The PlayStation (プレイステーション, Pureisutēshon^?, officially abbreviated PS) brand is a series of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Spanning the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth generations of video gaming, the brand was first introduced on December 3, 1994 in Japan. The brand consists of a total of three home consoles, a media center, an online service, a line of controllers, two handhelds and a phone, as well as multiple magazines.

The first console in the series, the PlayStation, was the first video game console to ship 100 million units after 9 years and 6 months of its initial launch. Its successor, the PlayStation 2, is the best-selling console to date, having reached over 150 million units sold as of January 31, 2011. Sony's latest console, the PlayStation 3, has sold over 063900000 !63.9 million consoles worldwide as of March 31, 2012 (2012 -03-31)^[update].

The first handheld game console in the PlayStation series, the PlayStation Portable or PSP, has sold a total of 71.4 million units worldwide as of September 14, 2011. Its successor, the PlayStation Vita, which launched in Japan on December 17, 2011 and in most other major territories in February 2012 has sold in excess of 1.2 million units as of the end of February 2012.

Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. (born April 12, 1947) is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and promotional purposes. His name is also a brand for similar movie scripts written by ghost writers and many series of non-fiction books on military subjects and merged biographies of key leaders. He is Vice Chairman of Community Activities and Public Affairs, as well as a part-owner, of the MLB Baltimore Orioles.

Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland, graduating with the class of 1965. He then attended Loyola College in Baltimore, graduating in 1969. Before making his literary debut, he spent some time running an independent insurance agency. This agency thrived for a few years before joining a group of investors.

Clancy and his first wife Wanda married in 1969, separated briefly in 1995, and permanently separated in December 1996. Clancy filed for divorce in November 1997, which became final in January 1999.