So much for first-party publishers using their own tech to repackage our nostalgia in a new priced box. The upcoming PlayStation Classic, which is due 3rd December, isn’t using its own emulator/hardware and isn’t as authentic as many enthusiasts would believe.

According to GameHistory.org, Digital Eclipse game dev, and renowned retro guy Frank Cifaldi tweeted that the PlayStation Classic is using open-source PlayStation emulator PCSX ReARMed.

The PlayStation Classic uses an open source emulator, PCSX. Lesser educated people might see this as a cause of frustration, but here's the reality: it's an acknowledgement that an "amateur" emulator can be just as valid as an "official" one (and they're usually better!). pic.twitter.com/zJztoiYiwT

— Frank Cifaldi (Unlicensed).nes (@frankcifaldi) November 8, 2018

That’s fine and all: it does prove that at this point in time, PlayStation endorses the validity of PlayStation emulators as long as it’s within legal and licensing reasons. After all, they obviously own the rights to all PlayStation games.

This also destroys the argument that emulators are essentially a tool for pirates, since publishers use it too if they want to make a few bucks off of retro enthusiasts. In the right hands, emulation is essential to preserve our history of digital games. And there’s a lot that needs preserving anyway.

Of course, Frank did point out that Sony tried to sue a PlayStation emulator 19 years ago, but to no avail. After that, they bought the emulator license and proceeded to shut it down. My how times have changed.

19 years ago, Sony unsuccessfully tried to sue a PlayStation emulator out of existence (and when they lost, they purchased the emulator and shut it down). Now they're happily using open source emulation for their own products. How far we've come!

— Frank Cifaldi (Unlicensed).nes (@frankcifaldi) November 8, 2018

Of course, this begs the question: why would you buy a PlayStation Classic when you can just install PCSX and just play your PlayStation One collection on your PC? Well, you’re shelling out money for convenience, for one. Secondly, that mini-case and controller setup does look nice for display purposes. Really, it’s your call.

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