Sony is launching a miniaturised version of its original PlayStation console complete with 20 built-in games released during the dawn of the 3D graphics age.
PlayStation Classic will launch on 3 December, the same day the console first arrived in Japan back in 1994. It will be 45% smaller than the original machine, and comes with two smaller replicas of the pronged controllers and an HDMI cable to plug into modern television sets. You will, however, have to supply your own power adaptor.
A full games list has yet to be announced, but titles will include the classic role-playing adventure Final Fantasy VII, the fighting game Tekken 3, Namco’s seminal urban driving sim Ridge Racer Type 4 and the early 3D platformer, Jumping Flash. The console comes with a virtual memory card allowing players to save their progress without the use of the little grey memory gadgets that came with the old console.
The announcement follows Nintendo’s huge success with its own retro console releases. The Mini NES model, which replicated the company’s formative 1983 machine, sold out almost instantly when it was launched in 2016 and was re-released early this year, outselling modern consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. It was followed by the similarly successful Mini SNES last autumn. As with those machines, the PlayStation Classic will not be able to download further titles.
Despite huge advances in video-game technology, retro gaming continues to be popular with nostalgic fans who perhaps don’t have the time or energy to plough 100 hours into the latest blockbusting open-world adventure. Current leading consoles allow players to download classic games.
The PlayStation was a groundbreaking machine on its original launch. Featuring a 32bit processor and (at the time) powerful graphics hardware, the console ushered in the era of 3D polygonal visuals, leaving behind the 2D sprite-based graphics of the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive era. It sold more than 100m units worldwide, and was later released in a slim format.
PlayStation Classic is launching in Japan, the US and Europe, with a UK price of £90.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion