It’s wild to all of us that 30 years ago the PlayStation launched in Australia — where has the time gone!? The team at QD has put an unfathomable amount of hours gaming over the years — time we’d argue was well spent. The memories, moments and joy us gamers receive from these exciting virtual worlds is incomparable to anything else.
When we think PlayStation, many memories, visuals and sounds go through our minds:
“I actually hear the robotic, Japanese voice that says ‘PlayStation’ from the ads.” – Sonia
“I think Astro Bot. He’s slowly become my favourite PS character the face of PlayStation.” – Jules
“The PlayStation 1 start-up sound. Sacred Symbols. Great games, quality hardware.” – Shaun
With five major consoles and a few handhelds in between, there’s no shortage of PlayStation hardware to love — not to mention the incredible games on offer. The PlayStation brand has clearly had an impact on the team here at Quest Daily. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you can relate.
Here’s a look back at the history of PlayStation in Australia and the memories that we associate with each console
PlayStation 1
The original PlayStation launched in Australia on November 15th, 1995. 30 years ago! It sold 102 million consoles worldwide. Our memories:
“Metal Gear Solid, the psycho mantis memory card trick is forever etched in my brain.” – Tom
“Final Fantasy VII, best game ever made. Closely followed by Resident Evil 2.” – Fish
“Opening the lid to see the disc spinning. Swapping between discs in FF7. Memory cards, multi-tap device.” – Shaun
PlayStation 2
An incredible 160 million PlayStation 2 consoles were sold around the world, cementing itself as one of the most popular consoles ever created. It launched in Australia on November 30th, 2000.
“Guitar hero, no party in my teens was complete without it.” – Tom
“Shrek 2. Iconic forever.” – Ellie
“Eye toy immediately jumps out at me. I spent many hours washing windows!” – Jules
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 sold 87 million consoles in its lifetime. There’s dozens of PS3 games that stay with us today.
“The Last of Us. What game.” – Jules
“Killzone 2, I still don’t know how Guerilla made it look so good. Would love to see the franchise back.” – Tom
“Until Dawn! I first played this in a PS3 but didn’t own it until I bought my own PS4 (second hand beauty). I now have multiple copies… oops.” – Ellie
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 has sold over 114 million consoles. Just when we thought console graphics couldn’t get any better, the PS4 comes and knocks it out of the park. The PS4 invokes many memories for us:
“AC: Black Flag, it was the first game I got and I recall being very impressed with the upgraded grass it had over the PS3 version.” – Tom
“The Last of Us 2. God of War. Final Fantasy 15, 7 Remake. Spider-Man. Witcher 3. Kingdom Hearts 3.” – Shaun
“COD Black Ops 3.” – Sonia
“Fallout 4 and 76” – Fish
PlayStation 5
It’s hard to believe we’re already five years into the current generation of PlayStation. Over 84 million PS5 consoles have been sold so far. The PS5 has brought us some of our favourite gaming moments yet. When we think PS5, many things come to mind:
“Astro Bot defined this generation of console for me.” – Jules
“Right now, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. But that’s cos I’m playing it. If I’m not focusing on a game I’m playing right now, it would be Hogwarts Legacy (what I bought it for), and Astro Bot (amazing game).” – Sonia
“The DualSense. PlayStation Portal. God of War Ragnarok. Baldur’s Gate 3. Elden Ring. Spider-Man Miles Morales. Returnal. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Final Fantasy 15. Metaphor: ReFantazio. Death Stranding.” – Shaun
Some of our fondest PlayStation memories
“My friend and I in high school would go to his house and play PlayStation, and we were playing a game and it had this weird bug where the locals would normally attack us, but would attack a random NPC. We spent so long laughing at this poor NPC getting curb stopped then reviving him to start it again. If he live, the other NPCs would come for us. We had to keep oldmate alive! Hilarious.” – Ellie
“First time seeing a zombie in the original Resident Evil, then promptly turning the console off and taking the game back to my video store because it freaked me out so much haha. Also the first day I had my PS2 and being so impressed by the graphics in Madden 2001.” – Fish
“Spending countless hours during school holidays playing and replaying Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9.” – Shaun
“The first time seeing a summon in Final Fantasy, FFVIII on PS1, my older brother showed me and my love for the series and JRPGs in general began.” – Tom
“The day I completed Kingdom Hearts after years of not being able to finish it. This was recapped in Our Favourite Video Gaming Moments piece.” – Sonia
“Opening up my PSP and booting up Pursuit Force for the first time back in 2007. Seeing that game running in my hands was incredible — best graphics ever.” – Jules
The Future of PlayStation
Where do we see PlayStation headed in the future, and what would we like to see? The wants and ideas are endless, we’re happy to be along for the ride.
“Motorstorm reboot! And much more Astro Bot.” – Fish
“Getting back to core focus of great quality single player games at a more frequent rate of release. A dedicated handheld that plays the same version of the games I have on my home console.” – Shaun
“A revival for Legend of Dragoon.” – Tom
“I hope it (PlayStation) fosters the welcoming community gamers deserve. I hope PlayStation continues to get kids into gaming with great titles that are safe and fun for the whole family. I wish for women and girls to feel safe and thrive in a space shared by many genders and ages. I hope that it’s harder for bullies and trolls to slime their goo on VC and CR.” – Ellie
“I’d love to be able to play my PlayStation on the go. The Portal is great, but if it could roam… That would be amazing.” – Sonia
“I hope we see another portable console that compliments the next generation PlayStation. I love the portal, I just wish I could take my PS games with me anywhere and not have to connect to a strong and stable internet connection.” – Jules
PlayStation, we love you and we can’t wait to see what the future brings. Thanks for 30 years of good times.
What’s your favourite PlayStation memory? Let us know on our socials.
