Just after World War II, Masaru Ibuka opened a small electronics shop in Tokyo. Little did he know that from such humble beginnings would spring one of the largest electronics brands the world has ever seen.
Whether you associate Sony with the Walkman, The Playstation or the (ultimately doomed) Vaio line of laptops or Xperia phones, it’s hard to argue that when it comes to electronics, they have been setting the standard for years now.
Since the release of portable transistor radios in the 50s that exploded onto the American market, Sony has constantly been pushing innovation and excellence in every strand of the electronics space. They now make cameras, TVs, and even have their own movie studio (please set Spidey free, Sony!)
There have been ups and downs, with the company restructuring and selling off business units multiple times over the years, but Sony always comes back stronger than ever. And much of that has to do with one of their best-known products — the PlayStation.
Initially meant to be a disc-reading add-on to Nintendo’s SNES, when relations soured between the two companies, Sony released the PlayStation as a standalone console and blew the whole video game space wide open.
Then came the greatest video game console ever created, the PS2. No, that’s definitely not just a (biased) opinion! The PS2 is still the best-selling console of all time. To date, it has sold over 155 million units, and it changed the gaming landscape forever.
Nowadays, Sony continues to buck the trend by shunning the corporate live-service schlock shoveled out by other companies in favor of first-person, narrative-driven games. If anyone ever tells you that video games aren’t art, just show them The Last of Us.
Whether you’re looking for a new camera, phone, TV, set of headphones, or emotionally-affecting game, Sony will no doubt come up in the conversation. Now, if only they could sort out the PS4, PS5, PS6, supply issues…
Register now to join the conversation, access exclusive content and be a part of our exclusive brand communities.
