Even after the release of its successor, the PlayStation 3, it remained popular well into the seventh generation. It continued to be produced until 2013 when Sony finally announced that it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production, one of the longest lifespans of any video game console. New games for the console continued to be made until the end of its life. Released in 1994, the original PlayStation proved to be a phenomenal worldwide success and signalled Sony's rise to power in the video game industry. Its launch elicited critical acclaim and strong sales it eventually became the first computer entertainment platform to ship over 100 million units. The PlayStation enjoyed particular success outside Japan in part due to Sony's refined development kits, large-scale advertising campaigns, and strong third-party developer support. By the late 1990s Sony had dethroned established rivals Sega and Nintendo in the global video game market. Sega, spurred on by its declining market share and significant financial losses, launched the Dreamcast in 1998 as a last-ditch attempt to stay in the industry. By this time rumours of an upcoming PlayStation 2 were already circulating among the press. Though Sony has kept details of the PlayStation 2's development secret, Ken Kutaragi, the chief designer of the original PlayStation, reportedly began working on a second console around the time of its launch in late 1994. In 1997, several employees from Argonaut Games, under contract for semiconductor manufacturer LSI Corporation at the time, were instructed to fly to the US West Coast and design a rendering chip for Sony's upcoming console. Jez San, founder of Argonaut, recalled that his team had no direct contact with Sony during the development process. Unbeknownst to him, Sony was designing their own chip in-house and had instructed other companies to design rendering chips merely to diversify their options. īy late 1997, reports surfaced that a new PlayStation was being developed and would house a built-in DVD player and internet connectivity. Sony officially denied that a successor was being developed Phil Harrison, the then-director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), said in an interview that there was "no need" for a new hardware generation considering the PlayStation's popularity.
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