Absolutely.
The PS1 Classic hardware is actually quite capable. Sony’s failure was software, not hardware. Project Eris corrects every shortcoming of the original release. For the price of a $10 USB drive and an hour of your time, you can own a tiny console that plays virtually every PlayStation game perfectly, plus thousands of retro titles from competing systems.
The interface is snappy, the save-state system is reliable, and the community continues to release updates. While the PlayStation Classic is discontinued, Project Eris has given it a second life as one of the most convenient emulation boxes on the market.
If you have nostalgia for the gray box of the 90s, but you want modern conveniences like HDMI output (built-in) and save states, dust off your PS1 Classic, download Project Eris, and start building the library Sony should have given you from day one.
Further Reading & Resources
Have you modded your PS1 Classic with Project Eris? Share your favorite hidden gem in the comments below.
Here’s a concise write-up on “PS1 Classic Project Eris” — the most common custom firmware / modding suite for the PlayStation Classic (PSC).
While PS1 games are the star, Project Eris turns your console into a retro museum. Via the "RetroArch" menu (select + triangle), you can download cores for:
Pro Tip: To add these, connect your PS1 Classic to Wi-Fi (Settings > Network), enable "RetroArch Wi-Fi," then use the "Online Updater" inside RetroArch to download cores directly onto the console. ps1 classic project eris
Project Eris is a modding suite (often called a "hack" or "custom firmware") created by a developer known as acelovesicecream. It is the successor to an earlier popular hack called BleemSync.
Unlike hardware mods that require soldering or replacing chips, Project Eris is a software-only USB drive solution. It exploits a vulnerability in the PS1 Classic’s boot sequence, allowing the console to read modified files from a USB flash drive.
In simple terms: Project Eris replaces the stock interface, improves the emulation core, and allows you to add hundreds of your own PlayStation games, as well as titles from other retro consoles.
If you own a PS1 Classic and want to unlock its full potential, Project Eris is the best all-in-one mod. It’s stable, frequently updated, and turns a $20 nostalgia brick into a powerhouse retro emulation machine. Absolutely
PS1 bin/cue files are huge. Project Eris supports CHD (Compressed Hunks of Data), which is a lossless compression format. Using a tool like chdman, you can shrink Final Fantasy VII from 1.5GB to 700MB without losing quality or save compatibility.
The beauty of Project Eris lies in its "No Modchip" installation. Users download the Project Eris files, extract them onto a FAT32 formatted USB stick, insert the stick into the console, and power it on. The system boots from the USB stick rather than the internal memory, leaving the original Sony software untouched (unless the user chooses to flash the internal memory, which is an option but not required).
The stock console holds 20 games. With a standard USB drive, Project Eris allows you to add the entire PS1 library (over 4,000 titles). You can play NTSC (60Hz) versions of games at full speed, including classics like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Metal Gear Solid.
When Sony released the PlayStation Classic in late 2018, it was met with a mixed reception. While the miniature console looked the part, fans were disappointed by the limited game library, the use of PAL versions (which ran slower for many users), and a user interface that felt rigid. However, because the device ran on an open-source Linux operating system, it wasn't long before the modding community cracked it open. Further Reading & Resources
Project Eris emerged as the definitive custom firmware (CFW) for the PlayStation Classic. Unlike simple "jailbreak" scripts that merely added a few games, Project Eris was a complete overhaul of the system’s software, turning the plug-and-play box into a versatile retro-gaming powerhouse.