Because 2020 was bereft of E3 excitement, one publication has turned its attention back in time to one of E3’s earlier events. In contrast to the release of Sony’s next-gen PS5 release, Edge magazine has reflected on Sony’s PS1 debut that happened during E3 1995.
25 years ago, the gaming industry saw the western release of Sony’s entry into the video games industry. What almost became a collaboration with Nintendo, turned out to be a fruitful endeavor for Sony to navigate alone. It was a daunting debut to rival the titans of gaming, Sega and Nintendo, however Sony believed it had the superior system. From its announcement in 1991 to its 1995 E3 panel, the PS1 was the talking point, and renowned publication Edge recapped the iconic moment its price was revealed to the US and European Markets.
Speaking to Edge, director of product development at Sony (Sony Electronic Publishing back then) Phil Harrison detailed the important discussion that took place the night before E3’s opening event. Before that unforgettable moment, when PlayStation’s US chief Steve Race casually walked up to the E3 podium, stated “299”, and left, Harrison revealed that the PlayStation executives had only decided on the final price the night before. “I don’t think some of our Japanese colleagues slept that night”, Harrison stated, where multiple faxes and phone calls were frantically taking place between PlayStation’s US representatives and its base in Tokyo.
Harrison admitted that the PS1’s price was an “aggressive move”, however, Japan’s sale rate was a reliable indicator that the team’s last-minute price would provide a good launch in the US and Europe. It was a cutting edge time for this industry, where imperative decisions like console prices would usually be finalized well in advance, or at least sooner than the night before its reveal. The “father of PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi showed tremendous aspiration when creating Sony’s first console, and the hype surrounding its launch price still rivals the big reveals of next-gen consoles today.
If you watch the clip of Steve Race’s announcement, his “brief” statement was almost a sigh of relief for Sony. It’s a moment in gaming history that exhibits the excitement of new releases, and it’s even more poignant to know of the stressful discussion that preceded it. PS1 games may not be gracing Sony’s PS5 console this year, but who’s to say Sony wont have another exciting discussion the night before its release.
Source: GamesRadar
