If you’re like most gamers, every new console generation prompted a massive sell-off of your old tech to make room (and money) for the new kid on the block. It made sense at the time, with your limited budget and desire to move on to the latest and greatest. But time passed, you got older, and the nostalgia bug kicked in, so you went online only to discover, holy crap, getting that old tech back is expensive! For those itching to re-live the halcyon days of early 3D gaming, Sony’s heard you loud and clear. Taking a page from Nintendo’s playbook in terms of re-issuing retro hardware, they’re dropping the PlayStation Classic on December 3rd, with twenty built-in games.

According to the official PlayStation Blog, the PS Classic keeps the look of the original PS1 launch unit, right down to dual memory card slots, but with a 45% reduction in size to its form factor.

Instead of composite cables, it will attach to your television via the included HDMI cable for crisp, high-resolution display of the correspondingly low-resolution polygons. If you grew up using an RF adapter or the standard RCA jacks to use your system, the upgraded visuals may surprise you. These games look a lot better than you remember.

Also included out of the box are a pair of original digital controllers, so you’re ready to roll with couch-based multi-player action assuming you still have friends willing to make the trek to your basement. While the memory card slots on the front appear to be just for show, the unit utilizes an internal virtual memory card system so you can save and resume your progress. No word yet on how many blocks you’ll get on this card, or if it works like the PS3, allowing you to create multiple cards, but with twenty titles, it seems fair to hope Sony will offer up at least 30 total internal blocks of memory card space.

Right now Sony’s keeping mum on most of the games included, but they have confirmed a small handful including killer apps like Final Fantasy VII, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Tekken 3. 3D platformer/shooter hybird Jumping Flash and old school “I’m not Final Fantasy” RPG Wild Arms have also been added to the roster. As Sony’s marketing department is touting the included games as “genre-defying”, we can probably expect at least one survival horror title, one car combat game, one sports title, and one puzzle title to wind up in the final product. Expect some confusion on gamers’ faces if the PlayStation Classic fails to include a representative from the Resident Evil, Castlevania, and Twisted Metal franchises. Given Sony’s ownership of properties like Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, and Syphon Filter, it would be surprising if these were left off the unit. Getting Konami to go along with Metal Gear Solid or Symphony of the Night, or Capcom to sign off on some Street Fighter and Dino Crisis action could make or break this thing, so keep your fingers crossed. We’ll let you know as soon as we know more!

We have two concerns about the hardware as it stands. While it ships with a USB charging cable for the power supply, it does not come with the AC adapter into which you can plug said cable–be aware this isn’t usable straight out of the box unless you have one of these adapters. Chances are you plug your phone into one to charge, so it’s not unreasonable to assume the consumer will have access to the adapter, but it’s still a let down considering the old system came with everything you needed to play it as soon as you got it home. They’re not that expensive, and we have to wonder what Sony is thinking by not including one, but clearly their marketing department has decided it’s unnecessary.

The second potential concern we have involves the controllers. The system comes with two, but they’re the original digital edition, not the DualShock analog sticks required to fully enjoy the bulk of the system’s late-game library. The controller plugs are different from the original model, meaning the system will only work with the PS Classic controllers; games which require the analog sticks, like Ape Escape, have no chance of inclusion as long as this is the case. Likewise if you’re interested in lightgun games like Crypt Killer or Area 51, you may as well give that up too since they’re unplayable on modern televisions. We doubt anybody was counting on Maximum Force as the console’s killer app, but one never knows. The biggest dick move we could foresee is offering a “sold separately” DualShock controller specially designed for the PS Classic, but there’s no evidence to suggest Sony will go this route. We’re just throwing that out there.

So with five confirmed titles and fifteen more to be determined, along with a price point of $99 US and pre-order options already available via Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart, this could turn into the hot Christmas item of 2018. Sony has a better track record than Nintendo of getting product into stores, but anyone who remembers the PS2 launch fiasco knows they’re far from perfect at meeting initial consumer demand so if you’re dead-set on grabbing this day one, you should be clicking on those links up there right now. Chances are, once time goes by, the holiday season passes, and the initial hype dies down, you’ll be able to get your hands on one with minimal fuss so if you can’t get one day one, don’t give in to the temptation to pay outrageous inflated eBay prices. Let the scalpers burn themselves while you shop smarter.

Michael Crisman

In 1979, Michael Crisman was mauled by a radioactive Gorgar pinball machine. After the wounds healed, doctors discovered his DNA had been re-coded. No longer fully human, Michael requires regular infusions of video games in order to continue living among you. If you see him, he can see you. Make no sudden moves, but instead bribe him with old issues of computer and video game magazines or a mint-in-box copy of Dragon Warrior IV.


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