In a trailer from 1999, Sony presented us with the PlayStation 9. The video shows futuristic features of the console. The year 2078 is given as the release date.
Trailers for future console generations are nothing unusual. Manufacturers ramp up their advertising campaigns long before a product is actually released. This is intended to increase public interest, which will ultimately have a positive effect on sales figures.
Console manufacturer Sony produced a trailer 25 years ago that was intended to advertise the PS2 game console, which was released in 2000. The strange thing is that there is no trace of the PS2 in the video. Instead, we are shown futuristic images of how the PlayStation 9 should work in 2078.
Check out the new slim model of the PS5 in the video
More videos
25-year-old trailer announces the PS9 for the year 2078
What does the commercial show? In the one-minute trailer, we see a young man in a futuristic-looking city. He holds a glass ball with the inscription PS9 in his hands. He opens the ball and releases a kind of electronic spores. These then enter his body and activate various features.
Meanwhile, the player goes through various scenarios. Among other things, he gets involved in a fight with various fighters. A little later he dives underwater and encounters a huge squid.
He then finds himself as a passenger on a motorcycle, complete with racing suit and helmet. At full speed it shoots a glowing projectile, only to catch it seconds later. At the end of the spot he holds the now closed PS9 ball in his hand.
The PS9 trailer on YouTube
Which features are mentioned in the trailer? Within the player’s journey, an electronic-sounding female voice mentions several technical features of the PS9. All features sound forward-looking and are intended to provide a completely new experience in video games:
Whether these features will actually become reality in 54 years can probably only be answered then. Until then, you shouldn’t take the content of the trailer too seriously.
Advertising campaign for the previous model, which is 78 years younger
Why did Sony produce this commercial? The video was shot and released for a PlayStation 2 advertising campaign. At the time, the black PS2 was still several months away from its launch in 2000. But this wasn’t Sony’s first console in this color.
Sony wanted to increase interest in the successor to the first PlayStation early on and decided to create this video, which seems strange today. With a total of over 157 million PS2 game consoles sold, Sony apparently did everything right back then. Even Steve Jobs recognized the potential in this market and wanted to claim part of the console business for Apple.
Is the release date realistic? If Sony stays true to the previous life cycle of 6 to 7 years for a PS generation until the successor is released, the PS9 could theoretically appear as early as 2048. That would be at least 30 years earlier than stated in the video. It remains to be seen whether we will actually be able to enjoy the features mentioned.
Based on an average life expectancy of 78 years for men and 83 years for women (via destatis.de), many would probably not live to see a release in 2078. So let’s hope that Sony maintains the current release rhythm.
Sony’s gaming consoles are in high demand, as this robbery of 100 PS5s shows:
An Amazon driver stole 100 PS5s to sell – but he made a mistake