.

[@Love_N_Let_Live]

​@@MrVariant PS2 best with backwards compatibility? I'm on my series X playing original Xbox and 360 games, that are enhanced to look much much better. I know you said for their time, but that would mean it's competition is what? The Xbox 360, which allowed you to play most Xbox games still? 🤷‍♂️

[@RobertK1993]

​@@MrVariant Backwards Compatible hardly used by the majority PS2 better than PS2

[@symartin45]

Don't forget Sony also made a deal with Sega, Nintendo's rival. They too rejected Sony's idea, which was one of their biggest mistakes.

[@dummmi_balls9424]

Blame Sega of Japan for the rejection. Sega of America was considering teaming up with Sony but SoJ was really mad and rejected the idea of a Sega Playstation.

[@mechashadow]

​@@dummmi_balls9424 To sum up SoJ vs SoA..Former is always limitation and latter is creative freedom.

[@xxxxWYLDSTALLYNSxxxx]

Don’t even get me started on SEGAs mistakes they’ve made.

[@xxxxWYLDSTALLYNSxxxx]

@@dummmi_balls9424 If SEGA of America and Japan could communicate and cooperate better I feel they would still be around.

[@zainebrown1351]

Then some of them went to work for PlayStation

[@the_darkborne5440]

The Father of Playstation, the man who built my childhood and gave me some the best memories I will ever have. I did play other consoles as well but, I have always returned to playstation. The controller alone makes it the best.

[@courtneygardner64]

😂😂😂touch some grass

[@ernelbustamante6330]

Same here. My summer break was always playing PS1. Good times.

[@bc2130]

goosebumps 😅

[@martini668]

@@ernelbustamante6330 started with PS1 played on pc for years and got back to the PS4

[@stezarock]

U have to buy it, he didn’t give it to u 🤣

[@lmntcrnstn4970]

It dishonors the memory of Satoru Iwata to use footage of him starting at 5:13. He joined Nintendo in 2000 (becoming president in 2002), while the PlayStation was introduced in 1994. He had nothing to do with Nintendo reneging on its agreement with Sony. Satoru Iwata even voluntarily halved his salary in 2011 and 2014 when Nintendo saw operating losses.

[@stephenmaxam]

Modern media is lazy

[@blackpepper2610]

No

[@yamoasap]

Lmnt Crnstn I agree

[@vexcarius7100]

It’s amazing how a seed of vision/ideas of a single person can affect the entire world. Never underestimate yourself.

[@hhfggvogtthehy6451]

Nintendo’s decision to break off relations with Sony is quite possibly one of the worst Ls in entertainment history.

[@commentsdisabled2320]

Nintendo have made so many bad decisions they should get a medal

[@edwardshin7684]

Funny enough, though, this is arguably the BEST thing to happen in the gaming industry as a whole as it adds competition, which forces all competitors to work harder to provide higher quality games and services. At least, that's what another KZbinr commented, to which I agree with.

[@LordFoxxyFoxington]

Nintendo has Scrooge McDuck money, I dont think they care.

[@HerbaMachina]

Pretty sure Nintendo is not hurting for money by any means, in 2022 Nintendo had ~15 billion in just Cash, let alone any of the value of their other property, and Ip assets etc. Sony had ~12 billion in cash in bank. I don't think Nintendo took any L's considering they're packing more cash in the bank then Sony which is getting that from a much larger range of products than Nintendo is.

[@thematrix2661]

@@HerbaMachina Ken alone is worth $110 billion

[@jaywayytoofresh9670]

Thank you Ken Sony owes you everything because without the PlayStation they would of been of out of business a long time ago

[@kodaph]

I guess no, Sony is in most every electronic devices these days. Camera, sensors, anything that uses SMD, Sony has its part of our electronic and digital lives. Same goes to LG, they sell, LCD panels, SMD storages, devices and so on.

[@gerijokub7737]

@@kodaph Yup, both iPhone and Samsung nowadays uses Sony sensors in their cameras, and that's saying a lot.

[@ZxSpectrumplus]

@@kodaph Those business doesn't makes so much money. Apple didn't make any of their own components until recent years. It's the brand that can bring the big business. They would have end up as another electronic part supplier if it wasn't for Playstation.

[@RobertK1993]

Could have went bust in early 2010s not now.

[@RobertK1993]

​@@ZxSpectrumplusApple make nothing they design CPUs but made by Samsung.

[@xxxxWYLDSTALLYNSxxxx]

Biggest oversight of the century. How Nintendo didn’t realize Sony would basically own Nintendos games and characters. They should have still said no but should have handled it differently.

[@michaelmichaelagnew8503]

Agree it was a bad deal for Nintendo to begin with but was not handled very well either just like how they mishandled the Nintendo 64 and all the third parties at that time as well. If Nintendo would have designed the 64 with modern stuff like CD's and was easier to program for maybe things would have been different. I guess the problem was Sony owned CD's at that time so Nintendo had no choice to make a deal with Sony to use it. Sony wanted to use that as leverage to steal IP's from Nintendo. I can see why Nintendo walked away.

[@xxxxWYLDSTALLYNSxxxx]

@@michaelmichaelagnew8503 so many games on N64 that were also on PlayStation looked better but were missing videos and quality sound or licensed songs besides Resident Evil 2, which was amazing they crammed all that on a cartridge. I remember hating the loading time on PS1 and now all these years later N64 games stood the test of time and a lot of PS1 games are scratched and unplayable. PS1 was probably still the winner because it established the brand and started many franchises. Just look at how many games were on PS1 compared to N64. For longevity though…. 64 wins. Can’t say the same for the cardboard boxes the games came in.

[@ae86takumi]

The actual story goes like this “ Ken Kutaragi went to Ohga because after the Nintendo announcement, Ohga wanted to scrap the project since it was shameful how they were embarrassed. Then Kutaragi told Ohga that they should take everything they developed up to that point and release their own console. Ohga was not sure about that idea. Finally ,Kutaragi asked Ohga if he was going to let Nintendo let away with it ? Ohga took a moment then said “Do it” Thus , the PlayStation was born.

[@AA-db9cb]

He was forced into retirement after the PS3 because it massively underperformed for the amount of money they poured into it. CELL was much more ambitious than just a console chip but chip production was way, way more complex they couldn't follow through. And CELL was hard to develop for that a lot of devs just went multi-platform, not to mention that, ultimately, the PS3 was capped by the performance of the nVidia card it had anyway. That's why the 360 took off that gen. Kutaragi was given the window seat.

[@MrZrazies]

Lol. 360 outsold ps3? Ok.

[@hish.b]

​​@@MrZrazies I don't think the Xbox sold more but Sony's market share for the ps2 was 74% and their marketshare for the PS3 was 32%. The OG Xbox had 12% marketshare the 360 had a 31% marketshare.

[@AmirZaimMohdZaini]

Xbox 360 outsold PS3s? It's pretty hilarious when M$ did refusing to expand markets to certain regions eg. Southeast Asia (except Singapore) due to piracy claims that I found absurd. They make fun of it, now they had to face the ultimate poor Xbox One sales in Japan.

[@NFSBeast2365]

Interesting

[@MaximMicheal20]

The PS3 actually outsold the 360 by the end of that generation.

[@larrytron1992]

Ken Kutaragi is my personal hero. It’s inspiring how he used his engineering abilities to create a revolutionary console that changed the lives of millions of people, myself included I’ll never forget the first time my older sister and I turned on the PS1 with Crash Bandicoot as our first game He’s also known to be a very tough and demanding boss

[@bharasiva96]

All things considered, this was the best thing to happen for the gaming industry.

[@NFSBeast2365]

Yep, coming from a guy who owned all generations of this beautiful home console brand 🥰

[@st1ka]

"Nintendo consoles had only been able to accomodate low quality cartridges" Huh... did you mean low capacity or storage space? Because quality-wise, catridges were a pretty high quality format for the time.

[@iorifori91]

ninendot fanboi spotted

[@somedude7398]

​@@iorifori91 Not a Nintendo fanboy, but he's right. Cartridges were high quality back then.

[@Chi-Chi-Fy]

@@somedude7398 but dust though

[@draconpost]

@@iorifori91 cartridges allowed for lower capacity but insane loading speeds, it's literally like comparing loading from an ssd and from a cd, games had to be made differently

[@DOI_ARTS]

Nintendont

[@viperdemonz-jenkins]

glad the man pushed on, Playstation is still the greatest console ever.

[@twinmillario1452]

That's good for the story of PlayStation. But we definitely need the whole story of the Sony Company itself.

[@MUISHAGGY572]

Thank you Ken Kutaragi for all the years of amazing games.

[@suoquainen]

Working with Philips went really well. :)

[@jonphanspromotions]

This teaches us one thing, never give up our dreams. Ken had a great Boss with the same vision, if not, none of these would have happen.

[@brad4058]

This man deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his determination and ability to show his competitors what it means to "f around and find out".

[@thedislikebutton1907]

- 👶

[@vishnusuresh7417]

PlayStation 2 was gold ♥

[@RobertK1993]

Platinum m

[@cokelife5831]

Diamond

[@diassmaker]

I remember it as if it were yesterday! It was a revolution at the time! And the school would become even more boring after that LOL Thanks for sharing!

[@huberthanks3007]

Business Partnerships never last. However, from Nintendo point of view the contract did favor Sony so I dont blame them for backing out. The partnership idea initially was to increase the Nintendo brand using Sony tech, which worked. After the corporate split, Sony deserve a lot of credit for the innovative PS1 allowing studios to create so many iconic games today.

[@luluthecat1570]

Why back out a whole year and 100 prototypes later when they could've just not wasted anyone's time and back out immediately/negotiate to change the contract?

[@user-hx7dt6vb8f]

Ken Kutaragi is the Hero we all need and deserved. This man is a game changer in the gaming industry. Hats off☝️💯🔥

[@n0madfernan257]

worst than the worst anime betrayals. they could have just talked it over first.

[@soraaoixxthebluesky]

I cannot imagine my childhood without PS1 . I don't share a lot of moments my 3 elder brothers due to our age gap but PS1 is one thing that help our bond together as a siblings and a machine that gave me lot of memories with them. I remember how all 4 of us trying so hard to get Super License in GT2.

[@yooneunhyesarang9245]

Me myself hid rm500 school tuition money for buying the original playstation in 1997. My school teacher scolded me for not paying the fee almost a year. It was worth it. My first cds was Metal Gear Solid, Tekken, and ISS Pro Evolution. What a time to be alive!!

[@pm5312]

No sh!t. It took me as the oldest brother, 3 of my younger brothers, cousin, and some friends to get gold for each license. It got so frustrated, we end up go play basketball afterward. Then come back just start winning races and buy our cars and race each other.

[@victoriousvanessa9425]

I remember that day when I played the PS1 back in 1996( in a play-for-rent room. I was playing the Crash Bandicoot, Tekken ( 1,2 or3?) & Darkstalkers 2. I even saw playing Breath of Fire III, too.

[@scotty28653]

Long Live Ken Kutaragi..... We Playstation faithful are forever in your debt.

[@ianrodgers6190]

I remember this story when I was a kid!

[@sher6494]

Bro decided not to give up and became a legend👑

[@chrisleung4155]

Thank you Ken for creating some of the best gaming consoles on this planet.

[@TheOzTube]

That's my Kensington trackball mouse at 0:57 :)) I love it! ... using it now, i have owned 4 different ones

[@Tylenol888]

I love my first play station. So much childhood memories, metal gear the best, grand tourismo, tekken, twisted metal, driver, and many more. Thanks ken.

[@Jindo712]

I feel sorry for Kutaragi, it seems that he was backstabbed by Nintendo according to this report and by his peers @ Sony later in his life.

[@MindMunchies786]

Cheers Ken! And message to Apple, waiting for a movie based on Ken similar to Tetris.

[@laborielkain1748]

Thank you Ken, you made our childhood full of wonderful memories that I'll cherish. The father of the PlayStation 💖👑

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Nintendo should have talked to Sony first instead of backstabbing them. But I doubt the videogame market would have been so excited and competitive at that time if both companies did pushed through their original plans.

[@Unfollowthem]

Greed didn't supported Nintendo

[@RobertK1993]

It begins Nintendo fall Sony rise😂

[@codelessunlimited7701]

Thanks Ken. I had a fond memories of playing Tekken 3 and still blazing my PS4. The dream of one man became part of my life.

[@DerekPaksa]

This is well known story in gaming industry. What I really want to know who responsible to make decision in Nintendo side.

[@legendsflashback]

You forgot the meeting with Sega of America who wanted the PlayStation after Nintendo betrayal

[@AndresSpiffs]

The thing that surprised me about Ken Kutaragi is that I never thought he’d be so handsome.

[@Gametech]

You're not sweet talking your way out of this one!

[@pareshmathew1596]

That 6:51 really made me nostalgic. My first playstation and the memories that came along with it.

[@icweener1636]

Sony's PlayStation is so popular back then till now BUT I still don't own one 🤣

[@tarea582]

I have a ps4

[@mikecarr8915]

Well done Ken for giving me such great memories playing and owning every playstation console!!!!

[@SonyEnthusiast]

lesson: never give up on your dreams! SONY FTW 💪

[@waqarkhalid3331]

Thank u Ken for GTA III GTA IV and GTA V and also Time Crisis the first one lol I remember my first PS my gf bought for me for $100 second hand lol

[@MYNKS18]

Respect++ for you gf

[@eddieme2009]

Wow, childhood memories... I still remember the first time I played PS1, RE game, it was very exciting!

[@ververdil8296]

Nintendo is still my childhood console But play station is my console as I grown

[@lordmonarch2995]

Never give up on your dreams. And this guy is Japanese you know what a strict society Japan is! And this guy came out on top despite the adversity!

[@darrche5129]

You missed out PS1 the mini version of PS with that rounded corners XD. Thanks to this man i've got the honor to lay my hands on the controllers of PS, PS1, PSP(sorry no controller), PS3 and PS4 pro. Guess we're lucky to be born in this time and age for electronic gaming.

[@gpparama]

I loved the way Sony came back and gifted the world playstation really inspiring but disagree that Nintendo betrayed, Sony had framed the agreement favouring themselves despite learning the tricks of the trade from Nintendo in this situation Sony became greedy and that is unfair. Nintendo was only in the videogame business, Sony was and still a big brand in electronic segment, It is natural for Nintendo to safeguard its only videogame business in hand. Anyways forever a Nintendo and PS fan.

[@Windex314]

I get so emotional watching stories like this. Thank you for creating good content. Moar and longer please 🥺

[@skyline8982]

As a avid PC gamer from the early 2000s to date; this is an inspiring story of a great man who created an icon. Yes, the PC has the advantages in terms of gaming performance but in general you’ll have to admire PlayStation for bringing joy to millions of kids around the world; for them it’s the first step into gaming 👍

[@cheshire2.047]

PlayStation for life. Never knew about the history

[@ssomega75]

Yup, so glad I still have my OG Ps1, not the slim but the true OG

[@raminaghajanzadeh8998]

His spirit and vision are admirable.

[@LordFoxxyFoxington]

From what I heard Sony tried to get Nintendo to sign a cleverly worded contract that would have given Sony complete ownership and control over Nintendo's properties and characters.

[@uberbyte7467]

Actually the contract was that the technology can be sold to other companies who'd pay higher bids for the technology. Meaning the playstation part of the brand would still be owned by Sony and the disc reading tech/audio system is still owned by Sony. Nothing of the characters was ever in the contract thought, that seems like a rumor.

[@samfkt]

@@uberbyte7467 Nintendo consoles still use/used some Sony chips.....

[@juancarlosalonso5664]

OnlyTheTruth666 You got it backwards.

[@uberbyte7467]

@@samfkt they don't use the disc reading tech that Sony owns, ie blu-ray. Nintendo always uses thier own proprietary technology, The game cube discs where smaller then ps2 discs, same with the Wii. Then the Wii u came and had a brand new rimmed disc with smooth edges, and finally switch returning to a cartridged based system. I'm not familiar if they ever used any Sony tech for audio, but I'd have no reason to believe they would at all.

[@real_Pinoy]

Nobody talks about Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson who talked to Nintendo in United States about the joint Venture with Sony

[@non_existant001]

Once Sony rejected my idea so I decided to raise an investment and build it Sony still doesn't care 😂

[@prod1kgado]

I know someone who was rejected from art class and almost took over the world 😂

[@VoidCosmonaut]

@@prod1kgado Austrian wall painter?

[@exclusiveaccess85]

I want to say thank you to Ken Kutaragi for never giving up in he’s dream and say to him when I came to the USA in 1995 looking for a better way of life he’s console bring me a lot of joy

[@joehorton8735]

Thank you , I've enjoyed playing the PlayStation over years, just awesome game system ,glad you followed your dream to make the games better

[@mysteryneophyte]

I didn’t know the story. Thank you for Telling it

[@zakey9662]

Thanks a lot. Very informative!

[@kntwing23]

LETS GO KEN..YOUR DREAM CAME TRUE..i loved the p.s. i have every console he made..even the hand helds 1.

[@geraldclanor6757]

New subs here. Kudos!

[@hishamnouri888]

Thank you boss for not giving up ❤

[@legomanvlogsletsbuild]

love your videos

[@vinsmoneyvlogs6072]

Thanks to you I'm enjoying playing games.

[@bobbyw.5140]

Thanks for inventing this amazing gaming console.. i have owned a PS1, PS2, PS3 & PS4 and maybe gonna get a PS5 soon :)

[@davidfortuin4146]

Ken Kutaragi aka Mr PlayStation. Thank you Sir for the best console ever created. From a fan since day one.

[@KeinoJamaicanKing]

And we thank you sir for your wonderful idea and never give up on your dreams thank you.

[@berndkemmereit8252]

I will never forget the sound when I switched my PS1 on for the first time

[@ricochet2806]

Arigato! Ken Kutaragi you did not gave up on your idea and gave us this awesome gaming console now we are all enjoying to this day.

[@yeonsharien]

Ken made my day when I was teenager..

[@nasersiddiquee7253]

Thank you Ken.

[@flickdawg]

Thank you Ken! Thank you so much!

[@jeromej5815]

Well, thanks Ken. Because of your perseverance, I had a lot of good memories because of those consoles

[@emertonseikhan6638]

I think, at the time of Nintendo's betrayal of SONY, maybe Nintendo could only dream of making light bulbs in collaboration with Philips

[@rafaelteodosio7637]

Nintendo is still stuck with mario🤦

[@somedude7398]

Because it's Nintendo's mascot and Mario is still very popular. Why would they give him up?

[@rafaelteodosio7637]

@@somedude7398 1. Every gamer knows that mario s their mascot. 2. We know he is still popular 3. I didn't mention/ implying that they should give him up. 4. Look at PS or MS explore to expand their libraries.

[@JustCosContent]

Hope someone makes a movie / bio about this

[@ChrisTian-sd5yq]

Gotta work hard so I can buy that "toy"

[@raymondgara]

Thank you Ken...

[@MrVariant]

5:25 Olaf means advance wars lol

[@wholesumroleplayer606]

SAY-GUHHHHHHHHH

[@gerbaniumgreen9624]

Bravo!!!, Ken Nishiragi, just imagine if we never had the PlayStation.

[@passerbeta2298]

o7 salute to the man that gave our childhood the best gaming experience and gaming console we have now from PS1 - PS5

[@Batman-lg2zj]

Good job my friend

[@stuart1001]

So what ever happened to the Nintendo/ Philips deal?

[@chanelysis]

Salute to you for what you are, what you were and what you have become

[@D-J-Q]

6:21 "Vengeance will be mine!"

[@casualfocus1371]

I heard sega turned down the chance to collab with sony on their console too

[@atomiswave1971]

I've been on the PlayStation journey since 1994 at Tokyo launch. I love what Ken had accomplished although I have respect for Nintendo despite what they did.

[@Johan_Wahyudi_]

Kudos for the boss to believe in Ken's spirit

[@davidjapri5947]

thank you ken, now dualsense have most advance joystick among all console

[@dimitriasimov2140]

Great story. All it took was a man that had vision (I mean2 people, since the CEO at that time believed in him). Honestly, I am sad that Sony has decided to give up on their own processors. Man, the PS3 was a beast at that time.

[@syeddanishanwer]

Agreed. The excisive lineup was far superior to Xbox. Uncharted, LOU, FF XIII, MGS4, and many others gems make it the best console of its generation.

[@DeathNeff]

Kuturagi was the Goat. Thanks for giving us the Playstation

[@ijudia]

Oh that PlayStation 😮

[@debodydesignsbyvanessawilliams]

Thank you so much for sharing that💋💕💎💎

[@kavkaz2005ify]

In honour of Ken I shall play the PlayStation today

[@wilsonpaulino3761]

THANK YOU KEN FOR A AMAZING CHILDHOOD!