Nintendo was now to be at the mercy of Sony, who could manufacture their own CDs, play SNES carts, and play Sony CDs. Initially called the Super Disc, it was supposed to be able to play both SNES cartridges and CD-ROMs, of which Sony was to be the "sole worldwide licenser," as stated in the contract.
Using the same Super Disc technology as the proposed SNES drive, Sony began development on what was to eventually become the PlayStaion. What better way to enter that arena than on the coat-tails of the world's biggest gaming company? This was Sony's chance to finally get involved in the home videogame market. Sony's first foray into the gaming market came in 1988, when it embarked on a deal with Nintendo to develop a CD-ROM drive for the Super NES, not scheduled to be released for another 18 months. Sega had yet to make a proper showing, and Sony, although hungry for some action, hadn't made any moves of its own. But they wanted a bigger piece of the pie.ġ988 Sony Enters The ArenaBy 1988, the gaming world was firmly gripped in Nintendo's 8-bit fist.
By the late 80's, CD-ROM technology was being assimilated, albeit slowly, into the home computer market, and Sony was right there along side it. A joint venture with the Dutch company Philips had yielded the CD-ROM/XA, an extension of the CD-ROM format that combined compressed audio, and visual and computer data and allowed both to be accessed simultaneously with the aid of extra hardware. It had made a few forays into the computer side of things, most notably in its involvement with the failed MSX chip in the early 80's, but it wasn't until the advent of CD-ROM technology that Sony could claim any market share. (Before PlayStation) Before the release of the PlayStation, Sony had never held a large portion of the videogames market.
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