Classic Console Wars!?

December 3rd 2019 will be 25 years to the day when Sony dropped an atomic bomb on the “console wars”. Fought, almost exclusively, for 2 console generations by Sega and Nintendo, barely anyone saw it coming. With the release of the PlayStation aka the PlayStation Classic, Sony essentially killed off all the competition. Nintendo had a last gasp with the N64, and Sega pulled the lid shut on their own casket with the Saturn.

It wouldn’t be until the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii were cemented in living rooms, that Sony lost their seat on the console crown.

The New/Old school

Cut to today, and we’ve got a proxy war going on with the mini retro console market. Nintendo is dominant, being the only contender really, that’s no surprise. Sega are launching their mini Genesis, but have just announced a delay until 2019. This leaves Sony. Who, just yesterday, announced the December 3rd release of the PlayStation Classic. This new contender will come pre-built with 20 “legendary” titles. Confirmed so far we have Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, Wild Arms, Jumping Flash and Ridge Racer Type 4. The system will be 45% smaller than the original PlayStation, and comes with a HDMI lead, and 2 controllers. This new PlayStation Classic will set you back $99(USD), which is in line with the cost of SNES Classic.

The Sands of Time

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. By packaging a basic emulator into a NES/SNES box, and sticking 20 of their finest titles onto each console, Nintendo have racked up a combined 10 million units sold worldwide. It’s not difficult to see why Sony and Sega would want a piece of this market. Low risk, high reward. Sony’s PlayStation Classic is poised to be the must-have present underneath the tree this Christmas. Sega Genesis will also prosper when it hits next year. One can’t help but wonder if they got wind of Sony’s impending announcement and pre-empted losing the Xmas battle by delaying to next year.

We can expect an announcement (or leak), with the full list of games on PlayStation Classic before release. Stay tuned to GamEir and we’ll let you know as soon as it happens.