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I have always been an extreme retro gamer, playing almost exclusively SNES classics. Suddenly I am emerging into the 1990's of gaming, and I keep wondering: What do PSX, PSP, and PSN stand for; and what are the differences?

The PSX was the abbreviation given to the original Playstation console for quite a while. I've never seen really why the abbreviation "PSX" stuck, because it's not official, but it certainly is well known among people who were around at the time. It's the first Sony console.

The PSP is the Playstation Portable, the first Sony handheld. It came out a bit after the Playstation 2 and stuck around for a fair chunk of time in various formats (three iterations on the standard PSP format followed by the downloaded-game-only PSP Go).

PSN stands for Playstation Network - it is both the platform for which Sony does their social gaming connectivity on Playstation systems, but also their digital distribution network for downloadable games. It's essentially Sony's analogue to Xbox Live, and parts or all of the overall network are available for PSP, PS Vita, and PS3.

That's a long way of saying that they're all completely different.

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Quote (Rangers51 @ 5th October 2013 01:58)

The PSX was the abbreviation given to the original Playstation console for quite a while. I've never seen really why the abbreviation "PSX" stuck, because it's not official, but it certainly is well known among people who were around at the time. It's the first Sony console.

I remember it became popular after the PSone came out which was a smaller version with a little screen on the lid. PSX was used because PS1 would make people think of PSone. I used to read a Playstation magazine and they used PSX so I just kind of ran with it. That's my story anyway.

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Quote (sweetdude @ 4th October 2013 21:02)

I remember it became popular after the PSone came out which was a smaller version with a little screen on the lid. PSX was used because PS1 would make people think of PSone. I used to read a Playstation magazine and they used PSX so I just kind of ran with it. That's my story anyway.

Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing folks use it even before the PSOne, but man, that was a long time ago. I couldn't trust my memory on that if I wanted to.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? Or perhaps buying a really good looking shirt?

While it further complicates matters, it's worth noting that there was also an official device called the PSX. It's rarely ever referenced since it was released only in Japan. In brief, it was a Playstation 2 with television recording capabilities. You could record to the internal H.D.D. or to a blank DVD-R. Here's a wikipedia page with specific more details.

It's one of several reasons I'd use the PS1 acronym regardless, if not just outright say Original (or First) Playstation. Others include that the acronym isn't terribly intuitive and X is really better suited to an unknown factor (as in algebraic equations) the actual letter or the roman numeral for ten. However, I'm likely in the vast minority on that front....

This post has been edited by Tonepoet on 5th October 2013 02:20

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Quote (Rangers51 @ 4th October 2013 18:17)

Quote (sweetdude @ 4th October 2013 21:02)

I remember it became popular after the PSone came out which was a smaller version with a little screen on the lid. PSX was used because PS1 would make people think of PSone. I used to read a Playstation magazine and they used PSX so I just kind of ran with it. That's my story anyway.

Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing folks use it even before the PSOne, but man, that was a long time ago. I couldn't trust my memory on that if I wanted to.

It was used before PSOne. It was the first one that I ever saw used to abbreviate Playstation back in the days of AOL boards when I posted in them. I remember one one of those or another here was a guy that had the screen name. NRulzPSuX. But yeah, I remember everyone there called it PSX in the AOL communities. And that was well enough before PSOne

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Quote (Chewbekah @ 5th October 2013 13:46)

Quote (Rangers51 @ 4th October 2013 18:17)

Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing folks use it even before the PSOne, but man, that was a long time ago. I couldn't trust my memory on that if I wanted to.

It was used before PSOne. It was the first one that I ever saw used to abbreviate Playstation back in the days of AOL boards when I posted in them. I remember one one of those or another here was a guy that had the screen name. NRulzPSuX. But yeah, I remember everyone there called it PSX in the AOL communities. And that was well enough before PSOne

Ha ha, I remember that screen name. Oh, goodness.

Even barring that, I think that Tonepoet's example probably shouldn't ever count. A PS2/DVR combo? That's so silly that it doesn't even show up on the radar, however real it might be.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? Or perhaps buying a really good looking shirt?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 5th October 2013 15:59)

I think that Tonepoet's example probably shouldn't ever count. A PS2/DVR combo? That's so silly that it doesn't even show up on the radar, however real it might be.

Yeah, I was thinking that... I suppose for a Japanophile it might matter though. Like, "NO THAT IS NOT A PSX THAT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT!" I will now pretend I am not someone who would say that.

I just call the first-generation PlayStation a PS1. Doesn't really matter much to me which exact model, though I'll just specify a different way if I need to.

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Quote (Rangers51 @ 5th October 2013 20:59)

Even barring that, I think that Tonepoet's example probably shouldn't ever count. A PS2/DVR combo? That's so silly that it doesn't even show up on the radar, however real it might be.

Silly? Ahead of its time. Consider the let's players breeding like rabbits today, I can imagine console developers would consider catering to them in the next gener..... oh nooooo

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Hahaha, yeah, Blinge, it actually is cool, but it is silly simultaneously.

I think we're all forgetting, the PSX was around in the nineties. That alone explains the name and why it also still makes no sense.

And from looking around, "nineties" kind of is the actual reason. It seems be that it was the "PlayStation Experimental" as an internal codename, and SCEA seemingly wanted PSX as a name instead of PlayStation because, well, it was the nineties.

It's also entirely possible the concept of Roman Numerals confused Sony at the time, becoming PlayStation X from PlayStation 1.0 after a tragic punctuation mishap, and the whole nineties/experimental thing is part of a sinister cover-up.

This post has been edited by Del S on 13th October 2013 10:28

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Interesting... I believe that actually makes perfect sense.

Quote (Rangers51 @ 4th October 2013 20:17)

Quote (sweetdude @ 4th October 2013 21:02)

I remember it became popular after the PSone came out which was a smaller version with a little screen on the lid. PSX was used because PS1 would make people think of PSone. I used to read a Playstation magazine and they used PSX so I just kind of ran with it. That's my story anyway.

Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing folks use it even before the PSOne, but man, that was a long time ago. I couldn't trust my memory on that if I wanted to.

Haha those were the days. Nowadays people get confused when you say "PSX" to be fair though Sony did release a PS2 system called the PSX I believe it was a VHS and PS2 DVD player.

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