If you have been playing video games for a long time, then there’s no doubt you feel nostalgia for certain titles from you past. It could be a game that you loved on a certain console, or a series of games that don’t have modern counterparts, or they do and they don’t match up to the originals, etc. This nostalgia is what drove developers to make digital copies of old games and put them on their systems, and when that wasn’t enough, they made portable consoles, like the newly announced PlayStation Classic.
The PlayStation Classic will feature several classic games from that consoles time on the market, some of which have been announced so far. Final Fantasy VII, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, Wild Arms and more. But the question remains, will there be enough nostalgia to drive sales to make this a successful venture for Sony? Well, one games industry analyst seems to think so.
Michael Patcher had this to say on the upcoming system:
“There has been a lot of support for the Nintendo classic hardware, so I presume Sony will see similar success,” he said. “They should be able to sell ‘millions’ (around 1-2 million) without any problem, if they choose to make that many. It’s priced right and the game lineup is pretty good for that price. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell 2-3 million this holiday and a similar number per year as long as they choose to keep manufacturing.”
While he’s right that the NES Classic and SNES Classic were big hits, there’s one big difference between Sony and Nintendo: The passion of their fanbases. True, they’ve been in many console wars together, but Nintendo fans have always had a love for the nostalgic because of the history of the company. That may not translate to the PlayStation Classic. Or maybe it will, we’ll find out when it releases.
