During the N64/PS1 era I was old enough to critique the games I played and enjoy great challenges, but not old enough to grasp the video game market.  My console of choice was the N64 with a multitude of great games.  Same with many of my friends at my grade school and around my neighborhood.  Needless to say I was shocked a few years after that generation to find out Playstation in terms of hardware indeed won.  Since that startling revelation I've been scratching my head.

Some of Nintendo's perdicaments were well documented.  The cost of creating a cartridge game was much more than a CD.  As a result of Third parties were drawn to Sony.  This blow was lessoned by the partnership with Rare, but it did have its toll. 

Still, as a gaming machine compared to the N64 I don't understand how the PS1 was such a juggernaut. Perhaps it's not fair that I'm genre biased.  RPG's minus Pokemon(and recently Borderlands) do not appeal to me.  Nor am I a fan of heavy cinema. Also, as I previously stated many in my neighbohood owned an N64.  Comparing muliplayer with the two consoles it is a one-sided fight(although Tekken was great!).  Many of my friends and I spent hundreds of hours playing Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64, Perfect Dark, Smash Bros etc etc etc.

Here's what I've gathered as great plusses to the legacy of the PS1:

CD playing capability

different, more 'mature' games like Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, etc

safe, functional controls

full third party support-although resulting games are the only thing that matter.  If the N64's nintendo-rare offerings were better than the Sony third party support, this is a null en void point.

A whole lotta games.

Something new at the time.

Bitter Sega fans who were dissappointed with the Sega Saturn were probably drawn to Sony.

So I pose some questions to the Sony fanbase, many of whom undoubtedly enjoyed PS1.  On a macro-scale, why was the PS1 so successful?  On a micro-scale, why was it so special to you the Sony gamers?  I'll respect whatever you have to say of course. I'm just really curious what people have to say.

Piracy.. It was the right time when 2X CD burners had the right pricepoint... I don't think any of my friends had an un-modded ps1.. copying games with a 2X CD burner was easy...

For me it was the JRPGs.

PS1 was a 3rd party publisher console.

N64 did not have CD's and Sega didn't have any marketshare (outside japan) so 3rd parties flocked to PS1 and delivered most of the best games exclusively to sony's machine.

It was the easiest to program for, most affordable, and sony made a lot of right decisions with it. Basically everything they did wrong with the PS3, they did right with PS1.

So what made PS1 special? I believe the right answer is...Games! Exclusives! Mature market! Hype! CD medium done right! 3D!

In that order.

Nothing: it was just a better gaming system.

Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy 7, Castlevania SOTN, Suikoden, Lunar, Tekken, Gran Turismo, WipeOut, Ridge Racer, and a lot more. Great and varied catalogue, with a lot of great fanchises that were started or revitalised in that time. The transition from 2D to polygons, more "mature" or ambitious games. Mix all that with a bit of nostalgia, and you'll get one of the best generations, at least for me.

For me it was Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. As a small child, I also found the N64 controller awkward.

It had mature/adult games. I owned both and aside from 007/Perfect dark, it was a pretty much an E for everyone experience. After gaming on the Atari2600,NES,Genesis,SNES...that shit got old. Games like Resident Evil,Metal Gear,Syphon Filter,Twisted Metal...they were fresh and new. Instead of cutesy games, we had gore. Instead of hearing "it's a me...a mario" we were hearing people say "give me the fucking gun". Instead of saving Hyrule for the 100th time, we were saving the world from international terroists etc.

It was gaming for adults who wanted something with bite...an edge. THAT'S what made the PS1 special and what allowed it to dominate.

For me personally it definitely was the games.

Crash Bandicoot alone is the reason why I think the PS1 was so great.

I've owned all 5 Crash games for the PS1 and for each one my family and I sunk in over 100's or hours into each game MINIMUM! Trying to get all the crystals and completing the game, then trying to get all the gems and time relics, completing each secret level, racing to get the best times, beating every mini game, etc. Seriously one of the best memories of my childhood!

Then on top of that I had Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo 1-2 and Final Fantasy VII - VIII Blam! Mega hits for me and that's how I was able to transit into the PS2 gen so easily with these types of games that were guaranteed to make an appearance on the PS2.

Another thing was, I think later on in the lifespan of the 2 consoles..newly released games on the PS1 were $40.00, where as on the N64, it was most of the time $50.00.  I don't know if this true though, just something my parents noticed because I was a child at the time..and yes, $10 does make a difference to Americans.