For many gamers, the Sony PlayStation was the introduction to the wonderful world of video games. With good reason, as Sony's first true foray into the industry was more than just a console, it was a phenomenon.
The release of the PlayStation was the first time the mainstream ever saw video games as "cool". It was the first time that Terry from Five-a-Side played video games without worrying about being a "nerd". Sony, through great design, clever marketing and excellent licensing, made the first-ever console that didn't carry the (narrow-minded) stigma that gaming had held for generations.
I remember that overnight transition clearly. One day "video games were for outcasts", the next day, every trendy nightclub in the city was pumping out beats from Wipeout, Lara Croft was a national icon, and Sony's grey box was as cool to own as any Technics bomber jacket. PlayStation, as a console and a brand, was something else, which changed the trajectory of video games forever.
via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/take-a-trip-down-memory-card-lane-with-the-playstation-anthology-487380.phtml