I still remember the first time I spilled my eyes on a PlayStation, months before its release, hidden from syrupy fingers within a perspex box at a trade show. It looked - and still looks - gorgeous, losing none of its design classic status in this: its new shrunk-down form.
As is the trend for these miniature "classic" machines, the PlayStation Classic offers an HDMI cable, USB controllers, and... no AC adaptor. The latter doesn't bother me much - I've plenty of spare USB power plugs lolling around - but it needs mentioning if only to point and cackle at everyone who has thrown their toys out of the pram over something so insignificant.
If that's the sort of issue which fuels your boiler then congratulations: you've clearly got nothing else to worry about in your life.
Of course, this reproduction minikin offers a wad of old games; 20, in fact. Indeed, in some respects, the PlayStation Classic has more of a reason to exist than the Super NES, NES and Commodore 64 minis, given that PlayStation games are something more of a faff for the average pleb to get working with an emulator.
Because, let's be blunt here, these mini consoles are not for the hardcore retro enthusiast (not that this stops the hardcore complaining). We know you can shove ALL THE GAMES into a Raspberry Pi. We know you like playing on the original hardware. These machines are for those gamers who remember enjoying a PlayStation back in the day, and will appreciate a quick nostalgia fix, before shoving the thing under the telly come December 27th, never to touch it again.
As is the trend for these miniature "classic" machines, the PlayStation Classic offers an HDMI cable, USB controllers, and... no AC adaptor. The latter doesn't bother me much - I've plenty of spare USB power plugs lolling around - but it needs mentioning if only to point and cackle at everyone who has thrown their toys out of the pram over something so insignificant.
If that's the sort of issue which fuels your boiler then congratulations: you've clearly got nothing else to worry about in your life.
Of course, this reproduction minikin offers a wad of old games; 20, in fact. Indeed, in some respects, the PlayStation Classic has more of a reason to exist than the Super NES, NES and Commodore 64 minis, given that PlayStation games are something more of a faff for the average pleb to get working with an emulator.
Because, let's be blunt here, these mini consoles are not for the hardcore retro enthusiast (not that this stops the hardcore complaining). We know you can shove ALL THE GAMES into a Raspberry Pi. We know you like playing on the original hardware. These machines are for those gamers who remember enjoying a PlayStation back in the day, and will appreciate a quick nostalgia fix, before shoving the thing under the telly come December 27th, never to touch it again.
ALL THE HITS
The PlayStation Classic has come in for some considerable stick. There has been a lot of grumbling that it doesn't have all the classics - yes, not featuring Wipeout, Gran Turismo or Tomb Raider is a bit like releasing an Aqua greatest hits and leaving off Barbie Girl - but you've still got Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Final Fantasy VII, and Metal Gear Solid.
There are some odd choices - Ridge Racer Type 4 rather than the Ridge Racer that launched the machine, Tekken 3 rather than the original Tekken (the sequels are arguably the better games, but far less iconic), a bunch of well-regarded also-rans like Rayman, Destruction Derby, Jumping Flash, Wild Arms, Revelations: Persona, some which wouldn't look out of place on a modern smartphone such as Rayman, Mr Driller and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and some that really haven't aged well - such as Syphon Filter, Rainbow Six and the original Grand Theft Auto.
While it might not be a back-to-back golden greats, it does provide a more honest cross-section of the PlayStation's catalogue, warts and all. Because, let's face it, one thing the PlayStation Classic does reveal is that there were a lot of warts on the PlayStation.
Nostalgia does tend to paper over the cracks, and history likes to forget that its icons weren't perfect. Winston Churchill might've led us to victory over the Nazis, but he was also a horrible old Imperialist racist who once said "I hate Indians", claimed that Palestinians were "barbaric hordes who ate little but camel dung", and argued that we should crush Johnny Foreigner under our boot, by arguing that "Aryan stock is bound to triumph".
SEE?
See, for all that it gave the games industry, the PlayStation is far from perfect, and - just as Churchill's attitudes might've been common in his day - the spotlight of modernity casts an unflattering light upon its flaws.
The PlayStation marked the point at which gaming went properly 3D, and most of the games here are entering unfamiliar territory. Consequently, the hardware isn't always up to the task, while you can almost hear the developers trying to figure out how a 3D control system is supposed to work.
And that's okay. Progress happens, and it doesn't airbrush away what was achieved at the time. Certainly, Resident Evil is a slow-paced, awkward, mess - but it's still groundbreaking (providing we all ignore Alone In The Dark), and - oddly - I found that this somehow added to its atmosphere, compared to the slicker, more recent, entries in the franchise.
That wasn't the only surprise: the console comes with two replica controllers, but I've become so accustomed to my PS4 pad that my thumb kept reaching for the analogue stick. It's a bit like when I first drive a rental car in America, and my left arm keeps reaching down the side of my seat for a non-existent gearstick.
The PlayStation Classic has come in for some considerable stick. There has been a lot of grumbling that it doesn't have all the classics - yes, not featuring Wipeout, Gran Turismo or Tomb Raider is a bit like releasing an Aqua greatest hits and leaving off Barbie Girl - but you've still got Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Final Fantasy VII, and Metal Gear Solid.
There are some odd choices - Ridge Racer Type 4 rather than the Ridge Racer that launched the machine, Tekken 3 rather than the original Tekken (the sequels are arguably the better games, but far less iconic), a bunch of well-regarded also-rans like Rayman, Destruction Derby, Jumping Flash, Wild Arms, Revelations: Persona, some which wouldn't look out of place on a modern smartphone such as Rayman, Mr Driller and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and some that really haven't aged well - such as Syphon Filter, Rainbow Six and the original Grand Theft Auto.
While it might not be a back-to-back golden greats, it does provide a more honest cross-section of the PlayStation's catalogue, warts and all. Because, let's face it, one thing the PlayStation Classic does reveal is that there were a lot of warts on the PlayStation.
Nostalgia does tend to paper over the cracks, and history likes to forget that its icons weren't perfect. Winston Churchill might've led us to victory over the Nazis, but he was also a horrible old Imperialist racist who once said "I hate Indians", claimed that Palestinians were "barbaric hordes who ate little but camel dung", and argued that we should crush Johnny Foreigner under our boot, by arguing that "Aryan stock is bound to triumph".
SEE?
See, for all that it gave the games industry, the PlayStation is far from perfect, and - just as Churchill's attitudes might've been common in his day - the spotlight of modernity casts an unflattering light upon its flaws.
The PlayStation marked the point at which gaming went properly 3D, and most of the games here are entering unfamiliar territory. Consequently, the hardware isn't always up to the task, while you can almost hear the developers trying to figure out how a 3D control system is supposed to work.
And that's okay. Progress happens, and it doesn't airbrush away what was achieved at the time. Certainly, Resident Evil is a slow-paced, awkward, mess - but it's still groundbreaking (providing we all ignore Alone In The Dark), and - oddly - I found that this somehow added to its atmosphere, compared to the slicker, more recent, entries in the franchise.
That wasn't the only surprise: the console comes with two replica controllers, but I've become so accustomed to my PS4 pad that my thumb kept reaching for the analogue stick. It's a bit like when I first drive a rental car in America, and my left arm keeps reaching down the side of my seat for a non-existent gearstick.
FINE!
Ultimately, the PlayStation Classic is fine for what it is.
I dunno what people expected, but had they gotten what they thought they expected - Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot et al - I suspect they still wouldn't have been happy. Point is, many, if not most, PlayStation games have not aged well. Whereas the games on the Super NES mini were at the pinnacle of 2D game design, the PlayStation was merely the first base camp on the ascent of Mount Polygon.
Tellingly, the biggest disappointments on the SNES mini are Starfox and Starfox 2, both of which saw Nintendo dipping its pinkie into 3D waters for the first time.
I'm fine with this. The PlayStation Classic offers a snapshot in time. History is rarely all roses and rainbows. There might be the occasional leprechaun with a pot of gold, but leprechauns still need to do their poos somewhere. Assuming that leprechaun digestive systems function the same way as those of other primates. Assuming leprechauns are primates. I digress.
The Classic doesn't distort the picture of the PlayStation by giving everything a HD make-over - FMV is grainy, polygons still wobble - and only featuring 10/10 games. This is a more honest representation of a machine which - as groundbreaking as it was - was never perfect.
We're all going to have different favourite games, we're never going to agree on what should've been on here, but the selection could've been a lot worse. It's a solid, nicely-designed bit of kit, and my only real complaint is the same with all these machines; I'd like them to function more as a general museum-in-a-console. I don't just want to see games on there, but commercials, interviews with the people involved - that sort of thing.
But whatever. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. As you were.
SCORE: 32 bits out of 50 bits.
Ultimately, the PlayStation Classic is fine for what it is.
I dunno what people expected, but had they gotten what they thought they expected - Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot et al - I suspect they still wouldn't have been happy. Point is, many, if not most, PlayStation games have not aged well. Whereas the games on the Super NES mini were at the pinnacle of 2D game design, the PlayStation was merely the first base camp on the ascent of Mount Polygon.
Tellingly, the biggest disappointments on the SNES mini are Starfox and Starfox 2, both of which saw Nintendo dipping its pinkie into 3D waters for the first time.
I'm fine with this. The PlayStation Classic offers a snapshot in time. History is rarely all roses and rainbows. There might be the occasional leprechaun with a pot of gold, but leprechauns still need to do their poos somewhere. Assuming that leprechaun digestive systems function the same way as those of other primates. Assuming leprechauns are primates. I digress.
The Classic doesn't distort the picture of the PlayStation by giving everything a HD make-over - FMV is grainy, polygons still wobble - and only featuring 10/10 games. This is a more honest representation of a machine which - as groundbreaking as it was - was never perfect.
We're all going to have different favourite games, we're never going to agree on what should've been on here, but the selection could've been a lot worse. It's a solid, nicely-designed bit of kit, and my only real complaint is the same with all these machines; I'd like them to function more as a general museum-in-a-console. I don't just want to see games on there, but commercials, interviews with the people involved - that sort of thing.
But whatever. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. As you were.
SCORE: 32 bits out of 50 bits.
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