A potted history of the PlayStation
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Sony launches the PlayStation 5 this autumn. Together with its four earlier namesakes, it brings to almost 20 the number of game consoles produced by the Japanese tech giant since its 1994 debut model
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1
PlayStation (PS1)
Lifespan: Dec 1994-Jul 2000
Price: $299 
Units sold: 104.25m
Primarily focused on 3D-modelled games read from CD-ROM discs
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2
PlayStation 2 (PS2) 
Lifespan: Mar 2000-Oct 2004
Price: $299
Units sold: 157.68m
Most successful game console ever made. Plays most PS1 games
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3
PSOne
Lifespan: Jul 2000-Mar 2006 
Price: $99 
Smaller, cheaper redesign of original PS1, featuring improved graphic user interface
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4
PlayStation 2 Slimline
Lifespan: Oct 2004-Jan 2013 Price: $99 4
Smaller and quieter than original PS2, includes built-in Ethernet port for online gameplay
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5
PlayStation Portable (PSP) Lifespan: Dec 2004-Aug 2007
Price: $249
Units sold: 80.82m
Handheld games console, more powerful than rival Nintendo DS
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6
PlayStation 3 (PS3)
Lifespan: Nov 2006-Sep 2009
Price: $499 
Units sold: 86.90m
First console to support HDMI, 1080p TV displays and Blu-ray Disc media
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7
PSP Slim and Lite
Lifespan: Aug 2007-Dec 2014 
Price: $169 
Redesigned PSP, with brighter display and other minor refinements. Tweaked again 2008
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8
PlayStation 3 Slim
Lifespan: Sep 2009-Sep 2013 
Price: $299 8
Slimmer form factor, decreased power consumption and quieter cooling system
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9
PSP Go
Lifespan: Oct 2009-Apr 2011 
Price: $249 
Half size of PSP due to mechanism that slides controls behind screen when not being used
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10
PSP Street
Lifespan: Oct 2011-Dec 2014 
Price: $99 10
Simplified model with mono speaker, no microphone, no Wi-Fi and no brightness buttons
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11
PlayStation Vita
Lifespan: Dec 2011-Feb 2014 
Price: $249 11 
Units sold: 10-15m
Successor to PSP, intended to compete with smartphone games
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12
PlayStation 3 Super Slim
Lifespan: Sep 2013-May 2017
Price: $270
2kg lighter than previous PS3, with manual sliding disc cover instead of motorised slot-loader
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13
PlayStation TV
Lifespan: Nov 2013-Feb 2016 
Price: $99 
Units sold: Poor 
Non-handheld variant of PS Vita. Connects to TV and uses controller
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14
PlayStation 4 (PS4)
Lifespan: Nov 2013-Sept 2016
Price: $399
Units sold: 110.40m
Sold 1m units in 24 hours. Can share gameplay images on social media
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15
PS Vita Slim
Lifespan: Feb 2014-Mar 2019
Price: $199
Revised edition of PS Vita, lighter and thinner, with better battery life thanks to cheaper screen
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16
PlayStation 4 Slim
Lifespan: Sept 2016-present 
Price: $299
Smaller, quieter, cooler version of PS4, with improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
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17
PlayStation VR
Lifespan: Oct 2016-present 
Price: $399 17 
Units sold: 5m
Virtual reality headset that requires PS4 to operate
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18
PlayStation 4 Pro
Lifespan: Nov 2016-present
Price: $399
Improved hardware enables 4K TV rendering and better PlayStation VR performance
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19
PlayStation Classic
Lifespan: Dec 2018-present 
Price: $99.99 19 
Units sold: Poor
Miniature, nostalgic replica of original PS1, preloaded with 20 games
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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End sold 16 million copies on PS4
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Sales of all PlayStation consoles, from 1994 to 2020: 560 million units shipped
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Introductory prices shown. These are usually lowered several times during device’s lifetime. Models often receive updates that change internal components, but do not alter functionality or exterior design. Illustration features machines categorised as new consoles or relaunches by Sony only. Omits televisions with built-in PlayStations. “Units sold” figure includes all redesigns of same console series
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Sources: GameSpot, Guinness World Records, central-manuals.com, Sony, PlayStationLifeStyle Picture: Naughty Dog/Sony © GRAPHIC NEWS