It all began 15 years ago today. On December 3, 1994, Sony released the PlayStation in Japan. The rest, as they say, is history.


Yes, it's hard to remember now, but there once was a time, before WipeOut, before Tomb Raider, before PaRappa, that Sony entering the gaming business didn't sound like such a sure bet.

There was a failed attempt at a CD-based system in partnership with Nintendo. There was the fact Sony were an unproven force in a market dominated by Nintendo and Sega. And the PlayStation's approach was all so adult.


Time, of course, has proven any doubts unfounded. The original PlayStation blew people's minds from the moment it launched, and its successor - the PS2 - is still the #1 selling video game console of all time. So it too did OK.

True, things haven't quite been the same for the company since, with both the PSP and PS3 failing to achieve the same level of market dominance. Oh well. There's still plenty of time left for both platforms (well, at least the PS3, which has been coming along in great strides all year), and besides, today isn't a day for nit-picking.

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It's a day for clinking glasses. Happy birthday, PlayStation. Think it's safe to say the video game business wouldn't have been the same without you.

(History buffs/Sony fans might want to check out this celebratory site, which is quite neat. It even has the ducks!)