PlayStation Classic: Everything you need to know

By Jennifer Locke
last updated

It seems Sony has decided to get on the nostalgia bandwagon and create a mini version of the original PlayStation, often called the PSX. Called the PlayStation Classic, this miniature console brings old-school PlayStation games to the modern era. Here's everything you need to know!

Nostalgia Machine

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PlayStation Classic


A miniaturized version of the original PlayStation, the PlayStation classic take us on a nostalgic ride down memory lane. Complete with twenty PlayStation games and two controllers, the PlayStation Classic makes an excellent addition to the Classic console market.

All the big details

What does it look like?

It looks almost exactly like the original PlayStation from 1994 but reduced in size by forty-five percent. Apart from the size, the major differences are found on the back. Instead of the analog ports from before, the Classic has HDMI and Micro-USB ports. Even the memory card slots are visible on the Classic although they are just for show and they don't actually do anything.

Down to the lack of thumbsticks and the long thin socket, the controllers are perfect replicas of the originals. It would be nice if they were made wireless, but I suppose they need to keep the nostalgia accurate.

How do all the buttons work?

Each of the buttons on the console works almost exactly like the original.

  • The power button turns it on as you would expect.
  • The reset button suspends the current game and we assume takes back to the game menu for you to launch new games.
  • The open tray button actually opens the virtual tray to allow you to swap discs on games like Final Fantasy VII that used to have multiple physical discs. This is a really nice touch from Sony as it makes all the buttons usable in some fashion.

What's in the box?

The PlayStation Classic comes with the console, of course, an HDMI cable, USB-A to Micro-USB cable for power, and two controllers. I like this trend in the Classic consoles of supplying two controllers, and long may it continue.

The only thing missing from the box is an A/C Adapter (opens in new tab), but Sony has said that a standard one amp, a five-volt adapter will work fine.

What about saves?

The PlayStation Classic comes with "a virtual memory card" to save your games on, Player one and two have their own memory card for easy organization. There are also clever things you can do with the virtual memory card when modding the PlayStation Classic.

What games does it have?

There are twenty games preloaded on the PlayStation Classic, and though some popular titles are listed among the 20 games, to the disappointment of a lot of fans a few notable games like Tomb Raider and Tony Hawk Pro Skater are nowhere to be seen.

  • Battle Arena Toshinden
  • Cool Boarders 2
  • Destruction Derby
  • Final Fantasy VII
  • Grand Theft Auto
  • Intelligent Qube
  • Jumping Flash
  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Mr Driller
  • Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
  • Rayman
  • Resident Evil Director's Cut
  • Revelations: Persona
  • Ridge Racer Type 4
  • Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
  • Syphon Filter
  • Tekken 3
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
  • Twisted Metal
  • Wild Arms

All the games play at their native 4:9 aspect ratio.

Where can I get it?

The PlayStation Classic was released in all regions on December 3, 2018, and is available to buy for $40 at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Gamestop. With typical PlayStation flair, the PlayStation Classic was released exactly twenty-five years after the original.

Nostalgia Machine

 (opens in new tab)
PlayStation Classic


A miniaturized version of the original PlayStation, the PlayStation classic take us on a nostalgic ride down memory lane. Complete with twenty PlayStation games and two controllers, the PlayStation Classic makes an excellent addition to the Classic console market.

News archive

February 7, 2019 — A new modding page

We now have a comprehensive hacking and modding page for the PlayStation Classic. We aim to update it as often as possible with all the new ways you can update your console and make it the machine we hoped it would be.

November 29, 2018

If you are looking for a little something extra to get you hyped up about the release of the PlayStation Classic, Sony has been thinking about you. On November 21, they released a brand new trailer which features a multitude of classic games from the early days of PlayStation. This trailer is most decidedly a frenetic affair full of blasting beats that you can check out right here!

October 15, 2018

While the English announcement did not provide a lot of details regarding the PlayStation Classic, its Japanese announcement did. Over on PlayStation Japan's website, the company revealed in the fine print near the bottom of the page that peripheral devices, including original memory cards, will not be compatible with the PlayStation Classic.

On top of that, the specs also reveal that the PlayStation Classic only supports video outputs of 720p or 480p. If you were hoping for 1080p, you'll be disappointed.

October 5, 2018 — The controllers are USB!

After looking at the images in much finer detail, I have noticed that the controllers, while having the same long, thin plug as the original PlayStation, may actually be a standard USB instead. When looking at the console from head on you can see the undeniable shape of a USB.

This opens up a lot of possibilities, both for the console and for the controllers. Does this mean we could use a standard PS4 controller plugged into the USB of the console? Or could we use the controllers that come with the Classic on our PC's? Hopefully, Sony can give us an answer soon.

Jennifer Locke
Jennifer Locke
Games Editor - PlayStation, Android, VR

Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life. You can find her posting pictures of her dog and obsessing over PlayStation and Xbox, Star Wars, and other geeky things.

29 Comments
  • Already pre-ordered mine :) 20 games good or bad, able to add more games or not, PSN connection or not the PSX was the system that hooked me into gaming. Yes, I had the Atari 2600 and the NES as well as the Genesis before but it was the PSX that made me a gamer. This is going to be hooked up to my home theatre system to play on the big screen :)
  • "Yes, I had the Atari 2600 and the NES as well as the Genesis before but it was the PSX that made me a gamer. "
    Exactly, me too. In fact, this was the first system I had to buy on my own (previous were bought by parents), so it really made it even more special since it was more rewarding. The Super NES was really great and all, but the PSX goes down as my all-time favorite system and I would love to go back to that time in my life.
  • Bring the link cable back! That was the best part for me.
  • yes, that and add Galaxian 3... 4 players, 2 screens and the ability to move your target reticle across both screens!
  • I hope they add the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games.
  • Bit late, but soul Reaver was the second game in the series. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain was totally different but no less great.
  • Now this isn't a piracy question, far from it. I still own some original mint condition games that were rare at the time due to a small print run (e.g. Star Ocean 2 PAL) and I play them via emulation on my PC and phone from time to time. Does anyone know what the chances are of being able to play our own copies or will it be a case of only being able to play P$N downloads? I'm sure if it's the latter it'll be cracked soon enough but if it's the former, TAKE MY DAMN MONEY!!
  • You play the games that come loaded on it. You won't be able to add to it. You must not know the concept of what is going on here.
  • I've not read anywhere that it'll only be locked to the 20 preloaded games. No need to be so venomous 🙄
  • The Snes can be hacked to allow you to play legally obtained Roms there is no reason to believe this will be more secure
  • It's just been like that for the NES and Super NES classic so assumption is that most people were familiar with it. But no PSN downloads, and no you won't be able to play your own copies. It will be cracked though of course, just like the NES and Super NES I am sure.
  • Thanks. I never looked into the S/NES ones so I didn't know how they worked. Good news about it probably being cracked then but I'm not sure if I should hold out for it to be cracked or jump in and buy one regardless. Depends how limited the sales will be I guess.
  • Sony should be better about production than Nintendo and its debacle was, I would imagine.
  • What I need to know is the COMPLETE list of games included.
  • Me too! We will update this post as soon we know more
  • With a PS4 and a Xbox one in the grandkids playroom.
    I'm grabbing this up for me. Me me me!
    Now watch. As soon as one of them know it's here, it'll be, "pop pop, can I play your game for a minute?" Me: I love you darlings, but NO!!!!!
    This ones for me.
    MINE!!!!
  • PlayStation Classic: The only thing you need to know The games list, which no one has.
  • It's strange why Sony will not make the PS4 backwards compatible because people do not want to play old games but yet are making this? I wonder which gran turismo will be on this? I wished TOCA was on there I doubt it will be as outside the UK I cannot image it sold well I also wonder if wipeout will I bet they will have licensing issues with the soundtrack though
  • I actually still have playstation (1) classic and all the games i used to play as a kid. Good nostalgic moments. Lol i wonder how much is it worth now as an electronic antique :D
  • No one is talking about the lack of a power cable for it.
  • there is a power cable for it. It doesn't have a power brick. I assume because Sony knows everyone has them from old phones.
  • You can bet one of the Wipeout games will be on there. They'll probably go for Wipeout 2097, but Sony opting for Wipeout 3 would actually be better in terms of delivering value (the original wipeout could of course also appear, but would be a cop out to be honest). FF9 or 8 would have been a better choice than 7, but I think we can forgive them on that one due to it's status, as long as they choose wisely with almost all the other games. Type 4 was the right choice from the Ridge Racer series so there is hope that wise choices continue. I hope they don't waste a 'game slot' by putting one of the spyros or crash bandicoots on there, unless it's Crash Team Racing, which would be a great move. Would be fantastic to see Future Cop LAPD on there too. I don't think any Need For Speed games should be included as they have all truly aged quite badly, but I would not begrudge High Stakes being included (NFS Porsche is great but the races use smaller fields, which may bother people). I feel Sony should avoid including games that pushed for the most realistic graphics in general. The NES and SNES minis' offerings were sadly half-filler, so I hope Sony doesn't follow that trend, instead delivering on a piece of hardware that is good value in terms of content.
  • Toiveena olis Medal of honor, PlayStation classicille.
  • Now that we have a full games list, I have to say meh. There's some classics on the list, but most of them are easily available elsewhere. And there doesn't really seem to be any overlooked classics that people may have missed... Except Wild Arms.
  • Where is Gran Turismo? That's my favorite PS1 game.
  • No Castlevania SotN, Suikoden 1, or Suikoden 2 = Pass for me until it is jailbroken or otherwise hacked.
  • It's kind of a bummer some of the decisions Sony made in regards to the games like choosing the PAL versions. I am really hoping the controllers can be used on a PC though as they would be great for platformer games. Hopefully it will get hacked at some point and we can add our own games somehow or even swap out some of them if we can't get any added.
  • Not worth a $100. I still have the original which I got modded when I lived in South Korea twenty years ago to play black market games, at the very least they could have added Silent Hill to that lineup. But instead they wasted space with the original GTA, boring.
  • The "only thing you need to know" is that it was a horrible product, and subsequently a big flop.