Sony Unboxes The PlayStation Classic, Provides Deeper Details On Retro Game Console
Sony is hoping to recapture the magic of the original PlayStation game console by bringing it back in miniaturized form, just as Nintendo did with its NES Classic and SNES Classic game systems. Will Sony enjoy the same success that Nintendo did? That question will be answered another day. For now, however, Sony has taken to answering a bunch of frequently asked questions about its upcoming retro console.
Nintendo was the first to see ginormous success with rebooting an earlier era game system, and for a long time, it was nearly impossible to score an NES Classic or SNES Classic at an actual retail store, as opposed to hopping on eBay or Craigslist and paying an inflated price for one. It's hard to imagine another company replicating that kind of rabid interest, though Sony has as good of a shot as any company—the original PlayStation is an iconic piece of gaming history, and was the first game console to notch 100 million unit sales.
Visually, the PlayStation Classic is a nearly identical clone of the original, only 45 percent smaller and with some modern conveniences, namely HDMI output and a retooled UI. The PlayStation Classic beams gameplay in 720p or 480p, and of course some TVs may perform some upscaling.
The rebooted system measures 5.8 x 1.3 x 4.1 inches and weighs approximately 6 ounces. Each of the two included PlayStation Classic controllers weigh 4.9 ounces, with cords that stretch nearly 5 feet (59.1 inches / 1.5 meters). Unfortunately, the system does not support today's DualShock 4 wireless controllers, or any other gamepad—it's only compatible with the official PlayStation Classic controllers.
Like most other retro consoles that have been brought back to life, you're not able to add more games to the PlayStation Classic (not without modding, anyway), and it lacks Internet connectivity. However, it comes preloaded with 20 games, including:
- Battle Arena Toshinden (2-player support)
- Cool Boarders 2 (2-player support)
- Destruction Derby (2-player support)
- Final Fantasy VII
- Grand Theft Auto
- Intelligent Qube (2-player support)
- Jumping Flash!
- Metal Gear Solid
- Mr. Driller (2-player support)
- Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
- Rayman
- Resident Evil Director’s Cut
- Revelations: Persona
- R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 (2-player support)
- Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (2-player support)
- Syphon Filter
- Tekken 3 (2-player support)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (2-player support)
- Twisted Metal (2-player support)
- Wild Arms
The inability to add more games to the mix is a bummer, though at least it comes with an overall nice and varied assortment of titles, half of which offer two-player support. What about disc changes, for games that originally shipped on multiple discs?
"In games that originally shipped on multiple discs, like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, when you reach the end of a 'disc', press the 'Open' button on the PlayStation Classic console to transition to the next virtual disc," Sony explains.
As for memory card support, each title can support up to 15 virtual memory card slots, which you can manage from the console's main UI. Once you a delete a file, it's gone forever. In addition, pressing the Reset button on the console brings you back to the main UI and creates a restore point from wherever you left off in the game you were playing. That's a neat feature.
The PlayStation Classic will be available to buy from major retailers starting December 3 for $99.99 ($129.99 CAD).
