Here’s yet another example of Japan getting all the cool stuff while we make do with the equivalent of a stick and a hoop.  In America, the PlayStation Store features a very limited selection of classic PS1 games for download.  In Japan, it has practically the whole PS1 library available.  As if that weren’t enough, now they’re getting Turbografx-16 games as well.

Four Turbografx-16 (or PC Engine) games were made available in Japan today; Bomberman '94, New Adventure Island, Sengoku Mahjong, and Devil's Crush. Each one costs 600 ¥, which is in line with the same games’ prices on the Wii’s Virtual Console.  All four are available for play on both the PS3 and PSP, meaning that you can take New Adventure Island with you wherever you go, in case you want to show off your retro cred.

Why don’t we get the same cool shit that Japan gets?  We’ve got more almost triple their population, and despite the fact that about 97% of Japanese citizens are gamers, I’d guess we’ve got more of them, too.  Sure, Japan is far more enthusiastic about the PS3 than the States, but denying the US audience features is no way to drive more American purchases, and in fact does the opposite.  America’s retro gaming community is large, established, and chock full of disposable cash.  The fact that companies like Sony and Nintendo fail to see this hurts not only us as gamers, but them too.