There are plenty of things I am enjoying having picked up a PlayStation (PSX) in 2023. Over two decades after its successor arrived, the legacy of Sony’s first console is absolutely worth revisiting.
Read More: PS1 Modding – A History of PlayStation Piracy: Part I
However, there are several things that those of you tempted to resurrect your love for the stylish grey slab should know before reliving some of gaming’s most influential games. Here’s five things I wish I’d known before picking up a PlayStation (PSX) in 2023.
Digital Divide
For the first two years of so of PlayStation’s life, analogue was limited to flight sticks, racing wheels and the third-party NegCon. Many games made before 1997 do not support the analogue modes of the DualShock or Dual Analog.
Plenty of incompatible games don’t suffer too much from the lack of analogue since they were designed to be played with digital controls and devs had plenty of experience making entirely playable games for gamers well used to the control method.
Read More: The Enduring Legacy of PlayStation DualShock
Some genres, however, are a lot harder to go back to. And will be even harder to pick up having never learned digital controls for that style of game. Racing is probably the most difficult to go back to. Third-person games in most genres can be tough going.Tomb Raider and Resident Evil feel particularly clunky on PlayStation (PSX) in 2023.
Even with gameplay forgiving to the digital control methods, expect a fight to stay in control that seems to last longer in some genres than others if you’re getting into PlayStation (PSX) in 2023.
Working Controllers vs. Controllers that Work Well
PlayStation hardware is not particularly hard to come by. I picked up a PSOne with two working DualShock controllers and six games for €60 on a local website for casual sellers. The gear was in good nick considering its age and everything worked as the seller advertised.
However, even the most honest of sellers cannot halt the passage of time or undo the wear of years of joy. Analog sticks will not quite centre. Sticks will drift. If a game lets you calibrate, you’ll be calibrating.
The Right TV
PlayStation (PSX) games were designed to run on CRT televisions. While the image quality of playing on a modern display is not great, it doesn’t affect the gameplay and some people just won’t mind.
One thing that will affect the gameplay is input lag. Games nowadays are made with a little input lag in mind to match our slightly laggy TVs. However, some modern TVs have acceptable lag and the games, while uglier than I might like, are crisp and responsive.
I have two modern 4K TV sets and have set up the PlayStation (PSX) on both. One feels superb to play. The other has enough lag that it feels like I am playing drunk.
Retro purists may balk at anything less than component video over a Sony Trinitron. But in truth, PlayStation 1 games can be enjoyed on anything. If you’re having fun, that’s all that matters. And if you’re getting into PlayStation (PSX) in 2023, time is ticking on picking up a CRT display. After all, it’s almost two decades since CRTs began to disappear.
Some Memory Cards Die
While official Sony PlayStation memory cards use non-volatile storage and, with care, should last a very, very long time. Even in 2023, your old save files should be intact and any old memory cards you find or buy should ready to resume service.
However, it doesn’t always work out that way. Having pinged my friends for any old PlayStation gear they had laying around, I picked up a game and two memory cards. One works just fine. The other memory card is dead.
Read More: Five PlayStation 1 Sports Games Still Worth Playing
I’ve cleaned the contacts, drank a glass of water upside-down and consulted a priest. It’s still dead.
The Test of Time
Many games on Saturn, PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 play at framerates that are hard to go back to – even more so if you live in PAL regions. And some of your favourite titles run at resolutions as low as 384×240. Image quality and responsiveness weren’t the dealbreakers that they became in the 21st century.
Controls too have progressed. PlayStation saw a great number of genres enter 3D for the first time. And bringing this new dimension to a console pad took wasn’t easy. Sony needed a second take to nail it with DualShock which built on the foundations of N64’s trident.
Read More: How PlayStation Launched JRPGs in the West
Additionally, most genres these days have long since standardised their control schemes. Hopping from one first-person shooter to another nowadays is a mostly seamless experience. Back in the formative years of 3D console control, this wasn’t the case as studios had to find their own way in uncharted waters.
And all of this is before we consider how the games themselves have aged. In terms of mechanics, balance, storytelling – some entered this new era with great ideas but only a select few seem to master the execution before Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube arrived.
Revisiting childhood or adolescent classics from the fifth generation of consoles comes with a risk. There are certain obstacles to enjoying games made at the cutting edge during such a sweeping change in paradigm across the industry. Keep an open mind and remember the foundations laid during this golden era.
And who are you to tell your 14-year-old self they’re wrong?
