Playstation Classic coming December 2018

[adder]

https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/09/18/introducing-playstation-classic-with-20-pre-loaded-games/

[jdbailey1206]

I'm glad I kept all my consoles....

[05SRT4]

Cant wait for a mini dreamcast.

[wp34]

Cant wait for a mini dreamcast.

Ooh.  That would be nice.   

[Howard_Casto]

This one doesn't make sense to me.  Nintendo games are expensive and hard to get ahold of legally, but Sony has been virtually giving their crap away for years.  You could buy this for 100 or just get a pstv, which will let you download all of the games and psp games, and vita games.

I think this is another one of those old "Let's see what Nintendo is doing and blatantly copy it, regardless of if it makes sense for our customers" moves that Sony tends to do from time to time. 

[pbj]

Meh.

What else has Sony copied?  The Move controllers?  Those were in development before the Nintendo waggle wands came out.

[opt2not]

I'm glad I kept all my consoles....

Me too, and yet, I still buy these things.  I think I'm just a sucker for the mini shells!

[Howard_Casto]

Meh.

What else has Sony copied?  The Move controllers?  Those were in development before the Nintendo waggle wands came out.

The layout of the snes gamepad, rumble in game controllers, the analog thumbstick, shoulder buttons, smash bros., the move controllers..... ect and that's just off the top of my head.  Sony's go to move has always been to see what Nintendo does, copy it and add another one.  The move controllers weren't in development before the wiimotes... you can tell by that ceo of sony making fun of the wiimotes look, calling them a "lollipop" prior to releasing the move controllers about a year later.  Now why would he do that if they had a controller that literally looked like a lollipop in development?


You can like Sony, that's cool, but they couldn't have an original idea to save their lives. 

[Haze]

All the motion controller stuff was basically copied from the various TV games anyway, there are absolutely stacks of patents on it that predate the Wii, that presumably all the companies had to license.

None of it is actually any better than the tech used by said TV games either, just higher budget games with a higher spec base system.

[javeryh]

Is anyone even nostalgic for the PSX?  Are there any games that would even hold up other than Symphony of the Night and one or two others?  FFVII is nice I guess but who has time for a 40 hour RPG these days (that we've all played)?

[opt2not]

Is anyone even nostalgic for the PSX?  Are there any games that would even hold up other than Symphony of the Night and one or two others?  FFVII is nice I guess but who has time for a 40 hour RPG these days (that we've all played)?

I am! 

But, I'm definitely getting FF7 on Switch when it's out, and since I've logged about 100 hours into Octopath Traveler and am about 80% through, replaying FF7 is nothing by today's RPG playtime standards. For me, the story still holds up, and the Material system is still one of my favourite out of the series.

SOTN is a given, but there are still a lot of great games on that system that I'd replay again:
- Einhander
- Gradius Gaiden
- R-Type Delta
- Ehrgeiz
- Bushido Blade 1 & 2
- Metal Gear Solid
- Xenogears
- FF9 (this and FF7 are the only ones from the series I care about)
- Chrono Cross (never ported)
- PaRappa the Rapper
- the Wipeout series
- Valkyrie Profile
- Tomba! & Tomba! 2
- Tobal No. 1 and 2 (one of the most deepest 3D fighting games ever made)
- Harmful Park (japanese exclusive, in the vain of the parodius series)
- A slew of Japanese shmup ports like Donpachi and Dodonpachi
- Star Ocean: The Second Story
- Alundra 1 and 2


There still a lot of games worth playing on the PSX!

[javeryh]

Einhander, PaRappa and possibly Metal Gear Solid were the other games I was thinking of.  I honestly never played most of those RPGs outside of Final Fantasy.  Just never had the time for it although I'm sure there are some great games listed.  I'm probably going to pick this up just because but I'm not that excited about it haha.

[jdbailey1206]

I'm glad I kept all my consoles....

Me too, and yet, I still buy these things.  I think I'm just a sucker for the mini shells!

 

With todays technology you can easily put all the gaming consoles you like on any varying hardware.  You don't need a mini this and a mini that.  I saw a review for on youtube by ETA Prime for the Azulle Access 3 Windows 10 stick which does an excellent job of emulating N64 and Gamecube.  I guess for me this was where I stopped playing console games.  We are going to get to the point where technology now will encompass all gaming technology from back then and we can collectively create a single small gaming rig to our own personal tastes.

[adder]

..don't forget Pepsi Man 

[Osirus23]

You could buy this for 100 or just get a pstv, which will let you download all of the games and psp games, and vita games.

Or just spend $35 on a Raspberry Pi!

hurr hurr hurr

hurr hurr hurr

[pbj]

Problem with a PS1 mini is Sony's been steadily flooding the market with these games and backwards compatibility for years.  The controllers have simply been minor revisions, and it's easy to hook the systems up to an LCD.  A lot of the games are on other systems, too.  This isn't like the SNES classic where your only other option was to buy a dirty system, $30 loose cartridge, and use blown out controllers with an end result that looks bad on your flatscreen...

Dreamcast or Saturn would be a lot more personally interesting though I appreciate I'm in an extreme minority.

[Osirus23]

"USB AC adapter NOT included."

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, it really is just like a Pi!

[Howard_Casto]

Problem with a PS1 mini is Sony's been steadily flooding the market with these games and backwards compatibility for years.  The controllers have simply been minor revisions, and it's easy to hook the systems up to an LCD.  A lot of the games are on other systems, too.  This isn't like the SNES classic where your only other option was to buy a dirty system, $30 loose cartridge, and use blown out controllers with an end result that looks bad on your flatscreen...

Dreamcast or Saturn would be a lot more personally interesting though I appreciate I'm in an extreme minority.

See we are on the same page.  You literally just stated my sentiment almost word for word. 

People get on Nintendo for not pimping out all their old games all the time and I can certainly understand the frustration, but from a business point it makes perfect sense.  The reason the NES/SNES classic sold so well is because they guard those old properties so closely.  You compare that to Sega's recent hdmi console attempt and it isn't even in the same league.  The reason is Sega has released at least one classic's disc on every console since the dreamcast and you can currently buy their games off of steam for pennies on the dollar.  Sony isn't that bad yet, but they have steadily released their games and most psx classics are already on their online marketplace. 

That price point is kind of high as well.  Nintendo pretty much pushed the price to the max with the snes classic at 80 bucks and I know for a lot of people that was a no-go until they announced star fox 2 would be included.  Snes carts are still expensive, as is the e-shop, so it made sense though.

Also there's the fact that Nintendo games hold up well while Sony games just don't imho.  Sure there are some third party games on the psx that are all time classics, but they've all been remastered and ported to newer consoles at this point.  I've been feverishly burning through the sony library, trying to see how the other side lived, and except for some killer titles from Konami and Capcom, I haven't found a lot that will hold my nostalgia-free attention. 

[opt2not]

A lot of the games are on other systems, too. 

Dreamcast or Saturn would be a lot more personally interesting though I appreciate I'm in an extreme minority.

Uhmm...a large portion of the Dreamcast games can also be played on other (modern) systems as well.  Just look at all the available DC games on PC, XBLA, PS2 (PS2 though maybe not that modern, you can still easily buy these without having to go down the dirty system loose cartridge path).

And if you're all bent-up on the price of the PS1 mini, you think a DC mini will be cheaper?  DC emulation requires a bit more powerful hardware than PS1 emulation, so be prepare to shell over $100 for that mini if it ever sees the light of day.

[nitrogen_widget]

"USB AC adapter NOT included."

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, it really is just like a Pi!

It's a mini usb adaptor.
Probably an arm board like the mini NES and SNES.

[Osirus23]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

[nitrogen_widget]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

[jdbailey1206]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

Word.  It shows it right on the box.

[Osirus23]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

And that has what to do with selling controllers separately.

[pbj]

Sure is a lot of salt in this thread.

It's very weird to see our hobby go so mainstream.  Between these minis and the Arcade 1Up things....

 

[Haze]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

Depends if they're really first party I guess.  Possible it's just made under license.

One of the reasons they might have gone for non-dualshock is because all the 3rd party dualshock stuff is terrible, and if they're using a 3rd party it would make more sense to drop it.

[Osirus23]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

Depends if they're really first party I guess.  Possible it's just made under license.

One of the reasons they might have gone for non-dualshock is because all the 3rd party dualshock stuff is terrible, and if they're using a 3rd party it would make more sense to drop it.

For $100 they better not be farming these out to some Hyperkin-esque ---smurfy--- manufacturer.

[Slippyblade]

There is literally no way I'm paying $100 for 20 retro games.

[JDFan]

There is literally no way I'm paying $100 for 20 retro games.

You're not paying $100 for 20 games - you are also getting 2 USB controllers ( say $10 - $15 each) - A usb cable ($5) an HDMI cable($5) and a Playstation case ( $20 - $25 (figure people pay this for a NES or SNES Rpi Case)) - so that's about half of your $100 there so your paying about $2.50 per game which isn't too bad ! ( though I agree it is bit over priced and the $60 - $80 price point would be better at least they are releasing a group of the older games - the more options that are out there to play these games the better.) 

[jdbailey1206]

From what I have read the only downfall I see in this is the fact that you have to hit the reset button to cycle through games.  If ---my bottom--- is sitting down to play games that's what it is doing.  I get that if you had a regular PSX you would have to get up to change games but one of the nice things I enjoy with my RPI (DUN DUN DUN) is the fact that I can sit on my couch and relax and not have to get up.

[Osirus23]

You're not paying $100 for 20 games - you are also getting 2 USB controllers ( say $10 - $15 each)

Man if these are legit Sony-quality controllers and they go for that price I'll buy a case of them.

[Howard_Casto]

Why?  They aren't dual shock so that's a huge con.  I can buy a used og psx gamepad from gamestop for 3 bucks right now.... if it goes bad I can buy 3 more before meeting the typical price of a usb gamepad.  Also, if it's for emulation why wouldn't you just used a ps2, ps3 or ps4 gamepad?  The layout is virtually identical... this isn't like Nintendo where they radically change the shape of the controllers with each console or the sega consoles where they no longer produce a gamepad with that layout. 

Speaking of the controller, the fact that it isn't a dual shock means none of the other 15 games aren't going to use analog control, meaning racers that are actually good are out of the equation.  If this were a $60 console I'd say that was fine, but considering it's $100 they seem to really be going the cheap route. 

[Osirus23]

Why?  They aren't dual shock so that's a huge con.

I'll buy even more of them now since it apparently bothers you so much.

[nitrogen_widget]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

And that has what to do with selling controllers separately.

Well, if it comes with two controllers (non rumble) it stands to reason they won't sell them separately (except maybe as a replacement) because you only need two.

[Osirus23]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

And that has what to do with selling controllers separately.

Well, if it comes with two controllers (non rumble) it stands to reason they won't sell them separately (except maybe as a replacement) because you only need two.

That would be disappointing.

[nitrogen_widget]

I just hope they sell controller separately. I'm always down for new-production, first-party controllers. Especially since these look like ordinary USB connections.

I read it came with two controllers.

And that has what to do with selling controllers separately.

Well, if it comes with two controllers (non rumble) it stands to reason they won't sell them separately (except maybe as a replacement) because you only need two.

That would be disappointing.

Actually, if you look closely at the pictures and video's it looks like a standard psone controller port on the front.
Not usb.

[JDFan]

Actually, if you look closely at the pictures and video's it looks like a standard psone controller port on the front.
Not usb.

Nope - it's USB - THink they just placed a cover over it like the SNES classic has

Attached is a better photo with the cover removed or hidden (not sure if it retracts or is removed ! ) and also a pic of it with the cover in place .

[Osirus23]

May sucker up and buy one anyway. I've always loved the design of the OG PlayStation.

[Howard_Casto]

You can buy what you want man, I just can't think of anyone that actually liked the design of the psx gamepad over better digital pad designs like the Snes or Saturn and getting a usb gamepad shaped like a psx gamepad is already fairly easy to come by so I don't understand the appeal. 


I realize I'm being pretty hard on this thing, but it's $100, which is decidedly above the impulse buy price point imho and really pretty steep considering they were too cheap to include dual shocks and a power adapter.  I'll complain less if/when they lower the price. 

I will say that, judging by the pics we have so far, it appears to be a high quality product like the snes classic and not cheap junk like the latest at@games attempt for the genesis.

[Osirus23]

For starters I don't want a ---smurfy--- dualshock pad with the poorly-placed analog sticks. I want the original PlayStation design for playing PlayStation games.

[smass]

I would impulse buy this at the $59 price point, at $100 I will wait a bit...

[JDFan]

I would impulse buy this at the $59 price point, at $100 I will wait a bit...

THat's pretty much the reason Nintendo did so well with the NES and then it continued with the SNES - the $59 price on the NES was perfect price point for an impulse buy or as a last minute xmas gift for co-worker, relative, child, friend -- then they followed it up the next year with a $79 model with a few improvements ( I personally think they could have done $65 and sold the second controller for $15 and sold even more of them since even more people would impulse buy it at $65 rather than $80 ) - Once you get to that $100 price point I think more people think of it as a larger purchase rather than an impulse buy ( but then again a lot of people were willing to pay the $200 price to the scalpers in the secondary market for the NES so who knows ! )

If it winds up being able to be Modded to add the games you really want instead of their list ( or if they get the list right) I'll probably wind up buying one but will wait and see if it is mod-able and ensure that they make them with decent quality controllers before making the purchase.

[Osirus23]

Agree. $100 pushes it too far out of "stocking-stuffer" territory.

[bigster]

I think we have to wait to see the games and video mode.  Without video filters, some games are going to look like bad polygon games.   They can find 20 that look good.  Mk trilogy might be a good one to include since it will look fine and has not been released in the mk arcade series.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Locke141]

It's about the same price as a PSIO. 

I have a PSIO in the mail, an OSSC, and two original Play stations so I'll pass.

BTW, I'm currently playing FF7 on my iPhone.

[Haze]

Well yeah, one problem it faces is that most people acknowledge that early 3D has aged a lot worse than anything from the 2D era.

Even if you're upscaling and uprendering etc. it tends to look rather bad and that often gets combined with poor framerates.  Nobody quite knew how to do 3D controls back then either (look at the original Tomb Raider) so an awful lot of games have control setups that just feel awkward or alien to players today.

Outside of Japan it was also an era where we saw very few 2D games, due to policy (not wanting to look like the older 16-bit systems) or whatever else, so the selection of 2D games, which could have been of exceptional quality, is instead very limited too.

A lot of memorable titles were 3rd party, from studios that are no longer around or where the IP rights to those games are kinda in limbo, while others have already had HD remakes (Crash, Spryo soon) which means even the better 3D games of the era aren't that interesting anymore.  There's not even much nostalgic value in things like the original Gran Turismo outside of maybe the licensed soundtrack, and it tends to be the soundtrack that gets cut on these re-released systems.

So it will be kinda interesting to see the reception to this.  The bonafide timeless classics of things like the NES and SNES just don't exist in the same way.

The NES / SNES ones did set the bar really, really low in terms of quality of product, so maybe that's where Sony can win here.  The overall quality on the NES / SNES ones didn't matter so much to people, I'm guessing for similar reasons to why it's difficult to convince people of genuine improvements we make in MAME; most people are just playing them for 5-10 minutes at a time as a novelty / gimmick and don't appear to care that the versions they're using have glaring errors and are generally a bit garbage.  That style of gameplay is less suited to longer games, for which the Playstation was more known, so it's more important that the actual hardware (and emulation) is of a better quality.  That might explain the higher price point.

With the PS2 library instead there's a massive collection of games that still hold up pretty well as there was just about the right balance of system power and creativity to actually pull off high quality games in 3D, but as we've seen, emulation of the PS2 is notoriously difficult, there are problems with the emulators on the PC, so short of relaunching the original hardware there (much as was in the first gen PS3s) I guess we're not going to see a PS2 mini any time soon.  I was playing the original Tak game on an actual PS2 earlier this week and it holds up so well it puts almost my entire PS3/4 collection to shame.

[Grasshopper]

... one problem it faces is that most people acknowledge that early 3D has aged a lot worse than anything from the 2D era.

That's my main concern as well, although the high price would come a very close second.

If Sony opts to emulate the games in a conventional manner, then I'll probably pass. I can't really justify paying £90 when I can achieve a similar result on my Raspberry Pi, or play newer better versions of the same games on my PC.

However, as Sony owns the source code, they do have the option of porting the games instead. It wouldn't be that difficult. By the time we get to the PS1, most games are being written in C/C++, with only a little assembler for the speed critical parts of the code.

If they've chosen to port the games, then they could, in principle, provide an option to play the games in a graphically enhanced mode with a higher resolution, better frame rate, more detailed texturing, etc.  If they've done that (and I'll admit it's a pretty big if) then the console might just be worth the £90 they're charging for it.

[Mike A]

They are not going to port the games. That would cost more money. 95 percent of the people buying these things are not going to care at all about enhanced graphics or better frame rate.

Hell, most of the people on this forum don't even care that much about playability. They shove the cheapest controls they can find into a pre-fab bartop. They top it off with a Pi running an old version of MAME, and a cheap LCD monitor. What does that tell you about how much the general public will care?

[Locke141]

Well yeah, one problem it faces is that most people acknowledge that early 3D has aged a lot worse than anything from the 2D era.

I loved my original playstation and the nostalgia is the big hug. The Saturn holds up way better with all it's 2D gems.

[jdbailey1206]

To be fair I think Sony is trying to stay true to what the Playstation was when it was first released in December of '94.  When the Playstation came out it only had directional pads.  Sony did not put out an analog controller and a dual shock analog controller until April '97 and December '97 respectively. 

In my opinion it would be nice to see these gaming companies stop spending money on re-releasing miniatures of discontinued gaming consoles that can be picked up on fleabay for next to nothing and work more on backwards capabilities or re-releasing old games on their next gen consoles much like Nintendo has done with Nintendo Switch Online.  But releasing these miniature consoles is how they make money.  Just my opinion.

[Malenko]

You can buy what you want man, I just can't think of anyone that actually liked the design of the psx gamepad over better digital pad designs like the Snes or Saturn and getting a usb gamepad shaped like a psx gamepad is already fairly easy to come by so I don't understand the appeal. 


I realize I'm being pretty hard on this thing, but it's $100, which is decidedly above the impulse buy price point imho and really pretty steep considering they were too cheap to include dual shocks and a power adapter.  I'll complain less if/when they lower the price.

My SNES Classic already plays almost all the PSX games I wanna play. Some like SotN cant be played without either using a different controller or remapping buttons on demand. I like the PSX controller over the Saturn one. 

$100 isn't that much higher than the $80 MiniSNES price point. I can understand the higher cost if they have to have more storage for the CD based games and licensing fees for 3rd party games (that's where the SNES has the advantage , so many great 1st party titles). The game list will determine if I pick one up or not.


Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Jumping Flash! and Wild Arms have all been confirmed.
So let's speculate what else is going to be on there!

Street Fighter Alpha (hopefully SFA3)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy (dunno if its going to be a one or the other with capcom/midway)
Jet Moto
Twisted Metal (probably TM2)
Ace Combat (Probably 3)
Battle Arena Toshinden
Syphon Filter
Destruction Derby
Crash Bandicoot
Cool Borders
Gran Turismo
Spyro the Dragon
Tony Hawk (prefer 2 or 3)
Symphony of the Night

My want but not likely list is:
Tenchu
Einhander
Final Fantasy Tactics
R Type Delta
Legacy of Kain
Metal Gear Solid
Suikoden
Super Puzzle Fighter X Turbo

Dont want:
WipeOut
Resident Evil
Dead or Alive
Tomb Raider


As for backward compatibility, Sony was the real leader with that back in the day. You can play PSX games natively on both PS2 and PS3. PS3s at first could play PS2 games but Sony killed that to save money.Dunno why they stopped backward compatibility with the PS4. Microsoft did a commendable job getting 360 games running on the XB1.  Nintendo defintiely did well with selling emulated games, especially for non nintendo systems.

[jdbailey1206]

Dont want:
Resident Evil
Tomb Raider

JK.  This is why these consoles need to have game customization.  You are pigeon holed into paying for 18 games when you only want two. 

If I had to choose what games came on mine it would have to be the following:

Grand Theft Auto II

Tomb Raider

Dark Forces

Crash Bandicoot

Nightmare Creatures

Odd World

Parappa The Rapper

RE1

RE2

Ridge Racer

Evil Dead Hail to the King

[SNAAKE]

might get it..just for the shell lol

sega would make a killing if they released dreamcast mini with 1080p or something

[nitrogen_widget]

I would impulse buy this at the $59 price point, at $100 I will wait a bit...

THat's pretty much the reason Nintendo did so well with the NES and then it continued with the SNES - the $59 price on the NES was perfect price point for an impulse buy or as a last minute xmas gift for co-worker, relative, child, friend -- then they followed it up the next year with a $79 model with a few improvements ( I personally think they could have done $65 and sold the second controller for $15 and sold even more of them since even more people would impulse buy it at $65 rather than $80 ) - Once you get to that $100 price point I think more people think of it as a larger purchase rather than an impulse buy ( but then again a lot of people were willing to pay the $200 price to the scalpers in the secondary market for the NES so who knows ! )

If it winds up being able to be Modded to add the games you really want instead of their list ( or if they get the list right) I'll probably wind up buying one but will wait and see if it is mod-able and ensure that they make them with decent quality controllers before making the purchase.

since it is most likely an arm board with an emulator i'm guessing someone will figure out a way to add more games.
Probably need extra storage though.
PSONE images are a bit larger than SNES roms.

[nitrogen_widget]

playing with psone emulator on my core2duo and yeah i gotta use some scaling to make the games not look horrible on an LCD.

[Osirus23]

Teh gaemes:

Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash
Metal Gear Solid
Mr Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Rayman
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Ridge Racer Type 4
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms

https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/10/29/announcing-playstation-classics-full-lineup-of-20-games/

[pbj]

That's a solid list.

[Malenko]

Teh gaemes:

Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash
Metal Gear Solid
Mr Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Rayman
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Ridge Racer Type 4
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms

For the most part, NAILED IT guessed 8 games our of the remaining 16.
Shocked there's no Ace Combat, Tomb Raider, or WipeOut games. Inelligence Qube is not demanding and takes up 3MBs so I should have guessed that one.

[Howard_Casto]

I dunno, I don't think they did.  For a few of the games in the list, there were sequels also released on the psx that were far superior to the original.  Twisted Metal comes to mind as the first game is just awful.  Then again there are only four games on the whole list I actually like, so maybe I'm not the one to say.  It really needs more fighters and survival horror though.

[opt2not]

Teh gaemes:

Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash
Metal Gear Solid
Mr Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Rayman
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Ridge Racer Type 4
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms

https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/10/29/announcing-playstation-classics-full-lineup-of-20-games/

I dig this list.  I hope they're using the dialogue from the PC version for FFVII, rather than the original PSX release.

[opt2not]

 

https://twitter.com/rdbaaa/status/1056983254757187585

[pbj]

"The magazines said to buy it" is 100% dead on.  Nobody actually liked Battle Arena Toshinden.

[Howard_Casto]

It is pretty bad... it's like tekken 3, only more terrible in every aspect. 

[Malenko]

I dunno, I don't think they did.

I meant I nailed it , not they nailed it.

[Howard_Casto]

Ahh ok.  I pretty much expected Tomb Raider and Crash to be absent btw, because those franchises are actually still viable and I get the feeling that Sony is too cheap to put any real money into this thing.... I mean they couldn't even include dual shocks.  That might be the same reason that the better Capcom games aren't included as well. 

[jdbailey1206]

To be fair I think Sony is trying to stay true to what the Playstation was when it was first released in December of '94.  When the Playstation came out it only had directional pads.  Sony did not put out an analog controller and a dual shock analog controller until April '97 and December '97 respectively. 

I must be on Howards block list.

[Howard_Casto]

Your not on my block list, I just ignore hem haw excuses for a company being cheap.  They barely changed their controller designs prior to the ps4, so they probably have a warehouse full of the parts somewhere... they'd just have to remake/reissue the shell.  If you want to stay true to what the psx was in 94 then you'd only include launch titles. 

I would be fine with it except for the fact that the psx had some great racing titles that can't be played properly without a dual shock.  To respond further the snes classic was 80 bucks, but it came with an unreleased game.  That's worth about 10 bucks to me and I think that is reasonable...… Therefore 70 bucks is really the limit unless you decide to include something new. 


If you don't feel that way that's cool, but I don't see how quoting a post I already read is going to change anything.  I still think they are cheaping out and I'll continue to respond to that effect. 


Maybe when they actually show the thing in action my mind will change... it certainly did with the nes/snes classic.  Will it be god awful like the atgames interfaces, decent like the neogeo mini, or great like the Nintendo ones.  That makes a big difference. 

[Osirus23]

The dual shock was a ---smurfy--- design and I'm glad we're finally getting the original PSX controllers in production again to play original PSX games.

[Howard_Casto]

Oh don't get me wrong, I hate the dual shocks as well... it's the main reason I've been team xbox all of these years, but by the time the psx's lifespan was underway everybody had them.  To me no dual shocks with the psx is like no 6 button controllers with the genesis... yes there are tons of three button only games, but you are screwed if you like fighters.  Similarly you are screwed on the psx if you like racers. 

[pbj]

I think they knocked it out of the park with the Dual Shock 4s.  I'm not crazy about previous iterations.

 

[nitrogen_widget]

It's about the same price as a PSIO. 

I have a PSIO in the mail, an OSSC, and two original Play stations so I'll pass.

BTW, I'm currently playing FF7 on my iPhone.

That's an option.
Twice as expensive but probably look better all around.
I have CRT's though so don't need a scaler.

[pbj]

Looking at those PSIOs... I swear something similar existed 20 years ago.  Maybe you rigged it to the parallel port on your PC?  Or maybe it was just for ripping games....

[Osirus23]

I think they knocked it out of the park with the Dual Shock 4s.  I'm not crazy about previous iterations.

 

The DS4s aren't bad. I can actually hold them in my hands comfortably.

With the previous 3 DualShocks the edge of the analog stick housing would dig into the sides of my middle fingers since the analog sticks were literally tacked on to an existing design as an afterthought.

[Howard_Casto]

Looking at those PSIOs... I swear something similar existed 20 years ago.  Maybe you rigged it to the parallel port on your PC?  Or maybe it was just for ripping games....

Yeah that's a parallel port on the first iterations of the psx so I'm sure they did some crazy things with it back in the day.  I know there were game sharks and Gameboy adapters that used it. 

[Howard_Casto]

So some of the game news outlets are getting their hands on the psx classic and the reviews are not great.  No music or clever theming of the menu.  No screen filters or bezels.  There's inexplicably a mix of US and UK roms on the console and worst of all, only a single save slot per game.  Also Sony didn't even bother to make an in-house emulator and opted to use an open source emulator you can get on the pc. 

So yeah guys, my fears were correct in that Sony cheaped out on this one and did the bare minimum.  I mean it's not atgames bad, the emulation appears to be good, but you literally get nothing else.  If it were priced at $60 I wouldn't complain that much but it's frikkin $100. 

[Osirus23]

That's some ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- that they used an "off the shelf" emulator instead of making their own, especially since Sony has already done PSX emulation for their other platforms. Makes me think they really did farm this out to some other manufacturer.

[bigster]

After reading the article and game list, I have no reason to doubt that this thing will be half off in a year or so.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Grasshopper]

It's not worth anything close to $100 IMHO. But the key for me will be how easy it is to mod.

I'm guessing that it probably uses a slightly beefier SOC than the NES/SNES classics. It also uses standard USB ports for the controllers which is another advantage over the NES/SNES classics.

So, if it's easy to mod, and eventually gets significantly discounted, I might pick one up.

[Howard_Casto]

It's not worth anything close to $100 IMHO. But the key for me will be how easy it is to mod.

I'm guessing that it probably uses a slightly beefier SOC than the NES/SNES classics.

Actually the Nes/Snes classics emulate psx games just fine, so my guess is it's the exact same chip. 

[Grasshopper]

Actually the Nes/Snes classics emulate psx games just fine, so my guess is it's the exact same chip.

Well I kind of hoped that Sony might care a bit about their reputation and choose a SOC with significant headroom so that the emulation is rock solid. But then again, they've already cheaped out in using an open source emulator, so maybe not.

[Osirus23]

The chip is more than enough for PSX as it is. People always fall into this belief that PSX emulation requires significantly faster hardware. It's 1993 tech.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah, it started as an add-on for the snes.  The N64 was a more powerful machine and I think because they were of the same generation people assume it takes a lot to run either one. 

[Osirus23]

Some less than impressive benchmarks are out.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-playstation-classic-emulation-first-look

What's baffling is the inclusion of PAL versions at all, particularly when the vast majority of the PAL titles in this list were actually developed in Japan or the United States. So what's the problem here? Well, these days all console systems run at 60Hz - a format accepted by HDTVs the world over.
...
 Side-by-side with the NTSC equivalents, PAL versions are generally slow and plodding and don't properly represent a US or Japanese developer's original vision.

https://www.hardocp.com/news/2018/11/28/playstation_classic_torn_down_benchmarked

Remarkably, even the NTSC games have issues. You can see that with the performance snapshot of R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 embedded below. Original hardware runs this title locked at 30fps with perfect frame-pacing - a new frame is delivered every two screen refreshes without fail. Running under emulation on the PlayStation Classic, not only are frames delivered with 'blips' adding some stutter, but there also appear to be performance dips too - which do not occur in the game running on original hardware.

[pbj]

So you apparently plug in a USB keyboard and hit escape to get to an emulator menu on these things...

[gamepimp]

Supposedly not all keyboards work for that. I think I read that Logitech and Corsair are known to work, but other brands might not. Hopefully more information comes out this week as other users try theirs to see what other keyboards are compatible.

[jdbailey1206]

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/12/05/playstation-classic-datamine-seems-to-reveal-36-rejected-games

Interesting article about 36 games being tested on the PS Mini but not included.  I just hope everyone works together to make it hackable just like the other mini systems.

[Ginsu Victim]

I just hope everyone works together to make it hackable just like the other mini systems.

http://www.psx-place.com/threads/playstationclassic-released-hacked-everything-you-need-to-know.21581/

[pbj]

I just hope everyone works together to make it hackable just like the other mini systems.

http://www.psx-place.com/threads/playstationclassic-released-hacked-everything-you-need-to-know.21581/

Is there any actual content on that website?

[Malenko]

Is there any actual content on that website?

Take a shot every time there's a quotation mark.

[jdbailey1206]

Is there any actual content on that website?

Take a shot every time there's a quotation mark.

Plus the moderator of that page was 5 when the original came out....seeeewwwwwww......

[Ginsu Victim]

I just hope everyone works together to make it hackable just like the other mini systems.

http://www.psx-place.com/threads/playstationclassic-released-hacked-everything-you-need-to-know.21581/

Is there any actual content on that website?

After I posted that, I was like, "Why did I do that?"

Here's a better article ABOUT the hack, but not a how-to (though some of the links may getcha there)

https://kotaku.com/its-mad-easy-to-hack-the-playstation-classic-1831022885 (yes, I know....Kotaku....ugh)

[ark_ader]

I like how ETA Prime has a better solution for $35.

[jdbailey1206]

I like how ETA Prime has a better solution for $35.

ETA Prime is my go to for console and small form factor reviews.  He's almost got me convinced to retire my pi and pick up a Nvidia Shield for all my emulator needs.  A $140 price tag isnt bad either.

[gamepimp]

Mr. Mario has a great video on YT for how to hack this console using a program called BleemSync. It looks like we're getting pretty darn close to a Hakchi quality solution for this system. FWIW this guy has many great videos for modding consoles. I've used his techniques for quite a few of my systems. Highly recommended. 

[pbj]

Mr. Mario has a great video on YT for how to hack this console using a program called BleemSync. It looks like we're getting pretty darn close to a Hakchi quality solution for this system. FWIW this guy has many great videos for modding consoles. I've used his techniques for quite a few of my systems. Highly recommended. 

Well... damn. 

[gamepimp]

Well... damn.

Didn't take very long, huh? I like the fact that it's essentially a "dual boot" system and you're not really modifying the console itself. All you have to do is take the USB stick out, cycle the power on the system, and things are back to stock.

[gamepimp]

FYI Best Buy has these now for regular price ($99.99), buy you get a $25 e-gift card with purchase. So if you do a lot of shopping there, it's like getting the console for $75.

[pbj]

$75 at Amazon plus $25 gift card back....

[gamepimp]

$75 at Amazon plus $25 gift card back....

Wow! That was a way better deal than BB. Looks like they must have sold out pretty quick. I don't see them listed there any longer...

[JDFan]

$75 at Amazon plus $25 gift card back....

Walmart now has them for $59 - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-PlayStation-Classic-Console-Gray-3003868/659739661

[Grasshopper]

They're now only £50 on Amazon UK. That's probably cheaper than a Pi3 once you factor in the case and controllers, and the spec of the SOC is very similar.

So, I'd say they're definitely worth considering for people willing to hack them.

[pbj]

If you buy from Wal-Mart with Google Express, you can knock another $12 off it.  We're getting into tempted territory because from what I'm reading, it's already emulating other systems better than the S/NES Classics....

[Osirus23]

If you buy from Wal-Mart with Google Express, you can knock another $12 off it.  We're getting into tempted territory because from what I'm reading, it's already emulating other systems better than the S/NES Classics....

Really? What I've read is that the NES/SNES Classics even do a better job running PSX games than this does. Haven't used one though.

Best Buy has a freaking pile of these things on the shelf for $60.

[nitrogen_widget]

If you buy from Wal-Mart with Google Express, you can knock another $12 off it.  We're getting into tempted territory because from what I'm reading, it's already emulating other systems better than the S/NES Classics....

Really? What I've read is that the NES/SNES Classics even do a better job running PSX games than this does. Haven't used one though.

Best Buy has a freaking pile of these things on the shelf for $60.

[opt2not]

If you buy from Wal-Mart with Google Express, you can knock another $12 off it.  We're getting into tempted territory because from what I'm reading, it's already emulating other systems better than the S/NES Classics....

Got a link?

[pbj]

Express.google.com

Promo code NEWYEAR19

Verified working today

[JDFan]

Express.google.com

Promo code NEWYEAR19

Verified working today

Looks like they only have it from Best Buy not Walmart - but same pricing ! ( so if searching through Walmart it doesn't show in search.

[gamepimp]

They are about to release BleemSync 1.0 which will be a real game changer for the PS Classic. Essentially it will be as hackable as the Nintendo Classic machines. Here’s a good video that outlines the features:

[bigster]

Is there a price point that is the sweet spot for these?  I see they are now down to $40 at Wal-Mart.  From the reviews, it seems they are worth about 20, if that. 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Ginsu Victim]

Is there a price point that is the sweet spot for these?  I see they are now down to $40 at Wal-Mart.  From the reviews, it seems they are worth about 20, if that. 

Yeah, $20 is where I'm at. I already have a ton of better ways to play these games.

[pbj]

I finally put my hands on one in a Think Geek store.


In a shop full of cheap junk, it stood out as particularly cheap junk.

[bigster]

Good to know.  Sounds like 5 dollars or less is only thing worth the gamble.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[gamepimp]

Surely these things are worth at least $40? People didn't hesitate to spend $60-$70 for the Nintendo minis. They were pretty nice out of the box (except for the ultra short cords on the controllers), but were way better once they were hacked. The PS Classic isn't so great out of the box, but with the hacking tools that are available now you can pretty much put any game on there and can modify the system much to the extent of what can be done with the Nintendo consoles. You get some nice USB controllers (and can get a 8Bitdo receiver to use DS controllers if you want), HDMI output, plus a pretty robust SOC in a very nice miniaturized shell. I guess I'm kind of surprised that people wouldn't want this thing for $40. I feel like that's a steal relative to the original $100 price tag.

[pbj]

Been emulated to death and it's a generation that didn't age well.

Controllers felt smaller than the originals but it's been a good 10 years since I touched originals. 

[Ginsu Victim]

I guess I'm kind of surprised that people wouldn't want this thing for $40. I feel like that's a steal relative to the original $100 price tag.

Just another thing to collect dust. I was excited about the SNES Classic when I got it and modded it. Now it just sits there.

[Osirus23]

I was excited about the SNES Classic when I got it and modded it. Now it just sits there.

This is pretty much everything I buy anymore tbh.

Also, the $100 original price was absurd, and probably why these things sold with the speed of molasses.

[gamepimp]

While I agree that some games look terrible now (mostly the 3D ones), I am still amazed at how big of a leap the PS games were compared to the 16 bit stuff. I remember seeing FFVII for the first time and just being in disbelief at how awesome it looked. And some of the 2D games like Castlevania SOTN are both amazing visually and have phenomenal soundtracks. I'm playing through that one right now and just keep thinking how much I wish they would come out with another Castlevania game in that exact same style for one of the new consoles. I may be a little biased on the PS since it was the console that got me back into gaming after I got out of it in HS and the first part of college, but aren't these mini systems more about nostalgia then being phenomenal gaming machines anyway?

[Ginsu Victim]

aren't these mini systems more about nostalgia then being phenomenal gaming machines anyway?

That only gets you so far. At the end of the day, it's supposed to be an enjoyable gaming experience, which the PS Classic has mostly failed at.

[pbj]

Sony's also been much better about discounting games, backwards compatibility, and making the games available digitally on newer platforms... so there's no unmet thirst here.

I paid ~$30 for the AtGames Genesis Flashback thing, and that came with 2 wireless controllers and shipped with a decent library.

[gamepimp]

I do agree that Sony botched this one big time. If they had put better games in the lineup and used their own emulation I think people would have gladly paid full price for it. Thankfully there are folks dedicated enough to put out free tools to hack it which make it a considerably better experience. It was a money grab and now Sony is paying the price for that. With the way these consoles are dropping in price, I doubt they will look to putting out a PS2 mini.

As far as the ATGames Genesis goes, those things are still selling for $79.99 in most places. I would have thought they'd be down to $30 or $40 by now with the bad reviews they've had, especially considering that Sega is coming out with another mini system soon...

[Howard_Casto]

Well most people don't know what we know and since Sega is out of the console business I can sort of see it.  That being said you can get most genesis games on any platform for 3 bucks or less a pop, so I dunno. 

[pbj]

I don’t get it either but at least it has wireless controllers.

And a cartridge slot.

[gamepimp]

The wireless controller option is a pretty neat feature. How is the performance with those? Any input lag?

I did a little searching this morning and it looks like the Genesis Flashback got a new revision for 2018 and now a) is cheaper ($59.99), b) looks more like a real Genesis, and c) has a SD card slot that lets you load games from that. It also has a micro USB power port which probably makes it easier to hack. I may need to look into getting one of these now if the reviews turn out to be positive. 

[pbj]

Now that the Playstation Classic is down to $40 everywhere and it's coming close to emulating Dreamcast 100%, my interest level has crept back up.

 

[Malenko]

Now that the Playstation Classic is down to $40 everywhere and it's coming close to emulating Dreamcast 100%, my interest level has crept back up.

 

Gauntlet Legends?

[Howard_Casto]

Now that the Playstation Classic is down to $40 everywhere and it's coming close to emulating Dreamcast 100%, my interest level has crept back up.

 

Gauntlet Legends?

lol  The old callbacks are the best. 

[SlammedNiss]

Still $50+ @ Amazon. I'd grab one if it dropped to $40 there, only because I have some credit to use up.

[pbj]

Was $40 when I looked at Amazon this morning.

 

[bigster]

Looks like another price change....

https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/playstation-classic-marked-down-to-whatever-you-have-in-your-pocket/

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[luizw81]

Looks like another price change....

https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/playstation-classic-marked-down-to-whatever-you-have-in-your-pocket/

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Haha!  That "article" is classic!

Sent from my SM-J320R4 using Tapatalk

[SNAAKE]

May sucker up and buy one anyway. I've always loved the design of the OG PlayStation.

TOTALLY worth $40 lol

you can run more ps1 games from usb and there retroarch for other emulators too

great deal and i love the look

[SNAAKE]

Now that the Playstation Classic is down to $40 everywhere and it's coming close to emulating Dreamcast 100%, my interest level has crept back up.

 

lr-reicast running games 100%??

I kinda assumed dc emulation would be bad and didnt even check

[opt2not]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HHVF2XG/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=retrorgb0e-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07HHVF2XG&linkId=9fda7080fe9c4ee275348247aa18eae1

It's back down to $30.  I think I should pick one up just as a desk ornament. Or hack it with a better emulator if that's an option.

[JDFan]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HHVF2XG/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=retrorgb0e-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07HHVF2XG&linkId=9fda7080fe9c4ee275348247aa18eae1

It's back down to $30.  I think I should pick one up just as a desk ornament. Or hack it with a better emulator if that's an option.

Same price at Walmart - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-PlayStation-Classic-Console-Gray-3003868/659739661

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

$30 was finally low enough for me to pull the trigger, but still probably wouldn't have done it without Bleemsync.

I remember pre-ordering the actual Bleem! for PC back around 1999, probably for around $30, then hanging out in various cracking irc channels to see how quickly the copy protection on it would be defeated, since the cd itself was literally only a protection key with some weird mastering stuff. Turns out I had mistyped the CC# and it their purchase form didn't catch that the transaction was invalid, so the disk never showed up, and I think it ended up taking a while for a cd-crack to be released, but I think by that point PSEmu Pro was getting to the point it ran reasonably well.

[pbj]

LOL Bleem.  Man, that drags back some memories.  My recollection is much the same as yours... by the time anyone got it to work with other games it was obsolete.  Was surreal seeing it for sale in EB Games and the like.

Google isn't revealing any progress on the Dreamcast emulation front on these things.  Am getting a laugh at major online retailers openly selling USB sticks preloaded with ISOs.

[bigster]

I picked this up at target for 25 bucks on the last day of their sale, had to use cartwheel app.  I walked around store and didn't see one on shelf so I figured it was sold out.  I asked guy if they were in stock and he gave me a shocked reaction as if they would never sell out.  It is still sitting in box...I figured for 25 bucks it was worth a shot but I am not sure if it will ever get used.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Grasshopper]

I picked one up yesterday. They’re currently selling for £27 in the UK. At that price, I decided it was a no-brainer.

I’m not intending to spend a lot of time and money on it though. I’ll probably just install a Playstation-only build and be done with it.

[pbj]

I think the two of you may have a problem.

[Howard_Casto]

I'm with pbj on this one.  If you are going to use it as a prop just buy the real deal.... super easy to get a ps1 for around $30.  I know sitting on a shelf and looking pretty is about all the use my psx gets now that I have a ps4. 

[opt2not]

Yeah, I've decided to pass on it, even with it being that cheap.  I've already got my PSOne w/ LCD attachment on my desk, and it's not that much bigger than the PS1 Classic mini.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Looks like from pictures there's enough dead space inside the body to hold a de-cased SSD and sata->usb adapter... I wonder if I could find an OTG cable small enough to fit the whole thing inside the case and leave it looking stock from the outside. Certainly someone's already done that by now.

[KenToad]

The PS Classic is just incredibly underwhelming. The stock gamelist sucks and setting the usb drive up properly to play 2 players looks like more hassle than setting up a Raspberry Pi, not to mention that the extra hardware bumps up even the discounted price to less happy amounts.

 Also, it just kills me that they didn't include dual shock gamepads. Who wants to play Metal Gear Solid without rumble? Those original old psx controllers without dual shock in decent shape go for maybe 2-3 bucks each around here.

At least people are putting together interesting gamelists to put on their classic consoles. Some of the autobleem images include games that I've never seen before, like Symphony of the Night retranslated, which is cool.

[SNAAKE]

you just get a powered usb  hub for 2 players if you are using a usb hdd/thumb drive for games.

its a decent little console

[pbj]

$25 shipped at Amazon. Got me twitching.

[pbj]

I gave in. Had some American Express credit and a Coke gift card. $0 out of pocket for the console and a box of tea bags to qualify for free shipping.

[Mike A]

Dude. You need to go to a meeting or something.

[JDFan]

I gave in. Had some American Express credit and a Coke gift card. $0 out of pocket for the console and a box of tea bags to qualify for free shipping.

LOL - Gotta love how they price things at $24.99 and give you free shipping on $25+ !!

[Howard_Casto]

My price is 19.99... when it gets to that sweet spot I'll buy one just for the hell of it. 

[pbj]

My opinion has improved but $25 feels about right.  Should have had wireless controllers as that’s where the Genesis Mini stomps on these things.  But controller works fine off two USB extension cables daisy chained,

Ran into a weird issue with the OTG cable and a thumb drive.  Wouldn’t  boot into BleemSync off an old 16GB I have laying around.  But if my working 1GB and the 16GB are -both- plugged in, it boots off the 16GB.  Any combination of one in controller port, one in the OTG plug.  It also boots off the 16GB if both are plugged into an unpowered hub plugged into the OTG.  The files are identical on both drives, though obviously the 16GB has more games on it.  (I can tell by changing some settings which drive it’s running...). Anyway, I’ll either live with it or get a known compatible thumb drive.

Tekken 3, Castlevania, and Parrapa all running fine.

 

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

My price is 19.99... when it gets to that sweet spot I'll buy one just for the hell of it.

There you go:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-playstation-classic-console/6301601.p?skuId=6301601

[pbj]

 

Got a $5 credit back from Amazon (who also has it at $19.99).  Thanks for the heads up!

 

[JDFan]

My price is 19.99... when it gets to that sweet spot I'll buy one just for the hell of it.

There you go:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-playstation-classic-console/6301601.p?skuId=6301601

Darn you -- Made me buy one ( I had a $10 BestBuy credit ) So couldn't resist it at $10 + tax.

For those with Amazon credits they are matching the bestbuy price also - https://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Classic-Console/dp/B07HHVF2XG

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

The controllers are automatically detected and mapped in Retroarch on the computer as well, which is a nice perk.

[Osirus23]

Yeah Retroarch is pretty good about getting mapper configurations out. I haven't had to manually configure a controller in a long time.

[JDFan]

The controllers are automatically detected and mapped in Retroarch on the computer as well, which is a nice perk.

Good to know !

[JDFan]

Got a $5 credit back from Amazon (who also has it at $19.99).  Thanks for the heads up!

 

Amazon is offering Prime Members: $5 Off Amazon Purchases $50+ w/ promo code SHIP2ME.

 

[Howard_Casto]

Eh I just bought a wheel and it looks like my racing seat is about the bite the big one, so I'll pass for now.  I'm sure Walmart will be giving one away with purchase pretty soon. 

[JDFan]

Back to $45 on Amazon and Walmart and $59 at Bestbuy Today ! 

[Howard_Casto]

lol nope.  I guarantee you that by this xmas you'll get one free with a game bundle or something. 

[pbj]

I spent an evening cheesing out Tekken 3 with Eddy and actually played SOTN for more than 2 minutes.  I got my $20 out of it.

 

[Vigo]

  after hacking the one I had for $25, I just bought another at the $20 Best Buy price point today. Jim was right, this was so easy, it is unfair even calling it a hack. Play wise, aside from a minor case of stuttering at one point, I haven't seen any issues with any of the games I added. The disc load times are gone, the games play well, pretty much only a couple ps1 games required a dualshock, so this is a really cheap route to house and play all my ps1 stuff.

[gamepimp]

I bought a second unit at Best Buy for $20. I feel like that's a steal for one of these. Hacking them is super easy and the system is powerful enough to play most 8 and 16 bit games. Is there another SOC device available on the market with two controllers, a nice looking case, a decent frontend, and is so easy to load games onto? I can't think of one. I'm afraid all the hate this thing gets tends to cloud people's judgement causing them to overlook what it is capable of...

[JDFan]

after hacking the one I had for $25, I just bought another at the $20 Best Buy price point today. Jim was right, this was so easy, it is unfair even calling it a hack. Play wise, aside from a minor case of stuttering at one point, I haven't seen any issues with any of the games I added. The disc load times are gone, the games play well, pretty much only a couple ps1 games required a dualshock, so this is a really cheap route to house and play all my ps1 stuff.

AT $20 it is hard to beat - since the size is small enough and it has the USB inputs so can easily be hooked up to a USB encoder - Hard to beat for a small kids build using the Vigolix build plans and one of these for the emulation system and a refurbished $10 - $20 LCD screen would make a sub $100 build possible and much less likely to have problems like the Rpi builds.

[Osirus23]

I bought a second unit at Best Buy for $20. I feel like that's a steal for one of these. Hacking them is super easy and the system is powerful enough to play most 8 and 16 bit games. Is there another SOC device available on the market with two controllers, a nice looking case, a decent frontend, and is so easy to load games onto? I can't think of one. I'm afraid all the hate this thing gets tends to cloud people's judgement causing them to overlook what it is capable of...

No, $20 for 2 controllers and a SoC is incredible. The Raspberry Pi threadcrappers can't come close to this one.

[Howard_Casto]

Well one the one hand they are gamepads, but on the other hand they are psx gamepads... you know, like snes gamepads only terrible.  Also who in this hobby doesn't have a half a dozen PlayStation pads from one of their consoles (psx to ps3 had virtually the same design) lying around?  I'll give the unit all the credit in the world, but nope, those gamepads are pointless. 

[pbj]

Maybe they can be hacked?  PCB looks pretty tiny in photos, though. 

[KenToad]

I like the original psx controllers just fine. The problem is that everything on the dual shock controllers is better, even the shoulder buttons. There's a reason why people practically give away those original controllers.

I just can't imagine wanting to play emulated playstation 1 with no analog controls and no rumble support. I definitely got enough of that with EPSXE and psxfin back in the mid-2000's. The lack of proper rumble support  for emulators led me to buy several original playstations through the years.

[Howard_Casto]

Maybe they can be hacked?  PCB looks pretty tiny in photos, though.

Sure, probably, but usb gamepads are so cheap at this point.... if you don't mind that it's flimsy or comes directly from China you can get a psx style gamepad WITH analog sticks and probably rumble for under 5 bucks.  Why those horrid pads are so popular I'll never know, but the fact remains that they are. 

[gamepimp]

FWIW I bought the 8Bitdo USB receiver and use my PS3 controller wirelessly on the PS Classic. It works really well and I should be able to use that on my PC for wireless gaming too. It was only $20.

[KenToad]

FWIW I bought the 8Bitdo USB receiver and use my PS3 controller wirelessly on the PS Classic. It works really well and I should be able to use that on my PC for wireless gaming too. It was only $20.

Cool! I'm guessing analog controls work, but not rumble?

[gamepimp]

Analog works. I played through Castlevania SOTN and actually preferred the D-pad for that though. Not sure about rumble. I can’t remember if that game has it. The 8Bitdo adapter is compatible with other controllers like DS4. Their website says it supports “vibration” for that controller and for those that use Xinput. I had to configure my DS3 on my PC first so that the USB receiver could see it. Perhaps it uses Xinput?

[Vigo]

From what I read, DS4 has rumble on ps1 mini . I haven’t seen confirmation that DS3 does.

[KenToad]

Analog works. I played through Castlevania SOTN and actually preferred the D-pad for that though. Not sure about rumble. I can’t remember if that game has it. The 8Bitdo adapter is compatible with other controllers like DS4. Their website says it supports “vibration” for that controller and for those that use Xinput. I had to configure my DS3 on my PC first so that the USB receiver could see it. Perhaps it uses Xinput?

Symphony is one of those few games that doesn't work with analog controls or rumble. You actually had to either use an original controller or turn off the red LED on a dual shock in order to get a controller to work with Symphony, but I agree that it's better with a D-pad anyway.

Try Metal Gear Solid to test rumble. The rumble should rise and fall as the helicopter in the beginning takes off. Try Ape Escape to test dual analog functionality.

[popsicle]

Am I the only one that can't stand analog thumb controls? Never got used to them. I even prefer using d-pad for driving games (assuming there is no wheel).

[Vigo]

It took me a long time to get used to them. Most my Ps1 and Ps2 era was using the  d-pad when possible


You play about any PS1 game and realize that even with most those games you only went 8 directions with an analog stick anyway. It was originally only made to one-up the N64. Aside from a couple games, there isn’t a real significant need for a DualShock on PS1, but at this point, I wouldn’t mind the upgrade on my ps1 mini,  because I grew comfortable using it.

[KenToad]

I can't imagine playing a game like Crash Team Racing or any of the main Crash series without analog controls, not to mention Spyro, or Syphon Filter or pretty much any other 3D platformer.

Rumble was amazing in many games, too. Check out the rumble in the Gran Turismo series. The way it matches your car revving is mind blowing for the time. Metal Gear Solid had you holding a rumbling controller to your arm to "massage" and heal it or Psycho Mantis would send your rumbling controller left or right on your coffee table with only the power of his mind.

I've talked to gamers who can't even remember that the original PS1 shipped without analog controls and rumble. It's not a gimmick. It's a huge part of the identity of the system. The fact that Sony wouldn't ship a $100 glorified Raspberry pi without even the option to buy dual shock controllers for it disrespects the legacy of the console.

[Osirus23]

Am I the only one that can't stand analog thumb controls? Never got used to them. I even prefer using d-pad for driving games (assuming there is no wheel).

I only dislike the PlayStation analog controls because of their idiotic placement. Still putting them where they were when they were tacked-on as an afterthought 20 years ago even though analog sticks have completely supplanted D-pads the primary means of control.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah the problem isn't analog thumb sticks, it's sony putting them at the bottom of the gamepad even though thumbs, you know, point up when you are holding a gamepad properly.  I'm enjoying my new ps4, but damn, I think I'm going to have to get one of those ps4 pads that are laid out like a xbox gamepad. 

[pbj]

Are you guys getting rumble on Ds4 in the stock emulator?  Or just retroarch?

[KenToad]

Are you guys getting rumble on Ds4 in the stock emulator?  Or just retroarch?

Other than what Vigo said in this thread, I've only heard that rumble doesn't work at all with the psc.

[Vigo]

If you look, there is confirmation right on the amazon listing. There is also confirmation on a number of reddit threads. What I haven't seen any confirmation on is the stock emulator vs RetroArch.

I'll tell you what, how about i buy one. I have a DS3 and a DS4. I can report back what happens.

[Vigo]

FYI - his is what my setup looks like. ~300 games. Not bad to navigate actually. No different from like a Mala list. Still, I hope next update includes folders, It probably adds a few seconds boot time loading up that many images at once.

[Howard_Casto]

Actually that looks like a nightmare to navigate.  You can only make out the game in the front.  If those discs were just spread out a bit more it'd be much more useable. 

[Vigo]

Yeah, it's pretty much the stock menu system, so designed for 20ish games. Takes 50 images well, but then they all bump into each other. Once it gets like that, I just ignore the image and read the text.

Alternatively, the is RetroArch with a standard retroArch listy menu.

[Howard_Casto]

If I were designing that the back part of the ring would fade out to invisibility.... then you don't have to fit them all in the ring... they can just appear out of the mist.  Even with 20 games I think it'd look better than way.  Way to phone it in Sony. 

[gamepimp]

So I finally got around to testing the DS3 with the 8Bitdo receiver in order to find out if a) dual analog sticks work and b) if vibration works. On Ape Escape, I get a prompt when I first start the game that a Dual Shock controller is not present and is required to play the game. Once I get past the message and start the game, the analog sticks don't seem to function properly. The sticks and the D-Pad control the camera, but neither allows the character to move in the game. Essentially I think the sticks and the D-Pad have the same mapping because you can use the stick to move around in other games that don't require a DS. On Metal Gear Solid, I didn't get any vibration as I was playing the game. I don't think that works either. 

[KenToad]

Thanks for testing with the DS3 controller!

The only emulator that seems to do force feedback perfectly is Dolphin, at least with Mayflash USB converters for wiimotes and GameCube controllers.

So rumble not working doesn't surprise me. No analog detection/support is surprising, though.

*Edit* It sounds like your tests indicate that the "analog" support is just allowing you to use the left thumbstick as a D-pad. Is that what you mean? Does the 8bitdo adapter allow for true analog control?

[Vigo]

Haven't experimented much, but so far I am feeling the 8bitdo is a flaming piece of garbage on the psx mini. It puts a mouse cursor on top of the screen. Only way to remove I find is unplugging and plugging the unit back in and resyncing the controller (DS4). Imagine having to do that every time you leave or enter a game.  There might be a proper way to configure the controller, but I haven't figured it out yet. Haven't gotten analog or rumble on bleemsync or retroarch yet. Just a faux analog where it reads the thumbstick as the d-pad. It also leaves power on even when the unit is off. When you shut down the console, it does send a power off command to the dualshock, but if you accidentally press any button on the dualshock, it will connect back to the 8bitdo and stay on, even with the unit off.

Still need to experiment more, but my initial thoughts are bad. Might as well just plug in the controller directly with the USB port.


Thing is, for all that I see, at least retroarch should support analog and rumble. The issues are likely in the 8bitdo.

[pbj]

This guide got my 16GB flashdrive working without resorting to hubs and multiple drives:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaystationClassic/comments/cigkpz/howto_properly_preparing_a_usb_drive/

HOWTO:(Windows Users)

Download and install the latest free version of MiniTool Partition Wizard from here.

https://www.partitionwizard.com/download/v11/pw11-free.exe

Once it's downloaded and installed, launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Find and select your drive in the window.

Right-click on your drive and select "Delete".

Right-click on your drive again and select "Create".

Select the file system: choose your file system first(it will blank out the name of the drive if you do this after naming it), name the drive in all caps "SONY" and choose 32KB for cluster size, press OK.
(PBJ Edit - it didn't work with NTFS for me, but Fat32 works fine)

On the main window: Select "Apply" at the top left corner, press OK and wait for it finish successfully.

[Howard_Casto]

I was going to ask you guys if you thought it was wroth it to get off my butt and drive down to gamestop to get one for $20, but it looks like all the people around here spent their labor day buying all the available stock for price gouging. 

[JDFan]

I was going to ask you guys if you thought it was wroth it to get off my butt and drive down to gamestop to get one for $20, but it looks like all the people around here spent their labor day buying all the available stock for price gouging.

PRobably the Employees -- THey all sold out around here also ( had checked last night and the closest store had them in stock but I didn't bother to place the order and then checked this afternoon and all of the local stores were out and they want $10 shipping if ordered online and with tax it's $32 at that price I can wait to see if any get restocked. )

Since they still show in stock online you might be able to get Bestbuy or Target to price match !( if they price match Gamestop.com)

[Howard_Casto]

Eh I don't need one, I just find it highly suspicious that they sold out in one day considering they had a big stack in the window the last time I went by. 

[pbj]

How many times did we have to post it for $20 shipped?

 

[Howard_Casto]

Eh 20 bucks on the card seems different than a loose 20 in the wallet... it's just one of those things. 

[JDFan]

Eh I don't need one, I just find it highly suspicious that they sold out in one day considering they had a big stack in the window the last time I went by.

Gamestops here got restocked today and all are showing it available for pickup and still $19.99 - so you might want to check stores in your area. 

[Howard_Casto]

Well crap it's back in stock and I'm all tired now.  If they have any in the morning I might swing by. 

[JDFan]

Well crap it's back in stock and I'm all tired now.  If they have any in the morning I might swing by.

LOL - You can place the order on the website and they'll put it aside and hold it for the day ( if placed after they close they hold for the next full day - and you can pay when you pick it up or online in advance)  - So you could order it tonight to pick up tomorrow ! 

[Osirus23]

YOU
      HAVE
NO
      EXCUSE

[Howard_Casto]

Well crap it's back in stock and I'm all tired now.  If they have any in the morning I might swing by.

LOL - You can place the order on the website and they'll put it aside and hold it for the day ( if placed after they close they hold for the next full day - and you can pay when you pick it up or online in advance)  - So you could order it tonight to pick up tomorrow ! 

Yeah already done that.  What I meant was this particular gamestop apparently occasionally forgets to check morning reservations and sells reserved stuff.  I've only seen it happen once (boy that guy was pissed).  I really don't need the thing, but it's a do-dad... to put on my shelf!

[JDFan]

Yeah already done that.  What I meant was this particular gamestop apparently occasionally forgets to check morning reservations and sells reserved stuff.  I've only seen it happen once (boy that guy was pissed).  I really don't need the thing, but it's a do-dad... to put on my shelf!

Yeah Gamestop is not the most dependable on those things ( Esp. if one of the employees sees it set aside and hadn't noticed the sale price and decides they'd also like one but the others have already sold ! ) - Hopefully they get it right for you - For the $20 price even if you only wind up using the USB controllers and the USB/HDMI cable you get your moneys worth.   

[pbj]

I think that people that complain about GameStop are looking for something to complain about.  I've never had a problem with online reservations, I've never had them sell me an open copy as new, and I'm cool with
 their business model of paying a kid $5 for a 2 week old game and reselling it for $45. 

[Vigo]

I honestly haven't bought a new game from Gamestop in years, so I don't know if they still do this, but my only real beef was how they would remove the plastic wrap from new game purchases. Mostly hate it because I look like an ---uvula--- when gifting a game that looks like it has been used.

In more recent years I have had problems with the clerk not honoring some of the price mistake / multiple discount stuff I pounced on, but then I just go to the other gamestop near me and that problem is solved.

[pbj]

My friend's dad worked part time for one of those companies that eventually folded into Gamestop.... Electronics Boutique or FuncoLand or some BS like that.  They opened EVERY computer game, made copies, and put new shrink wrap on the box.  He had a 2 drawer filing cabinet full of games sorted alphabetically.  It was awe inspiring.

[Howard_Casto]

I don't have any real complaints about gamestop other than they need to get with the whole free shipping business model the rest of the internet has. 

Well on paper anyway they've reserved me one, so I'm going to go pick it up in a few.  First time in there in probably two years. 

[jdbailey1206]

They opened EVERY computer game, made copies, and put new shrink wrap on the box. 

Ah those days were great.  Me and my buddy could go halfsies on a PC game, make a copy for one of us, while the other guy kept the legitimate copy.

[nitrogen_widget]

My GameStop has them according to the site. Will have to grab one on the way home.

[Vigo]

I remember doing game swaps and just copying games and returning them. I also remember feeling especially cool discovering copy machine contrast settings, when some of the bigger titles used code sheets printed on dark maroon paper as a copy protection.

[pbj]

For monkey Island, I had a photocopy of every possible combination of the pirate wheel.

 

[Howard_Casto]

I managed to get one.  Must have been sad, older gamer day at the store today... nobody under 30 in there.  I think that might be a bad sign for the company as a whole.  Anyway, got it home and played a few rounds of Mr. Driller... the emulation is ok enough. 

The menu is hideous though.... I get what they were going for with the bad dithering and low color count art, but unlike the nes/snes the artwork isn't purposefully crafted one pixel at a time, but rather a full color image is ruined.... that doesn't hit the nostalgia button, rather it reminds you of how crappy the psx was at handling images.  Also the nes/snes classic used full color images for the game art in the menu for this exact same reason. 

As per usual the cables are too short.... usb extensions can literally be found at the dollar tree though, so I'm not going to complain too much. 

[JDFan]

I managed to get one.  Must have been sad, older gamer day at the store today... nobody under 30 in there.  I think that might be a bad sign for the company as a whole. 

At least they had some customers -- I went to pick mine up at 4PM yesterday and only other 2 people in the store were both working !

[nitrogen_widget]

I got there and the only one they had was reserved. But they gave it to me anyway.
I kid.

It took 10 mins to find that out because the guy working there never heard of them so he didn’t know they sold them.
Other guy had to tell him.
He offered to see if other stores had one but since I pulled it up on my phone faster than he did in his system I declined and told them I could do it.

Funny thing even if I had reserved it, they only had 1.

[JDFan]

I got there and the only one they had was reserved. But they gave it to me anyway.
I kid.

It took 10 mins to find that out because the guy working there never heard of them so he didn’t know they sold them.
Other guy had to tell him.
He offered to see if other stores had one but since I pulled it up on my phone faster than he did in his system I declined and told them I could do it.

Funny thing even if I had reserved it, they only had 1.

Might check again today - since they only hold it on reserve for the one day - if the other person didn't show it might be back in inventory and you could reserve it for today !

[Howard_Casto]

What he said... check again.  How can you work at a store so relatively small and not know about a console you sell?  I mean was he the "special" employee that wasn't allowed to unload inventory or something?  At the gamestops around here anyway most of the people working are huge gamer nerds.

[pbj]

$29 shipped at Amazon while we speak... or keep wasting time and money going to GameStop....

 

[Osirus23]

I don't know how much longer GameStop can survive from selling Funko Pops and foam Master Swords. Somehow there are 3 in the city I live in. All are usually dead.

[nitrogen_widget]

I got there and the only one they had was reserved. But they gave it to me anyway.
I kid.

It took 10 mins to find that out because the guy working there never heard of them so he didn’t know they sold them.
Other guy had to tell him.
He offered to see if other stores had one but since I pulled it up on my phone faster than he did in his system I declined and told them I could do it.

Funny thing even if I had reserved it, they only had 1.

Might check again today - since they only hold it on reserve for the one day - if the other person didn't show it might be back in inventory and you could reserve it for today !

I stopped at a different one after I picked up kids. $15 for a returned one. Guy played it once then brought it back. Left a power brick and cord in the box so better deal.
Will play with it this weekend.

[pbj]

Go ahead and order the OTG cable now.  Find your oldest thumb drive to install bleemsync.

[Howard_Casto]

I don't know how much longer GameStop can survive from selling Funko Pops and foam Master Swords. Somehow there are 3 in the city I live in. All are usually dead.

I dunno…. I saw this over-sized snes super Metroid cart do-dad marked down to 8 bucks, I would have picked it up but the other over-sized snes carts they had (yes there were many) had only been marked down to 25 bucks, which is ---smurfing--- ridiculous.  My point is, they have cool stuff, if they'd just realize that they might sell some of said cool stuff if it were priced it reasonably. 

[nitrogen_widget]

Go ahead and order the OTG cable now.  Find your oldest thumb drive to install bleemsync.

got an old thumb drive to work.
have an OTG cable for the firestick but it don't work with the mini.
found the link for the right one and ordered it.

[Howard_Casto]

Trying to find something old and busted enough for the classic to detect as we speak.... I might have to hunt down a power adapter for one of my hubs. 

[Grasshopper]

I was stuggling to find a suitable flash drive for mine. So I ended up doing the current limiter removal mod instead.

I can confirm it works. But I have to say, with the benefit of hindsight, it wasn't worth it. It's not obvious from the YouTube videos, but the solder points you have to bridge are absolutely tiny, and there's a very high probability of screwing something up.

[pbj]

I've been tempted to do that mod.  I'd probably use conductive ink or something to bridge those points.

[pbj]

Also, this build looks interesting...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=J_yZ5kEqQkA

[Howard_Casto]

I had no luck last night....all my hubs have those tiny barrel plugs so I've got to try and find an adapter with universal tips. 

[nitrogen_widget]

I got mine up and running.

[Howard_Casto]

Me too.  For those of you struggling to find a low powered usb drive, just on a whim I tried a micro sd card with one of those cheap thumb-drive shaped usb adaptors and that did the trick.  Makes sense really as sd cards use less power. 

[pbj]

So, I got the 128gb Autobleem build.  It’s got a little clunk in the interface, mainly unavoidable with RetroArch, but it plays and looks great.  (Never have to get out of my chair, but I don’t think it’s good for unsupervised guests.  CoinOps still in the lead there.)

PSP emulation seems spot on, so I’ve got a decent version of Pac-Man Championship Edition going.  MAME and FBA support overlays and look nice on my flat screen.  The menu for browsing PS1 games is so much better than the stock interface it’s hard to believe.  Wireless controllers and analog sticks would have made this killer but nothing comes close to touching this for $20.

[opt2not]

For a cheap way of getting Pac-Man Championship Edition playable, getting the psx mini is worth it. I should have jumped on that $20 deal.

I’ve always wanted to put together a dedicated Pac-Man CE cab. Hmm, it’s not too late!

[pbj]

Pretty sure there were some cabinet friendly patches for the PC version.... I’ve also played some hack of Pac-Man 256 that was on a vertical screen and didn’t require touch interface...

[Howard_Casto]

I've got the rotated sprites and a wrapper sitting on my pc for pacman-ce right now.  I built it so it rotates the screen 90 degrees in menus so you can read it on a vertical monitor and the sprites are flipped for vertical gameplay.  It's like 90% there but I've always got other projects so it got put on the "maybe later" pile. 

If someone wants to work on it I can release everything but the game itself. 

[Locke141]

Just picked up a used one for $10. I didn’t think it was worth picking up as I have a PSIO and a R-pi with retro pi. But the classic look of the thing makes me smile. Lots of fun so fair, loved me some twisted metal. Need to look into to the  different rom pacs.

[pbj]

Make sure you do safe shutdown on autobleem or you're going to have a bad time.