The PlayStation at 30: When Gaming Changed Forever
The run-up to the launch of the PlayStation, through the eyes of the UK gaming media
Back in September, thirty years ago, something pretty significant happened in gaming: Sony entered the market.
1994 marked a watershed moment in popular culture and technological progress. I was just nine years old. And while Forrest Gump swept theaters across the globe, the year was equally defined by groundbreaking advances in personal technology.
The World Wide Web was making its first major leap into public consciousness, transforming from an academic curiosity into something approaching mainstream utility.
Compact disc players were reaching a tipping point in household adoption, fundamentally changing how people consumed music with their superior sound quality and instant track access.
3D gaming technology, while still on the periphery of the mainstream, was becoming more sophisticated and cost-effective.
These were the early stirrings of a digital revolution that would reshape daily life, making 1994 a year when the future began to feel within ordinary people’s reach. Tastes were shifting and Sony understood this better than anyone.
But Sony were still perceived as an unlikely giant stepping into an arena where few thought it belonged. Hard to picture now, but at the time it was both monumental and a massive gamble for the Japanese company. The established players laughed.
“Really? That hi-fi and TV company is going to take on Nintendo and Sega? Good luck.” But Sony didn’t need luck. They had the backing of several key publishers, killer hardware and an even more killer global marketing campaign.
On September 29th, 1995, Sony launched the original PlayStation in the UK and across Europe.
Everything changed. People sat up and took notice, customers and competitors alike. Everything seemed to fall into place. The timing was perfect, the breaks went their way, and they hit the ground running.
This is how the media reported on the lead-up and eventual release of the Sony PlayStation.
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March 1994: Edge magazine recognized that gaming was changing. Sony’s ‘PS-X’ console received substantial coverage, with 3D graphics dominating their focus.
The cover read ‘The 3D race is on,’ capturing the buzz around arcades shifting to 3D graphics. Previous 3D attempts had mixed success, but this felt different, with Ridge Racer showcased as a prime example of fluidity and fidelity.
Edge’s cover featured Namco’s stunning Ridge Racer, promising players could experience the arcade hit on Sony’s PS-X console the next year. The question remained: could Sony match arcade performance on home hardware? Dedicated arcade systems were one thing, but replicating that quality in an affordable console was a different challenge.
But to find the beginnings of Sony’s PS-X project, we need to go back one more issue. In February 1994, Edge published their first real look at what Sony was planning with the PS-X. An artists rendition of course, one that looked entirely different to the final product.
This early Edge feature made it clear: Sony wasn’t dipping a toe in, they were diving headfirst. They were serious after the embarrassing and public breakup from the failed Nintendo collaboration.
Edge described hardware that stood apart from anything else: a CD-only multimedia station powered by a 32-bit RISC chip and a custom 3D graphics engine. They claimed it could push 360,000 polygons per second, an almost ridiculous leap from what players were used to on 16-bit machines.
Early demo screens, with shaded and textured polygons racing across the screen, looked less like games and more like glimpses of the future, even in their rudimentary form.
For a magazine that prided itself on spotting the next big thing, this wasn’t routine coverage. It was a declaration. The headline said it all: “Sony PS-X has the 3DGE.”
Edge suggested that Sony possessed what others lacked: a thoughtful approach to 3D gaming that avoided the architectural pitfalls and misguided decisions plaguing other systems. Sony was creating a console purpose-built for seamless 3D performance, signaling that the shift from 2D was inevitable.
At the same time, the gaming industry remained locked in the usual Nintendo vs. Sega rivalry, with both companies fighting for dominance in the 16-bit console market. But neither was resting on their laurels. Both were secretly developing their next-generation strategies.
Sega pursued an ambitious two-front strategy in the 32-bit gaming market. The company was simultaneously pushing their 32X add-on for the existing Genesis console while developing their next-generation Saturn system.
In retrospect, we know this approach was the wrong one.
Nintendo was working on what would eventually become the Nintendo 64, initially codenamed “Project Reality.” Development began in 1993 in partnership with Silicon Graphics, using the codename Project Reality.
The bottom-line: Edge understood that 3D gaming wasn’t just a gimmick or a passing fad.
It was the future.
While companies like 3DO were stumbling with expensive, underpowered systems that cost $700, and Atari’s Jaguar was making bold claims it couldn’t back up, Sony was methodically building something that would deliver on that 3D promise at a price point that would shake the entire industry.
Other magazines, like Computer and Video Games, mostly stuck to the usual coverage - at least until the next-gen consoles started looming.
Computer and Video Games
March 1994: While Edge was already going all-in on 3D graphics and getting readers hyped about the future, CVG was taking a much more cautious approach.
The March ‘94 cover says it all really - they’re featuring Alien vs Predator and listing off all the usual suspects: Super NES, Mega Drive, Amiga, PC, and so on. There was no real buzz about PlayStation or Saturn, even though both consoles were already making waves behind the scenes.
CVG seemed perfectly happy sticking with what they knew.
For the Jaguar, Edge promoted Alien vs Predator as a ‘new breed of game,’ a rather modest description alongside their exciting discussions of advanced 3D graphics technology. Although the title would become the system’s crown jewel, it arrived too late to prevent the Jaguar’s commercial collapse.
And where Edge was diving deep into technical stuff and trying to explain why 32-bit gaming would change everything, CVG was content covering the gaming world as it already existed.
And that’s perfectly fine.
But the contrast shows how the gaming press was split during this crucial time - some publications were ready to evangelise the 3D future, while others preferred to play it safe with familiar territory.
Throughout 1994 and into 1995, Computer and Video Games fed their readers a steady drip of PlayStation coverage, carefully mixing the new console news with their traditional fare of established systems and familiar franchises. It seems like a generally muted affair, but I say this with the benefit of retrospect.
It’s very possible that CVG simply didn’t want to commit column space to another console that could go the way of the Amiga CD32 or 3DO.
This approach did create a fascinating tension in their pages. One month you’d see “PlayStation Revealed!” splashed across a small section, complete with some technical specs and early screenshots that hinted at the 3D future to come.
The next issue might feature extensive coverage of Amiga games or Super Nintendo exclusives, as if nothing had changed. It was PlayStation news delivered with a safety net, always balanced against the gaming world readers already knew and trusted.
Where Edge was practically vibrating with enthusiasm about industry analysis, CVG’s PlayStation features read more like careful technical reporting. They’d show you the specs, maybe include a screenshot or two, but there was little of that “this changes everything” energy that made Edge’s coverage so compelling.
This cautious approach probably captured the mood of many UK gamers at the time. Realistically, just how many people were interested in what Sony was doing in Japan? Not a lot I’d imagine.
Yes, the PlayStation was starting to look impressive, but still, was it really going to dethrone Nintendo and Sega? CVG’s measured coverage seemed to echo what a lot of readers were thinking: “Let’s wait and see what actually happens before we get too carried away.”
After months of cautious reporting and measured speculation, they were finally ready to admit that the PlayStation wasn’t just another console. It was the future arriving right on schedule. Even the most skeptical publications couldn’t deny the excitement building as September 29th approached.
Computer and Video Games gave the UK launch of the PlayStation full attention with a vibrant, chaotic spread that perfectly captured the hype. The cover screamed “PLAYSTATION BLAST OFF!!!” with a countdown and bold visuals of early titles, accessories, and the console itself.
It wasn’t subtle, and my adolescent brain loved it in all it’s explosive glory.
The layout was busy, colorful, and full of energy, mirroring the excitement of gamers who were about to step into a new 3D era. The feature even broke down what players could expect from the hardware and early game library, making it feel like a mini-event in print form.
Looking back, it’s a real time capsule of 90s gaming journalism.
The focus was less on critique and more on the thrill of new technology, with glossy shots, playful headlines, and a sense that the PlayStation wasn’t just another console. It was the next big thing, or at the very least, the Sega Saturn’s equal.
If you’re particularly nostalgic about that era, I think this spread perfectly reflects the mix of curiosity, excitement, and slightly over-the-top fanfare that surrounded the original PlayStation launch in the UK.
It’s Official
Fast forward to November 1995, just two months after the PlayStation’s European launch, and the tone had completely shifted. The official PlayStation Magazine’s inaugural issue proclaimed “Now you’re playing with real power!” with a cover that perfectly captured the system’s revolutionary impact.
It was a confident, explosive collage of 3D polygonal worlds that would have been impossible on any home console just a year earlier. All the publications were now behind the PlayStation, none more so than the Official PlayStation Magazine.
This first issue was cover dated November 1995, priced at £4.99, and sold approximately 30,000 copies. The hype was real, and people wanted in on it.
The magazine’s most transformative feature was its cover mounted demo CD. These discs included playable demos and videos of upcoming games, Net Yaroze software, and later, cheats and save files to download. This wasn’t just a marketing gimmick. It was a paradigm shift that gave players unprecedented access to upcoming games.
The publication served as both marketing tool and cultural artifact, documenting the transition from cartridge-based gaming to the CD-ROM era.
The demo discs became cultural phenomena in their own right.
For many PlayStation owners, the monthly arrival of OPM was all about getting hands-on access to games months before release. This created a new relationship between publishers, press, and players that hadn’t existed before.
Future Publishing’s history of making PlayStation mags began with the launch of PlayStation itself, with Official PlayStation Magazine kicking it all off in 1995.
With demo discs aplenty, it was a must-buy for any PlayStation owner.
The Disruption Nobody Saw Coming
Nobody really expected Sony to pull this off.
They weren’t a gaming company. They were the outsiders, the electronics manufacturer who had been burned by Nintendo in their earlier partnership attempts. Everyone thought Sega’s Saturn or Nintendo’s upcoming Project Reality (which would become the Nintendo 64) would dominate the next generation.
But Sony got something that the established players missed. Gaming was bigger than it’s own industry. They wanted to sell you a lifestyle.
The PlayStation’s sleek gray design looked at home next to your stereo system, especially if you were spinning the latest Radiohead or Stone Temple Pilots CDs. Its CD format meant games could have full-motion video, CD-quality soundtracks, and massive worlds that dwarfed anything possible on cartridge-based systems.
Final Fantasy VII on four-discs!
This was proper consumer electronics for the MTV generation.
Sony’s marketing understood this shift.
Their early European ads were unlike anything before. The infamous S.A.P.S. campaign suggested the PlayStation was so powerful it would literally transform you, turning players into primates. It was surreal, slightly unsettling, and completely memorable.
More importantly, Sony cultivated relationships with developers in a way that Nintendo and Sega never had. They offered better licensing terms, easier development tools, and the kind of technical support that made ambitious projects possible.
The result was a launch lineup and first-year library that felt like it came from the future.
For those of us who lived through it, the PlayStation’s impact was intensely personal. The anticipation was almost unbearable. I remember one gaming magazine giving away a free VHS “sizzler reel” just before launch, featuring footage of Ridge Racer, Wipeout, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. I must have watched that tape a hundred times, rewinding the Ridge Racer footage over and over, amazed that I would soon be playing these games on my own TV.
This was the same year Windows 95 would change personal computing forever, when the internet was transitioning from academic curiosity to cultural phenomenon. Everything felt like it was accelerating, and the PlayStation was perfectly positioned to ride that wave.
Suddenly, video games weren’t just for kids anymore.
Has the gaming industry changed much since 1995? Yes and no. On one hand, everything’s different. We’ve got online gaming, mobile phones more powerful than the original PlayStation, and graphics that would have seemed like pure science fiction in 1995.
On the other hand, the fundamental blueprint Sony created is still there. Powerful hardware, developer-friendly policies, diverse software library. That’s still the PlayStation 5 playbook today.
The PlayStation brand has sold over 500 million consoles across five generations. It survived the transition from 2D to 3D, from standard definition to 4K, from local multiplayer to online gaming. It weathered challenges from Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo’s innovative control schemes, and the rise of mobile gaming.
But here’s what’s really remarkable about that original PlayStation: it still feels modern. Not in terms of graphics or loading times, obviously, but in its attitude.
The idea that gaming could be cool, sophisticated, culturally relevant. That it didn’t have to be just for kids. That was revolutionary in 1995, and it’s still the foundation everything else is built on.
As we mark the PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that moment of transformation captured in those old magazine covers. The excitement, the uncertainty, the sense that something massive was happening.
Turns out, it really was.
I got a Sega Saturn during that time period because I owned a Mega Drive. I realised years into it that I backed the wrong horse, and not experiencing the Playstation at that time is one of my big gaming regrets.
Thanks for showing the magazine scans, I forgot how garish and in your face they could be!
I still got some issues of Playstation Magazine, but the Spanish edition. They still make me feell like I'm opening a window to the future. Good times.