Sony’s canceled PlayStation PUGA put a PS1 inside a DualShock controller
A former Sony developer has shown an unreleased PlayStation prototype called PlayStation PUGA. The device looked like a DualShock controller, but it contained the hardware needed to run PlayStation 1 games without a separate console
The prototype was shown by Brian “Biscuit” Watson during a Retro Collective video. Watson worked on the project during his time at Sony. According to him, the device was built for the Brazilian market, where import restrictions made regular consoles harder to sell through official channels
PlayStation PUGA was designed as a local, low-cost product. It connected to a TV through a composite video cable and could run from batteries. The prototype reportedly used four AA batteries and offered up to 20 hours of operation
Source: The Retro Collective
The system did not use original PS1 hardware in the same way as the console. According to the report, it was based on a TI OMAP 3530 system-on-chip with an ARM CPU. It used emulation to run PS1 games, with around ten games stored on a 4GB card
Watson said the hardware was working, but Sony canceled the project because of licensing issues. Third-party publishers wanted higher royalties, while a separate Sony unit also had to negotiate royalty terms for first-party games. The low target price reportedly left about 10 cents per unit for royalties
Source: The Retro Collective
The project never reached retail, but Watson said the software later found its way into Sony Xperia Play. That phone launched years later as an Android device with PlayStation-style controls, although it was a different product class and not a TV plug-and-play console
The following video is timestamped
The Retro Collective: I Was A Game Dev for 4 Decades! with Brian ‘Biscuit’ Watson 6,982 views
