Modder Creates The Ultimate Nostalgic PS1 Handheld Out Of Strange Controller

Ever dreamed of playing your favorite PS1 games on the go? On a handheld? A modder from Japan has made this dream come true - thanks to a rather unusual looking PS1 controller.

Ps1 handheld
Ever dreamed of a PS1 handheld? | © Haito Satoh/EarlyGame

Five years after the release of Sony's beloved PlayStation in 1994, the company released its first small handheld console, the PocketStation. Never heard of it? No worries, it was released exclusively in Japan. You could transfer bonus versions of your favorite games to the PocketStation, which looks like a Playstation version of a Tamagochi. The newer PlayStation handhelds PSP and PSVita are probably more familiar to most of you.

PlayStation 1 Handheld: A Retro Gamer's Dream Come True

But what if you could play all of your timeless, nostalgic favorite PS1 games on a teeny-tiny handheld whenever you want? Modder Hairo Satoh created the answer himself: a PlayStation handheld built into a crazy-looking, Japan-exclusive PS1 controller.

Not only does that look amazing, it also seems to run a number of classic games, like Resident Evil 2. Hairo says the portable PlayStation has a memory card slot, additional L&R backtriggers, volume wheel, dual stereo speakers, and a USB-C port, presumably for charging.It has no analog sticks, and instead features the gray D-pad and gray PlayStation button layout of the original PS1 controller, unlike the upgraded dual analog PlayStation controllers.

The unusual controller is a Takara Game of Life controller that was released in Japan in 2001 and originally had a colorful spinner that you could spin like a roulette wheel. Who would have thought that you could make a PS1 emulator out of it?

Johanna Goebel

Johanna is studying Online-Journalism in Cologne and has been travelling the gaming world since she was a toddler. Her heart beats for open-worlds, action or fantasy RPGs and third-person shooters with great storylines and (un)charming characters.

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