When Sony initially announced the final list of 20 games that would be available on the PlayStation Classic, we warned that the selection was full of "glaring omissions" that "might annoy you." A quick analysis of the source files for the system's open source emulator, though, suggests that many other well-remembered PlayStation games were at least considered at some point in the hardware's development.

Sony has published the source code for the many open source components of the PlayStation Classic to comply with the requirements of the GNU General Public License. That includes source files for a modified version of PCSX ReARMed , an open source PlayStation emulator with a long history . You can also see how the PlayStation Classic files differ from a "clean" install of the emulator at a glance using this Github page

Buried in the system's "title.h" file is a list of enumerated variable names and associated PlayStation serial numbers referencing various games. That list includes all the games packaged with the PlayStation Classic (in both Western and Japanese markets), as well as dozens more that are not included in the box. Elsewhere in the source code, many of those variables (including ones for unplayable games) are used to modify certain emulator settings when that game is selected.

Here's the list of referenced but unplayable games (along with the variable name/region code references found in the source code):

Armored Core: Master of Arena ("ARMORED_CORE_MASTER_OF_ARENA")

Chocobo's Dungeon ("CHOCOBOS_JP")

Colin McRae Rally ("COLIN_MCRAE_RALLY_EU")

Crash Bandicoot ("CRASH_BANDICOOT_EU/US")

Crash Bandicoot 2 ("CRASH_BANDICOOT_2_EU/JPUS")

Toy Story 2 ("DISNEY_TOY_STORY_2_EU")

Devil Dice ("XI_EU") (Note: The Japanese version of this game, title XI, is available on the Japanese PlayStation Classic)

Driver ("DRIVER_EU/US")

Ehrgeiz ("EHRGEIZ_JP")

Fighting Force ("FIGHTING_FORCE_US")

Gran Turismo ("GRAN_TURISMO_EU/JP/US")

Grand Theft Auto 2 ("GRAND_THEFT_AUTO_2_EU/US")

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ("HARRY_POTTER_AND_THE_PHILOSOPHERS_STONE_EU")

Kagero ("KAGERO_JP")

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile ("KLONOA_DOOR_TO_PHANTAMILE_JP/US" [sic])

Kula World ("KULA_WORLD_EU")

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver ("LEGACY_OF_KAIN_SOUL_REAVER_EU/US")

Medal of Honor ("MEDAL_OF_HONOR_EU/US")

Medievil ("MEDIEVIL_EU/US")

Mega Man Legends ("MEGA_MAN_LEGENDS_EU/JP/US" [sic])

Mr. Driller G ("MR_DRILLER_G_JP")

Paca Paca Passion ("PACAPACA_PASSION_JP")

Parappa the Rapper ("PARAPPA_THE_RAPPER_US")

Parasite Eve ("PARASITE_EVE_DISC_1_US" and "PARASITE_EVE_DISC_2_US") (Note: The Japanese version of this game is available on the Japanese PlayStation Classic)

RayStorm ("RAY_STORM_JP")

Ridge Racer ("RIDGE_RACER_EU/JP/US")

Silent Hill ("SILENT_HILL_EU/JP/US")

Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol ("SPEC_OPS_STEALTH_PATROL_US")

Street Fighter Alpha 3 ("STREET_FIGHTER_ALPHA_3_US")

Street Fighter Ex Plus Alpha ("STREET_FIGHTER_EX_PLUS_EU/JP/US")

Suikoden ("SUIKODEN_EU/JP/US")

Tomb Raider ("TOMB_RAIDER_EU/JP/US")

Tomb Raider 2 ("TOMB_RAIDER_2_EU/JP/US")

Tomba ("TOMBA_JP/US")

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater ("TONY_HAWK_SKATE_BOARDING_EU")

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 ("TONY_HAWKS_PRO_SKATER_2_EU/US)

Vagrant Story (VAGRANT_STORY_EU/US)

Wild Arms 2 ("WILD_ARMS_2_DISC_1_JP" and "WILD_ARMS_2_DISC_2_JP")

Xevious 3D/G+ ("XEVIOUS_3D_G_JP")

To be clear, there's no indication (yet) that these game files are actually still hidden somewhere on the PlayStation Classic itself. But the extant references in the emulator's source code heavily suggest that all of these titles were tested on the PlayStation Classic hardware at some point in its development.

Perhaps these games were just used to test the general viability and quality of the system's emulation. More likely, though, is that these titles were among those being considered for the system's final software lineup, which was rolled out slowly starting in September.

It's hard to say for sure why any of these games didn't make it into the final product. Licensing/rights issues with third-party publishers, problems with emulation quality, or presumed appeal to the target audience could all be to blame. In any case, these remnant references offer an enticing hint behind the scenes into Sony's decision-making process and a glimpse of what could have been for the flawed retro plug-and-play box.