The PlayStation Classic Edition is not yet a reality, but gamers looking forward to an official PlayStation retro console will be happy to know that Sony is at least still thinking about it.
Nintendo reached great success with its retro consoles, namely the NES Classic Edition and the SNES Classic Edition. It is safe to assume that the PlayStation Classic Edition will see massive demand, but the question remains on whether Sony will really work on releasing such a device.
PlayStation Classic Edition Internally Considered At Sony
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera, who recently said that the PlayStation 4 life cycle is entering its final phase and that PlayStation Vita support will end by 2020, was also recently asked whether there were plans to release something like a PlayStation Classic Edition.
Miniaturized versions of classic consoles have been a hit in the video game market, as exemplified by the popularity of the NES Classic Edition and the SNES Classic Edition. The NES Classic Edition will return on June 29, and will be available alongside the SNES Classic Edition until the end of the year.
Kodera, however, said that there is nothing to reveal about the PlayStation Classic Edition at this time. That does not mean the device, or some form of it, will never happen though.
"Our company is always digging up past assets, and I think there are various ways to do it. There have been discussions happening (in the company) on what kind of ways are there," Kodera teased.
Kodera did not confirm that the PlayStation Classic Edition is in the works, but the Sony executive also did not shoot down the idea, opening the door for a miniature PlayStation 1 console to launch in the future.
PlayStation Classic Edition Challenges
If Sony will indeed release a PlayStation Classic Edition, the expectation is that it will be like the previously released miniature retro consoles. The device will be a smaller version of the original PlayStation that will function as a plug-and-play emulator, with a list of preloaded games.
There is no shortage to the PlayStation 1 games and series that Sony can add to the PlayStation Classic Edition, including Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, and Xenogears. The list goes on and on.
However, unlike the NES and SNES which thrived with Nintendo's own games, the original PlayStation succeeded due to third-party support.
Will the massive sales that the PlayStation Classic Edition generate be enough to push Sony to negotiate with third-party studios to license the games? The answer to that may very well be the breaking point on whether the PlayStation Classic Edition becomes a reality.
