A RETRO PlayStation 5 styled after the PS2 has been pulled from an online store after sickos sent “credible threats” to its creators.
American tech firm Sup3r5 released the modified console last week but has now cancelled all sales until further notice.
Boasting a throwback all-black design, the machine started at $650 and only 304 were produced – a nod to the PS2’s March 4, 2000 release date.
With gamers still battling to get hold of the regular PS5, Sup3r5 registered 54,000 people on the “waitlist” before the contraption launched on Friday.
It sold out within minutes after anxious gamers swamped the company’s online store.
Amidst the mad rush, some furious buyers reported money leaving their account without receiving confirmation they’d bought it.
It appears one or more people took things a step too far, with Sup3r5 reporting that staff received “credible threats to their safety.”
Sup3r5 has cancelled all orders and is issuing full refunds as a result of the incidents, the company said.
Some gamers reported they are still waiting for their money back, though Sup3r5 said transactions will happen over the coming days.
“We intended this to be a fun way to celebrate a shared nostalgia,” the company wrote.
“As it turns out, there are people out there who are willing to interfere with that.
“If we determine that it’s safe to try again, we will. For now, please stay safe.”
Sup3r5’s modified PS5 console is a bog standard PS5 with a swanky paint job.
As well as the console, the company has customised a few hundred Dualsense controllers to look like the joypad that shipped with the PS2.
The gaming machine started at $649 (£478) for the digital-only edition rising to $750 (£550) for the version with a disc drive.
That’s around $200 (£150) more than the standard PS5’s starting price elsewhere.
“Our Retro Inspired PlayStation 5 Consoles begin life as a new PlayStation 5,” Sup3r5 wrote on its listing, which it has now taken down.
“The team carefully applies the retro inspired design to each unit by hand, a tedious process that is performed with the utmost attention to detail.”
