For one, it's ridiculously easy to get into the system and replace parts. You just need a Philips screwdriver and a spudger to remove everything, underscoring the contrast with modern electronics that are virtually impossible to fix yourself. There are also very few things to remove, and the modest computing power meant that Sony could cram even the power supply into an enclosure that makes most modern consoles seem gargantuan. You rarely see electronics like this in 2019, and while few would demand a return to 1994-era computing power, the simplicity is appealing.

The timing of the teardown is significant besides the console's 25th birthday. It's also a reminder that PlayStation design is about to change again with the release of the PlayStation 5 roughly a year from now, including shifts in focus toward solid-state storage, downloads and streaming. Who'd have thought 25 years ago that optical discs (even the PS5's 100GB Blu-ray discs) would feel confining? As good as it is to revisit the PlayStation's roots, it's also good to know that technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since then.