THE STORY OF PLAYSTATION
(PlayStation. Image from wikimedia commons)
In the previous instalment, we talked about Sega's decision to launch the Saturn earlier than its official launch, and Sony's decision to price the PlayStation at $299. What effect did Sega’s decision to launch early have? As Kalinske had feared all along, the announcement not only surprised the E3 audience, it caught the third-party developers completely off-guard. Because of this, only one or two titles were available between the day of the announcement and the official launch of 2nd September. This was not the sort of incentive prospective buyers looked for when considering parting with $400, so most of the 30,000 Saturns remained unsold. The repercussions kept on coming. Tom Kalinske had told the audience that Saturn would be available at selected outlets. But a major retailer called Kay Bee Toys took their absence from the list as an insult from Sega. Who did they think they were? The retail giant announced it would not be selling or supporting the system, a decision that could only be bad news for an increasingly cash-strapped Sega.
This was the way things looked for Saturn on 9th September 1995. A machine priced too high for its intended market, with a dearth of software that suffered from bugs due to rushed development schedules. While Sega contemplated the future of its expensive, bug-ridden and under-marketed Saturn, the dreaded day arrived. For 9th September was the day PlayStation landed. In terms of warfare, the two companies adopted markedly different tactics. Sega relied on an almost SAS-like strategy. They sneaked the Saturn behind enemy lines, hoping that the locals would rise up and keep the invader at bay. Sony favoured the extensive bombing campaign that the Americans used in Afghanistan and Sega reeled as the explosions ripped through the US. A $40 million advertising campaign-Bam! 12,000 outlets to sell the machine-Bam! Also, a retail price of $299 and over 17 games available from day one-Bam! With the sound of these bombshells still ringing in their ears, the public went out to greet the army. The result? Over 100,000 PlayStations sold in two days. Of particular note was the average age of the customers buying the console. They seemed to be aged between 18 and 25. What had happened to the kids who had bought MegaDrives? Well, these twenty-somethings were those very same kids; they’d simply grown up in the interval between MegaDrive and PlayStation. This fact was allocated for in Sony’s promotional campaign and one particular game reflected the interests of this age group.
WIPEOUT
It’s the future and the World’s most exciting sporting event is but moments away. It’s a race; a race played out on a gargantuan track that corkscrews its way around and up mountains, banked curves twisting sharply and then plummeting down, down into valleys and specially excavated caverns. There’s a buzz of excitement hanging over the expectant crowd. All eyes are focused on a fleet of craft that are poised on the starting grid. Some force enables these craft to disobey the laws of gravity. They hover a few feet above the ground and, thanks to their sleek and aerodynamically perfect shape, they look swift just hovering on one spot.
A bank of red lights diverts the crowds’ attention. One by one they turn off and every time they do, an amplified voice counts down the seconds. 3. The crowd holds its collective breath. 2. The craft ignite their engines. 1. The throttles are opened and flames leap from the rear engines. 0. Green light for go. The craft’s afterburners kick in and the craft begin the race. No formula one car ever reached such speeds. These craft are designed to reach jet fighter speeds whilst flying a few feet above a dangerously winding track. How must they feel, the pilots in charge of these machines?
The pilot knows he’s safe. This race of the future is, after all, just the latest example of a videogame. But his primitive brain is responding to the information his eyes are receiving: Messages that spell out fast and danger. Adrenaline is pumped around the body, causing the eyes to widen and the heart to beat out the rhythm of the accompanying dance track that…Corner! With cat-like reflexes, the player’s fingers depress a button that corresponds to the airbrakes. The craft is given that crucial extra manoeuvrability that enables it to negotiate the bend at such mind-bending speeds. Concentrate. The world blurs as the craft hits a speed-boost. Thump-thump. Twist. Turn. Move up the ranks and see the lead craft as it streaks toward the finish line. To win. To win is everything but there’s no way to close the gap before his craft takes the chequered flag. Yet, there’s still hope. Momentarily, the finger that has pressed down on the throttle is moved in order to fire the weapon. Instantly, the missiles answer and roar into a brief and dazzling life. Like a psychedelic firework they head for the leader, trails of red and green tracing their path. A hit! The lead craft is crippled for a few precious and crucial seconds. The player blasts over the finishing line and Oh! The victory… If ever there was a perfect showcase for Sony’s entry into videogaming, WipEout was surely it. With its tracks that climbed and twisted into the distance, offering sights like working mines and fluorescent cities. Its soundtrack, provided by musicians at the bleeding edge of contemporary dance. Above all, the craft and the way they required the player to learn their individual strengths and weaknesses, plus the relative usefulness of each weapon. For all these things, WipEout was justifiably hailed as the PlayStation’s killer app and a glimpse of an exciting future.
(Wipeout. Image from Gamerscoup)
Funnily enough, this vision of things to come had been seen some six years previously. In 1989, when the Amiga and ST were the computers of choice, Psygnosis (the firm behind WipEout) were known for producing visually stunning games that lacked real substance. The Amiga and ST were also home to a game written by a bike enthusiast called Micheal Powell. His inspiration for the game had struck after he rode his motorbike through a long tunnel. He found the sensation of speed provided by the enclosed space exhilarating and wanted to translate it into videogame form. Thus was born Powerdrome and the similarities to WipEout cannot be denied. Powell’s game was a futuristic sport, where hovering craft could be raced down a twisting, three- dimensional track. Unfortunately, this was a game meant for the 32bit era that was squeezed onto a 16bit machine. By today’s standards, Powerdrome’s huge and flat polygons look primitive and that much sought after sensation of speed was hampered by uncontrollable craft. With its choppy, stop-start nature, Powerdrome was frustrating in its day and all but unplayable now. But two employees at Psygnosis called Nick Burcombe and Jim Bowers realised that this technically hampered game had a lot of potential. When the company came under the ownership of Sony Computer Entertainment, Burcombe and Bowers saw PlayStation as a way to unlock the potential within Powerdrome. A 13 strong team was responsible for the game, drawing inspiration from racing classics such as Mario Kart and Need For Speed.
WipEout’s distinctive visual style came about because Nicky Westcott argued that an outside source should become more heavily involved with the core of the game. The company in question was Designers Republic. The people behind the marketing of WipEout had wanted a company with certain design sensibilities to provide the packaging art and Designers Republic fit the bill. Wescott felt that the actual game should reflect the packaging, so she pushed for DR to have a greater part in designing WipEout’s look. In the end, as well as providing the cover art, DR was responsible for the corporate logos of the game’s teams and a lot of the more iconic visuals.
Outside help was also responsible for the game’s soundtrack. Burcombe was a fan of dance music and felt that it was the only thing that suited such a fast game. PR manager Glen O Connell, marketing manager Sue Campbell and the team approached various record companies in order to find artists willing to let their tunes provide the soundtrack. The majority of record companies balked at the idea of their artists working on an unknown entity such as PlayStation. However, three high-profile dance acts were willing to take the plunge and the complete WipEout package was in place. A game with an exhilarating sense of speed; coated with the stylised look of Designers Republic and finished off with the music of Chemical Brothers, Oribital and Leftfield. By any measure, the game would have made a worthy purchase but its appeal was further ensured because it reflected the new approach Sony was adopting for marketing and promotion...
REFERENCES
The Ultimate History of Videogames by Steven L Kent
Revolutionaries At Sony by Reiji Asakura
Edge Magazine
very nice post thanks man
@exite-dasliva it's truly amazing to read your articles generally I like to read to facts! From your articles i always getting good knowledge those I really don't know about it so thanks to sharing with us great us these things!
Big thumbs up!
Hey, thanks!