PlayStation Classic teardown: what's inside Sony's new micro-console?
What hardware is inside the PlayStation Classic and what it makes it tick? It's something we've been fascinated about since the project was announced. Initially, we wondered whether Sony might have returned to its PlayStation Vita SoC - a proven performer for original PlayStation emulation. However, the platform holder has opted for an ARM SoC set-up - and one that's a good chunk more powerful than the internals of the NES and Super NES mini consoles.
Of course, Nintendo was dealing with far less capable hardware than the PlayStation for its mini-consoles - but the fact is that hackers have managed to install and run PS1 games on the Nintendo kit, albeit with varying levels of success. Sony has opted for a quad-core ARM set-up that also integrates a PowerVR GPU - although the utilisation of GPU acceleration in the PlayStation Classic is likely minimal. The SoC in question is also paired with 1GB of memory, along with 16GB of flash storage.
With the console in hand and initial tests completed, we decided to dismantle the unit to get an idea of the design decisions Sony made in putting together its latest hardware release. It's got to be said that the look and feel of the PlayStation Classic is genuinely authentic - obviously it's a lot smaller, but it looks right and even the plastics chosen seem like a fairly close match for original hardware. Once connected up via USB, the power button turns the machine on, while the reset button drops you out of gameplay and back to the front-end. The open button has a job to perform too: it's used to 'swap discs' in games that originally shipped on two or more CDs.
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