What is the PS1 Classic?
The ps1 classic, which will be referred to as ps1 mini from here on out for brevity, was part of a long yet ironically short-lived boom of “mini” consoles back in the late 2010s, this awkward phase consisted consoles such as the NES mini, SNES mini, Genesis Mini and Atari mini. While this fad didn’t last long, it spawned a neat wave of novelty collector’s items that are luckily not too hard to obtain and mod these days. They serve as a fairly healthy gateway to physical retro gaming as well as being a baby’s first collector’s item.
Today won’t act as a review for the console itself, that will come later once @Jusaiki recovers and gets out of the hospital (this will be elaborated later on in an editor’s note). Once the reviews come out, they will go in great detail into the hardware itself. For now, we’re only giving a brief overview to help you, the reader, decide if this unique system is for you.
But What is Exactly so Unique here?
The ps1 classic is a portable console in everything except requiring an HDMI cable. It is essentially just a flash drive with a usb. Oversimplifying? Not at all, because it doesn’t even require a power adapter! Woohoo! But in all seriousness, this in itself is kinda incredible. One gigantic issue is the link cord but that will be addressed in the review itself.
Why Pick This Over Other “Minis”?
Quite simple. Just preference. All the “mini” systems follow a somewhat universal template, but as such they all share very similar flaws, such as requiring to be modded to get the most out of them since they all come with a laughably barren library of games. This joke has essentially become a dead horse so we’ll save you the drama, instead all you really need to know is.
- Which one has your preferred controller.
- Which one has your preferred games.
- Which one is easiest to get.
Wait, about that controller, only D-pad??
Yeah, and the answer is somewhat… weird? It’s not a simple matter of “authenticity” per se, it’s more accurate to think you won’t need it period. As far as we know, Ape Escape 1 remains one of the rare titles that do legitimately require the thing. Other games don’t need it for one reason or another. And they’re usually… bizarre reasons? Croc is tank controlled, Armored Core uses bumpers to control camera and Crash Bandicoot is legitimately way more precise with the D-pad. You truly won’t feel you’ll need the joystick, but I suppose there is an argument to be made about “comfort”, rather than “need” but I’ll leave that argument to people in the comments. For now this is gonna address the big boy questions.
Games… we have those, right?
We sure do! If you mod it! The vanilla classic has one of the biggest jokes of a retro library this author seen in their lives, and this author subbed to NSO at some point… the horror…, the only notable thing here is that it’s Persona 1’s only modern re-release… ever? Not counting the ps3/psp. Now that’s a weird factoid!
Thankfully this is all remedied by AutoBleem. Get on that modding train, choo-choo!
Now the million dollar question… price?
Thankfully not actually a million dollars. You’ll hopefully be spending 999,940 less than that. The price range you’re seeking here is around 60-120 dollars. MAYBE 180 dollars but be careful of anything above that as it’s likely a scam. You also better make sure you’re getting vanilla or modded. It’s ok to get the former if you plan to mod it yourself but if that’s the case, don’t get anything more than 50-60 dollars.
If you want to get it modded, you should still seek decent prices. Surprisingly, it’s actually not that hard to get a vanilla for super cheap and THEN buy a modded drive completely separate. It’s shockingly cheaper than buying them together because some silly retro sellers won’t expect you to do that.
But is it fun?
Time for the other metaphorical lottery winning questions and yeah, we’d wager so. It’s not the most groundbreaking system of all time. In fact it kinda borderline on not being one at all, instead being a glorified USB drive with an HDMI cable and your generic cheap controller but besides that, it’s a jolly ol’ time. The screen quality is a little questionable though but more on that in the eventual full-blown review.Availability?
Not really that hard to get actually. Amazon, local, it doesn’t matter. Just get it from a reliable source. Here in Kuwait, we have a store called “RetroGamesKw”, a pretty reliable place with a decent price system. You may wanna get it from Amazon but that’s entirely up to you.
However, please do your best to check descriptions and see if the flash drives you find online tell you what games are on. It’s not suuuper necessary, but it can be a lifesaver!
Final Notes
Not a whole lot left to say, otherwise we’d run risk of further canablizing talking points for the eventual review. This is a cute tiny system and it might be worth your time. With that said, leave a comment below if there’s a mini console you’d love to see become a reality. Maybe a Dreamcast mini? Get on it, Sega!
Lastly, some housekeeping…
Editor’s notes: so this was kinda made on the fly to get off of stuff happening in my life. One good thing I can say is that I’ve finally made a sort-of recovery from my sickness but I’m still in a somewhat terrible mood. I’m quite worried about my friend @Jusaiki , he’s been in the hospital for a few days and hasn’t texted me and it’s been on my mind. Please send him kind regards and wish him a speedy recovery. In the meantime, I’ll be recovering from my own depression. See you next time.
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