Tech
Sony crammed an entire PS1 into a DualShock controller that connects to your TV, but killed the project - PlayStation
Game developer Brian "Biscuit" Watson revealed the existence of the PlayStation Puga, a cancelled PlayStation 1 console prototype built entirely inside
Key takeaways
- Sony built a working prototype of a PS1 console housed inside a controller called the PlayStation Puga
- The device was designed specifically for the Brazilian market to be manufactured locally and bypass import regulations
- The project was cancelled because game studios and Sony's own internal units rejected royalty terms of 10 cents per unit sold
- The emulator built for the PlayStation Puga was eventually used in the Sony Xperia Play
Game developer Brian "Biscuit" Watson revealed the existence of the PlayStation Puga, a cancelled PlayStation 1 console prototype built entirely inside a controller. Designed for the Brazilian market to bypass tight import regulations, the device featured an Arm-based 650 MHz processor, 4GB of memory to hold 10 games, and ran for 20 hours on four AA batteries. Sony cancelled the project because licensing units and external studios rejected the low royalty terms of 10 cents per unit sold, though its custom emulator was later used in the Sony Xperia Play.
In their words
“The unfortunate problem is that Sony licensing couldn’t get their act together about the royalty terms for each of the games.”
By the numbers
- 10 cents
- Royalty expected per unit sold for game studios
- 4GB
- Memory capacity intended to hold ten games
- 650 MHz
- Clock speed of the Arm-based processor
- 20 hours
- Battery life on four AA batteries
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