Get it while it lasts: Sony's disgraced PlayStation Classic is just $29.99

[Shawn Knight]

Bottom line: A miniature PlayStation console seemed like a great idea but Sony bungled the launch with a high price tag and a questionable collection of games. Despite multiple price cuts, retailers can't clear out inventory fast enough. Their loss is your gain!

Sony shot for the moon with its PlayStation Classic, aiming to capitalize on the mini console craze Nintendo created with its NES Classic and SNES Classic. The Japanese gaming giant hoped to convince retro gamers to shell out $99.99 for the trip down memory lane.

Some did but others waited until the system dropped to a more reasonable $59.99 before pulling the trigger. Those who exhibited even more patience were able to score the miniature PlayStation for just $39.99.

Now, it’s down to only $29.99. At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “How much lower can it go?”

If I had to guess, I’d say this is likely rock bottom. Sony is almost certainly taking a loss at this point and retailers clearly want to get rid of excess inventory.

And make no mistake – at $29.99, the PlayStation Classic is a great deal. The console is not without its faults – for example, the game selection could be better and performance in some titles is questionable but in terms of build quality, aesthetics and fun factor, the PS Classic is a win. Plus, if you’re willing to mod the console using BleemSync, there’s a load more potential to unlock.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80418-get-while-lasts-sony-disgraced-playstation-classic-2999.html

 

[stewi0001]

Hmmmm tempting...

 

[Squid Surprise]

Still prefer my ACTUAL PS1.... CD's don't degrade like cartridges do, so there's no real need to replace it... Plus, it plays EVERY PS1 game... as it should...

 

[QuantumPhysics]

No reason you can't buy this as a gift for someone who doesn't know better.

I bought the NES, SNES and Playstation classic last year for myself and as gifts.

 

[ckm88]

I just bought it lol. So cheap now and I can easily play this casually before bed and in bed at night.

 

[Vulcanproject]

The emulators that run on a modern phone offer way superior gameplay

The hardware and emulation was bungled. Just not enough care taken with this product. It could have been amazing.

They could have included enough muscle to push games in higher resolutions, with texture smoothing and the kind of enhancements modern emulators can do. 1024 x 768 perhaps, up from commonly 340 x 240.

Tweaked each game by hand a little to run better. Included wifi and a store to possibly move compatible games to it or at least download new ones if they add them gradually. Et voila- you have a fantastic little machine easily worth $100.

Instead they knock out this garbage and I can't even justify $30 for it. Maybe only as a little display model, not to actually play the games on it....

 

[ckm88]

The emulators that run on a modern phone offer way superior gameplay

The hardware and emulation was bungled. Just not enough care taken with this product. It could have been amazing.

They could have included enough muscle to push games in higher resolutions, with texture smoothing and the kind of enhancements modern emulators can do. 1024 x 768 perhaps, up from commonly 340 x 240.

Tweaked each game by hand a little to run better. Included wifi and a store to possibly move compatible games to it or at least download new ones if they add them gradually. Et voila- you have a fantastic little machine easily worth $100.

Instead they knock out this garbage and I can't even justify $30 for it. Maybe only as a little display model, not to actually play the games on it....

This justified it for me.
https://www.androidcentral.com/how-add-games-playstation-classic

 

[stewi0001]

Still prefer my ACTUAL PS1.... CD's don't degrade like cartridges do, so there's no real need to replace it... Plus, it plays EVERY PS1 game... as it should...

Although, CDs can get scratched easily which may ruin them. ;P

 

[Catweazle]

CD's don't degrade like cartridges do, so there's no real need to replace it...

That's totally backwards. CDs are fragile and get scratched up easily or suffer from disc rot. Cartridges on the other hand are pretty much indestructible. I have 200 Atari 2600 game cartridges and every one of them still works after 40 years. All my NES, SNES, Genesis, and other cartridges all work fine too. I've never seen a cartridge go bad.

Another issue is not with CDs themselves but the lasers in the console which wear out and die over time. That said I definitely agree that having a real PS1 or any original console is far preferable to one of these emulator boxes. If I wanted to play emulated games I'd just do it on a Raspberry Pi or something similar for free.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

The emulators that run on a modern phone offer way superior gameplay

The hardware and emulation was bungled. Just not enough care taken with this product. It could have been amazing.

They could have included enough muscle to push games in higher resolutions, with texture smoothing and the kind of enhancements modern emulators can do. 1024 x 768 perhaps, up from commonly 340 x 240.

Tweaked each game by hand a little to run better. Included wifi and a store to possibly move compatible games to it or at least download new ones if they add them gradually. Et voila- you have a fantastic little machine easily worth $100.

Instead they knock out this garbage and I can't even justify $30 for it. Maybe only as a little display model, not to actually play the games on it....

#1 Why would they include games that absolutely relied on Dual Shock controllers when they didn't include a Dual Shock Controller???

#2 Why weren't there more launch titles and early titles like Warhawk, Bushido Blade, Loaded, Twisted Metal I and II, etc???

Nothing but a missed opportunity.

Thing is, I kept my Playstation and I'd never really want to play it anymore cause the graphics aged terribly. Polygons are horrid compared to sprites.

this thing was so bad, it's not even a good novelty.

 

[Squid Surprise]

That's totally backwards. CDs are fragile and get scratched up easily or suffer from disc rot. Cartridges on the other hand are pretty much indestructible. I have 200 Atari 2600 game cartridges and every one of them still works after 40 years. All my NES, SNES, Genesis, and other cartridges all work fine too. I've never seen a cartridge go bad.

Another issue is not with CDs themselves but the lasers in the console which wear out and die over time. That said I definitely agree that having a real PS1 or any original console is far preferable to one of these emulator boxes. If I wanted to play emulated games I'd just do it on a Raspberry Pi or something similar for free.

Not sure how you're storing your CDs... but provided they're in cases, they should be fine after decades... cartridges, on the other hand get dusty... and they die - my NES is far more finicky than my PS1 and 2....

 

[Catweazle]

Not sure how you're storing your CDs... but provided they're in cases, they should be fine after decades... cartridges, on the other hand get dusty... and they die - my NES is far more finicky than my PS1 and 2....

That's not a problem with cartridges, the original NES model had a design flaw. The ZIF cartridge connector and toaster design eventually bends the spring connectors and causes connection problems. The top loader model fixed the problem, and cartridges don't get dusty if they are stored properly (and are easily cleaned anyway). Dust doesn't kill them.

 

[bobeck]

Some of these are tempting for the aesthetic of the look of the original console setup but I went the Nvidia shield route last year and am happy with that. the otg methods of adding games to the current round of "classics" is quite nice tho I'll admit

 

[bluemetal04]

Still prefer my ACTUAL PS1.... CD's don't degrade like cartridges do, so there's no real need to replace it... Plus, it plays EVERY PS1 game... as it should...

I don't know about that. CDs can have a disc rot problem and is easily scratched. I seen so many Dreamcast discs with disc rot, it's a real problem.

 

[ghostf1re]

I'm sorry, but I can't justify owning any of these mini consoles. They're all a rip off. Every single one of these games can be emulated on these systems for the cool cost of nothing on a PC. These are just gimicky products and Sony proved it.