*intro sound*
[huffing in disdain]
[large sigh of discontent]
[box sounds]
[smol huff]
I guess we'd better take a look at it....
[music begins]
Where do I even start with this thing?
We could look at it from a number of angles and go, ooohhh, that's pretty.
It's like a Playstation, but smaller.
We can't actually open the lid, but we already knew that, and it's a shame, as I'd love a
collection of mini-CD based games.
Oh look, the controllers aren't Dual Shock pads.
But to be fair, they have included 2, which is clearly better than one, and also this
is the Playstation controller I remember best.
Back in 1995, we didn't understand the wonders dual analogue sticks could bring.
This is nostalgia.
Some buttons and a D-Pad, marvellous.
Weight wise, it's not far off an original Playstation pad and feels almost as durable.
Although the wire isn't actually that practical - it's quite short, not ideal for couch gaming.
AND.... like all these minis, I hold issue with the pads being the wrong scale as the
console, but I guess IN THAT INSTANCE practicality seems to take precedence.
Talking about scale.
It's roughly to scale with the SNES Mini, although you can see something is amiss when
paired with the NES.
Now we'll just have a bunch of mis-matched consoles to plonk next to each other.
Cheers guys.
At least it works through an HDMI splitter.
So in the future we can all have 60 mini consoles all plugged into the same TV, and only then
realise how much we've been duped.
*PIE SPEAKS* "Guys, I can emulate pretty much everything
you know, with just one HDMI Cable?....
SHUT IT RASPBERRY.
No one likes a smart ass" *PIE STOPS SPEAKING*
Alright, let's get down to business then.
AND TRY AND HACK THIS BASTARD.
Now a couple of lads have been able to find a hidden menu of the underlying PCSX Rearmed
emulator, by simply boshing a keyboard in, and hitting ESC within a game.
Apparently it works with Logitech or Corsair keyboards.
Unfortunately my EasySMX doesn't seem to be compatible.
Ahh, I guess we'll actually have to play this thing instead.
Obviously the controllers plug in using a conventional USB connector.
No proprietary shenanigans here folks.
and the game selection.
Well, it's alright.
It's like the game collection you or I might have had in the 90s.
You know, a range of games, some we picked up cheap, others we really wanted, but a nice
mix, and just nice, something spectacular.
It feels more like Sony are trying to recreate the 90s nostalgia of limited choice, of a
lack of funds, or even your mate Ben's game collection from down the road, who didn't
have the best taste.
I mean, there are some games here I absolutely love, like Grand Theft Auto, but there's nothing
really I see and think, god damn, I really want to play that.
If you want the ultimate Playstation experience then this isn't it.
Look, here's a dump of the firmware on Github, and within this mass of code are actually
the names of various games which were clearly tested for the PS Classic.
We've got;
Tomba Parasite Eve
Tomb Raider Tomb Raider 2
Grand Theft Auto 2 Fighting Force
Driver Toy Story 2
Syphon Filter Gran Turismo
Crash Bandicoot Crash Bandicoot 2
even Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
I'll put a full list below.
But some (even many) of these games you would argue should be included with the PS Classic,
so why aren't they?
Now we could speculate that it's probably due to licensing or localisation issues.
I mean most of the Playstation's titles weren't exactly first party releases.
Maybe it's just because Sony didn't want to damage the sales of modern day remakes.
But it could also be due to poor performance of some titles on the open source emulator
Sony decided to pair this device with.
It seems a strange (and possibly morally dubious) software choice for what could be such a successful
commercial product.
But the more you delve into this thing, the more it feels like, it was kinda rushed and
thrown together.
Possibly to get it in stores before Christmas.
By this point, I'm sure you've both seen & heard of all the issues surrounding this little
device.
Now, you could argue that these things are aimed at the casual retro gamer, who just
wants to plug a system into their HDMI TV and relive the past.
They're not going to care about frame drops, about slightly shoddy emulation or even about
having NTSC titles mixed with PAL variants.
In fact, they probably won't even notice.
They'll be having a whale of a time reliving the mid-90s, while haters hate and critics
critique.
BUT, you can see why people might be upset.
It's not even about the product, it's really about Sony shifting a half arsed device to
their fan base.
It's about breaking a trust which has built up over decades.
Because if anything is going to be scrutinised.
It's a product which is based on the console many people who live and work within gaming
today were brought up on.
It may even be the system which drove them into this line of work.
So you can bet your ass they're going to notice even the smallest difference and then have
their say about it.
I am probably, myself, in a quite a good position to give an impartial verdict on the PS Classic,
mainly because by 1995, my console days were pretty much over.
I'd moved onto PC, and although I played my friend's Playstations, most of the games don't
hold a nostalgic memory for me.
Surely I'm not going to notice if there are glitches or slow downs.
But, I honestly do.
From the moment you power on the console, it feels like you're using emulation.
You can hear sounds cutting off, pops and clicks.
You can see frames stuttering from place to place and emulation issues aside, we also
have those PAL variants, like Grand Theft Auto.
Now, given I'm from the UK, this shouldn't bother me, I'm used to it, and as GTA is actually
a UK developed game, so it's programmed for 50Hz regions well.
But it still feels like you're sloshing a bowl of water about compared to when I've
played it previously.
And the PAL thing is weird, because you'd think, given this console is pushing out a
60Hz display, that the 50Hz PAL issues would be canceled out.
BUT in fact, the software is just emulating a 50Hz machine for the games keyed to that
region, and so instead we get the timing of a 50Hz gaming running through a 60Hz output
and that actually creates more frame rate issues.
A lot of PAL games were actually re-programmed to compensate for the output change, so you
wouldn't notice much difference, but its rare to find a game which fully compensated for
the speed difference, or made use of the increased PAL resolution.
Most were just lazy tweaks, and most of the titles here are an example of that less than
favourable conversion.
Why they chose the PAL versions is odd, but it may be due to those variants having better
localisation options than NTSC versions, thus meaning the PS Classic can be shipped all
over the place without being region sensitive.
What else do we have?
Ahhh yes, I didn't expect the lack of display filters to bother me, but the 720p output
isn't sharp, so you almost want those filters to mask that problem.
I mean if you want a positive, it does a decent job of replicating the a fuzzy 90s RF output
anyway, proving that once again Sony seem to be looking for nostalgia in 90s limitations,
rather than creating that ultimate experience.
But really, I want to see sharp jagged edges.
Jagged enough to rip my face off, and with the setup they've chosen here, you just don't
get that.
It's not all bad.
I mean it's a nice enough menu, replicating the feel of the original system.
It's a nice enough memory card feature for each game.
Nice enough save state option as well.
Nice enough warping textures, just like the original.
and the games, if you can forgive the odd glitch are nice enough too.
I mean, at least Sony didn't kick us completely in the teeth by supplying a load of light
gun games.
Although I would have awarded points for humour in that instance.
If I'm honest, I think the biggest issue with the games is that they're from an era which
just doesn't age as well as the consoles which came before or even after.
This early age of 3D is very much a unique thing, which we only witnessed for a brief
period of time, and actually, they're arguably better to play through an emulator with all
the bells and whistles turned on, to make everything look like our rose tinted brains
remember them.
Actually, ironically, you can make games look superb through the PCSX Emulator, just not
through the Playstation Classic... well, without being hacked anyway.
But it is what is is, and it is Sony's Playstation Classic.
It's got fantastic packaging, which is probably the highlight, and it's a system designed
for the casual user, which would appeal to the casual retro gamer.
In that way, it's very similar to an AT Games Mega Drive Flashback.
In fact, this console feels a lot like a system made by AT Games, just without their logo
anywhere to be seen....
I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing at this point.
For the more serious gamer, well, you've probably already got an original Playstation, or just
a copy of Final Fantasy VII on the PS4, either way, there's no reason to either buy the classic
or moan.
Or buy it and moan, or not buy it and moan.
Unless you feel betrayed by Sony, which I would not blame you in the slightest.
In which case, moan away.
But not like that.
You filthy animal.