When the PlayStation Classic was announced back in September, the nostalgia floodgates were well and truly open for business. The original PlayStation remains one of the best selling consoles of all time, and if nothing else, the re-release represents a chance for hardcore gamers and collectors to own another piece of gaming history. If your sole aim is to purchase the Classic in order to store it away in a room and collect dust then that’s totally acceptable, but for those wishing to relive their earliest gaming memories with titles such as Driver and Street Fighter Alpha 3, is the console really worth the purchase?
Retro Gamers may be in for a Disappointment
If you’re intending on purchasing the PlayStation Classic to enjoy some of your favorite games of yesteryear then we have some bad news for you. The PlayStation Classic is currently bundled with 20 different games, which sounds like enough to satisfy your nostalgic gaming fix. Right? However, with Revelations: Persona, Destruction Derby and Twisted Metal among the available titles, you suddenly start to realize where the problems lie. Of course, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil are part of the pack, but with Spyro, Tomb Raider and WipeOut conspicuous by their absence, can you really attach the name classic to the bundle or the console?
The Price
Upon its release on the 3rd December, the console was priced at $99.99, which is around a third of the price of a brand new PlayStation 4 (currently retailing at $299.99). When you consider that the classic versions of the NES and Super NES from Nintendo retailed at significantly lower prices and contained a wider range of popular games, the PlayStation Classic seems a bit pricey. As of right now, you can pick a Classic up for around $60 – however, the fact that price has dropped so significantly so soon after release can be seen as an admission on Sony’s part that the product was a little too steep to begin with.
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Times are Changing within the Gaming Industry
As playable and enjoyable as the classic titles are, the gaming industry is an entirely different animal compared to the one that boasted the PlayStation, Sega Genesis, and other consoles. In order to make use of the cutting edge graphics and processing speeds of today’s next-generation consoles, modern classics such as Burnout Paradise and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have been remastered. The remastering of classic games isn’t exclusive to the console industry either – classic slots that traditionally contained simple horizontal lines and reels are now available online in an upgraded capacity, and even board games have been known to have a makeover from time to time.
The Verdict
Was the PlayStation Classic worth it at the original price of $99.99? Probably not. Is it worth purchasing at $60? Possibly. If you’re willing to wait a little longer then chances are you’ll get the console at a cut-price deal and will get the best of both worlds. Nevertheless, $60 isn’t a huge amount of money to spend for retro gaming fans, and although Sony has been a little lazy with their emulator, the PlayStation Classic is probably still worth a purchase at some point. If nothing else, the fact that it almost fits in the palm of your hand is mindblowing enough for you take the plunge.
