Why is the PlayStation Classic so unpopular?

PlayStation Classic owners dish on what the retro system is like (and what it isn’t).

[Juusterey]

Cos it sucks
Nintendo did it better
Earlier too

[S2Killinit]

Its because 3D games dont age well because they are compared to the most recent games of today, while 2D scrolling games are not. When you play a 2D game you are not looking for the best graphics. Just something to pass the time. When you play 3D you think why am i playing this instead of the newest games.

[Seraphim]

that's part of my take. 8-16 bit games age well imo. Everything else hasn't. The block textures, the bad animations, etc. The HD era [at least for me] brought a irrelevance to the 64+ bit games/consoles. Secondly the PS isn't that old. Most people my age don't miss those games [yet] but many have missed NES/SNES for years. Personally I've kept most my consoles so always had the ability to go back and play those games periodically... Simply put though, I think the PS Mini was ahead of it's time. I bet if they waited another 5-10 years there would be more demand. But due to not aging well perhaps I'm off the mark on that.

[EazyC]

Generally true, there are exceptions though. Super Mario 64 has aged very well as an early 3D title, must have been amazing playing that in '96

[Shiken]

I really get tired of the whole "aged well" excuse that in of itself, is just an excuse. The games it offered were just sub par, period. A good game does not stop being a good game years down the road. I just started playing Banjo Kazooie again and I enjoy it now just as much as I did back in the day.

The truth is really simple, Sony dropped the ball. They had hundreds of better games to put on there or take the time to get the license to use from the PSOne era, but they gave us (for the most part) lower tier games.

[gam3r_4_lif3]

Yeah some of my favourite gaming experiences were on the PS1 games like MGS and the first resident evil and soul reaver, but man I could not stomach those visuals now or more importantly those control schemes

[S2Killinit]

@shiken
That is very wrong. So the PS1, one of the most dominant forces in console history had “sub par” games? No, its because the PS1 ushered in a new direction that we are still on to this day improving upon. So those games are now “outdated” for that very reason. Imagine we only had 2D side scrolling games for years, would we still hold the old 2D games in the same light? No. At some point a new 2D game would arrive and revolutionize things and then from then on every other 2D game would pick up where that one left off and improve on that formula. At some point, you would no longer see a 10 year old 2D game in the same light. It would now be “outdated”. It doesnt mean it wasnt good, or that its not fun anymore, but your perception of a proper 2D game would be changed to the point that not as many people would want to play the old 2D games.

[Muzikguy]

@Seraphim

Yes I agree. I also think that good games don't get bad as time wears on though either. They could have put some amazing games like Syphon Filter, Legend of Dragoon, and many others but didn't. I think the older (pre 64 bit) games have a different feel for sure. Like I keep telling myself I want to get the remake of Secret of Mana on PS4 but haven't yet. I feel like the game isn't as good not being 2D like the original. It just doesn't "feel" the same.

[Chocoburger]

@Shiken, you're right, everyone else is wrong. High quality early 3D games are still fun to play today, this concept that 'they haven't aged well' is just wrong. I say this as a person who's been playing a lot of PS1 / Saturn / N64 games recently.

PS Classic flopped not because of graphics, but because it was a rushed out turd released to make a quick buck during the holiday period. Sony put no thought, no intelligence and no effort into the product. They did a better job creating that awesome commercial for it than they did for the product itself!

- No analog controllers (anyone who thinks that's okay for the sake of nostalgia is flat out wrong).
- Unpolished emulation that's far worse than any PC emulation people have had for a decade now.
- Poor game selection (seriously, Rainbow freakin' Six?)
- Many 50hz games (wut?).

If you release a product that is worse than something people have had for a decade, charge a premium for it, and but no effort into it, then your product is destined to fail. So why in the hell is Engadget asking a question with such an obvious answer?

[Shiken]

@S2Killinit

Take a minute to process what I said. I never said there were not good games on the PS1, I said they chose sub par games for the PS1 library when they had so many better options to go for. Sony dropped the ball. What I said was on the money, your comprehension of what you were reading is wrong.

And as someone who plays both modern and retro games, "not aging well" is an excuse. A good game is a good game, period. Someone who focuses on the limitations of the PS1 are setting themselves up for disappointment, as they would be focusing too mich on nit picking and not about enjoying a great game.

[AspiringProGenji]

Ape Escape has aged well. I can play it today and have the same amount of fun. Still looks as good as Banjo Kazooie

Now if we are talking a out GTA, Metal Gear, Syphon filter, and those games that tried a more realistic approach, then I agree. They might look weird today but those are still great games

PS1 has lots of great games that weren’t included and that’s why PS classic flopped

[NarooN]

Early 3D games not aging well is only a small part of it. Objectively speaking the performance of many of the games is lackluster, in that they don't even perform as smoothly as the original games did on the PS1 hardware, which is a big fail right off the bat. They have frame rate issues, framepacing issues which leads to an inconsistent feel and more dropped inputs, and a weird decision to use the PAL versions of some games so that they run at 50hz rather than 60hz, which causes these games to feel like you're playing in mud because of the ~18% speed drop. This is horrible for some of the games, like Tekken 3 which needs the full 60fps to feel as good as its meant to.

On top of that, almost all of the titles have visual glitches, artifacts, and some effects are either broken or don't work at all.

Then there's the fact there's only 20 games and the overall selection of titles is poor because of really questionable games being thrown in, and you have an incredibly lackluster package overall.

I understand a lot of the best games couldn't be included due to licensing issues, but that doesn't change the fact that the Classic was badly handled.

[Absonite]

@EasyC it was man. It was absolutely mesmerizing. I didn't believe graphics could get better at the time. I'd make my mom take me to Toys R Us everyday after school when the got Japanese demo systems in advance in US stores.

[Muzikguy]

This really should be an easy question to answer. There are so many reasons why it is unpopular. Price was a big factor at first. The selection of games is terrible. There definitely should be more RPGs on there. There's no analog sticks on the controller so the other games are kind of "meh" because of it. Selection suffered for that mistake (omitting the analogs). It seemed like Sony just rushed to cash in on a craze and it backfired.

[Tross]

I have one and it’s alright, but it could have been so much better, especially after Nintendo released not one, but two better products.

[william_cade]

Because they filled it with crap games. Once I saw the line up I knew it was going to bomb. Intelligent Cube and Street Fighter Puzzle? There's maybe three good games on there and that's it.

[Chocoburger]

Super Puzzle Fighter II is a very good game, and I say this as a person who normally doesn't like those types of block puzzle games.
If you've never played it before, don't skip it just because you think it looks like crap. Play it, give it a fair chance, you may be surprised.

[NarooN]

Super Puzzle Fighter is actually an incredible game. One of the few good choices on the Classic, really.

[william_cade]

Some people might like it and I understand that, but Super Puzzle doesn't even come close to represent what PS1 was during it's time. They should have taken the time and got the licenses to the games that represent the top of what the PS1 had to offer.

[drpepperdude]

I'm a huge fan of PlayStation's early games but even I felt like I wasted money on the classic at $40.

[SIdepocket]

If nothing else, it’s actually a better retropie than similarly-priced retropie hardware. If you can get one for $30, it’s a steal.

[thepatientgamer]

Squandered potential.

[Shezgear]

It's worth the price if you hack it and put the games you want to play in it..

[Godmars290]

Not enough games.
Not enough of the *RIGHT* games to show PS1's history.

[Dirtnapstor]

What Sony should have done was made this online capable, directly compatible to the PS Store. The buyer gets 20 credits whereas you could download any 20 PSone games of your choosing. If you want more, then you buy them.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

3D games weren't that great then - if it and FF:Tactics, Castlevania SOTN - I would've been all over it. I imported PS1+Ridge Racer and Battle Agenda Toshinden from Japan, it cost me $1300Aus back then! And the Aussie dollar was actually a strong currency at that time - not now unfortunately.

[Oywee]

The positive:
1. Many good retro titles for the overall price considered.

The negative:
1. PS1 games has sincerely not dated exactly well during the years.
2. Wrong game choices/library (many bigger and better titles really deserved ALOT more to be included here)
3. Hardware inside PS Classic showed off to be not powerful enough, to run some of the titles. (slow frame rates etc.)

[CobraKai]

I like dated blocky graphics. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent hours in line to buy an SNES mini to play Star Fox 2. The problem was the sloppy ass emulation. It wasn’t up to code to the OG releases which makes it a waste of money

[porkChop]

Too much money for so little, poor emulation/performance, and poor overall game library.

[PhoenixUp]

Because it’s as half assed as you can get

[SegaSaturn669]

We have ps3/vita that can play the games. Early 3D games didn't look great. 2D games aged much better

[yellowgerbil]

I think of ps1 as the atari, ps2 as the NES, and ps3 as the SNES. By the time ps3 took off the camera and control schemes were mostly figured out and you could make beautiful 3d graphics, just like by the time of SNES the 2d graphics were mastered, color palettes offered a nice look and there were enough buttons so games could work

[AK91]

Beacause it was lazily done it used the PSXemulator for one and used the european versions of the game (yes even in the US), which means that all the games ran at 50hz (making them slower) than the normal 60hz. Not only did they use an emulator that can be downloaded for free they didn't even bother to use it correctly.

Check the Digital Foundry video it goes far more in depth about the problems with PS1 Classic.

[ServerBOT]

Low effort was put into making it.

[Segata]

Bad emulation. Half of them were the PAL version and they ran slow. The choice of games was sub-par.

[DillyDilly]

Games did not age well & selection probably could have been better

[Orionsangel]

Is this a real question?

The interface is uninspired and bare bones.

The games included are not exactly the best.

Many of the games run slow because they're pal.

They didn't include the dualshock controller.

I just saved everyone's time from reading this long drawn out article.

[execution17]

Choice of games and the lack of analog sticks were what deterred me from getting it

[Fluxour]

It's emulation is shitty and the game selection is shitty.

[deafdani]

Cause it didn't even have Gran Turismo.

That's like releasing a NES Classic and not including Super Mario Bros.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

It sucks plain and simple

[Traecy]

First & foremost the selection of games were lackluster.

[ScreamKween]

50hz and lacking the most important games killed it for me. Sony seriously Fkd this up. It's embarrassing actually. It's a slap in the face to their loyal fans.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

It doesn't have the right games to be a good collectable console. The games that most people I knew were playing were games like Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Underground, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 & 2, WWF Smack Down, Tomb Raider 1 & 2, Metal Gear Solid, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 2, Resident Evil 1 & 2, Crash Bandicoot, Driver 1 & 2, Syphon Filter, Grand Theft Auto ect… ect… and I'm sure I'm missing a few, but these were the games that most people I know, would call the real PS classics. The PS Classic has maybe four (4) of the games that I've listed. To be honest, the PS Classic is a joke and an insult to the legacy of the PS One.

[Magog]

PlayStation gamers look to the future. Nintendo gamers are stuck in the past.

[franwex]

Um...no. Plus Sony has a very good past too.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

Then you are insinuating that PlayStation gamers have no respect for the classics that made Sony's platform a success in the first place. I would consider such a statement to be goldfish-level intellectual commentary.

[2pacalypsenow]

Because majority of the games on Nintendo are 1st party, Sony's strength was 3rd party partnerships.

Also a ton of missing games like Gran Turismo, Dino Crisis etc...

[isarai]

Library sucked, didnt bother to tune the emulator. Dassit really, pretty damn simple

[Knightofelemia]

It was rushed, poorly planned, probably drew the games out of a hat. I just hope if Sony does a PS2 mini they do a better job then the PS1 mini.

[Pyrofire95]

It was thrown together with games people don't really want. It's emulation of inaccurate. It had worse performance than the originals.

[zugdar]

Um...
Inferior version controller, questionable game selection, PAL and other unpreferred game versions, 50hz, $100...

[Vetalka83]

I dunno i got one and i like it.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

It's crap plain and simple. If you guys are really serious about retro gaming I would def check out ETA Primes channel:
https://www.youtube.com/cha...

You can build or buy really awesome hardware for retro gaming, and ROM collections are just so easy to get.

[Minute Man 721]

My PS3 can play all PS1 games

[blacktiger]

Only if Sony took control of this hardware, this was a dissaster for me,.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Bad UI, lack of DualShock controller, use of a free emulator instead of their own in house emulator, bad selection of games, poor quality upscaling as well as 50hz instead of 60hz so everything was slower, etc.

If Sony had put actual effort into this, it would have been fantastic but instead people are only buying it for $30 or so to mod it and make it better.

[Orionsangel]

Got my collection right here... https://youtu.be/uEfqaMtfm2...

[Sirk7x]

Many reasons. One, the presentation was crap, with a horrible UI. Two, the game choice could have been much better. Three, many of those games ran on the PAL versions at slower speeds than they should have. Four, they were using the open source PCSX Re-ARMed emulator, and included little to no menu options. With a keyboard, you can access the options and force the non PAL versions of the game, enable different resolutions, etc. Why not include that as an advertised feature? The whole thing screamed cheap outsource and money grab.

[Sirk7x]

Forgot to mention, even the NA versions of the games still ran like crap, with framerate issues, colors being off, sounds being off, etc. Terrible from top to bottom. Better off just getting your hands on a Vita, and either buying the PS classics on it or modding it.

[crxss]

no analog sticks

[franwex]

They wanted to cash in on the trend set by the NES and SNES mini, except that Nintendo seemed to actually choose games that people wanted to play rather than take random games and calling it a day.

Cmon, they even released Starfox 2. A cancelled game never officially released before-now exclusive to the SNES mini!

[xX1NORM1Xx]

Because Sony treated it as a cash grab rather than a love letter to the ps1 and it shows. It’s a shame because I was really excited for it but what’s the point if all it does is emulate games badly they should do a sega say they fucked up and make a proper version.

[snoopgg]

I didn't buy one cause if I want to play ps1 games I just play them on my old p1 and old tv. The games look and play better using this option for playing ps 1 games.

[Platformgamer]

it should be popular now.
one word: bleemsync

[WhiteyFox]

Game selection?

[ILostMyMind]

I don't get this "not enough/right games". Everyone hacks and puts all existing games on these mini consoles. How many more games do you need? And the emulation used sucks and it should be compatible with DualShock4.

But the real shame is that Sony could have updated the device even after launching it with a new firmware, but they didn't.

[Sokol]

Two reasons i haven't picked it up.

Price point was to high at launch.

Games included were average compared to dozens and dozens better ones that they could and should have included.

[CrimsonWing69]

Awful EU ports running on NTSC TVs? It also doesn’t help that only half of the games are good. Sony could have done what Sega did and add a ton of must haves to the console. I think it’s lame that Japan got Parasite Eve on theirs and we got Destruction Derby... like who decided that?

[Silly gameAr]

Bottom of the barrel material here. Couldn't write about the Vita or the PSGo? That would be better negative material for playstation then this.

[darklaw]

Nintendo made it difficult to access their first generation games, they weren't available and hard to find. There also wasn't a ton of sequels, and each game was different. Sony games, it seems to me, have been available and easier to find and play, the games themselves were novel but nintendo did it first and they did it better.

[adaminoregon]

Is this really a question? Because the game selection was bad. The format they put the games in was bad. The UI was horrible. And it was 100 dollars.

[Twinblade]

I much rather use my old playstation than some classic with a bunch of games built in... just my opinion though.

[Cobra951]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Digital Foundry did a comprehensive technical review of the PS Classic. The thing just flat-out sucks. Forget game selection. It's simply an incompetent design. A better game selection would have been a bigger crime against the Sony legacy, when running on this.

[antarius]

If it came loaded with Doom I would get it. That soundtrack is still my all time fav soundtrack of any game ever.

[saimcheeda]

It has no place in this time

[Rude-ro]

The constant hate articles before release and bad reviews after release did not help...

But was there really a demand? Sony’s crowd is typically 21+... and they either have the means to play the games that were released with the classic, or just were not interested.. and the younger crowd likes the newer gen releases and were never connected to said “throwback” console.

Either way, the thing got attacked by almost 90% of gaming media before even being released.

[Smitty2020]

I play mgs on my ps1 love it

[Petebloodyonion]

It flop because it doesn't represent what Sony Ps1 was period.
Where's Crash?
Tomb Raider?
Resident evil2?
Gran Turismo?
Castlevania SOT?
Spyro?
Parappa?
Legend of Dragoon?

Why DEstruction Derby when Wipeout XL was a more popular title and quite representative of the era?

Also, the argument of outdated graphics doesn't hold, if it was the case peoples would not rebuy theses titles on Ps3, Steam, Vita, etc.

PPL don't buy these consoles to play long sessions of games, they buy it to recapture the Nostalgia of the time.

[DazaMc]

PSX may have sold well but only because the original was so easy to chip and get cheap games for. The N64 was so much better.

[Enigma_2099]

Poor choice of games, shoddy emulation, mix of NTSC and PAL versions, etc, etc...