History Creator / Sony

It's worth noting that Sony Group Corporation ''per se'' only does the electronics and some financial shenanigans. Most of the fingers Sony sticks in other pies are technically independent corporations-- Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment (games), Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment (film and television), Creator/SonyMusic Entertainment (music), Sony Financial Holdings, etc. That's before getting into Sony Corporation of America, Sony de Mexico, Sony of Canada, Sony Europe, Sony (UK) etc... There are dozens of Sony corporations in total ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Sony Wikipedia has a full list]]). One upshot of this is that Sony has been known on more than one occasion to [[RightHandVersusLeftHand sue "itself" when conflicts arose between]], for instance, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Corporation. Or take different sides of a political issue, such as during the SOPA fiasco, Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony Music Entertainment were for it while Sony Computer Entertainment was against it.

It's worth noting that Sony Group Corporation ''per se'' only does the electronics and some financial shenanigans. Most of the fingers Sony sticks in other pies are technically independent corporations-- Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment (games), Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment (film and television), Creator/SonyMusic Entertainment (music), Sony Financial Holdings, etc. That's before getting into Sony Corporation of America, Sony de Mexico, etc... There are dozens of Sony corporations in total ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Sony Wikipedia has a full list]]). One upshot of this is that Sony has been known on more than one occasion to [[RightHandVersusLeftHand sue "itself" when conflicts arose between]], for instance, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Corporation. Or take different sides of a political issue, such as during the SOPA fiasco, Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony Music Entertainment were for it while Sony Computer Entertainment was against it.

It is also the current owner of Creator/ColumbiaPictures and Creator/TriStarPictures as part of their Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment division, which along with their record company (Creator/SonyMusic, owner of Creator/ColumbiaRecords and Creator/EpicRecords) has led the company to switch sides in [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the intellectual-property war]]. Said record company, Creator/SonyMusic, has the dubious distinction of being the only major record company to ship a rootkit (malignant software which takes over your computer) on a music CD, all in the name of [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the war on piracy]]. In 2017, Sony purchased a majority interest in North American anime dubbing and distribution company Creator/{{Funimation}}. In 2021, Sony acquired {{Platform/Crunchyroll}} and later rebranded Funimation as Crunchyroll. They also had their own streaming service, Sony Crackle (sold in 2021 to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, though it continues to stream Sony's library content), as well as ownership stakes in several cable and digital broadcast channels (most notably Creator/{{GSN}}, which launched utilizing Sony's vast library of game shows.... [[NetworkDecay which they rarely use now]].)

It is also the current owner of Creator/ColumbiaPictures and Creator/TriStarPictures as part of their Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment division, which along with their record company (Sony Music, owner of Creator/ColumbiaRecords and Creator/EpicRecords) has led the company to switch sides in [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the intellectual-property war]]. Said record company, Creator/SonyMusic, has the dubious distinction of being the only major record company to ship a rootkit (malignant software which takes over your computer) on a music CD, all in the name of [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the war on piracy]]. In 2017, Sony purchased a majority interest in North American anime dubbing and distribution company Creator/{{Funimation}}. In 2021, Sony acquired {{Platform/Crunchyroll}} and later rebranded Funimation as Crunchyroll. They also had their own streaming service, Sony Crackle (sold in 2021 to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, though it continues to stream Sony's library content), as well as ownership stakes in several cable and digital broadcast channels (most notably Creator/{{GSN}}, which launched utilizing Sony's vast library of game shows.... [[NetworkDecay which they rarely use now]].)

It's worth noting that Sony Group Corporation ''per se'' only does the electronics and some financial shenanigans. Most of the fingers Sony sticks in other pies are technically independent corporations-- Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment (games), Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment (motion pictures), Creator/SonyMusic Entertainment (music), Sony Financial Holdings, etc. That's before getting into Sony Corporation of America, Sony de Mexico, etc... There are dozens of Sony corporations in total ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Sony Wikipedia has a full list]]). One upshot of this is that Sony has been known on more than one occasion to [[RightHandVersusLeftHand sue "itself" when conflicts arose between]], for instance, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Corporation. Or take different sides of a political issue, such as during the SOPA fiasco, Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony Music Entertainment were for it while Sony Computer Entertainment was against it.

Originally founded in 1946 under the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (the Sony name was invented as the name of a product line in the '50s, became the company's brand overseas at first and finally the name of the company itself by 1980) maker of numerous diverse electronic goods, prominently including televisions, stereos, [=PCs=], and cell phones, and game consoles. They also do [[AcmeProducts electronic components, industrial chemicals, batteries, toys, robots, banks, and life insurance.]] They also have their own animation studios (Creator/SonyPicturesImageworks, Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation, Adelaide Productions and Creator/A1Pictures), their own major record company with numerous labels and even their own [[Creator/{{Animax}} Anime channel]] co-founded with Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}} and Creator/{{Sunrise}}, an anime streaming site called Daisuki[[note]]co-founded not only with Toei, Sunrise and TMS, but also Nihon Ad Systems, Dentsu and Asatsu-DK.[[/note]]. One could almost say that, like [[Platform/PlayStation3 one of their products]], they only do everything[[note]] including lawsuits against [[Creator/{{Hydraulx}} effects studios]] [[DuelingMovies for]] [[Film/{{Skyline}} similar]] [[Film/BattleLosAngeles movies]]; and getting entangled with Korean electronics company LG for Blu-ray rights[[/note]]. Basically, even if you don't own Sony-manufactured electronics, you've likely watched Sony-produced movies (and/or owned them on tape or disc), listened to Sony-distributed music on your phone, and you've watched Sony-produced TV series, like ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

Originally founded in 1946 under the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (the Sony name was invented as the name of a product line in the '50s, became the company's brand overseas at first and finally the name of the company itself by 1980) maker of numerous diverse electronic goods, prominently including televisions, stereos, [=PCs=], and cell phones, and game consoles. They also do [[AcmeProducts electronic components, industrial chemicals, batteries, toys, robots, banks, and life insurance.]] They also have their own animation studios (Creator/SonyPicturesImageworks, Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation, Adelaide Productions and Creator/A1Pictures), their own major record company with numerous labels and even their own [[Creator/{{Animax}} Anime channel]] co-founded with Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}} and Creator/{{Sunrise}}, an anime streaming site called Daisuki[[note]]co-founded not only with Toei, Sunrise and TMS, but also Nihon Ad Systems, Dentsu and Asatsu-DK[[/note]]. One could almost say that, like [[Platform/PlayStation3 one of their products]], they only do everything[[note]] including lawsuits against [[Creator/{{Hydraulx}} effects studios]] [[DuelingMovies for]] [[Film/{{Skyline}} similar]] [[Film/BattleLosAngeles movies]]; and getting entangled with Korean electronics company LG for Blu-ray rights[[/note]]. Basically, even if you don't own Sony-manufactured electronics, you've likely watched Sony-produced movies (and/or owned them on tape or disc), listened to Sony-distributed music on your phone, and you've watched Sony-produced TV series, like ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

Originally founded in 1946 under the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (the Sony name was invented as the name of a product line in the '50s, became the company's brand overseas at first and finally the name of the company itself by 1980) maker of numerous diverse electronic goods, prominently including televisions, stereos, [=PCs=], and cell phones, and game consoles. They also do [[AcmeProducts electronic components, industrial chemicals, batteries, toys, robots, banks, and life insurance.]] They also have their own animation studios (Creator/SonyPicturesImageworks, Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation, Adelaide Productions and Creator/A1Pictures), their own major record company with numerous labels and even their own [[Creator/{{Animax}} Anime channel]] co-founded with Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}} and Creator/{{Sunrise}}, an anime streaming site called [[http://www.daisuki.net Daisuki]][[note]]co-founded not only with Toei, Sunrise and TMS, but also Nihon Ad Systems, Dentsu and Asatsu-DK[[/note]]. One could almost say that, like [[Platform/PlayStation3 one of their products]], they only do everything[[note]] including lawsuits against [[Creator/{{Hydraulx}} effects studios]] [[DuelingMovies for]] [[Film/{{Skyline}} similar]] [[Film/BattleLosAngeles movies]]; and getting entangled with Korean electronics company LG for Blu-ray rights[[/note]]. Basically, even if you don't own Sony-manufactured electronics, you've likely watched Sony-produced movies (and/or owned them on tape or disc), listened to Sony-distributed music on your phone, and you've watched Sony-produced TV series, like ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

!!Notable divisions and subsidiaries of the Sony Corporation (with articles on this wiki) include:

It is also the current owner of Creator/ColumbiaPictures and Creator/TriStarPictures as part of their Creator/SonyPictures Entertainment division, which along with their record company (Sony Music, owner of Creator/ColumbiaRecords and Creator/EpicRecords) has led the company to switch sides in [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the intellectual-property war]]. Said record company, Creator/SonyMusic, has the dubious distinction of being the only major record company to ship a rootkit (malignant software which takes over your computer) on a music CD, all in the name of [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil the war on piracy]]. In 2017, Sony purchased a majority interest in North American anime dubbing and distribution company Creator/{{Funimation}}. In 2021, Sony acquired {{Website/Crunchyroll}} and later rebranded Funimation as Crunchyroll. They also had their own streaming service, Sony Crackle (sold in 2021 to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, though it continues to stream Sony's library content), as well as ownership stakes in several cable and digital broadcast channels (most notably Creator/{{GSN}}, which launched utilizing Sony's vast library of game shows.... [[NetworkDecay which they rarely use now]].)

*** {{Website/Crunchyroll}} (formerly {{Creator/Funimation}}, joint venture with Sony Music's Aniplex)

** Platgorm/PlayStation2: The controller features pressure-sensitive buttons for its [[TheWorkhorse DualShock]] 2 controllers. In theory, this allowed a single button press to be either light or heavy, and for games to react accordingly. All in all, the idea is AwesomeButImpractical due to being [[SomeDexterityRequired so difficult to get the hang of]], so the feature gets dropped for the [=PS4=]. It's also something of an UnderusedGameMechanic as, most of the time, only one or two of the buttons (out of eight) will have this functionality tapped into, and many players considered it a Scrappy Mechanic due to inconsistent differences in how much pressure is required between different functions of one button.

* Platform/BluRay (with Apple Computer, Lenovo, Samsung, Microsoft, Acer, HP, Toshiba, and Panasonic)

* The first mass-market UsefulNotes/{{VCR}}, with Betamax.

* UsefulNotes/CompactDisc (with Philips)
* {{UsefulNotes/DVD}} (with Philips, Toshiba, and Panasonic)
* UsefulNotes/BluRay (with Apple Computer, Lenovo, Samsung, Microsoft, Acer, HP, Toshiba, and Panasonic)

Sony's also had a bad habit of creating storage formats that only they tend to actually use; the Betamax is the most infamous of these, but the [=MiniDisc=], the PSP's UMD and the UsefulNotes/SDCard competitor [=MemoryStick=] have also been affected by the lack of non-Sony usage and interest. The MS format was perhaps the most prolific of these formats as Sony built MS slots into seemingly everything they made in the mid-2000s, including their Cybershot cameras and Handycam camcorders, VAIO [=PCs=], TV sets, mobile devices (including their Clie [=PDAs=] and [[AllLowercaseLetters mylo]] web gadgets) and [=PlayStation=] game consoles. They've since admitted defeat and make [[UsefulNotes/SDCard SD Cards]] like everyone else.

** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the Platform/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the Platform/FMTowns Marty and the Platform/AmigaCD32, but the Platform/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the Platform/SegaGenesis, Platform/TurboGrafx16, and Platform/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the Platform/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the Platform/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.

** For the longest time, the company has used the exact same controller with only ''very'' minor and mostly cosmetic differences between them. They might add some [[PressureSensitiveInterface pressure-sensitive buttons]] [[UsefulNotes/Playstation2 here]], a [[UsefulNotes/{{Playstation3}} home button]] there, but the core design ''never'' changes shape or button layout. While it's not as ambitious as Creator/{{Nintendo}} who always tries something new and innovative, it's also allowed them to practically perfect it and make a very reliable and overall well-designed device, made it easier for the designers of long-running franchises since the controller's layout remained the same, and allowed gamers to enjoy backward compatibility without having to buy additional controllers, and of course, averted DamnYouMuscleMemory for years. That said, the 4th and 5th generation iterations marked notable evolutions, with the 4th adding a touch pad, speakers, motion control support and altered the form a bit for a modestly bigger fit, making for the most ergonomic Dual Shock yet. The UsefulNotes/Playstation5 follow-up, the Dual Sense, took it another step further, improving the ergonomics yet again while adding haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and a built-in microphone for online chat.

** It also did this with its controller. While the Super NES controller [[TropeMakers set the standard]] for video game controllers in 1990, in 1997 the new Dual Analog controller for the Platform/PlayStation, and especially its more famous successor the [=DualShock=], [[TropeCodifier perfected it]]. It wasn't the first default gamepad (as in, the one packed in with the console itself, not an add-on) to have full analog control, nor was it the first controller built with ergonomics in mind rather than being shaped like a rectangular brick -- the Platform/Nintendo64 beat it to the punch in both regards. However, by having ''two'' analog sticks, character and camera control in a 3D environment were greatly simplified. Not only has it [[TheWorkhorse remained in basic service]] through five generations of [=PlayStations=] and counting with only minor changes to its basic design[[note]]The [[Platform/PlayStation2 DualShock 2]] added [[PressureSensitiveInterface pressure-sensitive buttons]]. The Platform/PlayStation3 initially shipped with a controller called the Sixaxis, which was a [=DualShock=] in all but name that added motion controls, wireless functionality, and a rechargeable battery but took out the rumble feature (the [=DualShock=]'s namesake) due to a legal battle with the Immersion Corporation; once that was settled, Sony came out with a proper [=DualShock=] 3 that was functionally a Sixaxis with rumble. The [[Platform/PlayStation4 DualShock 4]] made the [=L2=] and [=R2=] buttons into concave triggers to match those of the Platform/{{Xbox}} controller, added a light bar to the top and a speaker to the front, and turned the Select button into a touch pad. The Platform/PlayStation5's controller, the [=DualSense=], is rounder and more ergonomic and adds haptic feedback, but is otherwise a [=DualShock=] in its button layout and functionality.[[/note]], but every controller since from Creator/{{Microsoft}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}} (save for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}mote, which when used as a regular controller is a throwback to the original [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] controller with a D-pad and two face buttons) has been heavily influenced by its layout of "two analog sticks for each thumb, a D-pad on the left, four face buttons on the right, and two trigger buttons for each index finger".

[[caption-width-right:250:We are Sony. (Ding!)]]

[[caption-width-right:250:We are Sony.]]

** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the Platform/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the Platform/FMTowns Marty and the Platform/AmigaCD32, but the Platform/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the Platform/SegaGenesis, Platform/TurboGrafx16, and Platform/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the Platform/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the Platform/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.

** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the Platform/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the Platform/FMTowns Marty and the Platform/AmigaCD32, but [[Platform/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the Platform/SegaGenesis, Platform/TurboGrafx16, and Platform/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the Platform/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the Platform/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.

** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the Platform/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the Platform/FMTowns Marty and the Platform/AmigaCD32, but [[Main/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the Platform/SegaGenesis, Platform/TurboGrafx16, and Platform/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the Platform/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.
** It also did this with its controller. While the Super NES controller [[TropeMakers set the standard]] for video game controllers in 1990, in 1997 the new Dual Analog controller for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and especially its more famous successor the [=DualShock=], [[TropeCodifier perfected it]]. It wasn't the first default gamepad (as in, the one packed in with the console itself, not an add-on) to have full analog control, nor was it the first controller built with ergonomics in mind rather than being shaped like a rectangular brick -- the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 beat it to the punch in both regards. However, by having ''two'' analog sticks, character and camera control in a 3D environment were greatly simplified. Not only has it [[TheWorkhorse remained in basic service]] through five generations of [=PlayStations=] and counting with only minor changes to its basic design[[note]]The [[Platform/PlayStation2 DualShock 2]] added [[PressureSensitiveInterface pressure-sensitive buttons]]. The Platform/PlayStation3 initially shipped with a controller called the Sixaxis, which was a [=DualShock=] in all but name that added motion controls, wireless functionality, and a rechargeable battery but took out the rumble feature (the [=DualShock=]'s namesake) due to a legal battle with the Immersion Corporation; once that was settled, Sony came out with a proper [=DualShock=] 3 that was functionally a Sixaxis with rumble. The [[Platform/PlayStation4 DualShock 4]] made the [=L2=] and [=R2=] buttons into concave triggers to match those of the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} controller, added a light bar to the top and a speaker to the front, and turned the Select button into a touch pad. The Platform/PlayStation5's controller, the [=DualSense=], is rounder and more ergonomic and adds haptic feedback, but is otherwise a [=DualShock=] in its button layout and functionality.[[/note]], but every controller since from Creator/{{Microsoft}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}} (save for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}mote, which when used as a regular controller is a throwback to the original [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] controller with a D-pad and two face buttons) has been heavily influenced by its layout of "two analog sticks for each thumb, a D-pad on the left, four face buttons on the right, and two trigger buttons for each index finger".

** In the 5th console generation, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation was technically the weakest, lacking the VDP chip and dual processor[[note]]the former of which allowed for the best 2d of the generation by a mile[[/note]] of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn or the Silicon Graphics-developed hardware and hardware z-buffering or floating point polygonal rendering of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, but it was cheap, had better audio and video functionality, and was easy to develop for, resulting in it easily becoming the best-selling console of the generation.

* GenreTurningPoint: What the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 did for gaming in TheSeventies and the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem did for it in TheEighties, the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation did for it in TheNineties. Upon its release in Japan in December 1994, it became the decade's defining home console and the one whose hardware enabled numerous changes to gaming as a whole.
** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the UsefulNotes/FMTowns Marty and the Platform/AmigaCD32, but [[Main/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16, and UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.
** It also did this with its controller. While the Super NES controller [[TropeMakers set the standard]] for video game controllers in 1990, in 1997 the new Dual Analog controller for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and especially its more famous successor the [=DualShock=], [[TropeCodifier perfected it]]. It wasn't the first default gamepad (as in, the one packed in with the console itself, not an add-on) to have full analog control, nor was it the first controller built with ergonomics in mind rather than being shaped like a rectangular brick -- the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 beat it to the punch in both regards. However, by having ''two'' analog sticks, character and camera control in a 3D environment were greatly simplified. Not only has it [[TheWorkhorse remained in basic service]] through five generations of [=PlayStations=] and counting with only minor changes to its basic design[[note]]The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 DualShock 2]] added [[PressureSensitiveInterface pressure-sensitive buttons]]. The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 initially shipped with a controller called the Sixaxis, which was a [=DualShock=] in all but name that added motion controls, wireless functionality, and a rechargeable battery but took out the rumble feature (the [=DualShock=]'s namesake) due to a legal battle with the Immersion Corporation; once that was settled, Sony came out with a proper [=DualShock=] 3 that was functionally a Sixaxis with rumble. The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 DualShock 4]] made the [=L2=] and [=R2=] buttons into concave triggers to match those of the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} controller, added a light bar to the top and a speaker to the front, and turned the Select button into a touch pad. The UsefulNotes/PlayStation5's controller, the [=DualSense=], is rounder and more ergonomic and adds haptic feedback, but is otherwise a [=DualShock=] in its button layout and functionality.[[/note]], but every controller since from Creator/{{Microsoft|Studios}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}} (save for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}mote, which when used as a regular controller is a throwback to the original [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] controller with a D-pad and two face buttons) has been heavily influenced by its layout of "two analog sticks for each thumb, a D-pad on the left, four face buttons on the right, and two trigger buttons for each index finger".

** UsefulNotes/PlayStation2: The controller features pressure-sensitive buttons for its [[TheWorkhorse DualShock]] 2 controllers. In theory, this allowed a single button press to be either light or heavy, and for games to react accordingly. All in all, the idea is AwesomeButImpractical due to being [[SomeDexterityRequired so difficult to get the hang of]], so the feature gets dropped for the [=PS4=]. It's also something of an UnderusedGameMechanic as, most of the time, only one or two of the buttons (out of eight) will have this functionality tapped into, and many players considered it a Scrappy Mechanic due to inconsistent differences in how much pressure is required between different functions of one button.
** UsefulNotes/Playstation3: Its controller is similar to the [=DualShock 2=] save for the L2 and R2 buttons being pressure-sensitive triggers. This has caused porting issues with the gameplay of ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline''.

Originally founded in 1946 under the name Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (the Sony name was invented as the name of a product line in the '50s, became the company's brand overseas at first and finally the name of the company itself by 1980) maker of numerous diverse electronic goods, prominently including televisions, stereos, [=PCs=], and cell phones, and game consoles. They also do [[AcmeProducts electronic components, industrial chemicals, batteries, toys, robots, banks, and life insurance.]] They also have their own animation studios (Creator/SonyPicturesImageworks, Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation, Adelaide Productions and Creator/A1Pictures), their own major record company with numerous labels and even their own [[Creator/{{Animax}} Anime channel]] co-founded with Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}} and Creator/{{Sunrise}}, an anime streaming site called [[http://www.daisuki.net Daisuki]][[note]]co-founded not only with Toei, Sunrise and TMS, but also Nihon Ad Systems, Dentsu and Asatsu-DK[[/note]]. One could almost say that, like [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 one of their products]], they only do everything[[note]] including lawsuits against [[Creator/{{Hydraulx}} effects studios]] [[DuelingMovies for]] [[Film/{{Skyline}} similar]] [[Film/BattleLosAngeles movies]]; and getting entangled with Korean electronics company LG for Blu-ray rights[[/note]]. Basically, even if you don't own Sony-manufactured electronics, you've likely watched Sony-produced movies (and/or owned them on tape or disc), listened to Sony-distributed music on your phone, and you've watched Sony-produced TV series, like ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

* The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation Play]][[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Station]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 line]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 of]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 video]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable game]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita consoles]]

** It was not the first console to use [[UsefulNotes/CompactDisc CDs]] as opposed to cartridges for its games. Both the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi predate it[[note]]So did the UsefulNotes/FMTowns Marty and the UsefulNotes/AmigaCD32, but [[Main/NoExportForYou neither one was released in the U.S.]][[/note]], the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16, and UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar had CD drive peripherals released during their lifetimes, and the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn beat Sony to the punch by one month. It was the [=PlayStation=], however, whose combination of a CD drive and advanced graphical hardware showed just how much optical media could expand what gaming was capable of. Its audio capabilities especially caused the [=PlayStation=] to lead a revolution in sound design in gaming in the late '90s, particularly with the rise of voice acting and music, as it became possible to fit voice lines for every character and music that wasn't compressed into a MIDI format onto a single disc. The smaller size and lower cost of discs compared to large, proprietary cartridges, when combined with the [=PlayStation=]'s pioneering use of a memory card to store saved game data separately from the game itself, also allowed developers to make games that spanned multiple discs. The epic [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] that the [=PlayStation=] became famous for couldn't have been made on the hardware from just one generation prior, a fact that [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] realized when they ditched Nintendo (which still used cartridges for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64) and made their games exclusive to Sony's console.