Happy birthday, PlayStation

This year has seen the Game Boy and the Sega Genesis turn 20, and now the PlayStation brand is 15 years old. On 3 December 1994, Sony launched its first PlayStation in Japan, with a launch line-up that included the likes of Battle Arena Toshinden, Warhawk, Air Combat, and Ridge Racer.

Over the next ten or so years, various PlayStation hardware kicked rival consoles into touch (at least until the Wii marked Nintendo’s triumphant return), producing some of modern gaming’s greatest titles in the process. To celebrate, Sony Japan put up this fun little flash site.

The brand itself drastically changed the way games were marketed, and contributed a hell of a lot to the culture of gaming we all know and love today. And damn, it had some cool adverts, including this memorable “Golfers vs Porn stars” TV spot, which seems oddly topical.

So what’s your favorite PlayStation memory, readers? I’m going with the first Metal Gear Solid, Shadow of the Colossus, and PaRappa the Rapper.

[PlayStation 15th Anniversary]