If you are not subscribed to the BBC’s YouTube archives, we recommend that you do so. The broadcaster unearths a wealth of classic news, much of it related to home computing. It’s really fascinating to see common modern technologies such as email and the Internet presented as groundbreaking in these old TV references. This clip will be of particular interest to PlayStation fans, then. It’s from August 8th 1995 (27 years ago!), when the PS1 was just a month away from its UK launch. The reporter – pronouncing Sony in that classic ’90s way – ponders whether the £299 machine can possibly topple the dominance of Nintendo and SEGA, despite the titans of the era holding their own. #OnThisDay 1995: Electronics giant Sony turned its sights on the UK games console market, with the PlayStation launching in just over a month. Can it really compete with industry behemoths Sega and Nintendo? pic.twitter.com/M237FbXSt7 — BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) August 8, 2022 One expert is particularly insightful: he points out that Sony doesn’t just want to control the entertainment you enjoy, but also the devices you consume it on. This was, of course, very much in the organization’s playbook, and while it never quite fulfilled its goal, it certainly played a major role in the popularization of CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and many other media formats. The PS1 would go on to become one of the best-selling systems of all time, bettered only by its successor, the PS2, which holds the record for total home console sales to this day. So, Sony’s bet paid off. Still, it’s amazing to look back to a time when the PlayStation wasn’t a household name.