Sony announces PlayStation Classic

Sony has announced its own mini console, the PlayStation Classic. Coming December 3, it will cost £89.99 and come bundled with a selection of games and two controllers. The release will see ‘limited quantities’, so let’s see how much this one’s going for on eBay before Christmas…

The Classic will come preloaded with 20 titles, though only five have been announced so far: Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash!, Ridge Racer Type 4, Wild Arms, and – making its first home version appearance since launching in 1998 – Tekken 3. The rest of the titles included will be publicised as we get closer to launch.

The mini console is 45 per cent smaller ‘on the sides’ and 80 per cent smaller by volume than the original chunky console – that’s even smaller than the PSone, or ‘original PlayStation mini’ if you will. It outputs via HDMI with a 480p and 720p signal, so it’s safe to assume there’ll be some upscaling on the go with the games.

The unit will come packaged with two replica controllers – original PlayStation pads rather than Dual Analogue/Dual Shock – an HDMI lead and a USB power lead. A plug/power source will have to be provided to run the unit.

The announcement press release points out that further games will not be able to be added to the PlayStation Classic (at least not via official channels), while original controllers and memory cards will not be compatible with the unit. Which is pretty much par for these mini re-releases.

Let the speculation on what other games will be included commence! We’re guessing Johnny Bazookatone, Blast Chamber, and Silent Bomber. Ahem.