The PlayStation Only Exists Because Nintendo Said No

The PlayStation only exists because Nintendo betrayed Sony. In the early nineties, Sony was building a CD drive for the Super Nintendo. They even called it the Play Station.

At the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show, Sony proudly announced it. The very next day, Nintendo walked on stage and said it was partnering with Philips instead.

Sony's engineer Ken Kutaragi convinced the company not to give up, and to build its own console. The PlayStation launched in 1994 and went on to sell over one hundred million units. Nintendo's rejection created its biggest rival.