When did PS1 beta start?

[Frotang]

So I've been trying to remember when PS1 closed beta started mainly so I can figure out how long I been playing this damn game but also to possibly shed light on how long PS2 beta will last. I know that they won't follow the same format because times have changed (hell you got into closed beta then by filling out a form with your cpu specs and sending them a dxdiag if I recall correctly) but you never know.

So PS1 released May 2003, for some reason I can't shake the memory that I was playing closed beta in summer of 2002, which would mean beta lasted almost a year? Can this be right or have I just killed too many brain cells since 10 years ago to remember?