I’ve been lucky enough to own every PlayStation ever released from launch, starting with the original PlayStation all the way through to the PlayStation 4. I’ve also owned many variations of these such as the slim consoles and of course the PS4 Pro.

While I have also owned other consoles in this time such as Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U and now Switch, PlayStation has always been my number one when it comes to my console of choice. I love the brand and all it stands for, although I still have a healthy respect for both Xbox and Nintendo and believe none of them would exist in the form they do today without each other.

My first memory of PlayStation was of course on the console where it all began, the PlayStation. I have very fond memories of Sony’s little grey box, with games I can still remember now, such as Wipeout, Micro Machines and of course the quite stunning Demolition Derby, Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer, Resident Evil and Time Crisis, to name a few. There was nothing quite like popping the lid and placing the disc in the now iconic console, and those memory cards?

PlayStation 2 saw Sony really step it up. With PS1, for the first time, we could already see what the future of gaming could look like and with PS2, Sony brought its ‘A’ game with titles such as GTA Vice City, God of War, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, GTA: San Andreas, Final Fantasy X and many others, helping it to become the best selling console of all time and with good reason. Some still regard the PlayStation 2 as the greatest console of all time and I can certainly see why.

Many see Playstation 3 as a bit of a misstep from Sony. There were no trophies, online play was a bit of a shambles and the less said about the PlayStation store the better. Sony learned it’s lesson though and it could be argued that PlayStation 3 introduced us to some of the greatest series to date, with Naughty Dog especially upping its game with the introduction of the Uncharted series and of course, The Last of Us. Sure the PlayStation 3 started out weak, but as it begun to evolve it turned into a real powerhouse, only really coming into its own in the last five years of its existence when developers were finally getting to grips with the power of ‘The Cell’.

The PS3 also brought along some other special games to the party. GTA IV, Heavy Rain, Batman, Dark Souls, Skyrim, BioShock, LittleBigPlanet, Infamous and a personal favourite of mine, Darksiders. The library of games is quite incredible so it’s no wonder many of the titles mentioned are already remastered for the PS4.

It’s fair to say that despite all its problems, the PS3 was and still is an amazing platform on which to play games.

So on to PlayStation 4, the greatest PlayStation console of all time, at least in my opinion. So why is this? Well, why not? First off, the online infrastructure is finally worthy of a mention, it’s more robust, the PlayStation Store just works and every part of the console seems to be have made with the gamer in mind. Take the Share button, we all take it for granted but it’s turning out to be one of the best features we’ve ever had. I love to go into the photo mode of a game and share screens with my social media followers with the simple press of a button. PS4 feels like the console that PS3 should have been, it all just works perfectly and without any fuss.

Perhaps the greatest feature of the PS4 though is the games. We’ll get on to the big boys in a minute but just think of the quality downloadable titles we’ve had already in the console’s lifecycle. Hitman, Life is Strange, Firewatch, The Witness, Gang Beasts, Stardew Valley, Rocket League, Minecraft, Fortnite, the list goes on.

When it comes to retail this is where Sony really begins to stand out on its own. Sure, most of the digital titles mentioned above can be played elsewhere, but what makes PlayStation 4 stand head and shoulders above all other rivals is the first party and exclusive games. Already in the console’s short five-year life, we’ve seen some incredible games, as well as the continuation and improvement of well-established series. When you start to list off the games you begin to realise just why the PS4 is already pushing near 80 million consoles sold.

Some of the stand exclusive out titles:

• Bloodborne
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Uncharted 4
• Detroit Become Human
• God of War
• Spiderman (Exclusive)
• Persona 5 (Exclusive)
• Street Fighter V (Exclusive timed release on PS4)
• GT Sport
• Until Dawn
• The Last Guardian
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

It’s incredible when you think of the exclusive games still to come, such as:

• Ghosts of Tsushima
• The Last of Us Part 2
• Days Gone
• Death Stranding

None of this takes into account the remastered titles and who knows what else Sony still has planned?

When you combine all of the above with the amazing third-party titles already on the system, for me at least, it’s hard to argue against PlayStation 4 being Sony’s greatest console yet. I for one can’t wait to play Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Darksiders 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Wreckfest, Fallout 76 and many more of the third party titles still to come. Just looking at my digital games library, which is just packed with quality ‘AAA’ and indie titles, I just can’t believe how lucky we are to have such choice and such quality all in one place and still be only five years into the existence of the console.

Sure it’s unlikely PS4 will ever hit the sales heights of the PS2, most likely due to us now living in different times with a much bigger emphasis on mobile entertainment, but when we look back in years to come at previous console releases, the PS4 will be up there as one of the greatest.