The "Next Generation" Always Came in a Black Box

Hello, it's the shopkeeper.

While we were still enchanted by the pixel art of the Super Famicom, a quiet but game-changing revolution began. Its architect? Sony.

The black box they introduced—PlayStation—defied all expectations. No more cartridges. Shimmering silver discs called CD-ROMs. Flat game worlds suddenly expanded into 3D spaces. And on the controller, symbols that would become a universal gaming language: ○ × △ □.

Everything about it told us, with undeniable authority: “This is the future of gaming.”

I still remember the first time I saw Ridge Racer running on a friend’s TV. The shock. The realism. The joy of memory cards you could carry around. As we began craving more complex, mature stories, PlayStation arrived with perfect timing.

Here, we explore the legacy of this black box that rewrote the rules of gaming.