Hardware Review: PlayStation Classic

Sony’s contribution to the retro console release fad, popularised by Nintendo’s mini versions of the NES and SNES, was what appears to be a loving tribute to the original hardware. As the gallery below shows the PlayStation has been recreated to the smallest detail. What fun the factory must have had reproducing the original controllers precisely (but for the USB connectors).

Under the hood, according to the excellent teardown at Eurogamer/Digital Foundry, the Classic blows away its source material with a quad-core ARM Cortex A35 running at 1.5GHz paired with an integrated PowerVR GE8300 GPU and 1GB of DDR3 memory. This is significantly more powerful than comparable mini-systems, so Sony has won the Mini-Console Wars on stats.

Though despite the hardware which includes two full-size controllers (albeit digital control input versus analog), the disappointment begins with a lineup of games that is equal parts puzzling and poor. A disappointment that is compounded when you realize that 6 of the 20 games are the PAL versions, meaning they run noticeably slower than the Japanese or US versions. These were most likely chosen for their inclusion of the diverse language packs needed for European audiences. But why then not choose PAL versions for the other games where available? A better question for Sony would be, “After having gone to such great lengths to perfect the hardware, why not release a PAL and separate NTSC version of the console?” Expedience and commercial reasons no doubt, but those choices compromise a software offering that is already questionable enough.

Included in the $100 USD launch price were:

• Battle Arena Toshinden

• Cool Boarders 2

• Destruction Derby

• Final Fantasy 7

• Grand Theft Auto

• Intelligent Qube

• Jumping Flash

• Metal Gear Solid

• Mr Driller

• Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

• Rayman

• Resident Evil Director's Cut

• Revelations: Persona

• R4 Ridge Racer Type 4

• Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo

• Syphon Filter

• Tekken 3

• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

• Twisted Metal

• Wild Arms

Taste in games is very personal, so it’s with some humility that I’ll support about 6 of these, but for the most part, these games fall into the “interesting curiosity” section of the Playstation library. For the price, this list of games just does not stack up as great value. Could Sony have sold “expansion packs” USB sticks that look like Memory cards that could have added additional games? Absolutely the system supports such a concept, indeed the PlayStation Classic has two USB ports for its controller and is powered by USB as well, meaning that there are after-market options that enable the play of almost any PlayStation game available from your legally created backup of the original ROM.

The games that are in the collection do look and sound authentic to the 1990’s experience. However, a scanline filter option would have been welcome as some games look a little too clear when playing on a large TV.

In games that require timing, I’ve also noticed a fair amount of intolerable lag. This may be due to the HDMI, I don’t know or care why it happens, but again it contributes to an experience that is so much poorer than it need have been.

The Playstation Classic, as sold and without modification is a gravely disappointing experience with a bi-polar commitment to excellence with the hardware, combined with a complete lack of care to the software selection that results in poor performance. Unless you are a hobbyist with ambitions to enhance the available library, with a passion for the original PlayStation (and a tolerance for lag) this is not a recommended purchase. All 5 of the awarded points are for the hardware.

5/10

- Phil Fogg