How a Decade of CD-ROM Experiments Led Sony to the PlayStation

From optical storage to gaming dominance

In 1982, Sony made headlines by launching the world’s first CD player, the CDP-101. For most people at the time, used to cassette tapes or vinyl, the clarity of Compact Discs was jaw-dropping. Even through modest stereo systems, CDs delivered a clear leap in sound quality. That instant, no-fuss experience became the format’s strength. Even an untrained ear could hear the difference.

Before CDs were even on store shelves, Sony and Philips were already looking beyond music. In 1980, the two companies created the Red Book, a technical standard that defined everything about how audio CDs should work, including how data is stored, how long a disc can play, and how players should read it. It was the blueprint that made Compact Discs possible.

But they didn’t stop there. At the time, storage options were extremely limited. Floppy disks barely held a megabyte, and hard drives weren’t much better. So the idea of using a CD to hold data, not just music, was a huge leap. By 1984, they published th…