Sony has decided to battle the NES Classic with a retro machine of its own. That’s the Sony PlayStation Classic.
Actually, there isn’t only a Nintendo NES in this particular market. There’s also the Super Nintendo classic, as well as an upcoming Sega machine and plenty of reissued old computers. In short, nostalgia is big news in gaming, which also means it is a very profitable area too.
The Sony PlayStation is perhaps the most recent console to return. I still have mine and still think of it as a recent purchase. But the original PlayStation actually dates back to 1994. That’s actually 24 years ago, which is why this machine now passes for retro.
The new version isn’t a direct copy. Like those other nostalgia reissues, the PlayStation Classic is a smaller, almost hand-sized machine and one that doesn’t take your original discs. 45 per cent smaller in fact and with HDMI connectivity as well as two wired controllers.
So no option for discs, but this mini console does come with 20 classic built-in. So you just plug it in, choose your game and start hitting the buttons.
Which games? Well, the likes of Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash!, Tekken 3 R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 and Wild Arms for example. Sony is still being a little non-committal over the full line-up, but at least some of your favourites are likely to be there,
All of that comes wrapped in packaging very much of the period and with the instruction manual and cables to get you started.
It comes out on 3rd December and like this Nintendo machines, is almost certainly going to be hard to get hold of nearer that time. But you can pre-order at some retailers now, which are listed below. The price is £89.99.
Pre-order Sony PlayStation Classic at Amazon