The first official ‘Playstation’ appeared on the radar over 15 years ago, in 1994. It was being developed in Japan for over seven years prior to its release date. Nintendo and Sony were looking to make a video game system that no longer used a cartridge system of memory and storage, but rather relied on CD-ROM technology to be the platform for video game play. It was the first of its kind in the video game console world, and was extremely innovative at the time of its release.

It was originally competing with Nintendo’s N64 and the Sega Genesis consoles, but quickly sold over 100 million units – a first in the industry.

Six years later, in 2000, came the Playstation 2 – yet another innovative, CD-ROM based video game console. It was faster than the original Playstation, smarter, and had sharper graphics. Again, Sony had an incredible success on its hands, selling over 140 million PS2 unites – another first. Towards the end of the PS2’s development, some systems were coming with Ethernet cable attachments or internal modems to allow internet gameplay. Computers were using it, so why not video game consoles?

Fast-forward six more years to 2006 to Sony’s Playstation 3. Nintendo and it’s Wii system was now a big competitor for Sony, and though Sega was out, Microsoft and their XBox was in. The Playstation 3 has an HDMI connection, and even faster wireless and internet capabilities. The Playstation 3 even has web browser capabilities. Though the browsing isn’t as intuitive as it would be with a computer or laptop, you can still check your profiles or sports betting sites before returning to your gameplay.

No word on when the next Playstation is due for release. The gaming world moves in waves, but if history is any indication, the future is bright.