Sony's family of consoles has been a major force in the gaming world for over 25 years. PlayStation had its humble beginnings as the result of a deal between Sony and Nintendo on a disc-based console that fell through. PlayStation would go to become one of the highest-selling console families in the history of gaming. And with no real signs of slowing down, the PlayStation brand will continue to be a fixture for decades to come.
While the road hasn't always been smooth, Sony continues to maintain its popularity in the gaming world, and one big reason for that is what PlayStation has to offer. Fans of PlayStation, as well as new adopters of the console family, are met with extraordinary adventures, immense levels of variety, and exclusive developers willing to push what's possible on the console. Overall, it's good to be a PlayStation fan.
10 Sony's Catalog Of First-Party Exclusives Provide Something For Everyone
Asking PlayStation fans why they stick with PlayStation yields many different answers. However, the most common reason is the exclusives on offer. Sony has established numerous critically acclaimed and high-selling exclusives throughout its lifespan, all of which come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate any type of player.
While some of these exclusives, such as MLB: The Show, God of War, and Uncharted have slowly trickled their way onto other systems, there is no shortage of games players can only play on PlayStation.
9 First-Party Studios Ensures A Big Hit Is Always Right Around The Corner
PlayStation exclusives don't appear out of thin air. Sony has numerous first-party developers under their umbrella who cover many different gaming niches, whether players are looking for a sprawling open-world adventure or a lighthearted platformer. With so many developers churning out high-quality and memorable games, players rarely have to wait for the next major first-party release.
Most notable first-party developers include Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Sony Santa Monica, and Guerrilla Games. Sony has also brought other studios into the fold, including their recent acquisition of Bluepoint Games.
8 Sony Has Firm Footing In The Virtual Reality Sector With PlayStation VR
Virtual Reality gaming as we know it is relatively young. Developers are still exploring what's possible and how to provide players with the best immersive experience possible. In 2016, Sony joined in on the VR fun by releasing the PlayStation VR. Sony even revived the PlayStation Move, which was their attempt at capitalizing on the Nintendo Wii's motion control popularity for use in conjunction with PSVR.
Not only does the PSVR have its own dedicated games, other games such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard have been equipped with a VR mode, which sets it apart from other console versions of the game. And those who were afraid Sony might abandon the PSVR too early (or give up on it entirely) were pleased to learn that a PlayStation VR successor is on the way.
7 PlayStation Gets A Lot Of Love From Japanese Developers
Sony has long-established relationships with many Japanese developers. This is for numerous reasons, such as the console family's popularity in the country, a long history, and Sony being a Japanese company themselves. This leads to PlayStation receiving plenty of love from Japanese developers, which is fantastic for players who want as much variety as possible.
Those relationships come with third-party console exclusives, whether timed or full. Games such as Final Fantasy VII: Remake and Street Fighter V – two recent games in the most iconic franchises in gaming – can only be played on the PlayStation and/or PC. That's not to mention other series like mainline Persona titles or Guilty Gear, all of which have made a comfortable home with PlayStation over the years.
6 Playstation Plus Offers Great Value Beyond Online Play
In 2010, Sony launched their PlayStation Plus service – an answer to Microsoft's Xbox Live. PS+ was originally a service where players could access cloud-saving, trials, and discounts. While the service didn't gate online play for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita players, the ability to play online was included for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
At the center of PS+ is the services' Instant Game Collection where, every month, players receive a few games at no extra charge. Many of these games are well-received, and in some cases such as Rocket League, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, and Bugsnax, they're available the day the game releases. PS+ offers a ton of value that makes it a necessity for any PlayStation player.
5 A Platinum Trophy Awaits Dedicated Trophy Hunters
Sony jumped on the achievement craze in 2008 with the release of trophies. These trophies function almost identically to Xbox's achievements but are presented in a different way. Trophies are split up into four different levels based on difficulty: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The Platinum trophy is what sets this system apart from others, as it's obtained by acquiring every other trophy in the base trophy list (although not every game has these).
These Platinum trophies are highly sought out by the trophy hunting community, which are viewed as a symbol of one's mastery of a game. As an added bonus, players can allow screenshots and video clips during the moments they earn any of these trophies, which lets them relive their crowning gaming achievements.
4 Remote Play Allows Players To Continue Their Game Away From The TV
The idea of playing games anywhere has always appealed to players. However, for the most part, those games were designed around specific devices. Sony sought to change that through Remote Play, which allowed players to stream console gaming away from their television. Sony's introduction of Remote Play went under the radar for most players. Not many games were compatible with this PS3 to PlayStation Portable feature. That would change with the release of PS4 and PSV, as nearly all PS4 games were compatible with Remote Play on the PSV as well as the short-lived PlayStation TV. Remote Play has since expanded to PCs and mobile devices and is also compatible with PS5 games.
3 PlayStation's Sharing Features Brings Social Features To Players
With the PS4, Sony sought to establish and grow PlayStation as a social brand. While the ideas that have come out of this venture are hit and miss, one feature that has continued to grow is the share functionality. Players can snap photos and even record minutes of footage. They can share those photos and clips straight to their social media pages and share their accomplishments and comical moments with friends and family.
Players can also broadcast streams to Youtube and Twitch right from their consoles. On PS4, players can interact with those streams through the Live From PlayStation app. On top of that, players can also take advantage of Share Play, which allows them to figuratively pass their controller to an online friend and let them take over.
2 Playstation Now Has A Fantastic Collections Of Games
PlayStation's other subscription service is PlayStation Now, which allows players to stream PS3 games as well as download PS4 and PS5 games. PS Now is currently available for PS4, PS5, and Windows. For Windows players in particular, owning a PlayStation console is not required to access PS Now, which makes it very appealing for those uninterested in owning a console.
PS Now is a great way for new adopters of PlayStation to catch up on the many great exclusives PlayStation has released through the years, including The Last of Us and God of War series. On top of that, there are many AAA and independent titles from other developers such as Capcom, Square Enix, and Rockstar Games.
1 PlayStation's Popularity Makes It The Place To Play
The PlayStation console family has a long lineage of popular systems. Even those that are underwhelming, namely the PSV, have their passionate supporters. PlayStation consoles tend to rank high in both the sales department and the userbase department. They've become the main consoles for players – especially in recent times – and are among the most populated games online (for games that don't have crossplay). This means that one of the biggest perks of being a PlayStation fan is the fact there is no shortage of fellow PlayStation players around.
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