PlayStation was Just Meant to Be an Optical Drive for Nintendo
By July 2021, Sony had sold 116 million PS4 consoles. With close to 158 million units sold, the PS2 was the most popular gaming console ever. The original PlayStation sold just over 104 million units, and PS3 sold close to 87 million. Undoubtedly, Sony has succeeded. And to think that the PlayStation was never even intended to be a standalone system.
When the PlayStation was first being developed, Sony was designing it as a Nintendo peripheral. Sony and Nintendo had an agreement whereby Sony would create an optical drive add-on that would enable Nintendo gamers to play CD-based games. After that, Nintendo suddenly executed a double cross. The Consumer Electronics Show was the intended venue for the cooperation announcement. However, Nintendo revealed that they would be collaborating with Phillips N.V. as opposed to Sony. Nobody at Sony was aware of what was going on. Their first knowledge of it came through the public announcement.
It turns out that Sony's ability to create and market their own games angered Nintendo. Therefore, they ignored their agreement and forged a new one without consulting Sony. Later, Sony would create the most well-known gaming console. In contrast, Nintendo's N64 was a failure.
