Weirdness: There's a PSone on the Way to Pluto

If you thought that your yellowing PSone was good for late-night sessions of Crash Bandicoot only, then you may want to have a rethink. NASA engineers repurposed the system's MIPS R3000 CPU back in 2006, using it to control a grand piano-sized space probe which is on its way to Pluto. According to The Verge, it's set to arrive at its destination any day now.

The device was selected due to its reliability. At the time of typing, the hardware has been floating through the darkest depths of space for nine years, and so engineers needed to choose a processor that would remain operable for such a long journey. Of course, rather than rendering crude polygons, the system is being used to operate thrusters, monitor sensors, and transmit data.

There's something reassuring about knowing that there's a PSone floating through space. Like, forget sending out Shakespeare and recorded messages to faraway life forms – we like the idea of a bunch of aliens gathering around for a game of No One Can Stop Mr. Domino in some other galaxy. After all, let's be honest, Artdink's puzzler should communicate everything that extraterrestrials need to know about the human condition.

Update (12:30PM BST): As pointed out in the comments, it looks like the probe actually passed Pluto yesterday. You can watch a simulation of the fly-by through here.