Remembering the Time When Sony Introduced a Baby PlayStation 1

These days, the prospect of a mid-gen refresh of a video game console is almost expected. For the past two decades, it's been an expectation that a slightly more powerful version of the base console, or at the very least one with some sort of unique gimmick, will come out at some point in the hardware's lifespan.

As they tended to do back then, Atari started the trend with a smaller, more cost-effective version of the Atari 2600 that was known as the Atari 2600 Junior. It was a huge success for Atari, among their many hits back in the day, but the practice wouldn't become commonplace for another decade. After all, having the funds and dedicated teams available to produce this kind of product was a bit difficult unless you had Atari money.

Following Sony's hugely successful entrance into the video game hardware business with the original PlayStation in 1994, however, they had their own seemingly unlimited bankroll. Looking to increase sales for the holiday season and create a companion for their upcoming PlayStation 2, Sony followed Atari's lead and created a new version of the console that would help usher in one of the most common business practices in the home console market today.

It's Like a Baby's Console

From 1994 to 2000, Sony absolutely dominated the home console market. Following a bitter dispute with Nintendo, Sony's desire to enter the video game market was a personal one, and they hit a home run in their first at-bat. It was pretty impressive, but time was running out for the PS1.

The PS2 was on the way, and while no one could fathom the kind of meteoric success it was going to have, Sony still saw a bit of life in the PS1. Known as the PSOne, the slimmed down, almost baby version of the PlayStation, was undeniably cute and became something of a gateway for people new to the brand. Myself included.

Known as the PSOne, the slimmed down, almost baby version of the PlayStation, was undeniably cute and became something of a gateway for people new to the brand.

I remember begging my parents for a PlayStation throughout all of 1998 and 1999, as children at school had regaled epic tales of Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 7. I only had a Nintendo 64 at the time, but was beyond desperate to get a PS1. Out of nowhere, they surprised me with a vacation that would culminate in them buying me the PSOne. Because of that, my fondness for this little machine

Surprisingly, the PSOne actually outsold the PS2 within the first few months. It even had its own accessories, including a spectacular LCD screen that you could attach to the console itself. Even six years after the launch of the PS1, there was still an enormous market for this console's library and ecosystem. This unexpected success of the slimmed down PS1 created something of an expectation moving forward, and hardware developers were keen to cash in on the concept.

Money Machine

The video game industry is built on trends, with one person seeing what someone else did and seeing if they could do it bigger and better. And thanks to the incredible success of the PSOne, other developers started to follow suit. Sony would continue this with each new console release, launching the PS2 in the year 2000, and then a slim model of the machine in 2004. Each subsequent PlayStation hardware launch would get some kind of upgraded, slim model years after launch.

Over the years, other hardware developers would find a way to make this method work for them. While the original Xbox never got an updated console, Microsoft did release a slim version of the 360 known as the Xbox 360 S in 2010. Meanwhile, Nintendo found a way to make the Wii even smaller, and cuter, with the Wii Mini line in 2012.

Even six years after the launch of the PS1, there was still an enormous market for this console's library and ecosystem.

Today, the practice continues in its own unique way, as it's a fairly simple way to boost hardware sales and remind everyone in the industry who you are. The Nintendo Switch Lite was a great addition to the Switch family of systems, while Sony would find fun ways to call back to their history with the PlayStation Classic in 2018. It's harder to do something like a PSOne today, as modern video game hardware is so expensive to produce and buy, that it often feels less impactful.

Even so, the PSOne serves as a gentle reminder of days long gone. The industry was almost entirely different back then, and the priorities of both players and developers were in a state of flux. Looking back, however, it introduced an entirely new generation of players to the world of PlayStation. That can't be entirely a bad thing.

Brand Sony Original Release Date September 9, 1995 Original MSRP (USD) $299, £299 Weight 3.2 lbs Hardware Versions PS1 See at Walmart See at Amazon