PlayStation and me: how a console shaped my life

Sony's machine had its US launch 20 years ago this week, a console that didn't just coincide with my entry into games writing, it defined my career

It was exactly 20 years ago, a warm, late-summer afternoon. My girlfriend and I arrived in Bath, unsure of where to park, marvelling at the sheer density of beautiful Georgian architecture - just like millions of tourists before us. I was there for a job interview, and I was nervous as hell because I had lied to get it.

The PlayStation was launched in Japan in the winter of 1994, but it took several months for Sony to roll its impressive 32bit console out to the rest of the world. The US release was on 9 September 1995, a day of hype and expectation dominated by two launch titles: the arcade driving sim Ridge Racer and the now almost forgotten fighting game Battle Arena Toshinden. Both featured state-of-the-art texture-mapped polygonal graphics, both spoke of a future that would abandon old-school two-dimensional sprites and scrolling, in favour of fully explorable worlds with dynamic cameras. It was immense and exciting.