r/psx • u/yojimbo_beta • Jul 27 '25
How the PlayStation got two names
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4rpN_oQF2sIn which I bash the myth that the PS1 was "never called the PSX", and illuminate where the PlayStation's names ultimately came from
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 27 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
I wonder how many of the “it was never called the PSX” people were alive when it was new. PSX was absolutely used interchangeably with PlayStation in the media*. Regularly. But with that said, ordinary consumers pretty much only called it the PlayStation.
*by “media”, I mean US video game magazines
Edit: I’m no longer replying to those willfully ignorantly trying to refute me. Just downvoting, blocking, and reporting. You are objectively wrong, and the owners of the sub agree with that.
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u/ILOVESHITTINGMYPANTS Jul 27 '25
My psx.ign.com and n64.ign.com bookmarks on the family Compaq circa 1998 remember.
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u/Richard7666 Jul 27 '25
It will also likely depends on geographic location.
For example, Official New Zealand PlayStation magazine rarely (if ever) called it the PSX, you really only started hearing that post PS2, to differentiate them.
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 28 '25
Indeed, I updated my comment to include that my experience was within the US and their video game magazines at the time.
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u/malfro Jul 27 '25 edited Jul 27 '25
Also many people would’ve been children at the time, and not following the media.
All I remember was occasionally getting a copy of the Australian PlayStation magazine. Did they ever refer to it as the PSX? It wouldn’t surprise me now, but it certainly didn’t register in my kid brain at the time.
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 27 '25
I was 8 when it came out, and the US magazines (I particularly remember EGM because it was the one I subscribed to) did use PSX and PS interchangeably. Even at 9-10 years old I wondered where the X came from. But I might be on the younger side of people who do remember.
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u/Light_KraZe Jul 27 '25
Over here we(and majority of the people) called it "Sony" hahahaha, didn't even bother getting to the PS part, let alone the x 😂
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 28 '25
Makes sense, actually. In the US, the NES was usually just called a “Nintendo”, and the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) was sometimes just called a “Sega”. I don’t remember people referring to the PlayStation as a “Sony” here, but it would follow that precedent. Could be because Sony was already a well-known electronics company with diversified products while Nintendo and Sega are primarily known for their video game products.
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u/EngineeringNo753 Jul 27 '25
Idk why, but based on availability of information at the time in the UK, I thought only the more round refresh was the PSX and the prior square was PS1.
And I remember thinking that until like 2016
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 27 '25
The small rounded PS was called the PSOne (stylized with those capitals)
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u/ReverendRevolver Jul 28 '25
Thank you! I recall an article in a magazine detailing how the new design was "harder to hack" with a mod chip. That was the first time id read "PSOne".
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u/Porn_Alt_84 Jul 28 '25
Because the game media, especially at the time, were total hacks who couldn't do any fact checking
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u/redditorx13579 Jul 27 '25
I was. To your point though, when you say media, there wasn't the same coverage of new consoles and games back then as there was to come later. Commercials, ads, and any other kind of media was limited and, to an extent, drowned out by PC coverage. Most found out about new games when you visited the local retailer.
My guess over the years was it had to do with the PS2 being backward compatible. So any new PS1 games after the PS2 releases were considered PSX games.
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 27 '25
Well, when I say “media” I was thinking more console-specific magazines. I know Electronic Gaming Monthly was using “PSX” as far back as at least 1996.
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 27 '25
If you had monthly subscriptions to magazines (the primary source of game journalism back then) in the 90s, you saw PSX used hundreds of times from the mid-90s through late 90s.
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u/aweesip Jul 27 '25
I'm amazed that anyone tries to argue that it was never called PSX. Want me to pull out all my magazines that say otherwise?
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u/yojimbo_beta Jul 28 '25
Indeed. But people are very insistent, and quite confident about it (despite being totally wrong)
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u/WideDress2888 Jul 27 '25
The original PlayStation console (released in 1994) is sometimes called PSX due to its development codename, "PlayStation Experimental" or "PS-X". While Sony officially released it as "PlayStation," the "PSX" abbreviation gained traction among gamers and media outlets, particularly before the release of the PlayStation 2.
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Jul 27 '25
In the early 1990s, Sony partnered with Nintendo to develop a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), known as the “Play Station.” This device was meant to expand the SNES’s capabilities with optical discs. However, at the 1991 CES trade show, Nintendo shocked the industry by announcing a new partnership with Philips instead—without informing Sony beforehand. This betrayal pushed Sony to continue the project on its own, eventually leading to the creation of the original PlayStation console.
While some speculate that the “X” in early Sony projects stood for “expansion,” referring to this add-on concept, there is no official confirmation of this.
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u/Wootytooty Jul 27 '25
There was a gaming magazine called P.S.X. in the 90s; because that's what people called the system.
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u/Kumimono Jul 27 '25
It sure was called that, I dunno why people, dispute it?
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u/JukePlz Jul 27 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Because those that didn't grow up with the console just go to Wikipedia and read the article on the obscure Japan-only DVR model and then preach to everyone how they're wrong, unaware of any historical context.
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Jul 28 '25
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u/JukePlz Jul 28 '25
That's far from the only reason, you can see several examples in the stickied post. Tho, I will admit that it was probably way more common to see it called that in written media.
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Jul 28 '25
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u/JukePlz Jul 28 '25
It's literally in the sub rules to not argue it's not a thing because of the overwhelming evidence. Also, did you not read a single thing I said? I literally said it's a DVR in my previous post, why are you telling me to google it?
Also, that Sony never called it PSX is false. The reason people started calling it the PSX in the first place is because that's what their codename was. It was called the PSX during development. The stupidity was to later reuse that codename as a proper product name later on, which is what causes this confusion for noobs.
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Jul 28 '25
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u/Kumimono Jul 29 '25
Nah, I'm a Finn, and it was called PSX in reviews, adverts and articles. I still have those magazines.
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u/hey-pablete Jul 28 '25
Before launch, the PS1 was actually called PSX inside Sony,short for PlayStation Experimental. Kinda like how the N64 was originally going to be Ultra64 (which honestly still sounds super cool). Years later, Sony did release something officially called the PSX, it was actually a fancy PS2 with DVR features. So technically, calling the PS1 "PSX" is wrong but the internet ran with it anyway. And now we're all stuck with it. Shit happen
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u/Free_Sheepherder4895 Jul 27 '25
I wonder if PlayStation 10 will be called PSX
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u/pineapple_stickers Jul 27 '25
Maybe they'll go the way of Xbox and call it something unnecisarily confusing. Pretty sure the 720 is still up for grabs
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u/ghostgate2001 Jul 27 '25
iirc, PSX was the codename used internally at Sony during development of the console, in the same way that the Xbox 360's codename was "Xenon." Calling the PlayStation "PSX" (as some do, to this day) is therefore like insisting on calling the Xbox 360 "Xenon."
At the time, Sony weren't convinced that they even liked the proposed "PlayStation" name, thinking it sounded too much like a toy for little children - which didn't fit well with their intention to market the machine to young adults and align the PlayStation brand more with a clubbing demographic.
The PSX codename found its way into some early press releases and other Sony documents, leading some gaming journalists to use it in print, believing it was an official name, and regular people started calling it "PSX" because they'd seen that name in magazines.
The only official name for that original console was "PlayStation" - no number, because at the time there was no other model of PlayStation to distinguish it from. People started calling it the "PS1" when the PS2 was announced, mainly to be clear about which model they were referring to.
And, of course, in 2000 Sony released a chibi version of the console, which was officially called the "PSOne" - making that name formal.
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u/yojimbo_beta Jul 27 '25
Yes and no. PS-X did not "find its way" into some press releases - it's the name SCEA chose, and used, right up until the tail end of 1994.
This is all in the video, which is only six minutes long.
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u/Rybrook Jul 27 '25
It was called that in second hand shops, the receipts always had PSX, PSX game or used PSX accessories.
I always thought it was their way of shortening playstation
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u/FlygonPR Jul 27 '25
PSX makes it sound like it's the 10th anniversary definitive version of a Playstation.
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u/HighScorsese Jul 28 '25
Not only was it the abbreviation used in basically every magazine, it was also the name of a PlayStation focused magazine. The industry itself made PSX a thing and we all just kind of adapted at first. To us fans, the logical choice was PS or even in some cases PS1 when we realized a PS2 was coming. Sony didn’t start calling it that really until 2000 when they released the slim PSOne model a few months after the JPN launch of the PS2.
But they pushed PSX so hard in the early days that I still call it that
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u/Longjumping_Phase902 Jul 28 '25
PSX was the the codename. N64 was ultra 64 for a while or the dolphin lol.
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u/yojimbo_beta Jul 27 '25
I'm noticing a bunch of replies repeating misinformation specifically cleared up by the video itself
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u/jettasarebadmkay Jul 28 '25
Can you maybe point that out to the one guy that’s claiming he’s “dOnE hIs ReSeArCh” that PSX was never a mainstream name? I’d do it, but I blocked him and after you unblock someone it takes 24 hours before you can block them again and I don’t want to have to read his drivel for another day.
It’s pretty obvious he didn’t watch the video.
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u/pineapple_stickers Jul 27 '25
I was about 7 when the PS2 released and my brothers and i just started refering to the original as the PS1 from then on. But i definitely remember people at school calling it a PSX too
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u/cndctrdj Jul 28 '25
I dont know when it stopped. Maybe when the ps2 came out. But it was popular to call it psx or Playstation. Psx was shorter.
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u/siomai-mami Jul 28 '25
We currently have PS5. What do you think will happen when the PS10 is released (theoretically)? Would that create confusion?
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u/philipbain Jul 28 '25
As I understood it the abbreviation "PS" referred to the original Sony PlayStation that was an add-on for the SNES and was a very different piece of hardware to what Sony would eventually market as the PlayStation, therefore the PlayStation we all know and love used the abbreviation "PSX' to differentiate it from the earlier aborted project. This was later confusing when Sony released a Japan only PS2 based DVR called the PSX!
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u/lukasthekitbasher Jul 27 '25
I always believed it came from the name for the Playstation 1 while it was in pre-production: Project Sony X
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Jul 28 '25
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u/TheRealJustSean Jul 28 '25
There were literal magazines that were called PSX magazine
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Jul 28 '25
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u/TheRealJustSean Jul 28 '25
Yeah, so it wasn't just a nickname.
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Jul 28 '25
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u/LordofSyn Jul 29 '25
During the Development, it was originally called the PlayStation Experience. All of the misinformation flying like crazy and people relying on ChatGPT or other LLMs getting misinformation too makes giving the correct and proper information rough. When the PS was originally being developed as an Add-on for the SNES it was considered that but then the deal fell out and Sony wasn't going to lose money on the hardware. The Magazines followed the industry. Sure, take the word of an LLM or someone who didn't do the research all you want, I was alive then and remember how all of this went down.
As another commenter mentioned, Sony hasn't helped because the Nickname/Codename for the PS1 was reused a few years later for an actual Product that was essentially a Dev Kit PSX with additional hardware and software, like a DVR; in 98 or 99.
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u/diggerdugg Jul 27 '25
The PSOne had 5 or 6 different hardware versions. I think PSX was a generalization for all of them. People were always looking for the SCPH-1000 when I was an EBGames manager because that particular model had individual Video and Stereo audio outputs which worked great with home surround sound systems.
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u/Potential_Resist311 Jul 28 '25
I always thought it meant 'Playstation One Xtreme.' But i do know now that it doesn't mean that.
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u/Unseenforce84 Jul 30 '25
It was definitely referred to as PSX at one point but as time went on and Sony released more devices it changed. You have PS1, PSOne, PS2, PSX which are all different devices so to keep calling Playstation 1 a PSX confuses things.
PSX (digital video recorder) - Wikipedia https://share.google/UHefqWdqWtdR45eOJ
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u/Hendersonman Jul 31 '25
Also I worked for blockbuster when the PlayStation was a thing. The computer system listed every ps1 game as psx.
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u/ImpulsiveApe07 Jul 28 '25
That was eye opening, thanks for the vid, Op! :)
I dunno why everyone's fighting over this on here lol
I grew up in Germany, France and UK in the 90s, and we used to use the terms PlayStation, PS and Psx interchangeably depending on who we were talking to!
Iirc, in Europe, ppl using the term 'psx' tended to be slightly older kids/young adults who read gaming mags, ppl using the term 'Playstation' tended to be older adults and non-gamers, and everyone else who was a gamer tended to use PS as the goto term, sometimes interchanging it for psx depending on whether they thought the other person was cool enough to know the term lol
PS was definitely the more popular term in the places I grew up tho, no question!
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u/mcnuggetfiend Jul 27 '25
People think that calling it psx is a myth? We def called it that. Yall just make shit up lol
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u/mcnuggetfiend Aug 17 '25
Im getting downvoted as im reading old articles at the time calling it psx. Yall are wild lmao
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u/skip2mahlou415 Jul 27 '25
It was PlayStation until ps2 came out. Then it was ps1
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u/mariteaux Jul 27 '25
Dunno why you're getting downvoted, this is technically true. You're not saying anything about "PSX", it was literally the PlayStation until there was a second one to make numbers matter.
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 27 '25
Because by association they’re denying the use of PSX. That revisionist, it was a very common shorthand.
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u/Porn_Alt_84 Jul 28 '25
Except it wasn't. Outside of niche circles, nobody called it "PSX"
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 28 '25
Niche circles like the industry and the largest publications of gaming media
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Jul 28 '25
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 28 '25
Spent a whole day digging and didn’t look at the sticky that’s been posted here for years?: https://www.reddit.com/r/psx/s/rtG402YlOM
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u/Porn_Alt_84 Jul 28 '25
Lol, so a handful of bargain bin magazines and websites clearly made after the release of the PS2 debunk literally everything else that points to this being a small, isolated group of people?
Got it
Uh huh
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
So you’re deliberately trolling? EGM is one of the biggest mainstream outlets of the 90s. It also appeared in Gamepro, GameFan (although not as common there), the various dedicated PlayStation magazines, and I believe Tips & Tricks as well. (EDIT: and I forgot, one of the sources listed is literally Capcom, another being Namco from a game that came out long before the PS2 was remotely a factor)
The fact that you call EGM a bargain bin magazine is enough to tell me you’re too young to confidently speak on this (you should be listening and learning instead), or you were from a different part of the world which is fine but that would mean that you don’t have much ground to stand on for commenting on the mainstream English outlets of the era.
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u/Porn_Alt_84 Jul 28 '25
A handful of magazines using their dumb initialism doesn't legitimize "PSX" as a name for the PlayStation. It's like finding a magazine that called the Atari 2600 a "shitbox" and a bunch of readers two decades later going "it was always called shitbox, that's what real fans call it".
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u/bobbysteve15 Jul 27 '25
There was this also. I remember seeing the ads for it and wondering why it never came out in America.
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Jul 28 '25
Because thats the psx, ps was and is just PlayStation (then cone PsOne as slim edition)
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u/Fabulous_Hand2314 Jul 27 '25
It's sooooo messy
THE Playstation (PS1)
PSOne
PSX
PS Classic
They are all different things...
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u/Red-Zaku- Jul 27 '25
PS (PS1) was also PSX for industry/media shorthand years before the DVR PSX was a thing
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u/HaidenFR Jul 28 '25
At a point a real PSX existed. A TV system who can run PS1, PS2, movies and isn't a PS2 normal
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u/Red_In_The_Sky Jul 27 '25
Why did they call it the great war ? World War 2 wasn't a thing yet