The Original Sony Playstation and a Common Fault

So the Playstation is now at number 5. I remember when I got my first Playstation, around 2001. It had been out for a few years. As a fan of the Spectrum and other 80s computers and the Atari VCS (2600) I was reluctant to try another console.

But once I had tried Wipeout, I loved the Playstation. What a game. I still love it. And Colin McRae Rally. I still love that too. And then I got the Namco compilations including my favourite ever arcade game, Galaga (the sequel to Galaxian, another favourite).

I hated the thumb controls on the controller. I still do.

I hankered for a proper joystick and had a rather embarrassing experience when I went into a Game and showed my age by asking for a “proper joystick without all those thumbs” for the Playstation.

In the end, I got a joystick with a base and multiple buttons, so that my Galaga exploits could reach the heights that I reached in the arcades. And I was STILL RUBBISH at Defender.

So all these years later, what are the prospects for the original Playstation?

Sony released a new version with games included. This may have contributed to keeping prices low for the original console.

How has it held up technically?

What are the common faults?

One of them is the blasted CD player. Some models have a well-known fault with the CD player, and some have suffered damage over the years. Some just need some good old TLC and then work fine.

The one pictured has a good CD player that is reliable and is the one I use to play games.

It is pictured with logs of tests that I conducted before selling a faulty one to a customer on my eBay shop.

I was fully upfront with the customer about the faults. They were happy with this, and the price reflected the fault.

I am up-front about faults, unlike some disreputable sellers. But I prefer to fix things before I sell them.

What faults have you experienced with your Sony Playstation?

Have they been easy to fix?

What are your favourite Playstation games?

And do you think it is so much better to have the original hardware?