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History
While the PocketStation is often considered an imitation of the Dreamcast VMU, the facts are not as straightforward. The development of the PocketStation was first unveils on February 19, 1998, a few months before the Dreamcast was announced on May 21, 1996. It was set to be released on October 8th, 1998, again a few weeks from the Dreamcast release on November 27, 1998. The PocketStation was unveiled in its final form at the Tokyo Game Show on October 9th to 11th, but Sony had to postpone the release until January 23rd 1999.
Release
The PocketStation was released on January 23, 1999 at a cost of ¥3,000, alongside a few games including Doko Demo Issyo which would sold 1.5 million copies over its lifetime. The PocketStation sold out very quickly everywhere. Sony, which didn’t anticipate the demanded, only produced 60,000 units. Sony quickly started producing more to meet the demand and added a new model called the SCPH-4000C which was a clear version of the initial released. The console serve primarily as a memory card for the Playstation, but some Playstation game could push extra features such as mini-games to the PocketStation. Its infrared sensor also allowed to exchange information between PocketStations. It could even be used to transfer game data between the PlayStation and the WorderSwan using both the PocketStation and the Wonder Wave. Developer Shinichi Okamoto said, “Based on the concept of a computer that can be worn, we packed functions into a system of only 30g. It’s a machine that teaches everyone who touches what entertainment is.”
The PocketStation was so successful that, according to Sony, they were never able to produce enough units to satisfy the Japanese market, thus explaining why it was never sold overseas. Over its life span, more than 185 Playstation games used its features and sold over 4.4 million units.
Demise
Since Doko Demo Issyo, there were no notable hits, and most of them were only PlayStation bonus mini-games. The novelty effect stated to wear off, with users complaining about the resolution. With the release of the Playstation 2 on March 4, 2000, the PocketStation lost a lot of its relevancy. The number of compatible software began to be in steep decline and by July 2002, Sony stopped the production of the PocketStation.
Hardware
The PocketStation was released in four different colors. Other colors have been spotted (blue, orange, gold), but it is unclear if they are prototypes or extremely limited release.
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| White SCPH-4000 | Clear SCPH-4000C | Pink Only available as a pack-in with the Limited Edition of Tokimeki Memorial 2. | Black Only available as a pack-in with the Yu-Gi-Oh! True Duel Monsters Sealed Memories Limited Edition Special Box |