PlayStation Architecture

Sony selected the MIPS architecture for the PlayStation's CPU, choosing a design approach based on academic research that emphasizes simplified instruction sets and parallel processing capabilities. The console's main processor, the Sony CXD8530BQ, was part of a broader 1990s shift away from older 16-bit and 8-bit processors toward RISC-based CPUs, which offered advantages in hardware design and performance enhancement. Sony prioritized keeping the overall console design simple and practical despite the complexity of 3D hardware development.