PlayStation

(December 3, 1994-March 23, 2006, December 3, 2018)


Logo: On a black background, we fade into the PlayStation logo, consisting of a giant red "P" turned clockwise over a teal-blue-yellow striped "S" which is striped horizontally. The "S" is shown lying down over the word "PlayStation" in a computerized futuristic font in white. Below that, we see "Licensed by" in white over "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.", which is over "SCEI", both in white.

Variants:
 * As you'd probably guess, the copyright changes depending on the region the game was released in. For example, the byline mentioned above is for use on NTSC-J PlayStation games, but PAL (European) games have "Sony Computer Entertainment Europe" and "SCEE", while NTSC-U/C (North American) games use "Sony Computer Entertainment America" and "SCEA". Multi-regional consoles (such as developer units) have no "SCEI/SCEA/SCEE" identifier.
 * There are earlier variants of the PAL and NTSC-U/C variants respectively. The variation is in the byline; on PAL games from 1995 to early 1996, the word "Europe" is in brackets/parentheses, while on NTSC-U/C games from 1995 to 1996, the byline says "Sony Computer Entertainment of America". Starting in 1996, the "of" is removed.
 * On pretty much all the original PlayStation consoles released outside of Japan, when the above logo appears, a TM sign appears next to "PlayStation". On the Japanese consoles, the PSone, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, a registered trademark sign appears next to the "PlayStation" logo.
 * On some games, the logo cuts off while the PlayStation sound can still be heard fading out.
 * Some games have the logo fading out rather than cutting to black.
 * Some games have the logo cutting straight to the first visual of the game, with no blank screen in between. This happens on the PAL version of TOCA Touring Car Championship (where it cuts straight to the piracy warning) and KKND: Krossfire (where it cuts straight to the copyright screen), among others.
 * When the Fearful Harmony plays (only on PlayStation consoles with added modchips), the SCEI logo plays as usual, but a deformed version of said logo combined with an even more deformed version of the PlayStation logo appear on a black background, along with a jumble of letters. Depending on the error, the SCEI logo has upside-down portions while the PlayStation wordmark in black can be seen, while sometimes it is a black diamond with orange outlines (nicknamed the "Ghost Diamond").

FX/SFX: The fading in of the PS logo followed by the byline appearing after the PS logo appears, concluding with the PlayStation logo fading in. Otherwise, none.

Music/Sounds: A synthesized whoosh (which is actually a reversed and slowed-down sound of smashing glass), followed by a real fast chime arpeggio, then five synth-flute notes (which is actually one single chime slowed down). When played on a PlayStation/PSone with a disc inserted when the power has been turned on, the audio from the first Sony Computer Entertainment logo can be heard fading out over this logo; this doesn't happen when a disc is booted up from the menu or on a PlayStation 2 or 3.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On some games, the sound cuts off abruptly at the last note, with either the logo doing so at the same time, shortly after the sound has cut off, or shortly before the sound cuts off.
 * Sometimes, the sound will enter a glitched loop, usually on the last note of the PlayStation sound. A few examples of this happening are Wipeout, Wipeout 2097 (WipeoutXL in the US), Gran Turismo, Formula 1, Formula 1 '97 (and the latter game's Championship Edition), Medal of Honor (1999), Medal of Honor: Underground, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 2 (worded as "GTA2"), Destruction Derby RAW, some (if not all 5) of the Namco Museum volumes (Volume 2 is one of them that has this strange glitch), Ridge Racer (the 1994 arcade game, released for the PlayStation in Japan and the US on the same dates the said console launched in said countries but the console came out on different dates in the countries; see below) and countless other titles, PAL region demo discs from before late 1997/early 1998 and a few NTSC-U/C demo discs, with its audibility depending on how quickly the game loads.
 * On rare occasions, if you put in a damaged or dirty disc, sometimes you will get a blank screen along with a much more jarring version of the PlayStation sound (nicknamed "Personified Fear"). The synthesized whoosh comes in looped (causing the whoosh to sound more heavy) and the chime sound and the five synth-flute notes are replaced with a slightly different synth-flute note sequence that is higher-pitched (this is actually the same chime sound as normal except sped up slightly). Only reported to happen on the PlayStation and PSone (if this was done on the PlayStation 2, you will get the screen saying "Please insert a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 format disc" instead). This can also happen when you insert a pirated CD-format PlayStation 2 game into the PlayStation or PSone.
 * There are also two other error sounds: one of them is the normal sound but without the chimes and the other is the chimes playing slowly. These variants are nicknamed "Callous Venture" and "Fearful Harmony", respectively. This happens when you install a certain mod-chip into the console.

Availability: Very common. Introduced in Japan on December 3, 1994, in North America on September 9, 1995, in Europe on September 29, 1995 and in Australia on November 15, 1995.
 * This appears after the first Sony Computer Entertainment logo when you turn on a PS/PSone on with a PSX disc inside, but it also comes after the third SCE logo if you have a PSX disc inside a PS2 when that console is turned on. It is also seen on the PSP after you select a game from the system's boot menu (in the "PlayStation Network" section). You also see this after the fifth SCE logo when a PSX disc is inside a PS3 when that console is turned on. Don't expect to see this on any of the available PS1 games on the Classics Catalog from the Premium (or Deluxe) tier of the newly relaunched PlayStation Plus.
 * Strangely enough, on very early Japan-region PlayStation consoles, if an NTSC-U or PAL region game is booted up on the system (either by swap trick or modification chip), it will actually skip this logo animation entirely, instead loading the game straight from either the first Sony Computer Entertainment logo (if booted from the moment the power is switched on) or from the menu screen (if booted from the menu).
 * The logo once again makes an appearance on the PlayStation Classic, released in 2018.
 * Rare for the "Personified Fear" variant; this only happens if the PS1 is having issues reading the disc.
 * Extremely rare for "Fearful Harmony"/"Callous Venture"; this may happen if your PS1 is modchipped and is trying to read a foreign disc.

Editor's Note: Depending on the variant:
 * Original Version: This logo is known for its ominous music and startling fade-ins. However, this is a favorite of many.
 * "Callous Venture"/"Fearful Harmony": The chime-less PlayStation sound may not be that bad (if not a bit strange), but then the chimes chillingly play slowly one-by-one about a minute later, which can be quite unnerving. The deformed PlayStation/SCEI logo while this is happening can add to the scare factor - though to modders this can be seen as annoying as their modchips aren't working when this variant plays.
 * "Personified Fear": The blank screen along with a tense version of the PlayStation sound can unnerve many people when they're not expecting it.

1st logo (March 4, 2000-November 8, 2013)


Logo: On a black background, we see "PlayStation 2", in the same font as "PlayStation" in the first logo, appear via a blue dust gathering effect. The "PS" symbol is nowhere to be found.

Trivia: The "PlayStation 2" logo that can be seen after the console's startup is actually stored on the game's disc itself, in which it's encrypted in the first 16 sectors of the disc. The key to decrypt the logo is stored in the watermark data of the game disc, in which it's also encrypted by using the product code of the disc (which is spread across different sectors of the disc). If the logo, the decryption key, and the product code are all absent on the disc, then the disc will not boot and it will throw a Red Screen of Death.

Variant: When the PS2 has a hard drive with the Japan-only PlayStation Broadband Navigator, the logo simply fades in and out.

FX/SFX: The logo appearing.

Music/Sounds: A short synth humming sound. On the PSBBN variant, none.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The short synth humming sound had a Hollywood appearance in the 2006 Universal film The Break-Up.

Availability: Extremely common. Introduced in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America on October 26, 2000, in Europe on November 24, 2000 and in Australia on November 30, 2000.
 * Seen after the second SCE logo when you turn on a PS2 with a PS2 disc inside. Also seen after the fourth and fifth SCE logo when a PS2 disc is inside a backwards compatible PS3.
 * It can also be seen when running a PS2 Classics game on later PlayStation consoles.
 * It can also be seen on any of the available PS2 games on the Classics Catalog from the Premium (or Deluxe) tier of the newly relaunched PlayStation Plus.
 * The PSBBN variant is only available in Japan without using a hacked copy.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (December 13, 2003-February 2005)


Logo: It's just "PSX" in a futuristic font (same one used in the PS2 logo) fading in on an abstract blue background.

FX/SFX: The fade-in.

Music/Sounds: Dreamy synthesized music.

Availability: Extremely rare. Appears when a PSX console is booted, which is widely known as one of the rarest consoles out there due to its high price (costing around JP¥79,800 or US$650.05), resulting in poor sales, meaning the PSX was never released outside of Japan. The console is notorious for its poor reliability, specifically the DVD laser and the hard disk drive of the PSX, which are prone to failure and makes it very difficult to find a console in a good, working condition. If the hard disk drive of your PSX is broken or damaged, then your console is effectively bricked, which makes repairs virtually impossible due to the fact that the hard disk drive on the PSX is encrypted (the encryption of the console's hard drive, which it uses a modified firmware to support Sony's own MagicGate encryption, is still not yet cracked as of 2022). If you have a working PSX though, you're downright lucky.

Editor's Note: None.

(December 12, 2004-April 7, 2016)


Logo: The lava lamp background from the third Sony Computer Entertainment logo wipes away, with the PSP logo, consisting of the letters "PSP" in a futuristic font, the same one used in the PS2 logo, with "PlayStation Portable", in the "PlayStation" font, under the letters against a white background, appears via a rainbow light shine effect.

FX/SFX: The lava lamp background wiping away, and the rainbow shine.

Music/Sounds: A synth guitar note accompanied with a synth whistle, which sounds sort of muffled.

Availability: Common. Introduced in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in Europe and Oceania on September 1, 2005. Seen after the third SCE logo when a PSP is turned on, even without a UMD. If more than one game is on the XMB, it only appears after you select a game. Last seen on the U.S. physical release of Summon Night 5 (released four months after its download release in December 2015).

Editor's Note: The logo coming out of nowhere, along with the music, may be startling. Nevertheless, the logo is a favorite for those who grew up playing on the PlayStation Portable.

1st Logo (November 11, 2006-September 1, 2009)


Logo: Against a black background, we see the text "PLAYSTATION 3" in the same font used in the Spider-Man films, appear and then disappear quickly.

FX/SFX: The logo appearing and disappearing.

Music/Sounds: A single synth chime sound.

Availability: Rare. Introduced in Japan on November 11, 2006, in North America on November 17, 2006, and in Europe and Australia on March 16, 2007.
 * Appears when you start up a PS3 game, after the fifth SCE logo. As with the PSP, if there's more than one game on the XMB, it'll only appear after you select a game.
 * Since the release of System Software 3.00 and the introduction of the new PS3 logo, this no longer appears when you start a PS3 game. This startup screen can be found on PS3 models that were shipped with firmware versions below System Software 3.00 (if they're not updated to the latest firmware version), which includes all of the Phat models until to the release of the PS3 Slim model CECH-20xxB in September of 2009. Finding a model with firmware versions prior to System Software 3.00 can be difficult, as those models have a notoriety for its reliability issues (such as the yellow light of death, which is actually caused by the failing NEC/Tokin capacitors). Consider yourself lucky should you happen to find or own a Phat or an early Slim model (up until CECH-20xxB) of the console that still works and haven't been updated for a long time.

Editor's Note: The dark background and the ominous chime may caught people off guard for the first time, though it can get harmless over time if you get used to it.

2nd Logo (September 1, 2009-)


Logo: Same as the 5th Sony Computer Entertainment logo, except "Sony Computer Entertainment" has been replaced by the PlayStation Family logo, "PS3," and the text "PlayStation 3" below it. It's followed by a health warning.

Variants: For its release in pre-2009, the background is colored purple. Post-2009, the background is colored blue.

FX/SFX: Same as the 5th Sony Computer Entertainment logo.

Music/Sounds: Similar to the 5th Sony Computer Entertainment logo, but slightly different.

Availability: Common, even more so than the previous logo. Appears when you turn on a PlayStation 3 running on system software version 3.00 or above. This startup screen can be found on PS3 models that were shipped with firmware versions 3.00 and above, starting from the PS3 Slim CECH-21xxA until to the Super Slim CECH-43xxC.

Editor's Note: Same as the 5th Sony Computer Entertainment logo.

(December 17, 2011-)


Logo: We see the white PlayStation logo on a black screen.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Introduced in Japan on December 17, 2011, in North America on February 15, 2012, in Europe on February 22, 2012, and in Australia on February 23, 2012.
 * Appears not only when you turn on a PS Vita, but also when you turn on a PS4 or a PS5. It and the Sony "Make Believe" logo that follows this logo appear before the 6th SCE logo on the Vita when you turn it on for the first time.

Editor's Note: None.

(November 15, 2013-)


Logo: We start with the logo above, then we see a health warning (reading "See important health and safety warnings in the Settings menu"), and finally, on a light-blue wave background similar to the PS3, the PS4 logo in the upper left corner. In the middle is text telling you to press the PS Button (reading "Welcome Back to PlayStation®" and "Press the PS button to use the controller.").

Variant: When logging out of your user, it skips the health warning and goes directly to this screen, but without the text "Welcome Back to PlayStation®".

FX/SFX: The wavy-like object moving in the background, similar to the background of the PlayStation 3's home screen.

Music/Sounds: A new-age synth choir that continues to play until you load up an application or a disc. The log-out variant only has the PS menu music.

Availability: Current and very common. Introduced in North America on November 15, 2013, in Europe and Australia on November 29, 2013, and in Japan on February 22, 2014. Seen when you turn on a PS4.


 * Slowly being phased out following the launch of the PlayStation 5 in 2020 and Sony stopping producing all of the PlayStation 4 models (with the exception to the 500GB Slim model) in Japan since January 2021, though so far support is expected to last until at least the end of 2023 (and firmware updates for many years after).

Editor's Note: While the dark blue background may be seen as ominous to some people, the music is tame and relaxing to listen to.

(November 12, 2020-)


Logos:
 * First Startup: We start with the same logo seen on the PS Vita and PS4, then see a blue light appear as clouds of mist surround it. Sparks fly towards it, before it explodes and the background becomes a gray color with a spotlight on the right with circles floating around. A 3D model of a PS5 console with a DualSense controller connected via USB fades in, with the PS Button on the controller being highlighted with several circles appearing over it, prompting the user to do so.
 * Subsequent Startups: We see the same logo seen on the PS Vita and PS4, which fades out, followed by a health warning. Then we see a blue bokeh effect, which explodes into yellow sparks as the background fades into the same gray color as the first startup.

FX/SFX:
 * First Startup: The blue light appearing, the clouds of mist surrounding the light, the yellow sparks flying towards it, the blue light exploding, and the 3D model of a PS5 console with a DualSense controller connected via USB fading in.
 * Subsequent Startups: The blue bokeh effect fading and exploding into yellow sparks.

Music/Sounds:
 * First Startup: It starts with a dreamy, synth-like tune, which is followed by whoosh-like sounds. Then, it transitions to a choir-like sound as the 3D model of a PS5 console with a DualSense controller connected via USB fades in.
 * Subsequent Startups: It precedes with a long dreamy, synth-like note, which is followed by a four-note ditty.

Availability: Currently in use. Introduced in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea on November 12, 2020, and the rest of the world on November 19, 2020.
 * The long version can be seen when starting up a PS5 console for the first time or resetting the console to its factory settings.
 * It is worth noting that the PlayStation 5 (both the standard and the digital versions of the console) can be difficult to find, due to the ongoing global chip shortage and supply chain issues that have been brought up by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well scalpers reselling the consoles at a price higher than its MSRP.

Editor's Note: The console's start-up screen can considered as a refreshing change to the startups of the earlier consoles.