Sony must have been serious when it said it was considering making a throwback PS1 like the NES and SNES Classic. The electronics giant has just officially announced the PlayStation Classic. It will come with 20 pre-loaded PS1 games and release on December 3 for $99.99, which is exactly 24 years after the original PlayStation first launched.
The announcement post on the PlayStation Blog only revealed five of the games it will come with: Tekken 3, Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash, Wild Arms, and Ridge Racer Type 4. All of those were published by third-parties, which is where the PS1 had the bulk of its support. Leading with all non-Sony games shows that deals are being made to exercise that extensive third-party library.
This is harder than, say, putting PaRappa the Rappa or Wipeout on the system since Sony owns both of those franchises. And although Crash and Spyro were published by Sony and defined the system, it no longer owns the publishing rights. The PlayStation Blog stated that the other 15 games will be revealed in the coming months.
The hardware has also been shrunk down and modernized. It’s now 45 percent smaller than the original PS1 and comes with an HDMI port. And while it includes two “replica” controllers, neither are Dualshocks so don’t expect them to vibrate, have analog sticks, or be able to play Ape Escape.
It may look almost exactly like a PS1, but some of its functions are slightly different this time around. The Reset button now suspends games and the Open button lets you switch between virtual discs. This is handy for swapping out games but also for titles that had multiple CDs like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid.
Aside from the nostalgic packing, it’ll also come with a USB cord and HDMI cord but no AC adaptor, which will be sold separately. The wording makes it seem as though buyers would have to purchase another cable to make it work if they don’t already have the appropriate AC adaptor.
The PlayStation Classic, in its function and style, looks like an attempt to whip up the same nostalgic fervor that Nintendo whipped up with the NES Classic and SNES Classic. Both were major successes, which must have given Sony even more of an incentive to try its hand at a standalone classic system.
