Numskull Designs has been making licensed gaming and pop culture gear for years. A number of Numskull products litter my various shelves, from the Spyro incense burner that breathes smoke out of his nostrils to the rubber ducky cosplaying as Crash Bandicoot. Last month, Numskull launched a new line of PlayStation gear and apparel branded with the classic PlayStation logo and colors. This “Since 94” line celebrates more than 25 years of PlayStation gaming by taking fans back to the roots of the console, whether they’ve been there since the beginning or joined the party later.
Numskull was kind enough to hook us up with a few items from the “Since 94” line to get a better idea of the quality and how they look and fit into the real world.
Got a sweet little care package of classic PlayStation branded gear from @NumskullDesigns that I’ll be talking more about on @PSLifeStyle soon!
Can’t wait for it to be cold so I can actually wear this hoodie without needing to blast the AC. pic.twitter.com/pwTODcRRSV
— Crash Chandicoot (@FinchStrife) August 20, 2020
While I’m not well-versed in my screen-printing versus heat transfer vinyl methods of getting designs on shirts, the Since 94 shirt at least isn’t that really stiff vinyl iron-on. It’s a fairly flexible heat transfer design that won’t cause the shirt to bunch up in weird ways. As with any shirts that have heat transfer patterns, I’m always curious about the longevity of the design before it starts looking too worn and faded, but having just received these the other day, I can’t yet say for sure how multiple wears and washes treat this shirt over the years.
Right out of the packaging, the colors and the striping are brilliant for now, and the white contrasts against the black shirt very well, even if it does like to show off cat and dog hairs, but that’s a constant struggle for any proud pet owner. And though I wasn’t confident at first in my ability to pull off the full size striping with big letters printed design, it’s grown on me. They do also have a more subtle shirt featuring the colored stripes along one side with the PlayStation logo off to the side on the chest, if you don’t think you can pull off the in-your-face design.
The classic PlayStation hoodie has me really excited for cold weather, since it’s way to hot to justify wearing this thing right now. While not the heaviest zip-up hoodie I’ve ever owned, it definitely isn’t a super light or thin hoodie either. The PlayStation logo on the chest is stitched right into the material, not an iron-on or ink transfer. The PS colored piping and grey sleeve-ends, bottom, and hood edge all give the hoodie a lot of personality. And perhaps one of the biggest things of all, the hood is actually functional. It’s not one of those tiny hoods that barely stays on your head. When they say hoodie, they mean hood included, not a glorified jacket with a hood hanging off the collar.
And most surprising to me was the price. What I expected to easily run at least $60, due not only to the PlayStation licensing, but also the quality, it’s available for only $39.99 on GeekStore. The shirt is $14.99, again less than I was expecting for an officially licensed shirt, particularly one of this quality. You can browse the full line of officially licensed PlayStation Numskull gear on GeekStore (the hoodie is on page 2) including last year’s 25th anniversary range. The Since 94 line includes mugs, hats, and a bottle opener, while there are assorted other products available from previous lines too.
I you want to rep the PlayStation brand in your daily life—or might I say, “live the PlayStation lifestyle”—you can’t go wrong with Numskull’s line of Officially Licensed PlayStation gear and apparel.
Numskull Designs sent us the Since 94 shirt and classic PlayStation hoodie to showcase their new line of Officially Licensed PlayStation gear and apparel.