- Nintendo and Sony collaborated in the 90s to develop the Nintendo PlayStation, a prototype console that was never released.
- Shuhei Yoshida revealed the existence of a video game almost finished for this system, which had gameplay similar to Silpheed.
- The project was cancelled following the split between Nintendo and Sony at CES 1991, leading to the development of the first PlayStation.
- The cancellation of the Nintendo PlayStation marked a turning point in the video game industry and led to the creation of the original PlayStation.
In the early 90s, Nintendo and Sony worked together in an ambitious project that aimed to revolutionize the video game industry. It was the Nintendo PlayStation, a console that combined the technology of both companies and used the Compact Disc format to offer new possibilities to players. However, the project never materialized and ended up being a key episode in the history of the sector.
One of the lesser-known aspects of this failed experiment is that it already There was a video game in a very advanced state of development. Recently, Shuhei Yoshida, former Sony executive, revealed in an interview that the title was a space shooter inspired by silpheed, a game with pre-rendered graphics that offered a visual experience ahead of its time.
The unreleased video game for the Nintendo PlayStation
According to Yoshida, when he joined Ken Kutaragi's team at Sony, one of the first things they showed him was a working prototype of the Nintendo PlayStationIn fact, at that time a game was already being worked on for the console, which It was almost finished and fully playable..
The title in question was a side-scrolling shooter with an aesthetic similar to that of silpheed, a game developed by Game Arts and released in 1986 for NEC's PC-8801, which later received a version for the SEGA CD. This new project for the Nintendo PlayStation used rendered graphics and full motion videos to create a more immersive experience.
Yoshida himself commented that, when he tried it, he found it to be a very innovative proposal for the time, highlighting the quality of its graphics and the fluidity of its gameplay. However, despite its promising development, the game never saw the light of day due to problems between Nintendo and Sony.
The break between Nintendo and Sony
The development of the Nintendo PlayStation was progressing at a good pace, but The differences between the two companies began to become evidentSony, which at the time had no experience in the console market, saw this deal as an opportunity to enter the industry. Nintendo, for its part, was concerned about the control that Sony could gain over the project and the possible financial implications.
Finally, everything exploded in the CES from 1991, when Nintendo unexpectedly announced its partnership with Philips to work on its own CD technology, abandoning its agreement with Sony. This betrayal infuriated the Japanese company, which decided to take the know-how acquired in the development of the Nintendo PlayStation and create its own console: the PlayStation.
Thus, the joint project between Nintendo and Sony ended in oblivion, and the game that had been developed for the system was shelved indefinitely, never to be released to the market.
A legacy that changed the industry
Although the Nintendo PlayStation was never released, its history left an indelible mark on the video game industry. Nintendo's betrayal led Sony to gamble on its own console, giving rise to the original PlayStation, which was launched in December 1994 and marked the beginning of a new era for the sector.
The game that was never released remains a curiosity for fans of gaming history, a testament to what could have been had the alliance between the two Japanese giants continued. The Nintendo PlayStation is now a collector's item, with some rescued prototypes auctioned for millions of dollars. It is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating chapters in the evolution of the digital entertainment industry.
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