Emmy recognition for Playstation
Ten years and 100 million consoles later...
With ten year's of unprecedented success now over, Sony have been awarded an Emmy for their pioneering efforts with the Playstation in North America. The company bagged the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Technology and Advanced New Media." More than one-hundred million Playstation systems have been sold worldwide, and whilst we'd counter that the system did in fact not pioneer "the 3D polygonal-based gaming experience" (surely that was the PC?), we still concur that the impact of Playstation on the industry is incalculable. Indeed, the fact that an award as mainstream as an Emmy has even been given to Sony at all demonstrates how the Playstation name has dragged gaming - kicking and screaming - into the realms of the recognised and accepted so long enjoyed by music and films.
"When the concept for PlayStation was in its infancy in the early 1990s, we had a dream to elevate the quality of computer graphics from a 2D-based environment to a rich, realistic 3D experience," Sony boss Ken Kutaragi commented. "At the same time, we intended to bring in a new form of entertainment through the living room in a manner that would allow people all over the world to enjoy the pleasures of interactive entertainment. Even with this lofty goal in mind, the achievement and market acceptance for PlayStation have exceeded my wildest expectations. We are honoured to be awarded a prestigious Emmy to commemorate the significant role PlayStation played in creating a new computer entertainment world."
The award will be given to Sony at the 57th annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards in New Jersey, with Sony's US chief Kaz Hirai on-hand to enjoy the back-slapping. Nice one, Sony.
