A gamer inherits a legendary console from his grandfather, and the question he poses to experts has made more than one person feel old

A Reddit user inherits a PS1 from his grandfather, and a heated debate erupts that reminds many who have spent half their lives gaming.

Rubén Martínez Gabriel Huerta

Update: Sep 3rd, 2025 00:48 CEST

The debate over what constitutes “retro” in the video game landscape is heated, but it has reached a boiling point with a seemingly harmless yet amusing recent Reddit post. A user of this social network posted that they “got” a PlayStation 1 console from their grandfather, which provoked all kinds of reactions that show that the inexorable march of time does not pass in vain. Because, yes, friends, although many of us gamers grew up with this legendary machine, PSX was launched in 1994. We are officially old.

“Got this from my grandpa, any good?”: the Reddit post that has caused the PlayStation community to turn gray

At the end of August 2025, user EchoGems posted a heartwarming anecdote on the PlayStation subreddit: basically, he said that a relative had given him their old PSX console along with a number of games such as Syphon Filter and Metal Gear Solid, as well as accessories such as controllers and memory cards. The author’s purpose was to ask for opinions on the condition of the console and whether the games were any good. However, the key detail that sparked the controversy was the relationship of the relative who had bequeathed this gamer’s treasure: it was his grandfather.

Got this from my grandpa, any good?
by u/EchoGems in playstation

The most upvoted comment he received in response perfectly summed up the general sentiment of many who read the post: “Grandpa???? I need to sit down,” highlighting that time waits for no one and that three decades have already passed since the console’s original release, which landed in Japan in December 1994 and in the United States and Europe in September 1995.

One of the biggest unknowns in this story is the grandfather’s age at the time, although, as we mentioned, it shouldn’t be that surprising because three decades have passed since the console was released. There is a label on the machine that reveals the production date of that particular unit: March 1999. Therefore, in order for the math to add up, and given the radio silence from the author of the original post, many assume that the grandfather may have been a gamer with gray hair and children at that time.

A gamer inherits a legendary console from his grandfather, and the question he poses to experts has made more than one person feel old

This curious anecdote left the community divided between nostalgia and a full-blown existential crisis: some rushed to dust off their own PSX to see if it still worked... while others seriously considered making an appointment with a traumatologist in the face of such a reality check. This innocent inheritance of a retro console ended up being a relentless mirror for an entire generation: for some, a vintage treasure, and for others, a brutal reminder that they have spent half their lives playing games.