What's What! Video Game Facts (29/365)

Before Nintendo developed the Nintendo 64 and before sony develops a division of video game consoles, these two giants of entertainment were not enemies, and both companies joined together in 1993 to create the SNES-CD, was a multimedia format and a peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The device and the format were based on the functionality of the cartridges of the console adding support for the CDs, which allowed greater capacity.

The format began in 1988, when Nintendo signed a contract with Sony and after three years in development, Sony showed a console that in itself was not a peripheral. Sony showed it at the 1991 CES and called it "PlayStation". The system was going to be compatible with all existing Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles as well as those that were released for the new format.

However, due to problems with Sony for the license, the president of nintendo Hiroshi Yamauchi sends Minoru Arakawa to Europe to negotiate with Phillips and create an alliance with Sony's biggest rival, which caused a big surprise for Sony after it was announced. The problem with nintendo was Sony wanted to keep the format of the console and everything related to it, something that Nintendo didn't accept at any time, as it would cede lots of software to Sony.

In the end both companies reached an agreement in 1992, Sony would be the owner of the hardware and Nintendo of the software, the damage suffered by the relationship between both companies it would never be repaired. the new video game division of Sony focus its efforts in 1993, to developed its console and named it Sony PlayStation, and launching it on the market in 1994, Nintendo late launched its Nintendo 64, in 1996.