Even if it has shunned the American living room for a number of years, the PlayStation brand will always see its story linked to that of the E3. In fact, many iconic moments in the show’s history are associated with PlayStation consoles and their games. For the curious and nostalgic, this is a step back in time when the E3 was clearly “the place to be”.
see also: TRIVIA: The year E3 took place in Tokyo … and flopped
I am talking to you today about a time that the under-20s cannot know. This time it’s E3 1996, the second edition of the legendary Californian show, which took place from May 16-18, 1996. A year after the PlayStation award was announced, and about nine months after the latter was released in the West, Sony was obviously back in the aisles of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In order to catch the successful launch of its first console and make an impression, Sony decided to do a doppelganger on its return to Los Angeles. And you just need to read the 1996 PlayStation E3 booth stats to be convinced:
- Stand the size of an American football field
- 221 dmo terminals
- 322 32 in. (81.3 cm) notches
- 24 trucks are required for stationary transport
- 70 days from the start of stand design to delivery to the Los Angeles Convention Center
Memories memories
To get a better idea of what the PlayStation presence represented for E3 1996, the official American magazine PlayStation Underground (reported on CD at the time) had produced a video report showing this stand in stop-motion from assembly to Dismantling as soon as the show is closed. It is this report that you should check out above.
And for those who are wondering which games Sony presented at E3 1996, titles like Crash Bandicoot, Tobal n1, Soul Blade, Jet Moto or 2Xtreme. But the main announcement by Sony that it would keep its edge over SEGA and keep Nintendo and its Nintendo 64 in the limelight was clearly the PlayStation price drop. A year after announcing that the PlayStation was going to “break the game” for $ 299, Sony postponed by announcing that the PSX would be spending $ 199.
Often times, a certain category of player that yours really belongs to will be tempted to say, “It used to be better.” But when you see what has become of E3, it’s hard to repeat that phrase.
What do you think of this video? Do you have fond memories of that time? Do you regret the “good old days”? Would you have liked to visit E3 this time? Tell us all about it in the comments below.