What was the PSX? The souped-up PS2 rarely sold outside of Japan

The PSX isn’t just an alternative name for the first PlayStation. It was also a failed Sony console that never got a release outside Japan. What was the PSX? The souped-up PS2 rarely sold outside of Japan.

The souped-up PS2 rarely sold outside of Japan The PSX was one of Sony’s flops that tried to do too much. Long before the Meta Quest cracked the VR market, Nintendo dipped its toes into virtual reality waters with the Virtual Boy. Then there was Sega, who tried to cash in on the success of the Genesis with its bizarre 32X add-on.

Speaking of weird machines that were never released outside of Japan, enter Sony’s PSX: a hybrid PS2 that was also a DVR, among other functionality. Not to be confused with the internal codename for the original PlayStation, there are several reasons the PSX never got a worldwide release (which we’ll get to). If you’ve never heard of Sony’s niche machine, we don’t blame you.

Released at the height of the PS2’s era but a couple of years before the PS3, the PSX was a confusing offering. It was a clumsy beast that failed to capture the imagination of either gamers or DVD enthusiasts.