Sony has just announced that it will be releasing an updated version of PlayStation 1 called PlayStation Classic.
The gaming console will be available for purchase on 3rd December and will cost $99 USD.
Sony has thoughtfully picked the release date. Wondering why? Well, it is the date on which the original Sony PlayStation 1 was released 24 years ago. The console will have 20 classic game titles.
These titles include: Wild Arms, Tekken 3, Final Fantasy 7, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Jumping Flash among others. The announcement was made on Sony’s official blog page.
PlayStation 1 ( a.k.a PS1) was an instant hit for Sony. The Japanese tech giant went on to sell 100 million units across the world, and it was the first console that reached this milestone.
The reason behind Sony’s success was its ability to run games with 3D graphics. It was the first gaming console in history to accomplish this feat.
Sony stated, “Long-time fans will appreciate the nostalgia that comes with rediscovering the games they know and love, while gamers who might be new to the platform can enjoy the groundbreaking PlayStation console experience that started it all.”
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone since Nintendo made a similar move by re-releasing the NES Classic and SNES Classic back at the end of June this year.
For $99 USD, players will get two controllers and the console. The game controllers will be real-size copies of the original PS1 controller. They won’t be DualShock version of the controllers, so they won’t vibrate or have analog sticks.
The controllers will be wired and plug into the USB ports in the same area where the original PlayStation gamepads got attached. Sony even managed to pull off the packaging that was used way back in 1994.
The biggest change from the original PlayStation 1 console will be the 45 percent size reduction. Another change from the original is that players won’t be able to save games on their memory cards anymore.
Instead, all of the progress will be stored on a virtual memory card. The power button will do exactly what the name implies.
The reset button will suspend the game, whereas the open button will change the virtual disc, i.e it will switch the game.
On the back of PlayStation Classic, there are two ports; micro-USB for the power source, and HDMI port for the audio and video. There won’t be any AC adaptor included, so users will need to plug the system into a USB port.
Luckily, all of us who grew up with a PlayStation 1 in their homes will be able to play the games in their original format. New memories will be created and the old ones will be relived.
Let’s just hope that unlike SNES Classic and NES Classic, PlayStation Classic will offer additional games.
In any case, one can look forward to some good nostalgia filled moments ahead.
Fazeel Ashraf
Areen Zahra
