I think Sony is trying to cash in on that vaporwave aesthetic the kids dig these days (because it is still 2013).

Just a couple of weeks ago I commented on some old PS1 game footage that I kinda miss that sort of sloppy blocky polygonal look, that I'd appreciate a revival of that style as much as folks who appreciate "8-bit" graphics do as seen in the popularity of Shovel Night, Super Meat Boy and countless others, or even those who still appreciate true vinyl sound over mp3.

So.. maybe that's what's going on here? Like "this is your 386 CPU like you've never seen it run before" type nostalgia for those of us who had a 386 to tinker with as kids.. gameplay looks for shit too which kinda complicates my theory, since Shovel Night/Meat Boy ARE really polished and fun, but someone out there wants to use their high powered gaming PC or Next Gen Console for a game that looks pre-PS1, I guarantee it.

Or, you can thank the success of Minecraft.

that is one of those new alternative-fun games

The thought did cross many minds that this recent wave sub-Steam Greenlight garbage going onto the Playstation store was some kind of joke Sony's part ("The kids like them bad games...so they can scream at them, ya know?"), but the prices would seem to suggest otherwise. Firemen: The Simulator (a completely broken, non-functional, years-old game from Steam) is being sold at a price point of $30.

man, quotes are so powerful