The stock of PlayStation are a direct result of a deal break down bad with Nintendo . To make a long tale short , Sony was project on earn a disc - basedNintendo cabinet , but Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute and partnered with Phillips . After that treachery , Sony launched thePS1 , and the rest period is history . We ’re now enjoyingthe best PS5 games , with new and oldPlayStation franchiseskeeping the console democratic . But which of Sony ’s console table had the great encroachment on the gaming diligence ? We call for to take more into consideration besides dandy games when ranking a console , and the final result is by no means scientific . Based on the ethnical shock , response , and nostalgia , these are all the PlayStation console rank from sorry to best .

7. PSP

The first PlayStation handheld had an acclivitous battle to wax . Nintendo had been crushing the hand-held market since the late ’ 80s with theGame Boy , and the PSP had to go up against the DS . This ended up being a lesson that more hefty computer hardware and graphics were n’t enough to sell a system . Technically speaking , the PSP was amazing . It had almost all the mogul of a PS2 in your hands . The dominance lacked two analog control stick , making a lot of game somewhat awkward to recreate , but those that were plan around it played corking . The real takings was that it had no orca app . It had a ton of outstanding games , no question , but nothing that made the system a must - buy .

6. PS3

Where better to start withthe PS3than its reveal ? Right out of the gate , Sony killed all sense of impulse it had from the PS2 generation by revealing the now iconic $ 599 cost tag . But even ignoring the price , the PS3 had much bigger issues . The launch controller feel cheap , had unsatisfying triggers , and rip out rumble in favour of just functioning movement controls . The real nail in the casket was the cell processor . This machine was notoriously difficult to make games for , even within Sony first - political party , and nearly all multi - platform game ply worse on the PS3 . We do have to give Sony credit for turning the generation around with a cost drop , revision , and fill up the coevals strong with some amazing game , but most will depend back on this system as the companionship ’s greatest botch .

5. PS Vita

The earthly concern was n’t quick for the Vita . On newspaper , this should ’ve been the perfect handheld . It addressed every ill there was about the PSP by adding a second analog marijuana cigarette , access to the PSN , even better artwork , and tons of great games . In fact , there were a ton ofVita gamesthat had cross - grease one’s palms on PS3 , which is almost unheard of . It did include some touch - ascendance gimmicks , but they did n’t take away from games that did n’t select to utilize them . The only real reason the Vita failed to find a monumental audience , even against the underpowered three-D , was Nintendo ’s stranglehold on the market place .

4. PS4

After the PS3 generation , Sony could n’t afford to make another misstep . The PS4 is a very secure console , but a involve replication to form for the society and way to refocus on what had turned things around for it during the PS3 era . That , of course , was exclusives . The PS4 library is one of the warm in PlayStation account , both in terms of existing franchise like ratch , Uncharted , and God of War releasing their better entries , but also Modern pet inHorizon andGhost of Yotei . The PS4 was n’t afraid to get weird , either . piles of data-based games were released , but Sony even made a vast bet with PSVR . While it did n’t set the world on fire , it was the best - sell VR unit at the time and had a lot of cool experiences .

3. PS1

It is hard to disjoint nostalgia from how impactful the PS1 really was , but mayhap we do n’t have to . This was the first time anyone heard the name PlayStation , meaning it had to set out from nothing against the Titan of Sega and Nintendo . Thanks to Nintendo prefer to stay to cartridge forthe N64 , PlayStation games were able to take care and sound better than anything else on the marketplace . Outside of Nintendo ’s exclusives , all the big game were on PS1 , such asFinal Fantasy 7 , Metal Gear Solid , andTomb Raider . The amount of exemption that CDs gave to developer led to slews of biz rushing onto the system in every genre . In term of computer hardware , the PS1 give us the template for all modern controllers , and the system itself doubled as a CD player .

2. PS5

At first , we were belong to put the PS5 lower on this tilt for being not much more than a better PS4 . However , that feels a little disengenuous . Outside of graphics , the main melioration of the PS5 on the technical side is its SSD that , to be fair , we do n’t think we could live without now that loading time are all but eliminated . Games are coming out a routine slower , so the program library might not be as strong by the end as the PS4 ’s , but we also involve to recognize that the PS5 can act every PS4 game . In fact , thanks toPS Plus , you could play a ton of PS1 , PS2 , PS3 , PSP , and VR games . Add in the ability to stream game from the swarm on your console , earpiece , or PlayStation Portal , and you realize just how great this console is . If you are a lover of PlayStation , the PS5 find like a celebration of its integral history .

1. PS2

Nothing will ever shake the world likethe PS2 . This was a arrant violent storm of timing , technology , games , cost , and competition that will never be replicated . It was n’t quite the flashy console at the clock time , but it was the chintzy videodisc player by a long shaft . Sony want to reduplicate the value it devote the PS1 beyond just a plot console as a CD actor with the PS2 and made the genius option to make it also play the fresh TV formatting , DVD . This give gamers around the existence the double-dyed sales pitch to get a PS2 into the house with non - gamers . The PS2 would ’ve sold okay just for that , but it got to 160 million because it was the golden eld for game development . This generation might be the meter when budget and technology were at their most balanced . Major game could be developed in around two year , look and play great , and not cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce . The PS2 program library might still be the best of any single console to this sidereal day .

A PlayStation Portable (PSP) on a table.

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PS3 consoles at a trade show.

Wikipedia / Wikipedia

A ps vita slim home screen.

PlayStation

A ps4 pro system.

PlayStation

A PS1 console

PlayStation

A PS5 Pro sits on a table with a DualSense.

Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends

A official image for the PlayStation 2 by Sony.

Sony Interactive Entertainment