3 ms·
I've always wondered how much of the success of the PS1 could be attributed to the fact that games could be basically free because of the CD/DVD medium instead
by astrobe_ 3y ago
I've always wondered how much of the success of the PS1 could be attributed to the fact that games could be basically free because of the CD/DVD medium instead of cartridges, which required more dedicated hardware to make "backups".
- MBCook 3y agoIt was huge. Even without piracy, manufacturing cartridges was expensive. Nintendo made them all and made you pay for the privilege above base costs. The lead time was long and you could be screwed due parts shortages. Got a great game you want to sell? Sorry, Goldeneye is too popular so we’ll make more of those first. Good luck waiting. CDs cost basically nothing. Sony would make them (because of the copyright protection) but Sony was a music company. They could easily churn out millions of the things a week, or maybe a day. So it was possible for them to just make more physical product to sell the Nintendo ever could. Far cheaper. Storage size was also a big issue. Full motion video, CD quality audio, more levels… The PlayStation could do things that the N64 just couldn’t do to storage size. Do you remember the “magazine“ PlayStation Underground? You would sign up and Sony would send you a disc once a month with videos and demos and such. Something like that is 100% impossible (financially) with cartridges.
- throwawaymobule 3y agoPlayStation was actually under Sony music in their corporate hierarchy due to internal politics. A YouTube channel called lowspecgamer has a pretty good video about the system's development.