Forget The PlayStation 4, Let’s Travel Back In Time, PS One Style

Tired of all the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One drama? Why not turn back to our good ol’ PS One, for old times sake?

The past few months have been very riveting and crazy for the whole gaming community, thanks to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One coming out will kinds of gimmicks to bring the latest-gen consoles to all-time highs. The competition has become very tight between the two game console moguls, pitting the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on terms of backward compatibility, game exclusives, and virtual reality. Everything is happening so fast, everyone is talking about the future, and today’s biggest thing is, quickly, tomorrow’s stale item. In fact, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been very aggressive, to the point that it’s just too sad to look at the Nintendo Wii U.

So we say, forget all the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and Nintendo Wii U, if we’re still counting that one in) fighting. Let’s take breather for a while, sit back, and pop our trusty old PS One back on. Wait, don’t tell us you don’t have that 2000 edition PS One with the cool built-in LCD screen—or worse, that you don’t know about it?

Flashback to 2000, the Sony Computer Entertainment came out with the PS One, a redesigned and smaller version of the original PlayStation console. The PS One is roughly 30 percent smaller than the original PlayStation and is so adorable-looking since the unit itself was just almost the size of the DualShock controller. And what’s more interesting with the PS One is that Sony came out with a PS One combo pack, which came with a clip-on 5-inch LCD screen and an adapter that can be plugged in the car. Basically, a much more portable PlayStation unit that’s almost a handheld, but doesn’t come with a battery pack.

Do we love it? Do we hate it? Of course we love it! The PS One is as classic as one can get! Remember all the PlayStation classics that got us all addicted to gaming? Every single CD is readable on the PSOne, so long as you still have those CDs intact and alive.

In fact, the PS One was so phenomenal when it released in July 7, 2000, that it was the highest-selling console through the end of that year, even outselling the record-breaking PlayStation 2 ’til the end of the year 2000. According to Sony Interactive Entertainment archives, the PS One sold 28.15 million units before it was discontinued in March, 2005.

So, you ask, how do you get your grimy gamer hands on this PS One? Well since the PS One was already discontinued as of 2005, the easiest place where you can get one is, of course, the internet. eBay and Amazon are still offering PS One units around, used, refurbished, and original units. As of this writing, you can purchase your own piece of nostalgia over at Amazon for as low as $35 for a used unit in good condition. If you’re very particular about your PlayStation and gaming purchases, you can still actually get an original and brand new PS One with LCD screen over at Ebay for around $190.

See the PSOne in action below.

Should you be paying hard cold cash just to get your hands on a decade-old technology? We definitely think you should, if you ever have some cash lying around. But if not, you can always play your old PlayStation favorites on your PlayStation 3 unit, since those units could pretty much read all classic PlayStation games. If you only have a PlayStation 4 on your person, then note that Sony has been pretty tight that they are not following Xbox One’s lead regarding backward compatibility. So, if you’re looking to replay your Castlevania, Medievil, Spyro, or Crash Bandicoot games, then we would still recommend a PS One for your occasional nostalgic gaming needs.

In terms of backward compatibility news on the PlayStation 4, Sony writes the following.

PlayStation 4 does not have backwards compatibility to play disc-based PS1, PS2, or PS3 games, but we will deliver a new cloud-based gaming service that PlayStation fans can enjoy.

What is your favorite PlayStation console and title?

[Photo by Evan-Amos/Wikimedia Commons]