On December 3, 1994–20 years ago today–Sony launched the PlayStation in Japan. More than any console before it, Sony’s first video game system propelled the CD storage format into the video game mainstream worldwide, setting the stage for Sony’s domination of the U.S. market for two console generations (and perhaps a third generation if things continue to go well for the PS4). Selling over 102 million units during its life-span, the original PlayStation served as the launching point for one of the world’s most valuable electronics brands.

Okay, enough with the facts you can find anywhere. I’m here to tell you about the stuff most people don’t know: the weird side of the PlayStation universe. After some serious digging, I’ve uncovered a handful of PlayStation 1 accessories, variations, tributes, and modifications that decidedly tip the scales from NORMAL to ODD. As you read, keep in mind that everything you see here relates to the first PlayStation console and not its successors, the PlayStation 2, 3, and 4. Those consoles inspired their own oddities–and maybe we’ll pay tribute to them, too, someday.

Photo: Robert Sebo

Sony released numerous variations of the PlayStation 1 over the console’s dozen-year life-span, ranging from mundane internal revisions and external port removals (for reductions in manufacturing costs) to an entirely new form factor, the PSOne, in 2000. In between, the classic PlayStation console shape came in a variety of rare and special colors.

Here, we see some of the most special flavors of PlayStation as assembled by collector Robert Sebo. The blue console in the upper right is the DTL-H1000 debugging station (NTSC/J) and the green console is the DTL-H1200 debugging station (NTSC/J). They’re both official development consoles. The white unit is the Hong Kong-only video CD model, which contains dedicated hardware to play back video CDs. The black console goes by the name Net Yaroze, and it holds a special place in PlayStation lore because, as a Sony-sanctioned amateur development console, it spawned a cult gaming community in the late 1990s.

Sony also released a very limited edition midnight blue colored PS1 (not pictured) to commemorate 10 million consoles sold. To see that model and the rest of Sebo’s impressive collection, check out his full gallery here.

Photo: KPI

Dozens of specialized, sometimes downright bizarre controllers exist for the PlayStation, including ones that simulate driving a speedboat, RC car, and locomotive; using construction equipment; flying a plane; exercising; dancing; fishing; conducting an orchestra; and playing pinball, mah-jongg, and pachinko. But hands down, the absolute weirdest peripheral of the PS1 of all time came as part of Bandai’s ZXE-D: Legend of Plasmalite game set in 1996. At first blush, it appears to be your everyday fighting game with customizable robot characters. But players could build a real-world model of the robot they wanted to use with the included plastic pieces in the game set. A special interface that plugged into the PS1’s twin memory card slots recognized the different body parts and represented your robot model on the screen.

ZXE-D’s blending of real-world models may sound similar to Skylanders, Disney Infinity, or Nintendo’s Amiibo toys, but this Japanese original preceded those modern brands by at least 15 years while still allowing far more creative flexibility.