Sony has long been associated with the consumer electronics field, creating a high-profile brand name manufactureing products such as televisions, computer monitors, and audio devices. Even with this track record with industry, few people thought the lunch of their home entertainment console would bring them much success. Earlier in the 1990's, much-hyped systems from companies like 3DO, NEC and even the console veteran Atari had failed in the and -dominated console market. Given these products ' unfortunate ends, and the relative stranglehold that the Nintendo and Sega systems had on the marketplace, the Playstation looked like it would probably misfire as so many others had before.
The Playstation proved to be in the right place at the right time, however. Powered by a slick, multi-million dollar ad campaign, a stronge lineup of games, and the fact that the system itself was well-designed and successful console of the '90s, selling more than 70 million units worldwide---almost 30 million in North America alone. Put into perspective, nearly one American in 10 owns a Playstation. In the six years since its original Japanese release, over 4,000 software titles have become available for the systen worldwide.
Though the has been around for over half a decade, it shows few signs of yielding market share to either or , each of which has debuted new systems since the PlayStation launch. The Sony console has consistently had the highest-selling games, with strong original titles and an impressive line of third-party games, with strong original title and an impressive line of third-party games. Among the most popular titles are the Final Fantasy series of RPGs (role-playing games), the skateboard game Tony Hawk: Pro Skater, and the platform games featuring the console's most prominent mascot, Crash Bandicoot.
Sony has not been resting on it laurels, however. The console was shipped to stores across the country. Boasting and ultra-fast central processor and a DVD drive,
this console features optional accessories like modem and digital camera attachment. And since the coming year promise no new major console hardware releases, Sony is placing itself in a strong position to continue its domination of the video game scene.
