Sony Announces PlayStation Classic, a $100 Mini PS1 (polygon.com)

Sony announced Wednesday that it will release the PlayStation Classic micro console on December 3. It will cost $100 and come with 20 built-in games. From a report: Like Nintendo's NES Classic and SNES Classic, the PlayStation Classic will come packed with a list of beloved hits from the system's original library. There will be 20 games in all, but Sony only announced five of them today: Final Fantasy 7, Jumping Flash, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3 and Wild Arms. "All of the pre-loaded games will be playable in their original format," the company said in an announcement post on the PlayStation Blog. Sony plans to launch the PlayStation Classic worldwide on Dec. 3 -- the 24th anniversary of the PlayStation's release. (The PS1 debuted in Japan on Dec. 3, 1994, and Sony didn't bring it to the West until September 1995.) The retro console will retail for $99.99 in the U.S., 89.99 pound in the U.K., 99.99 euro in Europe and 9,980 yen in Japan. For that price, customers will get the system and two controllers. The gamepads are full-size replicas of the PS1's original controller, not the DualShock, so they and don't include analog sticks or vibration. As you can see in the gallery above, the gamepads are wired USB devices that plug into the console in the same spot as the original system's controller ports.

Comments

Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Dwedit]

Too bad early-generation 3D graphics have aged very poorly. Especially how the original Playstation doesn't even have perspective-correct texture mapping, everything warps and warbles as it moves on the screen.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[JoeyRox]

Poor graphics are part of the charm of these "classic" systems :)

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[UnknownSoldier]

Agreed! When I worked on one PS1 game the two graphics guy had to sub-divide triangles like crazy so that the affine texture mapper wasn't producing "swimming" / shimmering textures like crazy. The worst offenders were vertical and horizontal polygons relative to the camera's DOF (Direction of Flight).

Wonder if THPS (Tony Hawk Pro Skater) will be available? Normally I hate sports games but that was an absolute blast! Wasn't there a port of Diablo 1 to the PSX available as well?

Note: The PSX was the code name Sony and us devs called the PS1. So many std C lib funds were outright broken the first year, but I digress.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[LordWabbit2]

Wasn't there a port of Diablo 1 to the PSX available as well?

Yes, there was, first time I ever played it was on the PS1.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Junta]

The emulators have actually added precision and perspective-correct texture mapping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

So the geometry is still simple (but what complexity is there is better preserved at distance thanks to the added precision) and the textures are still simple (though xbr scaling does an admirable job of upscaling them), but resolution, geometry instability, and texture warping can all be improved on modern stack.

Question is whether Sony is availing itself of these advances or not.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[cascadingstylesheet]

Poor graphics are part of the charm of these "classic" systems :)

Personally, I don't want super realistic graphics in my games.

I am content to get through my day without encountering pools of blood, thanks very much.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Junta]

I will say that Saturn/PS1/N64 represented a very awkward phase (emulation has done a lot to salvage the bad parts though).

SNES/Genesis represented nearly the pinnacle of 2D gaming. So much better than the NES/SMS.

The '3D' craze caused gaming to go mostly 3D before things were necessarily ready. There are some great PS1 2D games (Wild Arms... mostly, Symphony of the Night), but there was a rush to do 3D and it looked in many ways uglier than the SNES generation in the attempt.

Not only graphically, but control/gameplay/camera angle wise, the industry was very awkward in sorting out this whole 3D things.

Later PS1 games did much better job and PS2 games were pretty unambiguous about having the hang of 3D, but early PS1 games and many N64 games were less pleasant than their 2D predecessors on many fronts.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope, the poor graphics are why these systems were shit even when they were new. The first acceptable 3D console was the Dreamcast. The mid 90s were a dark age of console gaming, but fortunately the PC was strong then.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[thevirtualcat]

This.

Making a pixel art game today invites comparisons to SNES and Genesis in reviews. Things like "I felt like I could be playing this on my SNES" are (generally) considered compliments.

Making a 3D game today, if anything, invites "look how far we've come since N64 and PS1" in reviews. Things like "I felt like I was playing an N64 game" is not something people generally aspire to.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Anonymous Coward]

So what, at least half of this shit is better than the pay-to-win and loot-box gambling we have now.
My kids even remarked on this.
Many times they prefer my "old games that don't look too good" emulated games.
They like the Mario games, Sonic, Buble bobble, Tetris, Ice climbers etc etc.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Kielistic]

The issues I have with that era of early 3D is not so much the graphics. It is the early 3D controls. Very painful.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[tepples]

Making a pixel art game today invites comparisons to SNES and Genesis in reviews. Things like "I felt like I could be playing this on my SNES" are (generally) considered compliments.

Is the compliment specifically that a game looks and feels like the fourth gen (Genesis and Super NES), not the third (NES and Master System)? Because some 2010s pixel art games, such as Lizard and The Curse of Possum Hollow , can also be purchased on an NES cartridge.

(Disclosure: I contributed to Curse.)

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[thevirtualcat]

Not at all. That's just the one I see come up the most.

I actually had Octopath Traveler in mind when I made the post. (And while it is a pixel art game that uses styling that's obviously meant to invoke comparisons to 16-bit JRPGs, it is very obviously NOT a 16-bit JRPG.)

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[yodleboy]

I see the nostalgic charm in 2D consoles where you expect simple, flat graphics. They really don't age that badly. 3D on the other hand...I've tried to go back and play some old PC games from GoG and it's too painful to deal with the primitive 3D. It's just too obvious and really overshadows the rest of the game, no matter how good.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[SCVonSteroids]

It's not about the graphics.

It's about the gameplay and the storyline. When companies sacrifice either of those for a "OH MY GOD LOOK AT HOW NICE AND SHINY MY GAME IS!!!1111....." the game usually sucks. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

Re: Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[TJHook3r]

Mid-90s a dark period? Most of the iconic games were made in that period!

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[CronoCloud]

Wasn't there a port of Diablo 1 to the PSX available as well?

Yes, but it isn't even on PSN. I figured someone would get around to bringing it to PSN to celebrate the Anniversary, but no. Probably because the rights are murky since the console port was done by Climax Entertainment under contract to Virgin, and the game was originally published by Electronic Arts.

And for those who wonder how it plays, it pretty much plays like all the Diablo clones it inspired on the PS2. Just turn on combo buttons, and use "Relative" controls.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[shakezula]

There is absolutely a Diablo port--its loaded in my PS1 right now (thought it hasn't been played in a few years).

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Tarlus]

But poorly textured, pixelated pools of blood are perfectly fine.

It's not that PS1 era 3D graphics aren't super realistic, it's that they just flat-out look bad. The 8 and 16 bit era put out some games that still look appealing today. Much of the indie community finds success by creating modern games with the look and feel of old 2D games. I don't think I've seen a modern take on low-poly, low-res textured 3D graphics.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[DontBeAMoran]

SNES/Genesis represented nearly the pinnacle of 2D gaming. So much better than the NES/SMS.

Neo-Geo was the pinnacle of 2D gaming. Miles ahead of the SNES/Genesis.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[webmistressrachel]

Did you miss the (personally inexplicable) craze for Minecraft and clones?

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[AmiMoJo]

There were some great 2D games for that generation. Castlevania on the PS1, and numerous titles on the Saturn like Street Fighter Alpha 2, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun... Even the N64 had Bangai-O, although the Dreamcast version was better.

Unfortunately they will likely only bring 3D stuff to the new machine. I guess Tekken wasn't bad.

Re:Too bad early 3D paged poorly

[Ranbot]

I see the nostalgic charm in 2D consoles where you expect simple, flat graphics. They really don't age that badly. 3D on the other hand...I've tried to go back and play some old PC games from GoG and it's too painful to deal with the primitive 3D. It's just too obvious and really overshadows the rest of the game, no matter how good.

Agreed. Looking back at some of the late-90s early 00s "3D" games can be painful. It's telling that the popular late-90's games with those ugly blocky 3D models that were popular enough to be re-released are usually done so with huge graphic make-overs (e.g. Resident Evil, FFVII), but popular old sprite-based games are often re-released with little to no changes.

Thank you Sony for going USB.

[pecosdave]

The best USB controls I found for emulating NES/SNES games for my kids where the cheap Logitech USB controls that were blatant knock-offs of the original PS1 controls. I avoided the "Dual Shock" knock-offs because some emulators insisted on using that analog stick if it was present.

The NES mini and the SNES mini have caught my attention, but dammit - USB would have been nice. I understand the desire to make them Wii compatible, but they could have made the Wii USB compatible had they wanted to. Nintendo has a history of being jerks about ports, the GBA SP, the GBA Micro, the original DS, DS Lite, DSi, and 3DS all charge on 5V DC, but of the ones I mentioned there's 4 different charger connectors.

Sony to their credit put a barrel plug on the PSP, made the PSP 2000 (I don't have the rest for comment) Mini USB chargeable as well. Sony - notorious for lock-in and incompatibility, is really showing a positive side making these controls USB. Shoot, I'll bet you could even use them on the PS3 and PS4 if you wanted.

The real question: Can I plug a Dual Shock 3 / 4 into the Playstation Mini using a USB cord? That would be great if we find you can load other games onto the thing.

Re:Thank you Sony for going USB.

[imrahilj]

Cynically, I imagine that this was not done out of the kindness of their hearts but as a cost saving measure as whatever off the shelf board they are building around came with USB ports.

Re:Thank you Sony for going USB.

[pecosdave]

Sony to their credit put a barrel plug on the PSP
Anyone can make a barrel plug - in addition they used mini USB which can also be supplied by anyone and they did it on the same unit. That's a far cry from those funky connectors Nintendo did - open standards versus proprietary.

You also conveniently omit where they used a non-standard power connector on the original Vita.
I did omit that, but I also addressed it when I said (I don't have the rest for comment) If you would like to send me a Vita I would still like to have one and will include it in future comments.

As for the part where you bash me for not bashing the memory stick I did say:
Sony - notorious for lock-in and incompatibility,

Every single thing you called me out for was addressed in my original post.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

Or it's trash.

Odds are you can get all the same stuff for $100

[drinkypoo]

You can probably buy a used PSX and all those games for a hundred bucks, and then you can play actual discs. Playstation discs are still everywhere for a song. Granted, then you have to deal with load times, but if you cared about that you'd probably already have downloaded an emulator and the ISOs.

Re:Will my chip work?

[stealth_finger]

Nope, pre installed games only.

Re:Smaller CD reader?

[pecosdave]

UMD drive perhaps?

Re:Odds are you can get all the same stuff for $10

[pecosdave]

Every Playstation since the original plays PS1 disks, and even the PSP can play PS1 games if you rip them and put them on the system correctly.

Even the PS3 systems that don't support PS2 games will play PS1 games.

Sony to their credit, has taken care of the PS1, much better than they did the systems that came after.

Re:Will my chip work?

[Alwin Henseler]

Nope, pre installed games only.

Dunno about you guys... But for me, "no option to load other software besides what's pre-loaded" means: no sale. Regardless of tech specs or built-in library.

On a hardware level, these are general purpose computing devices. And therefore it's only reasonable to be able to load "software", not just "software the original vendor chooses to approve". More so for a system that was originally released decades ago.

Re:Obligatory emulation post

[HalAtWork]

To have a tested, hassle free, and officially licensed product that does one thing and does it well, with authentic look and authentic controllers

Let's hope it's nothing like what Nintendo did

[Lucas123]

If it's anything like the last retro console -- NES Classic Edition -- Sony will produce about 10,000 units and create mass hysteria for it.

Now, a business-minded person would Nintendo shorted the market to create more demand; of course in Nintendo's case, it was only to create hysteria as they never produced more to meet that demand.

One of the most bizarre Christmas product releases I've ever seen.

Re:Let's hope it's nothing like what Nintendo did

[QuadEddie]

Oh, there will be mass hysteria given that they're launching it in the first part of December. (That seems insane to me). A business-minded person would create a tuned small emulator system that is a little more in price but is actually available with 4x the games. I'm a business-minded person.

Re:Let's hope it's nothing like what Nintendo did

[Anonymous Coward]

Now, a business-minded person would Nintendo shorted the market to create more demand; of course in Nintendo's case, it was only to create hysteria as they never produced more to meet that demand.

One of the most bizarre Christmas product releases I've ever seen.

They did re-release more of the NES classic earlier this year. You should be able to find one close to you. Every time I check stores lately there's some in stock.

Look at their cookie policy... sheesh!

[Tomahawk]

The cookie policy basically says that if you don't want all of these tracking cookies to be active while using the site, you need to disable cookies in your browser. Most sites have an opt-out toggle somewhere. But polygon.com seem to be happy enough to get you to change your browser settings in order to achieve this.

Idiots.

Has anyone got a site with a better cookie policy?

Shang Tsung will finally be playable??

[bjdevil66]

On other systems, Shang Tsung could morph instantly into any other character. On the Playstation you could as well -- except for the whole game freezing 3-4 seconds mid-fight while the CD loaded each new character. LAME. Putting it all in RAM will make Shang Tsung playable as it was meant to be in 1995. My little brother's pussy Kung Lao will finally feel the wrath of this fully functional Mortal Kombat! Muhahaha...

Well - Assuming Mortal Kombat 3 (or MK Trilogy) gets onto the system, of course.

Re:Shang Tsung will finally be playable??

[pecosdave]

On the N64 Mortal Kombat Trilogy Shang Tsung was playable, but if you won a match while morphed into another character the game would freeze nearly every time. I think I had the first version, I hope there was a revision after that....

From the inside..

[Xnet Project]

Would love to do a teardown of this device and compare it to an Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

Re:From the inside..

[SCVonSteroids]

This is achievable on the Nintendo classics. I'm not sure where your complaint comes from. At least wait until this one is released.

Re:Odds are you can get all the same stuff for $10

[ChromeAeonuim]

It'd be nice if they'd just sell the same software package (at a reasonable price for two decade old games), but on Steam. I neither need nor want an extra device sitting around when my PC can do the same job just as well. It's an all around waste to have a console specifically for 20 games that could be much more simply done on a pre-existing machine.

Of course, IMO two decade old games should be in the public domain anyway by now, so emulate away.

Ridget Racer Type 4 is the best

[realmolo]

It came out fairly late in the life of the Playstation, so not all that many people are familiar with it, but it's just a great racing game. Arguably the best game in the Ridge Racer series. It's...sublime. And the soundtrack is fantastic (and I usually don't care about soundtracks).

If nothing else, get this to play that game if you haven't already. There's just something about it that feels great, even now. And the graphics actually hold-up - it almost looks like an early PS2 game.

Do a mini PS2 please...

[SuperKendall]

That's nice and all, but what I would really kill for is an updated PS2 that could read old PS2 discs, maybe be able to use PS4 controllers so you can swap between systems. I can't be the only one with a set of old PS2 discs I am reluctant to get rid of but I can't use anymore...

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[tepples]

That'd be the SCPH-90000 series. A lot of enthusiasts unload them after discovering that 90000 can't run FreeMcBoot.

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[SuperKendall]

Yep I know about the Slim but I am thinking something even more compact, and improved in other ways - maybe even a really compact PS2 that supported Blu-Ray playback, had improved outputs, and some graphical improvement for PS2 games along with supporting translation for PS3/PS4 controllers to work with the system.

That's all probably more effort that Sony wants to put into revisiting a PS2 though.

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[CronoCloud]

If you're in the US, what you want is a CECHA/CECHB/CECHE FAT model PS3. Those will play the PS2 discs, and you can use a DualShock4 with them.

The easiest way to identify the CECHA/CECHE models is the chrome, 4 USB ports and the built in card reader under the flip up door.

You can even buy a gizmo that lets the PS3 read your PS2 memory cards so you can transfer your PS2 (and PS1) saves to the virtual internal cards on the PS3.

Caveats:

The CECHB model doesn't have WiFi, only Ethernet.
The CECHE's PS2 compatibility isn't quite as good as the CECHA/CECHB's, those have the full PS2 EE/GS chipset included, while the CECHE only has the GS.
CECHA/CECHB's have smaller hard drives by default. 60GB/20GB respectively
CECHE's come with 80GB drives

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[SuperKendall]

I actually had one of those (including the memory card converter) but the motherboard died and I basically could find no-one to fix it (I seem to remember sending it into a repair place, and having them tell me they couldn't fix it and it would be $80 to send it back so yeah), I think those models ran really hot.

I don't just want to be able to run PS2 titles, I want one in a super-compact form that could be made now, easily silent and with lots of storage. It would be great to be able to load discs you owned on it and cart it over to other people's houses....

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[CronoCloud]

maybe even a really compact PS2 that supported Blu-Ray playback, had improved outputs, and some graphical improvement for PS2 games along with supporting translation for PS3/PS4 controllers to work with the system.

Except for the "compact" part, Sony made those....they called them early-model PS3's. Everyone complained about the price they had to charge because of the additional PS2 chips in them.

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[CronoCloud]

forgot another caveat:

PS3's don't have the standard PS1/PS2 control ports so if you want to play any PSone game with PSone mouse support with the mouse, no dice. You can still play them with the standard controls though. Or if you want to use the giant flightstick-ish analog joystick with Mechwarrior 2, Ace Combat or Colony Wars...you're out of luck.

Re:Do a mini PS2 please...

[CronoCloud]

but the motherboard died and I basically could find no-one to fix it (I seem to remember sending it into a repair place, and having them tell me they couldn't fix it and it would be $80 to send it back so yeah),

Ouch. Mine started having graphics issues a few years back, sent it in to Sony, they fixed it right up, sent it back. It's been flawless ever since.

I think those models ran really hot.

They did and do, CECHA/CECHB models in particular. Keep them well ventilated and off the floor.

Re:Will my chip work?

[rworne]

What you say is true, but Sony has had a while to watch what happened with the NES/SNES classic an the hacking scene that sprung up around that.

I'm fairly certain that Sony will do something to thwart adding additional or different games to the console.

But then again, I consider Nintendo to be just about as strict with these things and they had lots of opportunities to hobble the SNES classic when that came out a year after the NES classic - and they didn't.

But the more interesting alternative is a real Playstation 1 and the PSIO device. You can load up all your "backups" on a memory card, plug this thing into the parallel port on the PS1, and play all the games off a built-in menu.

Re:Will my chip work?

[tepples]

But the more interesting alternative is a real Playstation 1 and the PSIO device.

Do resellers have it? The store appears to be out of stock. And it's 150 AUD (110 USD), which is substantially more expensive than just buying a Raspberry Pi and using an emulator on that.

Game royalties are probably a big part of price

[tepples]

A business-minded person would create a tuned small emulator system that is a little more in price but is actually available with 4x the games. I'm a business-minded person.

How will your business negotiate to license 80 games for that price?

Re:Look at their cookie policy... sheesh!

[tepples]

Ad companies can kiss my ass.

Would you prefer that ad-free sites, each charging a subscription, become the norm? Or a return to the hobbyist Internet (and the connection speeds that prevailed then)? Or another option that you'll describe in a reply?

Re: Will my chip work?

[rworne]

They have preorders several times a year and a long wait afterwards. The last one was in August. I got interested in this after I added a HDD to my PS2 and discovered the joys of OpenPS2Loader.

I think if you compare the very best

[rsilvergun]

like Final Fantasy 8/9, Chrono Cross, Ape Escape, Mario 64, Tekken 3, Gran Tourismo and Panzer Dragoon the 32 bit gen holds up well.

The trouble I see is folks comparing Bubsy 3D to Mario World. To be fair it was easier to make something at least playable in 2D (Bubsy is still more tolerable than it's 3D counter part). But go spend some time with Hard Nova, Shaq Fu, Fantasia, Awesome Possum or, god help us, Mondu's Fight Palace. The 8-bit era was even worse (LJN X-Men anyone?).

Re:I think if you compare the very best

[Junta]

Yeah, Parasite Eve/Final Fantasy 8 was where PS1 games (graphically) hit their stride. Of course note that those were sparing use of 3D against 2D backgrounds mostly.

I personally feel like Mario 64 was clumsy camera and control wise still. A fun game, but clearly they weren't comfortable with the camera. Graphically the N64 was well served by the precision and the texture mapping so it doesn't suffer some PS1 problems, but the 3D stuff wasn't a slam dunk there either.

Big difference from NES

[Leuf]

The NES has a cartridge system that is fiddly to get working as it ages and its graphics output is limited to coax or composite, both of which look terrible on a modern flatscreen tv. If you still have your NES, it's kind of useless. The Playstation has discs that still work and s-video output which is good enough for the level of graphics that it has. This is to say nothing of the fact that the only reason the discs can't be played in the current generation console is because Sony decided not to do this. It's just a me too money grab.

Re:Big difference from NES

[CronoCloud]

And considering how easy it is to find a used/refurbished PSone/PS2/PS3 that can play ALL the Psone games. Heck, you might even find new PS3's still in some stores.

Heck, even a PSP, Vita, or PStv would let you play more PSone games.

Only 5 games out of 20 announced?

[Comboman]

The fact that they only announced 5 out of the 20 games is concerning. It probably means they are still negotiating with third-party suppliers. While Nintendo, Sega or Atari can fill a retro console with desirable first-party titles, Sony's reliance on third-party games is a real disadvantage (as it will be for Microsoft when they inevitably bring out the mini retro Xbox in a couple of years).

No revenue model leads to dead links

[tepples]

At the end of the day, the revenue model of web sites isn't my concern.

Until you are researching something, and you discover that one or more promising sites about that thing have ceased to exist because their revenue model disappeared.

I block ads and trackers, if this renders a site unusable (it rarely does), I'll go elsewhere.

Unless elsewhere has also become unusable, as has else-elsewhere. Now about that:

If eventually the web becomes even less usable, then I'll use it even less.

What will you then proceed to use instead of the web?

Re: Will my chip work?

[tepples]

Where are preorder periods for PSIO announced, how often are they, and how long do they tend to last before selling out?

Re:Are there any good PS1 emulators these days?

[CronoCloud]

You can play SOTN on every Sony game console EXCEPT the PS4.

If you have the disc you can just slap it into any PSone/PS2/PS3 you find. The game is also on PSN, so you can play it on the PS3/PSP/Vita.

https://store.playstation.com/...

The retranslated and revoiced version included in Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP, is on PSN and also playable on Vita.

https://store.playstation.com/...

I wonder if this thing might have PStv innards.

[CronoCloud]

The PStv being that failure of a micro-console that's basically a screenless Vita. Like the Vita it has access to PSN so you can just buy a bunch of PSone classics, play them with an actual DualShock3/4. And also play a bunch of PSP and Vita games.

Sadly, PStv's have gone up in price...I got mine for $29 new at Wal-Mart, but you can't get one for that now.

Re:FF 7 and 9

[CronoCloud]

Frankly, I really prefer playing these two games on my iPhone with all its hi-res bells and whistles.

Without physical controls?

Ape Escape (my favorite kooky game)

Ape Escape was the first game to require the DualShock with the analog sticks. Since this machine only includes equivalents of the original all-digital pre-dualshock controllers, I doubt it.

Re: Classic Is Back!

[lord_mike]

I'd definitely buy the Altair Classic, especially if it has a working front panel.

Einhänder

[DontBeAMoran]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...änder

One of the best side-scrolling shooter game ever made.

Re:FF 7 and 9

[DontBeAMoran]

+1 for Oddworld

Re:Odds are you can get all the same stuff for $10

[pecosdave]

I am now informed.
Don't have a PS4, just sort of assumed since they've pretty much been emulating the original anyways.....