A device that can build the original PlayStation games directly into the controller - this bold and creative-sounding idea was once close to becoming a reality within Sony. Recently, former Sony and DMA Design employee Brian "Bisji" Watson showed off a never-before-released Sony hardware prototype at an event held by The Retro Collective, a British retro gaming museum, and revealed the story behind it.
This device, named "PlayStation PUGA", is essentially a DualShock controller with a complete PS1 hardware system built in. It is equipped with Texas Instruments TI-OMAP3530 chip system (including ARM architecture CPU), powered by four AA batteries, connected to the TV through a composite video cable, and has ten PS1 games pre-installed.
Watson revealed that the device is only planned for the Brazilian market. At that time, Brazil had strict restrictions on imported electronic products. Game consoles from official channels were expensive and difficult to purchase. Most of the products on the market were parallel imports or black market products. Sony hopes to enter this special market in a legal and people-friendly way with this low-cost, all-in-one plug-and-play device.
Despite the clear design ideas and clear market positioning, this ingenious product ultimately failed to go into mass production. Watson recalled bluntly: "Unfortunately, Sony has never been able to sort out the issue of copyright taxes and fees in terms of licensing."
The root of the problem lies in the failure of various departments within Sony to reach an agreement on the copyright sharing of pre-installed games. This directly caused the project to stall and eventually be cancelled. Watson deeply regretted this and even revealed: "I almost left Sony because of this."
Although the prototype is currently unable to be turned on, as a dusty piece of Sony hardware history, it still makes many players and collectors sigh with emotion: If this "handle console" had been successfully launched back then, the evolution of game hardware might have an interesting branch line.