Sony just announced a $100 mini version of the original PlayStation — here's everything we know about the PlayStation Classic

By: Business Insider

September 19, 2018 at 09:52 AM EDT

Nearly 25 years after Sony first introduced the world to a new game console, the PlayStation, the Japanese electronics giant is on the verge of a re-introduction.

Behold, the PlayStation Classic.

This December, Sony is re-releasing the original PlayStation console in miniaturized format — a la Nintendo's NES and Super NES Classic consoles. It comes with 20 games built in, two controllers, and it costs just $100.

Here's everything we know about PlayStation Classic thus far:

First things first: You've seen the console already, so what games are in it? We only know about five thus far:Sony

There are 20 games inside the PlayStation Classic, pre-loaded by Sony. Only five of those 20 are announced thus far. They are:

1. "Final Fantasy VII"

2. "Jumping Flash"

3. "Ridge Racer Type 4"

4. "Tekken 3"

5. "Wild Arms"

You might be asking, "Where's 'Resident Evil,' and 'Metal Gear Solid,' and 'Crash Bandicoot,' and 'PaRappa the Rapper'? WHERE?!"

Though none of those have been announced as coming to the PlayStation Classic, it'd be a surprise if none of them ended up on the upcoming mini console.

The PlayStation Classic looks almost exactly like the original PlayStation console — except much smaller.Sony

The differences between the PlayStation Classic (left) and the PlayStation One (right) largely come down to one thing: Size.Sony

PlayStation Classic is a shrunken down version of the original PlayStation console — it's 45% smaller, according to Sony.Sony

There's at least one other major difference: Since the internals of the PlayStation Classic are completely different from the original PlayStation, the buttons do different things.Sony

The power button still turns the console on and off, but the Reset and Open buttons have new functionality.

The Reset button acts as a way to suspend games, enabling players to pause a game anywhere and come back to it later without having to use memory cards or requiring the game to have its own save system.

Similarly, the Open button is used to swap out games. Instead of opening a CD-ROM reader — like the original PlayStation console — you'll push Open to "swap virtual discs." Sony has yet to show what the console's user interface looks like, so it's not clear exactly how this will work.

On Nintendo's NES Classic Edition and Super NES Classic Edition consoles — miniature versions of classic game systems — you're able to save four "suspend points" for each game. It's likely that Sony will adopt a similar system.

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