Video games have existed for 25 years and are now a strong rival to music, film and other forms of entertainment. The video games market includes home console hardware and software, hand-held software and hardware and PC games software. The PlayStation falls into the home console sector. More than 50 million PlayStations have been sold worldwide. These phenomenal worldwide sales are showing no signs of slowing as evidenced by the fact that the first 10 million PlayStations were sold over a 2 year period and the last 10 million in only 4 months. In Australia, Sony Computer Entertainment has sold more than 1 million consoles and out-sells the current competing systems by better than 2 to 1. Given the exponential growth in sales and the constant technological innovations, PlayStation looks certain to be a dominant force in entertainment in the 21st century.
	Sony has always been at the forefront of innovative technology, launching such products as the Walkman, Discman, Camcorder and many others. Over the last 15 years Sony has also become a leading player in the entertainment industry. Sony Music Entertainment whose acts include Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Silverchair and many more, is the leading music company in Australia. Columbia TriStar, another Sony company, produce blockbuster films such as “Men In Black”, “As Good As It Gets”, “Jerry McGuire” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, and such TV shows as “The Nanny”, “Seinfeld” and “Mad About You”. Sony has always been committed to combining cutting edge technology with new and established forms of entertainment. It is this strategy that led to the development of the PlayStation and the establishment of Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation delivers the highest standard in video games and will continue to do so for many years to come. Since it’s Australian release in 1995 PlayStation has firmly established itself as the leading video game console with over one million now in Australian homes. This is an outstanding achievement for a newcomer to the business of video games.
	Sony Computer Entertainment was formed when Sony decided that it was time to venture into the interactive entertainment industry.  It started with the development of a CD-ROM based architecture for games. The CD based games console was then developed.  The goal was to create the most powerful video game system ever - so powerful that it would leave the competition behind for years to come.  The final design used the latest technology in computer-game processing. It was first seen in Japan in December 1994, in possibly the decade’s most keenly anticipated launch in the video game industry.  It was an instant success and led to the worldwide rollout in 1995.
	The PlayStation offers “state of the art” CD-based technology. With custom special effects like texture mapping, light sourcing and gourad shading, the PlayStation  propels the player into a realistic virtual world. PlayStation also delivers full motion video, allowing games to feature amazing cinematic introductions and video scenes between game levels. At times, it can feel more like you’re watching a movie instead of playing a video game.  To further enhance the whole PlayStation experience, Sony Computer Entertainment also manufactures a wide variety of peripherals and accessories.  Memory cards allow players to save their progress in a game. The multi-tap is a device that allows up to six extra controllers to be plugged in for multi-player gaming with friends.  There’s also a link-cable, used for linking two PlayStations and two televisions together, for the ultimate in two-player arcade style action. The G-Con arcade gun allows players to simply point and shoot at the television screen to play the latest action shooting games. PlayStation has a huge library of video games and this continues to grow every month. This library includes blockbuster titles such as Gran Turismo (with more than 180,000 units sold in Australia), V-Rally, Crash Bandicoot, Tekken, and Ridge Racer. Other titles like Tomb Raider have transformed video game characters like Lara Croft into household names.  More games are being released for the PlayStation every day with Australian releases now numbering over 500. PlayStation offers full CD music capabilities for a complete entertainment package. Not only will the PlayStation play your favourite music CDs, but it can also add special effects to them like echo and reverb.  Added to that is  Soundscope, a dazzling new light show effect which plays along with the music.  By pressing buttons on the control pad, it is possible to manipulate the patterns displayed on the screen.
	New developments are continually being introduced to enhance the experience.  For example, the Dual Shock control pad was created in 1998 and was a breakthrough product.  It offers two analog thumb controls for greater precision and control and features a built in vibration function which responds at appropriate times in a game, for enhanced realism. There have also been some major breakthroughs in PlayStation software.  Programmers continue to find new ways to extract more and more power from the PlayStation, and the games keep on getting better and better.  New development tools and programming routines have allowed developers to create games today that look and feel much more realistic.  However, the improvements have not only been technical in nature.  The creative input behind PlayStation games has also changed dramatically, with the introduction of innovative new games like Bust a Groove, the world’s first dance simulation.  There have also been a number of DJ and music simulation games widening the PlayStation audience even farther.  In March this year, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the completion of its research and development project to design the successor to the current PlayStation. The advanced technology of the next generation system provides the basis for an exciting new era of in-home digital entertainment. The next generation PlayStation massively increases the quality and performance of graphics technology. The next generation PlayStation system is a significant part of Sony Computer Entertainment’s mission to create a “new form of entertainment beyond games” via the integration of innovative computer technology with audio visual technology.
	One of the key reasons for the PlayStation’s success is Sony Computer Entertainment’s focus on marketing, devoting major resources to creating innovative marketing and promotional strategies.  Key marketing areas include: * Advertising & promotions - SCE advertises through all the current forms of media. Television, radio and print are important however there is also a constant search for exciting new media such as the Internet. Sony Computer Entertainment has conducted numerous advertising and promotional campaigns in cyberspace. Outdoor, including bus-panel, metrolite and billboards, and cinema advertising are also used extensively. Promotional activity has been integral to the success of PlayStation with promotional campaigns forming part of the marketing mix for all new releases, brand marketing and accessories. In addition SCE have been involved in a long list of cross-promotions with some of Australia’s leading brands. * Major Sponsorships - The business of sponsorship has also become an integral part of the company’s overall marketing strategy.  The strategic sponsorship of major events such as the “PlayStation Xtreme Games” generates massive brand awareness and also allows SCE to get to the normally “hard to get to” teenage market. PlayStation is also the major sponsor of the top rating youth radio show in Australia, the Hot 30 countdown which also communicates with the youth market. * PR & publicity - Sony Computer Entertainment utilises the electronic and print media extensively to promote PlayStation software and hardware.  A key example of this is the Official PlayStation Magazine.  Printed monthly, the magazine contains news, previews and reviews of all the latest PlayStation games.  It also contains a demo disc allowing consumers to sample the latest games. The magazine is the ultimate resource for PlayStation gamers and a direct channel between Sony Computer Entertainment and their consumers. * Product Sampling - This is an essential tool in the marketing of PlayStation. Demo Discs are available to consumers through many different sources including inside the console box, inside selected software titles, sold with the Official PlayStation Magazine and sent directly to registered PlayStation owners. In-store demonstration units also give consumers access to sample the games prior to purchase.
	PlayStation is about “Power” and the “Positive Escape” experience offered by its software. The Sony brand name is among the strongest in the world.  Working from that base, PlayStation is now one of Australia’s key brands.  Although Sony has only been in the video game industry for a fraction of the time of some of it’s competitors, PlayStation has already created an identity for itself as the leading product in the business.  In the years to come, with the emergence of next generation systems, Sony Computer Entertainment and PlayStation will continue to deliver the cutting edge in interactive entertainment.

		Since the worldwide launch in 1995, Sony Computer Entertainment has sold more than 50 million PlayStations.
		At the time PlayStation was released, it was capable of generating more polygons per second than any other video game system in the world.
		Laid edge to edge, all the PlayStation CDs sold by the end of 1998 would stretch for 36,600 kms.
		Porsche actually gave away a “Boxster” sportscar in Australia, during the Porsche Challenge PlayStation promotion.
		PlayStation sales of more than one million units make it the largest selling next generation console in Australia.
		Stacked on top of each other, all the PlayStation game packs sold by the end of 1998 would be more than twice the height of Mount Kosciusko.