The PlayStation turns 30: Looking back at the console that gave us Lara Croft and ‘The Last of Us’

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By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — When Kendrick Lamar began his Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year, he picked a stage design likely familiar to anyone tuning in: a square, triangle, cross and circle.

The Grammy-winning rapper — in front of more than 133 million people — chose to perform on a massive, industrialized grid of flashing lights resembling a giant PlayStation controller.

It was a nice surprise present for Sony’s PlayStation, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary in North America and Europe. Lamar’s nod to the console — which Sony had nothing to do with — was another sign of how far the brand has penetrated the culture, in ways big and small.

From big-budget Hollywood fare like “Lara Crof