The PlayStation replica ornament is an homage to a great, yet fragile console


You probably know the signature PlayStation boot sound. Did you know that it’s technically a multi-part chime? There’s the synthy section where “Sony Computer Entertainment” shows onscreen with a white background. You only get to the next screen with the echo-y chimes and the color-filled PlayStation logo if your console recognizes the disc. How badly I wanted my sorta-broken console to get to that second screen.

My console’s disc spindle came apart pretty early into me owning it. As an eight-year-old kid, fixing the spindle was the riskiest undertaking of my life yet. The internet wasn’t really a haven for how-tos yet, so I superglued that thing, and it worked, sort of. But the spindle is supposed to be flexible to let the disc on and off (it had a rubber ring with small ball bearings in there, too — the mechanisms were blowing my mind at the time). So, pieces came off regularly, and I would just glue them back on and keep gaming.

The wait for the second part of the boot chime to activate on my console was agonizing. It would sometimes take close to 10 seconds, or not happen at all. The upside is that it my gaming time more precious, and it made Hallmark’s new Keepsake ornament of the console hit harder than I expected it to.

The company’s running series of console replicas is great, and its previous one was the Xbox 360 replica last year. It’s cool to see one made for a console with an even bigger legacy (one that’s not tainted by a widespread hardware issue). The PlayStation changed my relationship with gaming, as well as my relationship with tech.

The ornament celebrates the pre-DualShock version of the console. There are a lot of lovely details, like the ridged sides, the power plug, and the A/V port that Sony stuck with through the PlayStation 3. The controller is glued to the disc lid of the console, and its flexible cable is partially glued to its side. Upon pressing the power button, a green LED lights up, and the PlayStation chime plays in full — both parts. There are a few little imperfections that I noticed on my unit out of the box, and the power button’s font is a little crooked, but nothing that’s easy to notice at a couple feet away.

$28.99 for the ornament will either seem a bit steep, or totally acceptable, depending on how nostalgia-addled you are for this era of gaming. I’ve always been the kind of gamer who likes what I like without having to be loud about it. The ornament, like Hallmark’s other Keepsake models, is elegant and not too flashy. It’s just a PlayStation that can chill in a tree come time for the holidays. It’s also a fun memento that represents a great console that I played to pieces that I can display whenever and wherever I want.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    America needs to stop getting shocked by Chinese AI

    Last week, two Chinese AI companies unveiled models they say can credibly compete with the best systems from OpenAI and Anthropic. The response was swift and predictable. Markets wobbled, commentators…

    The Best Smart Home Accessories to Boost Your Curb Appeal (2026)

    I tried the battery version, which does require you recharge it every couple of weeks, but the wired-in version is the top recommendation on our guide to the Best Video…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Canada’s Provincial Chambers Urge Premiers to Maintain Momentum on Internal Trade

    Sarkonak: The sex criminal in Canada illegally who got a work permit

    Can you get the Sapphire Preferred bonus again?

    Can you get the Sapphire Preferred bonus again?

    Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands appears to be getting a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S Definitive Edition, but is it a remaster or a bog standard re-release?

    Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands appears to be getting a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S Definitive Edition, but is it a remaster or a bog standard re-release?

    This is Ontario’s worst wildfire season, early estimates suggest. It’s not over yet.

    This is Ontario’s worst wildfire season, early estimates suggest. It’s not over yet.

    Trump Says Iran ‘Will Pay’ For Killing of US Service Members

    Trump Says Iran ‘Will Pay’ For Killing of US Service Members