Hello PlayStation.Blog readers! Today is a very special moment in our history. It’s been 20 years since the launch of the original PlayStation, which released in Japan on December 3rd, 1994. It seems like only yesterday! I’m so glad that we can celebrate this moment together.
20 years is a long time! In 1994, many outsiders thought that Sony was slightly crazy to launch the original PlayStation into an incredibly competitive gaming market. Who could blame them? Sony was (and is!) famous for engineering great electronics, audio equipment, and many other consumer devices. But game consoles?!
Sony Computer Entertainment, founded by my mentor Ken Kutaragi, was a project borne out of sincere passion and deep admiration for the craft of game development. The mid 90s were an exciting time for game developers, driven by the explosion of powerful but affordable 3D graphics rendering hardware and the birth of many young and adventurous development studios. The original PlayStation was meant to embody that sense of adventure and discovery, that sense that anything was possible.
We sincerely thank you for joining us on our exciting 20-year journey. You have made every bump and scrape we took along the way worthwhile. And there’s so much more to come! :D
But I don’t want to go on for too long, because we have a big piece of news to reveal: a very special 20th Anniversary Edition PS4!
Our friend Sid Shuman has some details in the video above, so be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.
I look forward to celebrating the anniversary and all things PlayStation with you this week in Las Vegas at the PlayStation Experience.
Thanks for a great 20 years, and here’s to 20 more.
6th: “Jfinal on December 6th, 2014 at 8:08 pm said: Sony, we know you listen. You’ve listened to us before.”
LOOOOOOL! No, they don’t! I think you’re just a deluded little kid… xD
Tell me 1 THING that they did EXCLUSIVELY “because they listened to the fans”…and not only because “it was a good BUSINESS DECISION”. I dare you to find…1.
Sony is A MEGA-CORPORATION. They don’t have “feelings” nor they care about “the gamers”. They only respond to their shareholders and investors. Not to a creepy guy with no life, playing GTAV or PSALBR 24/7 in his basement (I’m not saying you are one, it’s just an exaggeration that helps to make my point…so no offense, please) that sends them “some input” about something he wants.
They haven’t done ANYTHING that the people asked for that goes “against” their “profit margin”. Top of my head example? BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY…on ANY console (except the 1st PS3…but you know how that went, don’t you?).
IDK what happened to the 1st part of my comments…so…here it goes…again. =\
Check below, please…
Why is the system NOT letting me post the 1st part??? o.O
I’m just hitting “post comment” again and again…and nothing happens! (and no, it’s not “awaiting moderation”)
I don’t understand…some things go “live” and these few lines…like they never happened. =P
Maybe if I try posting just a couple lines at a time? (that’ll be dumb…but who knows?)
Ok…1st thing to say: THANK YOU FOR SO MANY LAUGHS!!! The best 16 pages of my life! LMAO! xDDDDDD
3rd: This was AN EXTREMELY-LIMITED-EDITION piece of hardware. So all those slow-minded people saying “I’m gonna have ma’own” never understood that the basic principle behind this kind of things is: you have 99% chances of NOT getting it. So you didn’t got one? GET OVER IT. Sony DOESN’T OWE YOU ANYTHING. Not an explanation and certainly NOT an apology.
how can i get one i live in mexico and i really want a pice of this 20 years playing whit playstation :)
2nd: Most of you DESERVED THIS. For being mindless drones.
That’s why I’m soooo happy with them stomping on all your self-entitled egos like they did with this stunt.
Last Remark: @JoeCool420 : You, my good sir, are A REALLY HORRIBLE AND CRAPPY PERSON (I was gonna use another words to describe you…but I prefer a PG-rated insult instead of a Ban from the Blog’s staff “for insulting another user”. So there you go…)
You started your comments like a nice guy…just trying to calm people down…stating that “hey, it was bad luck, not foul play” and all that. But then, all of a sudden, you went bananas and started treating everyone like if you’re royalty or something and they puny insects, only because you were able to pre-order a console and they not. And that’s just sad, petty and MEAN.
And I have news for you, pal: you are not. You’re probably just a sad little guy that needs something as shallow as a console with a little plastic tag to be able to have something to brag to other people, so…good luck with that.
And I sincerely hope your new and shiny #667 limited edition console BREAKS APART…let’s say 1 MONTH after it arrives to the little shack you call home. Although if instead someone steals it at some point…that would be super-cool too.
So…Enjoy it! And PLEASE don’t forget to post a comment here as soon as something happens to it! =)
@787 : Haven’t you read all the 16 pages? YOU CAN’T. Not anymore. It’s over. They’re all gone. =P
dam, really wish i knew about this earlier i just bought a ps4 about a month ago i would sell everything i have to own this limited edition ps4
Hello mr Fukushima . I am big fan of sony i have everything from sony and when I want buy this edition my country is not in shipping on webside. Most of PS players are in europe and you are do this more for Xbox US. your motto we are doing it for players is TOTALLY CRAP ! good bye
For those who have had their orders cancelled, did you get an email? I’m slightly worried now as I did get a confirmation from Sony and Paypal but I could not find my order on the main Sony Store website. It’s like the order didn’t even take place….shudder…
Also anyone know how to read the “Order Number”? Mine is 0004300066063703. Perhaps the “637” part means I’m the 637th? Thanks all!
Personally, I am pretty upset how this sale was handled and I will explain why.
12300 units were made available to the public. As soon as those went on sale, I was on the site ready to pre-order one. Clicked Pre-Order, placed the console in my cart, clicked Check-Out, and the servers crashed. For 30 minutes, my shopping cart had the console in it. Two times I was able to get to the Payment Screen only to have the website crash once again. After the 30 minute mark, the console was sold out.
Personally the way this whole sale was handled was terrible. I understand with a console like this, the demand is going to be high. But at least give us consumers a fighting chance to order one and not have to play spam the order button game.
Also, bolster your website so stuff like this (the website crashing) doesn’t happen. Pretty upset that lost out on this due to technical issues on YOUR end.
Oh and one more thing.
I sat and watched that Keyonte because It was announced that there would be information on how to order one of these consoles. And just like I expected, NO information was given during the stream. That in itself was a joke.
Pair that with the website going down every 2 minutes because of the utter high amount of traffic, and this whole thing was terrible.
@SpraykwoN This may sound odd but the site lag and crashes may have actually helped a lot of people. It turned it into a sort of “lottery system”; it was the luck of the draw. Let me explain: If the site had been working properly, you can be sure that all the units would have been sold nearly instantly. Probably all gone w/in the 1st minute. But with the lag, you had people getting in orders 15, 30, 45, 60 min after the link went live. So for those who were persistent and just kept at it w/ the F5ing got it and deserved it. Only the real persistent fans who sat through the entire Keynote then searched all avenues (twitter, blogs, forums) to find more info regarding the release got a system. I think it worked out well in the end. Real fans got a chance at the unit instead of just all scalpers.
@gfunkmonkey06
I see your point. However, playing website roulette is not my idea of fair.
What SONY should have done was to select 12300 SONY PS Plus members to buy the console via a lottery system. Similar to what Microsoft did for their 10th LIVE anniversary where they sent out random XBOX LIVE members free consoles, SONY should have done something like that. I think what upsets me more is that false information that myself and others were given in terms of having to sit through a keynote and not receive any information, only to then get it on Twitter. I spent plenty of time refreshing my cart and playing the refresh game only to not get one. Closes I got was the finalize order screen, only to have the site crash each and every time.
Bottom line is that there could have been a better way to handle this.
I also guarantee about 50% or more of these consoles will be scalped for insane prices. Two of them have already fetched over $10000, one of them in the $15000 neighborhood.
I actually managed to get one. I too watched the entire keynote and waited on twitter for the link. I was there as soon as the link was tweeted out and added it to my cart. I too got all the error messages over and over but I kept trying. It took about an hour to an hour and a half but after refreshing page after page over and over and over it went through. My email confirmation came through while the confirmation page was still loading. After a few more refreshes I got my confirmation page to show which I printed along with my email copy I received. Like many of you I am a true Playstation fan and gamer. No way will I ever sell my console for a profit, it’s just too unique. Congrats to all the other true fans who received one because we will appreciate and value the console for what it is. It would be great if Sony sold the 20th anniversary controller separate to all PSN or PS+ members so that everyone can at least own a piece of this celebration if not the console.
So apparently people who’s pre orders were cancled apparently didn’t have all the correct billing info so they apparently they couldn’t charge them so they apparently got kicked back. Apparently you just had to keep trying because apparently im not press, super wealthy, a hacker or even a Psn member until now. Apparently I’d like to keep it but apparently if someone is willing to pay that much then apparently I’m going to have to sell… Apparently! ; D
I most likely will keep it b/c my best gaming memorys were on the PS1. Playing it xmas morning witg my cousins. Playing Resident Evil 3 amd Silenthill until dark then having every light in my house on because i was so freaked out and bonding with my older brother over Tekken. Man this is a tough choice… Apparently
I watched the key notes during a class tgen I was 15min late to start pre ordering bc i fell asleep. It took me an hour and a half to finally get the PayPal to work
Hey Orpheus_Aeons, I was like really diggin your post until you got to me…. :-/ Lol……
In fact, my “You’ve listened to us before…..” comments were just an (in the moment) kind of thing…….you are 100% correct, i cant think of a single time they really did anything specific we (the fans) asked……..on the other hand, im not trying really hard to think of anything either and i’m sure they have on several occasions even if it wasn’t something you or me asked for specifically.
I am one of the few whos 20th anniversary PS4 transaction actually appeared to go through. I got a confirmation email. I am still waiting for an expected cancellation, and if it comes im going to be totally ok with that, and im going to wait until the next Sony item comes out that I want, and im going to buy it. And I will buy another and whatever the one after that is.
So perhaps you and I aren’t so different in some ways.
Where we might be a little different is, I actually was somewhat moved by people shear agony of not getting to order a unit. Many didn’t even get a fair opportunity. So I was really speaking in behalf of them. They didn’t ask me to, I just felt the desire to do so. And while the vast majority of them will get over it and likely continue playing on their PlayStations, just for that moment they felt they had a chance. In this case, (especially on a blog) people have a right to air whatever grievance they wish. No matter how silly or childish it may sound to you or me. For the record, (I think you wanted to use the word delusional) I am a delusional adult :) I hate GTA, I don’t have a basement, and I play my PS3 2/30 (as in 2 hours every 30 days or so.)
I had already placed an order for the standard edition of the PS4 console when you guys first announced this special edition that I feel head over heels for. I immediately cancelled my order and thought I’d try my luck with purchasing this one!
And guess what? I was lucky enough to manage and get an order through! It took me a couple of hours of stressful refreshing and going back and forth the pages until I finally got a cconfirmation email from both Sony and PayPal!
But there was a problem with my order. Turns out the Sony store doesn’t take credit cards from Oman and that it won’t ship items to freight forwarding services like Aramex and Borderlinx!
The website usually warns you to this and I could’ve used a different card that would’ve been accepted and I would’ve entered my American friend’s address instead but because of the server crashes I didn’t receive any warnings or errors and my order went through.
I was only informed of all of this later on and when I asked if I could change the address and payment method I was told that they can’t do it for wtv unreasonable policy they have to follow and was asked to call their order review team.
I don’t live in the US and international calls cost a lot but I did it anyway. I couldn’t get through to anyone and was on hold the eniter time until my phone credit ran out and the call ended. Soon after I received a cancellation email of my order and I’m just completely upset and heartbroken over this!
I tried emailing the support team again but they’ve been completely unhelpful and useless and I’m just.. I can’t describe my feelings right now.
Man… I’m sorry
I understand the point being the limited edition, but man this is a miss. I own a PS4 currently and would happily have purchased 2 more consoles.
At the very minimum I hope Sony releases the original gray color.
Wow i can’t believe this after being kind of upset thinking that i missed out on this amazing ps4. Randomly noticed that i still had a Sony Store tab open in my browser I looked at it and noticed i still have one of these ps4’s in my cart. From the endless refreshing during the keynote on Saturday. So any way i was like alright lets give this a try and see if by some miracle i can checkout. And yeah the order went through, got a confirmation email and everything but I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. Let’s see what happens.
Hey guys! Huge visually impaired ps4 gamer! I’m going to try and buy one from the playstation ’94 shop in London on monday! They said they’ll have some online from Monday-Friday. I’m watching twitter to see what site you go to, but if I miss it, can someone please post it here? Thank you so much!
i saved up my all my money for the entire year when i was ten to purchase my first PS1. i have been a fan of sony ever since. i love the retro look im going to need to acquire one of these.
Will they be releasing more?
No, not in US, but UK store will have online orders Moday through Friday. Follow PlayStationUK on twitter to find out what site!
@orpheous eons
Why am I such a terrible person? I tried to relay that normal people got this thing too.
The only time I said something negative was when people started talking about canceling my order or producing more of them. These two points are just silly.
Also, after i have now seen the confirmation emails from folk who are selling theirs, I doubt mine will be #667. I was basing that off the product number lol which ends in 667 for everyone I guess
JTbudmin,
I was basically in the same position as you, besides being a long-time PSN user
But the price which they selling for on average went down by thousands of dollars in the first days and then by hundreds per day, now they arent even selling so fast for these crazy amounts.
I have come to decide to definitely keep mine, will be worth it.
I will probably get a different controller so I dont break the grey one though lol
I have to be a little bit honest, coming from a Playstation fan and stuck with the system when it first came out, all of these a-wads buying these up and robbing me a chance to snag one so they can make a boatload of money from it is a bit irritating.
Im a little surprised that the 20th anniversary edition didn’t come with any games
Unfortunately I was not able to pre order 20th anniversary edition when playstation Canada tweeted out the link I was at work. I was planning to buy it off ebay but the prices are all unreasonable. So I am wondering if Sony will be releasing a playstation 4 with similar colors to the 20th anniversary for people to purchase who did get the chance to pre order the anniversary edition. It doesn’t even have to have serial number or limited edition just a grey version would be nice.
I’m really loving the themes function for the PSVita but in all honesty, the current ones are all bad (at least for me). I’m looking at the themes for the Japanese market and would really love it if some of the themes on the Japanese PSVita market made it to the US…….namely the “Touhou” theme that was just recently released.
Is there any possible way for it to happen or is there a way that I can transfer a theme from my PSVita with my JP account over to my PSVita with my US account?
#Impatiently_waiting
hello, I just tried to join the competition but there is a problem and its impossible… it asks me for a parents email and I don’t understand why… I’m 28 years old… i tried to type there few email addresses but it doesn’t let me join the competition. PLEASE HELP ME :(
Hi…I wonder if the limited edition of ps4 will be out in Singapore….or where can I pre order beside UK?
I’ve been playing Playstations ever since the Playstation 1. The only Playstations I have never owned were the PSP Go, and the PS-Vita. It’s amazing to watch the Playstation grow, and it’s actually quite emotional for me to go down memory lane and remember all the moments I have shared with my brother XD I can’t wait to see what’s to come!