PlayStation Classic Review Roundup

Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and we've seen games publishers harness this with products such as the NES Classic, SNES Classic, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and countless more remakes, remasters, and revisits.

Now, Sony is getting in on the action with the PlayStation Classic: a miniature version of the original PlayStation that comes with 20 games pre-installed. But is Sony's attempt at a mini-console a worthy one?

In our PlayStation Classic review, critic Peter Brown said the device "may never be more than a puny PlayStation with good looks." Read on below for a wider selection of reviews, check out the full game list, or watch our comparison between the PlayStation Classic and the SNES Classic.

• Console: PlayStation Classic
• Publisher: Sony
• Release date: December 3
• Price: US $100 / £90 / AU $150

GameSpot -- No score

"I'd like nothing more than to tell you that the PS Classic is a pleasant surprise, that it will match your excitement and then some. This sadly isn't the case, and short of Sony refreshing it, or the hacking community breaking it open and reconfiguring it, the PS Classic may never be more than a puny PlayStation with good looks." -- Peter Brown [Full review]

IGN -- 5.5/10

"The PlayStation Classic feels more like a halfhearted acknowledgement than a top-shelf tribute to Sony's era-defining console. The list of 20 games seems to miss more of the system's greatest hits than it manages to include. Furthermore, the progress of time and television technology has not been kind to the look of many of these early 3D titles, and the inclusion of digital-only controllers makes many of them feel unwieldy by modern standards. The PlayStation Classic is a neat collector's item that will look great on a shelf in your games room, but it's a much more attractive ornament than it is a viable gaming system." -- Tristan Ogilvie [Full review]

Kotaku -- No score

"Just last year, a PlayStation executive went on the record to ask why anyone would still want to play these 'ancient' games. Clearly, Sony at large believes people would. But instead of a PlayStation Classic that really celebrates the shared love for this bygone era of games, it's a product that feels like it was delivered in the spirit of 'Oh, you guys still like these old games? Well, here this is, we guess.' The PlayStation's games are still beautiful, but the wrapping around them is something like putting a Picasso into an $8.99 plastic frame." -- Chris Kohler [Full review]

GamesRadar -- 3.5/5

"The PlayStation Classic becomes a difficult sell. It retails for the fairly pricey figure of $99.99 / £89.99 (in comparison the NES Classic Mini is $59.99 / £49.99 and the SNES Classic Mini is $79.99 / £69.99), and the presentation of the games, along with the actual line-up of games, is never going to appeal to everyone. It's wonderful for that initial wave of nostalgia--from the console itself, to that loading screen and then starting up one of your childhood games--but be prepared that the glorious nostalgia bath can leave you covered in suds of disappointment." -- Sam Loveridge [Full review]

Polygon -- No score

"Though value is subjective, for $99.99, this is a comparatively expensive way to relive the original PlayStation, only conveniently smaller. Many of the PlayStation games included with the system--with the noteworthy exception of Intelligent Qube--can be downloaded and played on other PlayStation platforms cheaply. Even then, many of these old PlayStation games are hard, sometimes to a heartbreaking degree, to revisit now. But the biggest disappointment with the PlayStation Classic is being left wanting what's missing, rather than what it offers." -- Michael McWhertor [Full review]

The Verge -- No score

"When you really sit back and experience the device, though, it's actually a fitting representation of the mid- to late-'90s. No, the PlayStation Classic doesn't have all of your favorite classic PlayStation games, and there's a very good chance that you're never going to actually play Destruction Derby. But what you are getting for your $99.99, aside from a blast of nostalgia, is a refreshingly honest glimpse at what the early days of the PlayStation were like, right down to getting up from your comfy seat to switch to a different game. It wasn't always pretty, and it was frequently confusing and awkward, but it was also incredibly exciting. And now, that feeling is captured in a tiny gray box." -- Andrew Webster [Full review]