PlayStation Classic (mini) is coming...............

[Pixelboy]

In the end, the saddest thing is that they created a perfect PS1-shaped enclosure, and (I would assume) perfectly functional PS1 controllers, but the software inside just doesn't match the quality of the outer package. So if Sony were ever to want to release a new iteration of the PS-Mini with a different selection of games, better emulation and a better menu presentation, they couldn't really do it because the enclosure was already used for this crappy PS-Mini, and having multiple versions of the hardware with the same casing and controllers would just be confusing for buyers.

 

As others have said, lets hope some tech-savvy people can hack the thing to death, and put a better emulator in there in addition to the titles we really want to see, like Tomb Raider, Spyro, Castlevania SOTN, Crash Bandicoot, etc.. Then the PS-Mini will actually be worth buying, assuming it's relatively easy to hack for non-experts who just want to install their favorite ISOs on the unit.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Pixelboy

[Bill Loguidice]

As others have said, lets hope some tech-savvy people can hack the thing to death, and put a better emulator in there in addition to the titles we really want to see, like Tomb Raider, Spyro, Castlevania SOTN, Crash Bandicoot, etc.. Then the PS-Mini will actually be worth buying, assuming it's relatively easy to hack for non-experts who just want to install their favorite ISOs on the unit.

 

There's still the issues of the controllers, which are the digital-only originals. Lots of things to overcome to make this thing more versatile for the platform.

[deepthaw]

 

There's still the issues of the controllers, which are the digital-only originals. Lots of things to overcome to make this thing more versatile for the platform.

 

It's not a *huge* issue IMHO. Save for very few exceptions like Ape Escape, DualShocks were optional for games even going into the end of the PS1's lifespan. All of the extra games Pixelboy listed were perfectly playable with the stock controller, IIRC.

Edited November 28, 2018 by deepthaw

[Atariboy]

My enthusiasm is pretty much dead.

 

I think the only saving grace this unit may now have is if it's hacked wide open and we're able to load a more capable emulator.

[Hwlngmad]

Me too. Besides, as it has been stated numerous times, there are tons as ways to play PS1 titles. Still, it is a shame that Sony is falling flat on their face with this product. Kinda surprising to a degree.

My enthusiasm is pretty much dead.

 

I think the only saving grace this unit may now have is if it's hacked wide open and we're able to load a more capable emulator.

[Jess Ragan]

This isn't so much a "swing and a miss" as a "swing and accidentally push the bat into your own colon." Some people are even suggesting that this may have been deliberate sabotage by Sony, in an attempt to make Nintendo's own plug and plays look terrible by association. Thing is, if that was the plan, I don't think it's going to work too well. People know what to expect from the NES and Super NES Classic... they've been out for years and have been thoroughly play tested and evaluated. The only thing the Playstation Classic is going to do is make non-Nintendo plug and plays look bad, and there are already plenty of examples of that without Sony throwing its clown hat into the ring.

 

Oh well, looks like it's back to the PSTV and Raspberry Pi for me! (Why Sony didn't just use a reconfigured PSTV for this is anyone's guess. It plays PSOne games perfectly well. Hell, so does the PSP, and that's over a decade old.)

[Tanooki]

Wow that's some serious tin foil hat stuff there on some illuminati level trying to accuse Sony of shoveling a badly compiled crappily emulated turd to try and sabotage Nintendo. Those things are on an entire other level. Sure the PS1 opened the doors to a lot of new gamers 20 years ago, but when people look back mostly, most fondly, and as inspiration for the crapload of 'retro' titles made these days the SNES and NES are the playbook people seem to break open. I don't think anyone but Nintendo themselves could sabotage them. Even the crappy stuff ATgames has sullied Sega for for years didn't make a dent due to the Genesis firecore situation. If anything Sony is going to make the latest Sega console from ATGames look less awful when some reviewers start drawing weird comparisons for 2018 holiday TV games devices on the market.

[derFunkenstein]

Some people are even suggesting that this may have been deliberate sabotage by Sony, in an attempt to make Nintendo's own plug and plays look terrible by association. Thing is, if that was the plan, I don't think it's going to work too well.

 

That's some next-level conspiracy theory stuff right there. Probably somebody who thinks Sony can do no wrong. But you're probably right, somebody has to think this way. The same line of thinking gets applied to just about every IndieGogo and Kickstarter campaign that fails to ship.

 

If anything Sony is going to make the latest Sega console from ATGames look less awful when some reviewers start drawing weird comparisons for 2018 holiday TV games devices on the market.

 

That's definitely what's going to happen. "So bad, it makes AtGames look good".

Edited November 29, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[deepthaw]

I wonder how many of the people this is targeted at won't even realize the system isn't very good?

 

The same people who know this thing sucks are the same people who already have myriad ways to play PS1 titles. Their target audience may be impulse buys from people who won't know better or put enough time in it to care.

[derFunkenstein]

I wish $100 was an impulse buy for me.

[NE146]

I was a "must buy" guy who now is waffling.. purely because of the PAL stuff though. I mean that is just odd.

[amiman99]

I think you should just get a PS2 Slim, FreeMCBoot and Popstarter, classic PS Mini right there. wink, wink...

[derFunkenstein]

I think you should just get a PS2 Slim, FreeMCBoot and Popstarter, classic PS Mini right there. wink, wink...

 

That would certainly cost about as much. It's unfortunate that there hasn't been (to date) a way to use the internal PS1 emulator on the PS2 natively. If you could just run the PS1 "driver" on an ISO on your hard drive, you'd have a great setup.

[amiman99]

 

That would certainly cost about as much. It's unfortunate that there hasn't been (to date) a way to use the internal PS1 emulator on the PS2 natively. If you could just run the PS1 "driver" on an ISO on your hard drive, you'd have a great setup.

It's not going to cost as much, on the pinch, you could get PS2 that does not play disks, plus $5 32GB USB stick, $5 mem card and you are good to go.

Popstarter works well from USB stick, and I know not all games work, but you could load games that you actually want. I'm very impressed so far.

[JBerel]

What's the state of other emulators on PS2? I still have a PS2 slim clunking around, but not surprisingly, it doesn't read some or all disks anymore. If I can put an external drive on it and run other stuff, it may be worth a go. I wouldn't mind running my ps2 games off disk either since the CD drive seems shot.

[Flojomojo]

I wish $100 was an impulse buy for me.

 

$100 in 2018 is equivalent to $61.33 in 1995.

 

Or the original purchase price of just one of the onboard games plus tax.

 

[derFunkenstein]

That wasn't really an impulse buy for me back then, either, since I was in high school.

 

edit: but that kind of puts it in perspective; this thing costs today what one new game cost back then.

Edited November 29, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[Gentlegamer]

PlayStation games settled on $49.99 MSRP, with many quickly going to $19.99 green label Greatest Hits.

[Bill Loguidice]

PlayStation games settled on $49.99 MSRP, with many quickly going to $19.99 green label Greatest Hits.

 

That's still around $80 MSRP in today's dollars. Or around $32 for the green label ones. No excuses for this new product, of course, but gaming was never cheap.

[Gentlegamer]

 

That's still around $80 MSRP in today's dollars. Or around $32 for the green label ones. No excuses for this new product, of course, but gaming was never cheap.

 

So the $74.99 N64 Star Wars Shadows of the Empire cart I bought in 1997 would be how much?

[Flojomojo]

So the $74.99 N64 Star Wars Shadows of the Empire cart I bought in 1997 would be how much?

 

$116.06 in 2018 bucks

[amiman99]

What's the state of other emulators on PS2? I still have a PS2 slim clunking around, but not surprisingly, it doesn't read some or all disks anymore. If I can put an external drive on it and run other stuff, it may be worth a go. I wouldn't mind running my ps2 games off disk either since the CD drive seems shot.

There is a Genesis emulator, SNES, Atari 5200 and NES.

Most PS1 games run from the USB stick ( For some reason Ridge Racer and Rage Racer have big graphical glitches, I have those games so no biggie). There is a compatibility spreadsheet you can check, not very complete.

The PS1 "emulator" uses virtual memory cards too, so no need for those either.

[JBerel]

Thanks, I'll look into it. If anybody has a link for the best place to start, I'd appreciate it.

 

So on the cost comparisons, I gotta ask what's today's equivalent for the $75 copy of Zaxxon on Coleco I bought at Zayre's around 1983? That one hurt when I was making less than half that each week, but I just had to have it.

[Bill Loguidice]

Thanks, I'll look into it. If anybody has a link for the best place to start, I'd appreciate it.

 

So on the cost comparisons, I gotta ask what's today's equivalent for the $75 copy of Zaxxon on Coleco I bought at Zayre's around 1983? That one hurt when I was making less than half that each week, but I just had to have it.

 

Around $190. Was that in Canadian dollars? $75 US seems a bit high for the time (one of my favorites on ColecoVision, though!).

[JBerel]

US dollars. When zaxxon was first released on the colecovision, it was probably the most expensive game cartridge to date. They were playing heavy off the “3D Game” aspect of it. Zayre’s had advertised it for $75 a week before its release. Other stores had it at $80 or more. To look at it now, there’s not much to distinguish it from the other colecovision games of the time. There was some real gouging going on there, but it soon settled down to $50 while most colecovision carts were $30. Newspaper ads and in-store signs were all we had then, so you took what you found.