5 peripherals that expand the possibilities of innovative PlayStation functions that upend the common sense of home gaming consoles |

The PlayStation, which changed the history of home game consoles, was released by Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment) on December 3, 1994. Many people may remember the TV commercial that aired with the chant “Ichi ni-san.” Not only were many classic games released on the PS, but peripherals were also introduced that expanded the gaming possibilities. In this article, we will discuss five PS peripherals.

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The first peripheral we will discuss is the Analog Joystick which was released on April 26, 1996. It featured two sticks on either side, and could be used in in-flight shooter games such as the Ace Combat series released by Namco (currently Bandai Namco Entertainment). The left and right stick controls reminded me of operating an actual plane, allowing me to enjoy a more realistic game.

Next, let's pay attention to “Nejikon”, which was released by Namco on January 1, 1995. The controller has a rotating part in the middle and can be used by twisting it back and forth. In racing games like Namco's Ridge Racer, using the rotating part of the screw controller like a steering wheel made it feel like you were driving a real car.

The “Pocket Station” (hereinafter referred to as “Pokeste”), released by Sony on January 23, 1999, is another memorable peripheral. On PS, Pokéste has evolved to the point where you can play games on the same memory card used to hold game save data. It had a black and white LCD screen and small buttons, and you could enjoy mini-games by downloading data from compatible software. In addition to having a built-in clock and alarm, it is also possible to exchange data between PokéStations using infrared communication. Many people may be surprised by the many functions packed into a small package.

Peripherals also appeared with the advent of rhythm games, and it is also worth paying attention to the “V Pick” which was included in “STOLEN SONG” released on May 21, 1998. By using the V-pick and playing it like playing the guitar, you can experience the feeling of playing the guitar Real. Apparently some enthusiasts have made their own guitar-shaped pads for use with V-picks.

Finally, let's take a look at the “PLAYSTATION Eye”, which was released on July 24, 2008. The PLAYSTATION Eye is a USB camera with microphone for the PS3 that can be plugged into the PS3 and placed above and below the TV. PLAYSTATION Eye includes tools for editing still images, video, and audio, as well as games that use hand gestures. It is very practical and allows you to have an AV chat with up to 6 friends registered on the PLAYSTATION network using an internet connection. AV conversations are common these days, but surprisingly they were not possible at home 15 years ago.

PS celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. I'm sure they will continue to implement new technology and suggest gameplay styles that we would never have thought of.