ENOS Lives – 25 Years Of The Original Sony PlayStation
25 years went by fast, didn’t it?
After being spurned by Nintendo during the early 1990s – as it was intended to be a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sony decided to go along and make a standalone console, which would change the face of gaming as we know today.
On Saturday, September 9, 1995, Sony released a game-changer in the gaming industry by releasing its first console – the Sony PlayStation. It retailed for $299 and sold over 800,000 units within a few months.
The launch titles featured were Air Combat, Battle Arena Toshinden, ESPN Extreme Games (later 1Xtreme – due to the ESPN license being dropped shortly after release), Kileak – The DNA Imperative, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Power Serve 3D Tennis, The Raiden Project, Rayman, Ridge Racer, Street Fighter – The Movie, Total Eclipse Turbo, and Zero Divide.
Battle Arena Toshinden received rave reviews. It was being praised as having nice character designs, graphics, and special moves. It was dubbed as “the Saturn killer” – meaning that it was the killer-app for the console, as well as putting a dent in the four-month-old Saturn’s sales.
NBA Jam Tournament Edition is what I consider the premier home console port of the game. It has graphics that matched the arcade and very fast gameplay.
The PlayStation experienced immediate success that Lee Hutchinson, a former Babbage’s employee, stated, “We never had a few extra systems in stock. They flew as fast as soon as we could get them in stock.” He added, “The launch games of Battle Arena Toshinden and NBA Jam Tournament Edition were huge sellers. As well as Ridge Racer.”
Sony would gain exclusive rights to the arcade hit – Mortal Kombat 3. It was released on Saturday, October 7, 1995. It was a resounding success that helped the new system gain sales. Many consider this the best home console port. It played well, due to Sony uniting arcade giants – Williams and Midway – to bring the arcade experience home for the past 25 years.