mini playstation with lcd screen free sample

In December 2018, Sony caved into the mini retro console craze with the PlayStation Classic. It was Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s smash hit, the NES Classic, released two years earlier.

Gamers like myself were beyond excited to replay classic PS1 games, but instead of a greatest hits throwback, the PlayStation Classic arrived with a lackluster library of 20 games (no Crash, no Spyro, no Tony Hawk – the list goes on) and — get this — they ran with subpar emulation at a lower frame rate. It was an epic facepalm.

Within a few weeks, PlayStation Classics were discounted by as much as half, with heaps of them literally in bargain bins. But like so much unloved tech, modders and hackers have come in clutch, rescuing Sony’s dud and transforming it into one of the best mini retro consoles you can buy in my opinion. With the simple Project Eris hack (formerly BleemSync) from the Mod My Classic team, not only can you add more PS1 games (like the ones it should have come with), but it’s powerful enough to run Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast games, too. (We don’t condone piracy and when we refer to adding more games, we’re talking about legally adding them to the extent that the law allows for it wherever you live.) The Eris hack can also fix those games running at a lower frame rate.

Though it’s possible to hack other mini retro consoles, you really don’t need to modify them because they already have a solid library of gems. The PlayStation Classic? Hacking it is the only way to salvage it from being a useless paperweight.

For all the complaints about the PlayStation Classic and its failure to live up to hype, Sony got a few things right. The original gray box was faithfully miniaturized and the two included analog stick-free controllers felt identical to the original, right down to the sturdy cables. Sony cleverly solved how to play games that originally shipped on multiple discs by using the “Open” button to simulate changing the discs, making games like Final Fantasy VII playable, and save states let you resume playing games right where you left them.

I could go on for days about what Sony could have done better. Controllers with analog sticks would have been nice for playing 3D games (the D-pad just doesn’t cut it), especially since the PlayStation Classic cost $100 at launch. Or how about the option to use other controllers? Or the fact that the console doesn’t come with a power adapter?

As always, the fix for bad products has come from the hacker community. Hackers cracked the console within a week of the mini console’s release. Project Eris, an all-in-one software solution, created and maintained by the Mod My Classic team, is now considered the best hack and unlocks the true power of the PlayStation Classic.

I followed the steps to install Project Eris on my PlayStation Classic using Mod My Classic’s instructions here; the whole project took an hour, though that might be longer if you’re less experienced with tinkering. The project requires two inexpensive components that are easy to find online.

This isn’t a tutorial so I won’t go over every step, but I do want to share some of my findings. For example, you need a USB to transfer the initial data file, but not all flash drives are equal because some don’t have enough power throughput. After scouring Reddit, I found this SanDisk Cruzer Glide 2.0 USB Flash Drive works fine. I also got an OTG cable, which connects to the back of the console. An OTG cable frees up the frontside USB ports and can power a faster flash drive. I stuck with the cheap Cruzer Glide 2.0, which has not given me issues. Though not necessary, I recommend getting 8bitdo’s PlayStation Classic wireless adapter to connect wireless controllers like the PS4’S DualShock 4 gamepad. The adapter pairs almost instantly and adds joystick functionality with no additional setup.

One thing you can do right away with Project Eris before installing new games is fix the frame rate of 50 fps PAL games. After opening any PS1 game from the carousel, hit the Select button and the Triangle button at the same time. This opens up the secret emulator menu. From there, select PCSX Menu then Options. Select the Region setting and use the D-pad to move from Auto to NTSC. An option to see the framerate can also be toggled on. Exit the menu and witness the 60 fps glory yourself. (You will have to do this every time, unfortunately.) It’s not ideal, but jankiness comes with console modding territory. A more permanent fix would require downloading the NTSC versions, which run at 60 fps natively.

With Project Eris successfully installed, the final step is to install games. Inputdoesn’t condone piracy; it’s illegal to download ROMs for games you don’t legally own. And even if you do own copies of games, the legality of downloading ROM copies for them is pretty gray. As such, I can’t tell you where to get ROMs and I’m not responsible if people in black suits come knocking on your door. But, ahem, it isn’t hard for enterprising minds to type a few choice keywords into a search engine. Again, you do so at your own risk.

Now that the disclosure is out of the way, adding PS1 games is very simple on Project Eris. These instructions break down the process, but it’s as easy as this: plug the USB into the computer, drop in the games into the folder named “transfer.” That’s it. When booting up the console again, Project Eris grabs the games from the “transfer” folder and installs them on the console, including game art and metadata — game art and metadata for over 9,000 games are stored within the Project Eris files. It’s possible to transfer multi-disc games, too, and Project Eris accepts .BIN, .IMG, .ISO, .PBP, and .CUE files.

The games with their cover art fit right into the PlayStation Classic’s carousel menu screen, and they play just like any of the other games that come with the console. I had a hell of a time playing Crash Team Racing andCastlevania: SOTN and THPS 2. ProjectEris also lets you change the look of the menu; I themed mine to look like the 20th-anniversary theme for the PS4.

Besides support for more PS1 games, Project Eris comes with two killer pieces of software: RetroArch and Emulation Station. RetroArch is an open-source platform for emulation, using cores to emulate different game consoles. The PlayStation Classic isn’t powerful enough to emulate a Switch, but it can emulate Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast games — to a certain extent and results will vary per title.

Emulation Station is a graphical user interface that runs on top of RetroArch. It’s basically RetroArch with a nice coat of paint and streamlined UI/UX. Those familiar with the RetroPie software for Raspberry Pi computers will recognize Emulation Station as the main interface. Generally, I prefer using Emulation Station because it looks nicer and there are tons of great themes available to download.

In my emulation testing, I got Super Mario 64 running at a frame rate of 30 fps with the “Mupen64 Plus” core. Admittedly, it didn’t look great because of anti-aliasing and texture rendering issues, but it was playable. Hey, graphics aren’t everything, right? Dreamcast emulation is a different beast and not one I recommend tangling with often. It took me the better part of three hours to get SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millenium working. For some reason, the Dreamcast emulator on the Project Eris site aka “Flycast” core did not work with any games I tried. I dug around and found that the emulator requires two BIOS files that need to be placed in a specific folder (BIOS and ROM files are treated the same in the eyes of the law.) That also didn’t work, though. Long story short, I ended up downloading a different emulator core from Github, which did work but only with one game.

Your mileage is going to vary for playing Sega Dreamcast games on the PlayStation Classic. Be prepared to do a lot more tinkering.Super Mario 64 doesn’t look pixel-perfect, but it’s playable.

I had no issues with Genesis, SNES, Game Boy Advance, and Neo Geo Pocket games, however, which also happened to work perfectly with the PlayStation Classic’s controllers. When playing Streets of Rage 2using the “Picodrive” core, I managed to connect my Sega Astro City Mini pad after manually setting the inputs in RetroArch.

I did run across one major issue that was not addressed in the steps regarding Emulation Station. Typically, when playing a non-PS1 game, I would have to manually load the core and game from RetroArch. It’s a somewhat tedious process. Emulation Station, though, automatically loads the default core whenever a game is selected, streamlining the experience. The default cores, however, are only specified in the Emulation Station configuration file (located in USB/project_eris/opt/emulationstation/.emulationstation/systems.cfg) and are not included with Project Eris — they must be downloaded from here (these are legal unlike any games you don’t own!) and placed in this specific folder: (USB/project_eris/opt/retroarch/config/retroarch/cores/). That’s why when I opened NBA Jam from the Genesis tab of Emulation Station, I was met with a black screen.

I fixed it by accessing the configuration file with Notepad on Windows (or any text editor on another OS) and changing the defaults to the cores I wanted instead. “Genesis_Plus_GX.libtretro.so” became “Picrodrive.libretro.so” and so on. It was an easy fix once I figured out the issue thanks to this Reddit post, but I wish it had been mentioned somewhere on the Project Eris site.

I probably spent more time troubleshooting than playing, but only because there are so many things you can do to beef up the PlayStation Classic. I know these mini retro consoles were supposed to be cute plug-and-play devices — and they can be — but they can be so much more with a bit of patience. If you have time and interest, the world of mini console hacking is vast and chances are someone has an answer to whatever problems you run into.

Sony dropped the ball with the PlayStation Classic. Hard. Charging $100 for a barebones console with a wack library is the kind of corporate hubris that comes from dominating the last generation with the PS4. Unhacked, the PlayStation Classic is a piece of plastic junk I wouldn’t even gift to anyone. But thanks to Project Eris, it’s been reborn as my dream mini-console for playing retro games, and it can be yours too if you put in a little effort to hack it.Thanks to Project Eris, it’s been reborn as my dream mini-console.

Easily found for around $60-70 on Amazon or used for under $50 on eBay, the PlayStation Classic is a respectable little toy at last. Yes, you need to tinker, and yes, you will likely run into some issues, but it’s all worth it when you’re kicking back and playing those sweet, sweet games from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Sony isn’t going to approve of hacking the PlayStation Classic, but who cares? It’s mine now and I’ll do what I want to give it new life.

The PlayStation went through a number of variants during its production run, each accompanied by a change in the part number. From an external viewpoint, the most notable change was the gradual reduction in the number of external connectors from the back of the unit. This started very early on with the original Japanese launch units; the SCPH-1000, released on 3 December 1994, was the only model that had an S-Video port, which was removed on the next release.printf function and developers had to use another function instead.

This series of machines had a reputation for CD drive problems – the original optical pickup sled (KSM-440AAM) was made of thermoplastic and placed close to the power supply, eventually leading to uneven wear that moved the laser into a position where it was no longer parallel with the CD surface. Late KSM-440ACM drives had the sled replaced with a die-cast one with hard nylon inserts in order to address the issue.

The PAL region consoles from SCPH-1002 up to SCPH-5552 were different from the systems released in other regions in that they had a different menu design; a grey blocked background with square icons for the Memory Card (an icon showing a PlayStation with 2 memory cards inserted) and CD player (an icon with musical keyboards) menus. The CD player also included reverberation effects unique to those systems until the release of the PS one in 2000, which featured a slightly modified version of the BIOS.

With the release of the SCPH-5000 series being produced only in Japan, it followed the same exterior design as the Japanese SCPH-3xxx series, its only differences being that it was switched to Rev. C hardware (same as late 1001/1002 units) with some upgrades to flawed components from previous models and a reduced retail price. This was followed by the first major consolidation, SCPH-550x/5001 and PAL-exclusive SCPH-5552 units, released in April 1997. This model further addressed the reliability issues with the disc drive assembly by placing the drive further away from the power supply in order to reduce heat; the chipset was also redesigned to use digital servo for focus/tracking and also to auto-calibrate the drive, as opposed to manual gain/bias calibration on earlier models. Also, shielding and PSU wiring were simplified, and from the SCPH-5001 on the RCA jacks and RFU power connectors were removed from the rear panel and the printed text on the back was changed to reliefs of the same. Starting with the SCPH-550x series, PAL variants had the "power" and "open" buttons changed from text to symbols, something that would later appear on the redesigned PS one. Originally, the PlayStation was supposed to have provision on Video CD support, but this feature was only included on the Asian exclusive SCPH-5903 model.

These were followed by the SCPH-700x and SCPH-750x series, released in April 1998. They are externally identical to the SCPH-500x machines, but have internal changes made to reduce manufacturing costs (for example, the system RAM went from 4 chips to 1, and the CD controller went from 3 chips to 1). In addition, a slight change of the start-up screen was made; the diamond remains unchanged but the font used for Sony Computer and Entertainment is now consistent, making the words appear smaller than the diamond overall, and the trademark symbol (™) is now placed after "Computer Entertainment" instead of after the diamond, as it was on the earlier models. New to the SCPH-700x series was the introduction of the "Sound Scope" – light show music visualizations. These were accessible by pressing the Select button while playing any normal audio CD in the system"s CD player. While watching these visualizations, players could also add various effects like color cycling or motion blur and can save/load their memory card. These were seen on the SCPH-700x, 750x, 900x, and PS one models.

The final revision to the original PlayStation was the SCPH-900x series, released in May 1999. These had the same hardware as the SCPH-750x models, except the parallel port was removed and the size of the PCB is further reduced. The removal of the parallel port is partially due to the fact that Sony did not release an official add-on for it; it was used for cheat cartridges, and for the parallel port to defeat the regional lockouts and copy protection. The PlayStation Link Cable connection was supported by only a handful of games. The SCPH-900x was the last model to support it, as the Serial I/O port was removed on all PS one models.

The PS one, released on 7 July 2000, was originally based on essentially the same hardware as the SCPH-900x; the serial port was removed, the controller/memory card ports moved to the main PCB and the internal power supply replaced with an external 7.5VDC power adapter with the other required power rails being generated internally on the main using a mixture of regulators and DC/DC converters for the various rails. It also incorporated a slightly modified version of the menu design previously used only on PAL consoles. The later revision (still designated as SCPH-10x but with a different PM-41(2) main circuit board) was functionally identical, but reduced manufacturing cost for a last time by moving to more highly integrated chips, namely the replacement of external RAM with on-chip RAM, which both reduced the parts count and allowed the use of smaller and cheaper packages by reducing the number of pins required.

There were also debugging consoles - these were generally in either blue or green cases, although there were some special production units (mostly intended for use as show demo units) that were grey, the same as the retail consoles. The debug units were designed to be as close as possible to retail consoles, so they only had 2MB of ram (the developer boards had 8MB) and had standard retail boot ROMs. The only real difference is that the CD controller was reprogrammed so that it would identify any disc that had a data track as being "licensed", rather than requiring the region code in the lead-in that was present on pressed PlayStation CDs. This was done to allow developers to burn games to CD-R for testing. A side-effect of this was that most debug consoles would also boot discs from other regions (one notable exception being the later NTSC:J debugs, which only boot Japanese titles), although this was not officially supported. Sony made specific debug consoles for each region, and the TRC (technical requirement checklist) provided by Sony for each region required testing the title on the correct debug stations.

The reason for the two different case colors was a hardware change that Sony had made fairly early in the PlayStation production cycle - the original machines were built using Rev. A (early Japan market units) or Rev. B (later Japan units, US and Europe) hardware, both using the same GPU with VRAM to store the video data. Later models used Rev. C silicon and SGRAM - although the two chipsets had very similar performance, and Rev. C was explicitly designed with compatibility in mind, they were not identical - the Rev. C version was significantly faster at doing alpha blending, and hence the PS "semitransparent" writing mode - it was also rather slow at certain screen memory block moves (basically, ones involving narrow vertical strips of the display) on top of this there were some minor hardware bugs in the older silicon that had been addressed by including workarounds for them in the libraries - the later library versions checked the GPU type at startup time and disabled the patches if they were not needed. Because this made the two machine types quite significantly different from each other, the developer had to test the title on both machines before submitting. The blue debugs (DTL-H100x, DTL-H110x) had the old silicon and the green ones (DTL-H120x) had the new silicon.

In 1997, Sony released a version of the PlayStation called the Net Yaroze. It only came via mail order and was more expensive than the regular PlayStation ($750 instead of $299 for the original PlayStation). It had a matte black finish instead of the usual gray, and most importantly, came with tools and instructions that allowed a user to be able to program PlayStation games and applications without the need for a full development unit, which was more expensive than a normal PlayStation (official development kits cost around $50,000.00 at the time). It was only available to approved video game developers, who needed to sign an agreement that they wouldn"t distribute their games to anyone else or try to reverse-engineer the hardware. The Net Yaroze lacked many of the features the full developer suite provided, lacking the on-demand support and code libraries that licensed developers had.Ridge Racer ran entirely from the system RAM (except for the streamed music tracks).regional lockout; it would play games from any territory. It would not however play CD-R discs, so it was not possible to create self-booting Yaroze games without a modified PlayStation.

The PS One (officially stylized as PS one and alternatively spelled PSOne and PSone) is a smaller, redesigned version of the original PlayStation platform.PlayStation 2.

Sony also released a version with a 5-inch LCD screen and an adaptor (though it did not have a battery: it is powered by plugging the adaptor in a main socket, or in a car). It was called the Combo pack. However, it includes a headphone jack (for headphones or other audio connection) and an AV mini jack for connecting camcorders or other devices.

Units made starting late December 1995 and after began using the PU-8 motherboard, which fixed issues with dynamic lighting and color banding that units with the PU-7 motherboard had (early December 1995 unit batches and prior).

Units made starting late December 1995 and after began using the PU-8 motherboard, which fixed issues with dynamic lighting and color banding that units with the PU-7 motherboard had (early December 1995 unit batches and prior).

CD-ROM drive re-located on right side of CD bay to prevent overheating issues with the CD drive. Digital servo for focus/tracking introduced, manual gain/bias calibration removed.

Available in Midnight Blue as a promotional item to commemorate the 10 millionth PlayStation sold, this is a Japanese-region console that has a unique BIOS based on the USA NTSC-U/C version that allowed imported games from any region to be played.

Some earlier 900x units have the parallel port hidden under case with the PU-22 board, particularly on ones made in May 1999. Most likely, this was a very late 750x batch having their parallel ports hidden, being mislabled as 900x units during the transition of models.

These models, intended for developers, all feature A/V Direct Out, parallel and serial ports; none of them feature Sound Scope. They also have low-quality CD drives. These models can also boot software with any region code (except for those with later Japanese boot ROMs).

The first batch of PlayStations used a KSM-440AAM laser unit whose case and all movable parts were completely made out of plastic. Over time, friction caused the plastic tray to wear out—usually unevenly. The placement of the laser unit close to the power supply accelerated wear because of the additional heat, which made the plastic even more vulnerable to friction. Eventually, the tray would become so worn that the laser no longer pointed directly at the CD and games would no longer load. Sony first addressed the problem by making the tray out of die-cast metal, and additionally also placed the laser unit farther away from the power supply on later models of the PlayStation.

Some units, particularly the early 100x models, would be unable to play FMV or music correctly, resulting in skipping or freezing. In more extreme cases the PlayStation would only work correctly when turned onto its side or upside down.

"PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2012-01-27.

You might be surprised, especially by some of the changes and additions that Sony has smuggled through with its recent firmware updates, so why not indulge us and check out our video above or take a look at the list of tips below.

After all these years there’s now finally a way to hide yourself from your boss/co-workers/friends when you’re playing PlayStation 4. In fact, there are two ways.

That’s where method 2 comes in: at the profile screen that appears when you first switch on your PS4, rather than log in by pressing X, highlight your profile and press the Options button on your controller. From the pop-up window select Log In With Online Status [Appear Offline] and you’ll be taken to your homescreen and connected to the internet without anyone being alerted. Sweet, sweet secrecy.

The DualShock 4 – to give the PS4 controller its full, fancy name – has a Light Bar on its rear. This is a fancy term for the glowing light strip which is used in various games and by the PlayStation Camera, and you can tweak its brightness or turn it off completely, if you wish.

To do so, long-press the PlayStation button on the controller, hit up Sound and Devices, and tweak the brightness settings to whatever you wish (or turn it off completely).

Thankfully you can turn off this feature quite easily. Again, hold down the PlayStation button, and head to the first option – Volume Control (Speaker for Controller). You know what to do from here.

Some people are more likeable than others. If you have a mate which you share particularly top quality banter with, you can tweak the settings to ensure you’re notified when they – and only they – come online.

To rectify this, go to Settings, Themes, and select a brand new look for your PS4. If you haven’t got any loaded up, select Find in PlayStation Store and find one that speaks to you. Boom – a perfect night’s sleep is now yours.

This time, instead of filling up your hard drive with games you’ll never get around to playing, you can simply select Add to Library instead of Download on any monthly free game you fancy. As long as you keep your PlayStation Plus subscription going, you can come back and download any game you’ve added to your library, whenever you like. Result.

You can either hold the Share button down in a game to take one or, to make the process even quicker, you can tweak the settings to ensure that simply tapping the Share button once will take a screenshot.

It won’t quite work for online games like Destiny though – you’ll find yourself back at the login screen – but even then, you’ll be saving a bit of time.

You can also swap between a standard view or a view with comments and number of viewers on the right (for Twitch, at least). Oh, and don’t forget to give a shoutout to your mother.

If you’ve got a special circle of friends who you game with and/or message regularly you can add them into one group, making joint messages and party invites a mere button press (or two) away.

Go to Friends, Add Favourite Group, select those special lucky few, and you’re all set to interact with them in various ways from the Favourite Groups tab in the Friends menu.

This comes in very handy in situations like, for example, gaming while messaging friends. Once you’ve opened up messages while in a game, double tapping the PlayStation button will flick you between the messages and game screen. A single press will still take you to the main home screen, as always.

To compare trophies and achievements with people on your friends list, go to Trophies, click on Compare Trophies, scroll down to whoever you want to measure up against and cry/whoop with joy as required.

One of our favourite PlayStation 4 features is the ability to plug your headphones directly into the controller, letting you game in silence without worrying about sitting close to the TV or console itself.

As long as you’re set with some form of mic, you’re good to go. Just say “PlayStation”, and “All Commands” and you’ll be presented with a list of all the voice commands at your disposal. Buttons are for losers.

Downloading the PlayStation app on your Android or iPhone lets you see who’s online, as well as handily letting you buy games while you’re out and about, allowing them to download automatically, ready for you when you get back home.

It’s essentially like WhatsApp for your PS4, letting you send messages to people using your phone’s on-screen keyboard, which is a much more pleasant typing experience than using the controller to peck at letters on your telly.

Clearly a blatantZelda clone for Sony’s console, Alundrais a top-down action adventure with light RPG elements. It features the same hack-and-slash combat as Nintendo’s series, as well as item gathering, and adds in the ability to explore other people’s dreams and nightmares. There’s also a heavy puzzle element, some of the most difficult in the genre.

Ehrgeiz is a dream game for many PlayStation owners. Not only is it a cross between Tekken and Powerstone, but it features Final Fantasycharacters battling it out in full 3D. Yes, fans actually get the chance to wield Cloud’s Buster Sword and to play as the iconic Sephiroth.

Alongside the combat modes, the game also features a quest mode, much like Tekken‘s later installments that are crammed in as a side show. This boasts a long dungeon crawl-style of play, complete with item looting and a hunger status. Other minigames are also featured, further bolstering the longevity of the title.

Now a cult series of wacked-out RPGs, thePersona series also found a home on the PS1, and Persona 2is a great example of what the traditionally off-the-wall series has in store. Played in third-person, with random battles and the persona system that grants new strengths and abilities, it’s a different, but no less absorbing role player.

Personas can be levelled up with use, and new personas are acquired by gathering tarot cards and attracting demons. The rumor system is intriguing, and new rumors can be collected with various outcomes if the player pays for the rumor to become fact. Quriky? Yes. Great? Most definitely.

The second game in the series, and another excellent JRPG for the PS1, Suikoden II doesn’t try to follow many of its stable mates by using flashy 3D or technical prowess. Instead, it simply goes for pure, traditional JRPG 2D quality, and tasks you with recruiting a myriad of characters to aid you in your fight.

One of Capcom’s most overlooked releases, Rival Schools is a great example of the 3D one-on-one brawler. Set in typically colorful Japanese-style schools, complete with dodgy schoolgirl underwear flashing, combatants vary from martial artists to sports players, and you pick two of them at a time. One is your actual combatant, and the second is used to the game’s team-up special attacks.

Treasure is one of the the most acclaimed developers of the 16- and 32-bit era, and it made a big name for itself by creating off the wall titles with distinctive twists. Silhouette Mirage is one of those titles, and it’s a side-scroller that plays like a mash-up of two other Treasure titles, Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga.

The main twist of the game is main character Shyna’s split abilities. Using both Silhouette and Mirage powers, you have to attack your foes with the opposite power, similar to Ikaruga‘s polarity-switching mechanic. Silhouette enemies are defeated by Mirage, and vice versa. The added twist is that to use each power, you need to be facing the right direction.

This produces a very interesting and quirky take on side-scroller play, and being a treasure title, it packs in great visuals and a well-balanced difficulty. It’s also very challenging for completionists, as you have to complete the game numerous times with only a handful of continues to unlock all of the secrets.

One of the PlayStation’s launch titles, and still to this day, one of the best. Jumping Flashwas one of the first ever attempts to create a first-person platformer, and for the most part, it worked. This is big praise as even now, very few games that have attempted the same thing have got it right. Oh, and you play as a robotic rabbit named Robbit, which is nice.

The game features bold, colorful worlds to jump around in three dimensions and sports a rather unique interface, complete with radar and an auto view tilt when you jump, so you can see where you were going to land. It mixes this platforming with first-person shooting of sorts, and item collection goals with boss battles.

The game plays well, even with the PS1’s limited tech, and it set the stage for 3D platformers to come when it first arrived, so it deserves praise if only for its precursor status.

A 2.5D platformer of the Metroidvania-style, this is another often overlooked, but trend-setting title on the PS1, despite the protagonist having bright pink hair. As the feral hero, players explore the large environments of the game, jumping in and out of the background and breaking the traditionally linear platforming mold. Players can also choose where they want to go at various points. Some areas of the game open up with top-down gameplay that allows more freedom, and there are tons of missions to try out, over 100 in total.

Imagine Hudson Soft’s Bomberman series, only faster, with open levels and more anime hair, and you’ve got Silent Bomber. This is a great fast-paced, top-down action title in which you complete missions by running around like a loon, jumping, and wall climbing, while throwing and detonating bombs to blow up your foes and objectives.

On a platform that’s so well endowed with RPGs, especially of the JRPG persuasion, it’s easy for truly great titles to get lost in the mix, and Star Ocean is one such example. Although overshadowed by other, more recognized titles, Star Ocean: The Second Story is one of the best RPGs on the system.

Puzzle Bobble 4 on the PS1 is one of the best examples of the series, too. With well over 600 levels and new pulley/scale system game mechanics, this is also one of the finest puzzlers on the platform, period. Both a story and arcade mode are present, along with puzzle mode, challenges, and more. You can even use the level editor to create your own challenges. Chain reactions are also introduced in two player matches (and 1P vs. CPU). The various modes and excellent two player challenges make this a no-brainer for puzzle fans.

With Street Fighter dominating the genre, Capcom decided to broaden the series’ horizons by creating Puzzle Fighter. Like many of the best puzzle games, the core gameplay is simple – match colored blocks and drop them on your opponent. It features cutesy versions of popularStreet Fighter characters and special moves based on the fighting title.

As with many popular puzzlers, the game has been cloned (it was itself based on Capcom’s Pnickies), most notably in Mortal Kombat: Deception. It’s also been ported to modern consoles via PSN and Xbox Live, but the PS1 version is one of the best, and despite bearing theStreet Fighter name, could have done much better.

Consistently brought up in underrated discussions by fans, Legend of Legaia is one of the most fondly remembered titles on the platform by genre fanatics. One of many examples of fine JRPGs on the system, it features a turn-based combat system that allows players to choose the type of attack by selecting left or right attacks, as well as high and low. Depending on the equipment used, these attacks can be greatly affected. High and low attacks can be useful in different situations, with low attacks missing flying enemies, for example. Characters can also team up with powerful entities called Ra-Seru, which augment their abilities.

A technical powerhouse, and a perfect game to show off the power of the PlayStation, G-Police was one of the most impressive releases on the system in its day. Developed by Psygnosis, the game puts players in control of agile Police craft in a sci-fi setting.

A space combat sim, Colony Warsfeatures smooth space dogfights, and a non-linear mission structure, with mission failure not always leading to a game over, but instead changing the progress of the missions, a nod to the classic, genre stable mate, Wing Commander.

Long before Nintendo’s Wario developed a taste for tiny, bite-size minigames, Bishi Bashi Special was shaking soda bottles and wasting mechanical pencil lead on the PlayStation with style and content that could only come from Japan.

One of the best party games ever made, especially if you use two PlayStation mult-taps to enable eight player support, there are few times when button mashing is so much fun, even in the wake of motion-controlled silliness. What makes it all the most enjoyable is the bizarre nature of it all, and the crazy selection of challenges, something of a rarity at the time of release for Western audiences, only served to make the whole thing more of a post-pub staple for drunken gamers, a trend that continues for fans today.

A sequel of sorts to the more famous Parappa the Rapper, Um Jammer Lammy follows the same formula as the previous release, but has a focus on guitar playing, rather than rapping. Like Parappa, Lammy has to play various songs alongside her teachers with players reproducing button presses as instructed.

As with a lot of underappreciated titles, Bushido Blade is a game that takes a famliar genre and attempts to do something differently. This time it was to replace fisticuffs and flashy special moves with realistic, insta-death sword fights.

Although it may not have worked from a commercial standpoint, hence its inclusion here, Bushido Blade‘s combat is both rewarding and addictive. It does away with the ability to button mash your way to victory, and instead features a combat system that requires genuine skill and perfect timing, especially when going up against another human opponent.

Perhaps its focus on a more realistic and low-key setting, coupled with the rather mundane characters, compared to the competition at least, did it no favors initially, but overlooking this yields some truly brilliant combat packed with depth.

Spanning the first three Die Hardmovies, Die Hard Trilogyfeatures three different games in one package, all of which are great. Die Hardis a third-person action-shooter,Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a Virtua Cop-like shooting gallery (with light gun support), and the jewel in the crown is Die Hard with a Vengeance, which is a challenging, checkpoint-lead driving game.

All three titles are full games in their own right, and the mixture of styles make for a long-lasting challenge, and what a challenge it is. The on-railsDie Hard 2 is enjoyable, but both Die Hardand Die Hard with A Vengeanceare very tricky, with the latter being the hardest of the three. This challenge is always on the right-side of fair, though, and for its time, this was a very impressive compilation. And it’s Die Hard, which just never gets old (until Die Hard 4.0, anyway).

Directed by Metal Gearcreator, Hideo Kojima, Policenauts is very similar to the previous, excellent Sega CD title, Snatcher. Like the previous game, this is a point-and-click interactive comic of sorts, with shooting segments. By clicking on the environment, the protagonist, Jonathan Ingram, can analyze items and converse with people in order to investigate the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.

The game has never been released outside of Japan, and was initially only available on NEC PC-9821, 3DO, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation. However, a fan-made English translation has since surfaced online.

Using either the supplied music, or your own, your goal is simple, to guide the enigmatic protagonist, Vibri, along a straight line that warps and shifts along with the music. As the music plays, the line changes, generating obstacles that can be avoided with well-timed and correct button presses. The obstacles are generated in time with the music, which means that the style and tempo of music you use can actually affect the difficulty.

A criminally (if you’ll forgive the pun) overlooked gem of a game. Future Cop LAPD is a great sci-fi action title that sees you control a powerful law enforcement mech (that can transform into a car) on a series of missions. The gamepley somewhat resembles that of EA’s Strike series (which is well overdue for a return), and the entire campaign can be played in split-screen co-op.

Alongside the main content, there’s also a basic strategy game included, complete with unit building. This can also be played by two players. Great value and a great game.

Created by Crystal Dynamics, who ironically now heads Tomb Raider, the game takes plenty of inspiration from Ms. Croft’s outings, including a heavy focus on block puzzles and environmental navigation. Unlike Tomb Raider games of the period, however, Soul Reaver features a large, open world with no loading times, a big feature at the time of release. This world is split into various regions, each ruled by a different vampire clan, the leader of which Raziel has to locate and defeat in order to acquire new abilities. Raziel can also switch from the living and dead planes, and this serves as a major puzzle and plot device.

This all amounts to a brilliant mixture of Tomb Raider and Metroid, with areas opening up once Raziel acquires the powers needed to access previously closed-off zones. Throw in some Zelda-style combat and all sorts of supernatural abilities (which also make for some very impressive puzzles) and you have a fantastic fantasy adventure.

While Resident EvilandSilent Hillmay have captured all of the mainstream attention in the survival horror genre, there was another series that was every bit as good – if not better, according to its fans. This was Parasite Eve, which mixed Resident Evil-style survival horror with RPG elements to create a very different take on the genre.

Unlike the first title, PEIIfeatures a real-time battle system, reminiscent of Resident Evil, and this is tempered by the Parasite Energy system that grants Aya special, magic-style abilities. Although it’s certainly a survival horror, complete with puzzles and pre-rendered environments, there’s a larger emphasis on combat, and here you also need to level Aya up, improving her abilities and customizing her weapons. This is important, as later enemies became increasingly more and more deadly, and unprepared players can be unceremoniously destroyed.

As elite an Riskbreaker named Ashley Riot, your mission is to infiltrate the creepy, abandoned city of Lea Monde in pursuit of cult leader Sydney, who’s kidnapped the Emperor’s son. The city is populated with all manner of beasts and monsters, along with powerful bosses. Along the way we also discover Ashley’s troubled past.

What sets Vagrant Story apart from its RPG brethren is the overall style. Instead of a traditional turn-based approach used by the likes of Final Fantasy, here the game fuses both turn-based and real-time with action-adventure exploration and puzzle solving.

Combat is essentially turn-based, but is more fluid. You can move around during combat, which flows seamlessly with exploration, eschewing random battles, and you use a unique targeting system to strike various enemy body parts. As you fight, your “risk” meter fills up. The higher it gets, the less likely your hits are to connect, but critical hit chances are increased. With careful timing, you can string together attacks endlessly, using your own custom move set, and a full counter attack system is in place.

Outside of combat, Ashley can craft his own weapons, and all of these gain experience (affinity) against specific enemy types as they’re used. There’s also a hefty dose of block-based puzzling, all wrapped up with a visually impressive, very different style, and a good story with strong characters.

Sony PlayStation consoles have generally been the go-to platform for many gamers since the mid-1990s, with the exception of one or two generations. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear PlayStation being used as a generic term for consoles in general.

Sony obviously wasn’t the first company to launch a console, with the likes of Atari, Nintendo, and Sega coming before it. But it certainly made gaming cool again, bringing the medium to new audiences.

The PlayStation 5 is the company’s latest console, but what about prior releases? We’re taking a look at PlayStation history, from the very first console all the way through to the latest bleeding-edge machine.

The first PlayStation was originally conceived as a result of a 1991 partnership between it and industry bigwig Nintendo. The house of Mario wanted to release a CD-based add-on console for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) at the time, and enlisted Sony to develop the machine.

Nintendo took Sony by surprise when it announced a partnership with Philips for an add-on instead at the 1991 CES expo. Sony wasn’t keen to ditch all its work that went into the machine and therefore chose to launch a standalone PlayStation in 1994. The $299 price tag in the US also undercut Sega’s Saturn by a considerable $100, with Sony infamously announcing this price at E3 1995.

Powering the console was a 33Mhz RISC-based processor and a Toshiba-designed GPU, along with other bits of silicon for high-quality audio and video. Oddly enough, the console didn’t include dedicated 2D silicon, resulting in some 2D games looking better on rival platforms of the time (e.g. Sega Saturn).

Sony later released the PlayStation One in 2000, featuring a much smaller design. And in 2019, the company released the throwback PlayStation Classic mini-console (seen above), albeit to mixed reviews.

Some of the more prominent games released for the PlayStation include the Wipeout series, Final Fantasy 7, Tekken franchise, Gran Turismo 1 and 2, Metal Gear Solid, Ape Escape, Spyro the Dragon series, and the Crash Bandicoot franchise.

The console originally launched with a controller that featured no analog sticks or vibration, but Sony launched a Dual Analog and then “DualShock” controller in 1997. This wouldn’t be the last time a PlayStation console underwent a controller change during its time on the market.

Sony also released a special developer-focused console dubbed the Net Yaroze PlayStation, allowing users to develop their own games. These are among the most sought-after PlayStation consoles these days for collectors.

Some PlayStation models suffered from a defect that would eventually affect the laser, leading to games failing to load and other technical issues. The solution? Turn your PlayStation console upside down.

Sony later launched a Pocket Station accessory, similar to Sega’s VMUs for the Dreamcast. This was essentially a memory card with a screen, allowing you to play simple games on it.

How do you follow up on the wildly successful PlayStation? Well, you release the $299 PlayStation 2, which managed to eclipse the original console in nearly every way. Released in 2000, Sony embraced the multimedia experience by offering support for DVDs. This was a big deal because the PS2 actually became one of the cheaper DVD players on the market at the time.

Another major feather in the PS2’s cap was backward compatibility with PS1 games, which meant you didn’t have to abandon your entire collection of older PlayStation games.

The early launch relative to rivals, combined with massive third-party support, DVD playback, and backward compatibility all contributed to it being the most popular console ever made. In fact, the machine is believed to have sold nearly 160 million units to date.

Some of the first few waves of PlayStation 2 consoles suffered from a so-called DRE (disc read error) hardware flaw, which saw some games and DVDs failing to read at all. This resulted in a lawsuit that was settled out of court.

One particularly interesting PS2 variant was the Japan-only PSX, which combined a PS2 with DVR functionality (featuring a 160GB or 250GB hard drive) and DVD burning. This was also the first PlayStation device to use the Xross Media Bar UI, later seen on the PSP and PS3.

Between the PS2 and PS3 launches, Sony decided to launch the first handheld in PlayStation history with the PlayStation Portable (PSP) back in 2004. Unlike Nintendo and its conservative approach to handheld power, Sony took the brute-force approach with the PSP by offering a processor that was closer to the Dreamcast and PS2. This resulted in many ports of contemporary home console titles.

The PSP also delivered features like Sony’s Memory Card Pro Duo format for storage, a built-in web browser, and a large LCD screen. Toss in multimedia playback functionality and Wi-Fi, and you had a feature-packed handheld for the time.

Sony used the so-called UMD format for games, which was essentially a mini-disc. The upside was this offered almost 2GB of storage space, but the downside was that loading times were absolutely horrible.

Sony would go on to launch several PSP revisions during its lifetime. The first was the PSP Slim (or PSP-2000), featuring a sleeker design, USB charging, and double the RAM and storage. We also saw the PSP-3000 (featuring a better screen and integrated mic), the PSP Go (with a slideout gamepad, no UMD drive, and 16GB of internal storage), and the PSP Street (ditching Wi-Fi).

Popular online import website Lik-Sang was forced to shut down in 2006 after getting embroiled in a legal battle with Sony. The website came under fire from Sony for selling PSPs to customers in the UK ahead of the official UK launch. Lik-Sang alleged that even Sony executives were importing PSPs from the company.

Flush with success after the PS1 and PS2, Sony had all the confidence in the world when it revealed the PS3. Or was it arrogance? Judging by its infamous E3 2006 press conference, we’d go with the latter.

The PS3 was filled to the brim with exotic and/or cutting-edge tech at launch, such as a purpose-built Cell processor, NVIDIA RSX GPU, and a BLU-ray drive. And this was Sony’s first console designed with HD from the get-go, supporting an HDMI output and 1080p resolution. The company even offered support for PS2 games by including the PS2’s hardware in the new console.

All of this tech came at a price though, and the announcement of a $499 price tag for the base 20GB variant (or $599 for the 60GB model) at E3 2006 drew gasps from the crowd in attendance. PlayStation godfather Ken Kutaragi would double down on the decision by insisting that people would want to work more hours in order to be able to buy the new console. Sheesh.

Another issue for the PS3 at this time was that the system was even harder to develop for than the PS2, owing to the Cell processor and the seven specialized Synergistic Processing Units (SPUs). The latter processors were essentially used akin to today’s multi-threaded or multi-core CPUs, and it took a long time for developers to get to grips with this. This tricky architecture meant that many multi-platform titles looked better on Xbox 360 in those early years.

The PS3 underwent several cost-cutting revisions in its lifecycle, with Sony killing PS2 support a couple of years in by removing the relevant silicon, introducing a slim model, and then later offering a super-slim option. These measures all meant that the PS3 eventually became a more affordable proposition. Combine the price tag with the excellent games library, and it’s no wonder the PS3 eventually outsold the Xbox 360 globally.

The PS3 initially supported Linux distributions as an alternative operating system, but Sony later killed this feature due to security concerns (i.e. hacking). Sony was taken to court for this move, with the company eventually settling out of court.

PS3 controllers shipped with gyroscope-style functionality dubbed SixAxis. Unfortunately, the first generation of controllers lacked vibration owing to a lawsuit by Immersion. Sony would explain this omission by claiming that vibration interfered with the SixAxis sensors. The company would later implement both vibration and SixAxis functionality after settling with Immersion.

Sony first showed off the PS3 with a so-called “boomerang” controller in 2005, before reverting to the traditional DualShock form factor prior to launch.

Sony’s Cell processor was designed in partnership with IBM and Toshiba in a deal worth $400 million. IBM then offered a modified version of this processor to Microsoft for the Xbox 360, according to one of the lead engineers in charge of the Cell project. Yep, Sony essentially funded its competition’s processor.

Sony followed up on the PSP with the PlayStation Vita in 2012, and it makes a strong argument for being one of the most technologically impressive handheld consoles of all time. Featuring a gorgeous OLED screen, dual analog sticks, and a slick design, the Vita definitely made a favorable first impression.

The big selling point with the new handheld was a rear trackpad, allowing you to control various elements of a game by touching the back of your machine. For example, the platformer Tearaway allowed you to manipulate the environment, while Borderlands 2 mapped the melee attack to this touchpad.

Sony also implemented some beastly internals derived from smartphones and tablets, featuring a quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU and a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU. In fact, this is essentially the same GPU as the iPad 3, albeit with a couple of tweaks. Other notable features included a gyroscope, front and rear cameras, and optional 3G connectivity.

The PlayStation Vita originally shipped with no meaningful internal storage, forcing users to buy memory cards to store digital downloads and saves. Unfortunately, Sony opted for expensive proprietary storage media, starting at $20 for a 4GB memory card all the way to $100 for a 32GB card. Even a measly 16GB card retailed for $60 at launch. No wonder third-party adapters surfaced which allowed you to use SD cards.

Sadly, the PS Vita was a notable flop. It sold just over 16 million units to date, according to VGChartz. Meanwhile, the Nintendo 3DS has sold over 75 million units according to the Japanese company’s website. In other words, even the Nintendo GameCube, which lagged behind the PS2 and Xbox in terms of sales, outsold the Vita. This makes it the least successful console in PlayStation history.

Some of the more prominent games released on the Vita include Tearaway, Gravity Rush, Killzone Mercenary, Persona 4 Golden, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Dragon’s Crown. Fortunately, the console was also compatible with PSP and PS1 titles.

Sony released the PlayStation TV in 2013, which was a mini-console designed to be hooked up to a TV. Users could connect their PS3 or PS4 controller to the machine, playing some Vita and PSP titles as well as using it for streaming video.

The Vita gained a reputation as a haven for indie games, with numerous titles like Luftrausers, Spelunky, Fez, Guacamelee, and Bastion appearing on the handheld. In fact, indie titles were still being developed for the platform in 2021.

Sony released the Vita Slim a few years after the original model. The new device was thinner as the name implies, but it also brought an LCD screen, 1GB of internal storage, standard micro-USB charging, and longer battery life.

It seemed like Sony learned its lesson with the PS3, as 2013’s PS4 launched at a solid $399 price tag and opted for largely conventional hardware. The PS4 offered an AMD APU, featuring an octa-core Jaguar-based CPU, custom AMD graphics, and 8GB of GDDR5 RAM. This was largely similar to the Xbox One, but with Sony’s console offering more impressive AMD graphics and faster RAM.

One big downer was that the PS4 doesn’t support older PlayStation titles such as the PS3 and PS2 libraries. Instead, some PS2 games were re-released as “Classics” titles for digital download. This was in sharp contrast to the Xbox One, which offered backward compatibility with loads of Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles.

Sony also introduced a revised DualShock 4 controller with the new console, featuring a trackpad, a light strip on the back of the gamepad, and a “Share” button so users can quickly share screenshots and videos.

The Japanese company later launched the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro in 2016, with the former offering a thinner, more compact design. The latter upped the ante with much faster CPU clock speeds, beefed-up graphics, and 4K gaming support (via so-called checkerboard rendering).

Unlike the PS3, which offered free online multiplayer access, PS4 owners need to buy a PlayStation Plus subscription to play most paid games online. This was in line with arch-rival Microsoft’s long-standing policy.

Sony launched a Playroom live-streaming app alongside the PS4, allowing users to stream video with the included PlayStation Camera to the likes of Twitch. Twitch would crack down on Playroom streams shortly after launch due to people streaming all manner of unsavory/illegal content.

VR gameplay came to the PS4 thanks to the PlayStation VR headset, with support for a variety of games. Notable titles include ASTRO Bot Rescue Mission, Resident Evil 7, Ace Combat 7, Beat Saber, Gran Turismo Sport, and Tetris Effect.

Sony’s latest console is the PlayStation 5, and it represents another major step forward in terms of technology. The Achilles heel of the PS4 was the CPU, which was actually built with low-end tablets and netbooks in mind. But Sony upgraded things in a big way with the PS5, using an octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU paired with RDNA2 graphics and 16GB of GDDR6 RAM.

Perhaps the biggest upgrade comes in the storage arena, as the PS5 adopts a super-fast custom NVMe M.2 SSD (825GB). This enables lightning-fast loading times in games, even in open-world titles. Sony has also focused on audio with the new console, with its so-called Tempest Engine tech enabling more immersive audio effects when used with headphones.

The gamepad got a major overhaul in this generation, now called the DualSense controller. The biggest change here is the addition of shoulder triggers that can simulate resistance. Sony cited the example of drawing an arrow with a bow, while stealth/action game Deathloop physically lock the gamepad’s trigger if your gun jams in-game. Another neat controller addition is improved haptic feedback, allowing you to feel more subtle effects (e.g. the pitter-patter of rain) than simple vibration.

The PS5 is available in two variants, with both featuring the same horsepower and 825GB SSD. But the standard model comes with a 4K BLU-ray disc drive for $499, while the $399 variant lacks a physical disc drive and relies on digital downloads only.

Sony quietly released a new PS5 variant in 2022, being equipped with a 6nm processor rather than the original’s 7nm design. This makes for a cooler, more quiet console.

Look closely at the PS5’s gamepad rear grips and you’ll see that it’s covered in a textured pattern of triangles, squares, Xs, and circles. This is obviously a nod to the iconic PlayStation face button symbols.

Sony announced an all-you-can-eat subscription gaming service for the platform in March 2022. The service is divided into three tiers, with the first being the existing PlayStation Plus service and the other two dubbed PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium. The latter option also gives you access to PS2 classics and titles ported from other PlayStation consoles.

That’s it for our look at the history of PlayStation consoles! How many PlayStation machines do you own? Let us know in the comments below. And give us your pick for your favorite PlayStation console via the poll.

The Meta Quest 2 makes it easier—and fun enough to be worth it—to give VR a try compared with headsets that require cables and expensive PCs. The Quest 2 has two capable controllers and is compatible with some of our favorite games. It’s also small enough to toss into a tote bag or a backpack, so you can break it out at the office or a party (or could, if you didn’t need to safely distance from others). You can set it up and start playing in less than a minute; thanks to built-in sensors that track the two Touch controllers and your other movements, you can navigate an entire room, and the headset won’t ever lose your location. As a result, we consistently reach for it over headsets that cost two or even five times as much.

By default, the Quest 2 is cordless. Sensors for tracking your head and hands are built into the headset and controllers, which means you can walk around the entirety of a room and your virtual body will do the same. Although a PC headset with more-precise tracking, such as the Valve Index or the HTC Vive Pro 2, can better replicate your movement and avoid reality-breaking glitches, like your hands floating away, we found the Quest 2 convincing enough to cross that initial threshold into “realness.” The ability to play without a cord also means you aren’t pulled out of a game when you inevitably trip on the cable tethering you to a PC.

The Quest 2’s LCD screen offers 1832×1920 pixels per eye, which made it one of the first headsets that didn’t regularly give us the “screen door effect,” which is a light grid laid over your field of view. The Quest 2 currently has a maximum refresh rate (think of this as the VR way of saying “frames per second”) of 120 Hz, matching the HTC Vive Pro 2 and beating the Quest Pro’s 90 Hz. Higher refresh rates are generally believed to reduce the likelihood that users might experience motion sickness while using a VR headset.

At a claimed 503 grams (1.1 pound), the Quest 2 is a hair heavier than we prefer for our VR headsets (it’s like hanging a half-liter bottle of water from your face). But due to cushy foam padding that rests on your face and adjustable straps that reach around to the back of your head, we found that the Quest 2 is fairly comfortable to wear for hour-long play sessions, though we had to fiddle with the fit to get it to sit correctly. The headset’s strap is a downgrade in quality and comfort from previous Meta headsets. If you care enough to want to change it, you have to shell out $50 extra for the halo-style Elite Strap.

The Quest 2’s Touch controllers, which are similar to the original Rift Touch controllers, are among our favorite styles of VR controllers. The two controllers are molded to sit in your hand, with your pointer fingers resting on triggers and your middle fingers resting on “grip” buttons. Your thumbs can reach a small joystick, plus A, B, and home buttons. Sensors built into the headset track the location of the controllers, so moving your hands physically moves them in VR. The Quest 2’s controllers are intuitive to use and easy to hold for long periods. While Ars Technica reports that the newer controllers are less accurate than those that came with the original Quest, Tested notes that they seem to simply operate in a different way. In practice, we didn’t notice a change in quality between the controllers. The lack of external sensors that a headset like the HTC Vive Pro 2 uses to carefully replicate your hand movements in VR might be missing here, but we found the Quest 2’s controllers still accurate enough to fly through difficult levels of Beat Saber without frustration.

Interestingly, the Quest 2 also gives you the option to ditch the controllers and use just your hands to interact with menus and some games. We found the tracking to be functional, but fairly inaccurate; if you move your hands too far away from the headset, it loses sight of them and you’re no longer in control. You also need to learn a series of gestures, such as pinches and drags, which means the learning curve is just as steep as using the controllers. We think hand tracking has long-term potential for even more natural gameplay, but we didn’t find it intuitive enough to choose over the controllers for now.

The Quest 2 does not have built-in headphones. Instead, it has built-in speakers that direct 3D sound toward your ears. The Quest 2’s audio quality is good enough for immersive VR (and sounds even better than the original Quest), though it isn’t as