What Sony makes

Origins. Sony began in 1946 in Tokyo, when Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita set up a small radio repair workshop called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. The name Sony came in 1958, chosen because it sounds much the same in any language. Then came the Trinitron television, the Walkman in 1979, the CD, developed together with Philips, and in 1994 the first PlayStation.

What it stands for. Sony describes its purpose as filling the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology. That is not an empty line: the company makes the devices, but also owns a record label, a film studio and game studios. Much of what Sony builds is meant for people who make things or want to experience them, from the photographer to the gamer.

Reputation. Sony is known for the noise cancelling in its headphones, for mirrorless cameras used by many photographers and video makers, and for the PlayStation. It has a name for being solid and technically ahead. The caveat: Sony makes nothing for the kitchen or the household, and a PlayStation gift only works for someone with the right console.

Sub-brands. PlayStation for consoles and games, Alpha for mirrorless cameras, Bravia for televisions, Xperia for phones, Cyber-shot for compact cameras, Handycam for camcorders and Walkman for music players. In audio, the top models form the 1000X series, and the speakers with extra bass are called ULT.

Examples. Below, a few products that show what Sony stands for. The wider range: headphones and earbuds, portable speakers, mirrorless cameras with lenses, televisions, and the PlayStation and its games with virtual reality. For a game or a controller that does not work, the seller is the address; which one that is on a marketplace, you read in Who actually sells this?.

From the ULT range: the ULT Field 1, a small, sturdy speaker with extra bass, for the picnic or the bathroom. More portable speakers.

For the PlayStation: an extra DualSense controller, often in a colour that did not come with the console. Only worth it for someone with a PlayStation 5. More PlayStation accessories.