The PlayStation Classic hasn’t had the best of launches, in part due to some of the games running slower, and a lower frame rate, than what they should be. Fortunately, there’s a solution: running those same games on the mini SNES.
YouTuber 8 Bit Flashback fired up Ridge Racer Type 4 on the PS Classic and the Mini SNES (or SNES Classic), with the latter using PCSX ReARMed open-source emulator. That’s the same emulator that the PS Classic uses too, as revealed by the licenses listed in the PS Classic’s menu.
But despite having slightly beefier hardware than the Mini SNES, it’s Nintendo’s console that offers the smoother Ridge Racer experience. And as you can see in this side-by-side comparison, Ridge Racer goes from being a sluggish, unenjoyable experience on the PS Classic to … well, what Ridge Racer should have always been.
Only five of the PS Classic’s games are the PAL versions, but they’re some of the biggest highlights for Australians: Tekken 3, Grand Theft Auto, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Jumping Flash and Cool Boarders 2. But because Sony opted to include the PAL versions, rather than the NTSC ones, the experience is vastly compromised. In some instances, like GTA, it makes the game unplayable.
But even the NTSC games – like Ridge Racer above – don’t run perfectly smoothly. That’s why games like Ridge Racer have uneven frame pacing and consistent jutter.
It’s a shame. As Digital Foundry notes, it’s a shame that the PS Classic doesn’t paint its own games in the best possible light. The hardware certainly exists to do so. But on the bright side, at least we know there’s other solutions for enjoying these old classics.
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