(NOT) E3 2020 Hype Train: Relive the PlayStation E3 Press Conferences of the Past!

(NOT) E3 2020 Hype Train: Relive the PlayStation E3 Press Conferences of the Past!

Well, there’s no E3 this year, but there’s still a lot going on. It may not be all in one week any more, so we’ll have to keep hitting the refresh button on all of the updated events.

At least we have our memories!

This Thursday, we finally get to see what Sony has ready for the launch of the PS5. Maybe we’ll see games, maybe we’ll see hardware, maybe we’ll see Kevin Butler (we hope)! In the mean time, take a look at all of Sony’s E3 PlayStation Press conferences of the past, and get excited all over again!

This is an update to an article originally posted a few years ago.

(All videos via YouTube)

1995: Here it is! You’ll find the press event that started it all, include “Full Jpeg Video” and “1.5 Million polygons”. Impressive! It was also the first time the company dropped the price microphone. Sega had *just* announced that the Saturn was launching at $399, but Sony took it upon themselves to announce $299 as their price point. Swag!

1996-2003: It’s difficult to find many videos of Sony’s E3 press events during the late Nineties, but we did manage to find a few booth tours and a recap video of the Playstation 2 reveal from the Tokyo Game Show in September of 1999.

1997: Sony booth tour.

1998: A look at the big PlayStation games that were displayed this year.

Have a look at the clip below of the PS2 reveal in 1999 at TGS.

2000: The PS2 debuts!

2001: With the PS2 having had a banner first year, and both Nintendo and Microsoft bringing the heat with their own new consoles, Sony wowed gamers with games like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Devil May Cry.

2002: Sony booth tour.

2003: GT4 and PlayStation Online debut

2004: The year that Sony announced the PSP and directly went up against Nintendo’s handheld dominance. Also: Gran Turismo 4, GTA: San Andreas, and God of War made appearances. Finally, hints about the PS3 were dropped as Sony referenced the work being done with the Cell processor that would power future hardware.

2005: Sony officially reveals the PlayStation 3, including the boomerang controller and Metal Gear Solid 4.

2006: Sony launches the PS3, ushering in BluRay to the world

2007: Gran Turismo 5 and PS Home all make appearances in a game-packed conference

2008: An absolutely adorable Little Big Planet presentation of Sony’s sales numbers is just the tip of this press conference. Resistance 2 shares the stage with Pacific Rift, God of War 3, and Sony’s DC MMO.

2009: Uncharted 2 and Last Guardian blow minds, while the PSP go was leaked days earlier.

2010: PS Move takes center stage, as does the announcement of PS Plus, but the real show stealer was Kevin Butler, the character created for Sony’s Playstation advertisements that fans loved. Oh, and also PORTAL 2. Part 1 is below, and the full playlist here.

2011: Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, and the PS Vita were the heroes of the press event.

2012: With the next generation of consoles imminent, Sony took the wraps off Beyond, The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, and PlayStation All Stars.

2013: If there is any E3 moment that will remain in people’s minds for years to come, it’s probably the biggest microphone on Earth as Sony announced the PS4’s $399 price just hours after Microsoft announced Xbox’s $499 price. Also: games!

2014: Uncharted 4, Bloodbourne and No Man’s Sky highlighted this year’s Sony press event.

2015: Horizon Zero Dawn, No Man’s Sky, and that little game known as Final Fantasy VII Remake.

2016: God of War, Resident Evil VII and Death Stranding

2017: Days Gone, Monster Hunter World, and Spider-man wow audiences.

2018: The final E3 press event for Sony doesn’t quite hit the mark. At least we saw great games like Resident Evil II, Ghost of Tsushima and Last of Us Part II