Everyone remembers how Sony botched the PlayStation Classic during the height of mini console popularity. At a time when Nintendo was releasing the NES and SNES Classic Editions, Sony’s PlayStation Classic should have been a slam dunk. It’s a shame they didn’t pick a good library, because a PlayStation 2 Classic Mini would have been amazing.
Because we’re never going to get it now, we think Sony should have made a PlayStation 2 Classic Mini that made up for the first entry. Arguably, this console has an even better library of games than the PS1. There are so many good games on this system, and a collection of them on an adorable mini console would have made plenty of people happy.
Admittedly, it’s hard to think of a definitive library that would work for a PS2 Classic. The strength and weakness of these early PlayStation consoles are their sheer variety, so two PS1 and PS2 owners won’t have the same favorite games. It’s probably why Sony struggled with their PS1 Classic, and why that mini console failed to make an impact.
Still, given the amount of IP Sony owns, we think the PlayStation 2 Classic Mini should have been home to some iconic titles. Platformers like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly Cooper would have easily had a place here. RPGs like Final Fantasy X and Dragon Quest 8 would also be at home here. Even fighting games like Tekken 5 and Soulcalibur 2 wouldn't have looked out of place, even if they both have Heihachi in them.
Once again, filling out that console library is going to be difficult since fans have so many favorites from this generation. There’s a section of players who would want Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, while a whole other fandom would want all three Xenosaga games. We aren’t even mentioning anime fighters like Naruto Ultimate Ninja and Dragon Ball Z Budokai that still have plenty of fans.
Even if the PlayStation Classic did well, we’re not sure if a PlayStation 2 Classic Mini would have been greenlit. Mini consoles quickly became a fad, especially once systems like the Nintendo Switch came along. While SEGA was able to make some excellent mini consoles, their refusal to commit to a Dreamcast or Saturn mini shows that their time was up.
Ask most fans today, and they probably wouldn’t want a PlayStation 2 Classic Mini. There are now PC handhelds and Anbernic devices that can emulate PS2 games well. Even Sony is re-releasing some games on the PS4 and PS5, arguably doing a better job of preserving classics than Nintendo.
But we still look to the stars and wonder what could have been. It would have been great to hear that classic PS2 intro again on a smaller console, that’s for sure.