The creators behind the working LEGO <a href="https://comicvibe.com/why-playstation-cant-hold-a-candle-to-xboxs-backward-compatibility/” title=”Why PlayStation can't hold a candle to Xbox's backward compatibility”>PlayStation kit have revealed a tentative price and launch date for the Kickstarter campaign, along with a solution for reading original PS1 discs.
Substance Labs – the team behind BrickBoy, which turns 72046 GameBoy into a functional console – is currently working on a conversion kit for 72306 PlayStation that will allow the LEGO set to play PS1 games. The Kickstarter preview page for BrickStation has been live for a few weeks, and the team has now shared more details on the progress of development with Brick Fanatics.
When will BrickStation launch?
The tentative launch date for BrickStation’s Kickstarter campaign is early December, though the team notes it’s subject to change. We’ll hopefully be able to confirm the exact date very soon.
How much will BrickStation cost?
Substance Labs expects BrickStation to be priced ‘in line with BrickBoy’, which started at €99 (about £83) for early bird backers. That was the entry price for the essential version, while the flashier and more functional gamer and collector’s editions started at €129 (about £108) and €159 (£133) respectively.
How does BrickStation work?
As with BrickBoy, you don’t need to be an electronics expert to bring 72306 PlayStation to life with BrickStation. The team says the aim from the start was to avoid ‘cutting, glue or drilling’, so you can revert the model back to its original state if you like.
BrickStation consists of a module that slots into the LEGO set in place of one of the microscale dioramas, and includes a HDMI port so you can hook it up to a TV. It turns the model’s power button into a functional trigger that recreates the original console’s startup experience, including a green LED, sound and even vibration to mimic the disc spinning round.
But while there’s a disc display included in the kit, games are actually played from an emulator. “We’d have loved BrickStation to read discs from inside the console, but there’s no way to do it without changing the build far too much,” says Substance Labs’ Ludovico.
“Don’t worry though, we’ve thought of a solution for that too: the holder under the lid is for display only, but you can play your original PS1 discs by plugging an external USB CD-ROM reader into BrickStation. It caches the game onto the microSD card, then you can unplug the reader and keep playing.”
How long has BrickStation been in development?
BrickStation was originally announced day-and-date with 72306 PlayStation, and as you might have guessed, that’s because the team was already working on it long before the set was officially revealed.
“We started from the few leaked photos that appeared online earlier this year,” says Ludovico. “From those we rebuilt a digital model of the set, our best guess of its shapes and inner spaces, and began designing BrickStation to fit it. So when LEGO made it official, the core of the design was already there.
“Once we had the real set in our hands, everything got much faster – we corrected the design against the real build and tested the physical fit of our prototype right inside the console. That’s also when we added a disc holder, which the original set doesn’t have. We felt it was essential to do justice to the original PlayStation, and it was one of the things fans complained about most on social media.”
What lessons did the team learn from BrickBoy?
This isn’t Substance Labs’ first rodeo, and the experience of bringing BrickBoy to life offered a few key insights that will carry over to BrickStation. Top of the list is ‘more realistic dates’, as BrickBoy ended up arriving with backers later than originally planned, although the suppliers and production chain have carried over between projects which should help make for a smoother experience.
The team says it will also provide ‘regular updates and full transparency’ throughout the Kickstarter campaign (‘they were what our backers appreciated most’).
We’ll bring you confirmation of BrickStation’s launch date and pricing as soon as we’re able. In the meantime, you can sign up for notifications
Whatever happens, you’ll need a copy of 72306 PlayStation as a starting point. It’s available now for £139.99 / $179.99 / €159.99.
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