90s nostalgia: Sony to bring back iconic PlayStation One with 20 pre-loaded classic games

The $178 PlayStation One Classic is almost half the size of Sony's original 1994 console, making it small enough to hold in one hand. Photo / Sony

Sony has unveiled a shrunken version of its classic Playstation One video games console that comes pre-loaded with 20 classic titles.

The £90 (NZD$178) PlayStation One Classic is almost half the size of Sony's original 1994 console, making it small enough to hold in one hand.

It is available for pre-order now ahead of its release on December 3 – exactly 24 years after the original release date for the console, the MailOnline reported.

Sony is following in the footsteps of fellow Japanese games-maker Nintendo, which has released miniature versions of two of its classic consoles in recent years.

The nostalgic re-issues of the classic consoles have been hugely popular amongst Nintendo fans, with the most recent SNES Classic Mini has sold 5.28 million units worldwide since its launch in September 2017.

Like Nintendo's NES Classic and SNES Classic, the PlayStation Classic comes preloaded with a slew of nostalgic hits from the system's original back catalogue.

Sony has announced five so far — Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Jumping Flash! and Wild Arms.

The console comes packed with a list of hits from the system's original library, including Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Jumping Flash! and Wild Arms. Photo / Sony

"All of the pre-loaded games will be playable in their original format," the company said.

Sony says it will announce the remaining 15 games before launch later this year.

The PlayStation One Classic come with two controllers and an HDMI slot, which is used to connect the updated 1994 console to modern HD TVs.

The controllers are full-size replicas of the PS1's original gamepads, not the later DualShock ones, and so don't include analog sticks or vibration.

Saved files are stored on a virtual memory card, meaning your original PS1 saves will not be salvageable.

The console is 45 per cent smaller than the original system, and features replicas of the buttons seen on the original system.

However, since the console uses an internal software database of games — players will not need to manually swap-out disks.

The $178 PlayStation One Classic is almost half the size of Sony's original 1994 console, making it small enough to hold in one hand. Photo / Sony

Instead, the open button on the PS One Classic switches virtual discs, while the 'reset' is used to quit games in progress.

The console is now available for pre-order in Japan, Europe, the US, and UK ahead of its release December 3.

It is shipping for $99.99 in the US, while the UK version costs just under £89.99.

The announcement continues a trend of big-name gaming firms releasing miniature versions of classic products.

Nintendo has had huge success in the last two years by releasing scaled down versions of the NES and SNES consoles – both of which quickly sold out.

Sega has since joined the market and is planning to launch a mini version of its 90s console the Mega Drive next year.