PS-IO for Playstation out in beta now!

[7800fan]

I do have permission to share the detail of PS-IO beta. The creator expects them to be ready for full release mid November.

The box.

The back

The content of the box. No I don't know what goes in the empty spot on the tray above the PS-IO cart.

And the back, with SD card slot visible through an unused DB-25 hole. USB port is on one side and LED is on other side.

I am still downloading some ISO to test with and I need to install the switch board. They did want everything to be fully contained with the cart but Sony never had the foresight to make sure all CD related pins were available on the parallel port so a few needed lines were left out and the switch board handles those missing lines. It is comparable to installing mod chip.

There are 2 ways to deal with the switch board: DIY or send the board for someone to mod it. The switch board is available separately if you want to mod more than one PSX but have only 1 cart and don't want to spend another $150 for second cart.

Pro:

• no more burning CD-Rs, no more storing stacks of CD-Rs, etc you can fit many games on one SD card.
  
• blown motor? don't need it anymore!
  
• motor still works? Can play regular disc games just by removing PS-IO cart
  
• transfer files between memory card and SD card. (previously you needed an ancient DexDrive and old computer with old OS to use, or PS2 and cheat disc)
  

Con:

• $150 >>>> $5 mod chip and $0.10 CD-R
  
• currently exFat is not supported so memory card over 32GB will need to be reformatted to older FAT32. People have used 64GB without issue but larger card may run into issues with FAT32 limitation.
  

Beta testers who got this have already found some issues and there's updated menu software to fix some issues. A few games simply will not run and needs to be hacked or patched to work, generally the developer used illegal feature of PSX when they coded the game and it causes trouble for PS-IO.

I'll do more when I get done with the mod, downloads, and played some. Or you could check out PS-IO forum.

[leods]

When you say PSX you do mean PS1 right?

 

PSX exists, but it'S a different Thing, a sorta dev console with more Features.

 

It would actually be nice to see a better homebrew Scene on PS1. Or is there one that I'm unaware of`?

[7800fan]

Yeah I mean PS1. I knew of official PSX but many people still calls PS1 PSX

 

PS-IO should make homemade game development a lot easier.

[LS_Dracon]

Cool! I was following the progress on this one (and Rhea for Saturn).

This is for the first PS model, to plug on parallel connector back on the console.

Edited October 23, 2015 by LS_Dracon

[fiddlepaddle]

So, this is an SD cart for the PS1, with faster load times for 150 bucks?

 

Sounds interesting...

[7800fan]

Not faster since it streams data off ISO to the console so it still streams the same rate as the CD. The system was never designed to have faster CD loading, and PS2 does have fast load option but a few games doesn't work with it.

 

Owner of 9000 series console and smaller PSOne can't use it but there will be an alternate PS-IO design that can be installed internally. It would be hard for the inexperienced modder because there'd be so many wires to tap in.

[CatPix]

This is going to revive older RCA out PS1 that were left unrepaired at the time

 

I think, this only allow to stream data? Does it make the console region-free?

[Great Hierophant]

I had a SCPH-1001 for a while that I threw out because the CD drive did not work. Boy am I kicking myself now.

 

While I can't say I'm incredibly enthusiastic about cutting traces on my PSX's PCB to install their CD drive controller chip, I think the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.

 

I am especially interested in the multi-CD changing function. I understood that, for a two CD game, to change to CD2 it required you to remove the main SD card and insert a second SD card with only that disc image on it. Then they have said that with an additional one-wire mod, you can use the CD cover to indicate a disc swap. Does that still require the second SD card then? Does it pull up the menu? What is the point of the mod if you have to swap the SD card anyway? What if the game is like Riven with 5 CDs and does not want the next CD in sequence. How do I select the right CD image? It starts to look very cumbersome compared with a mod chip and a CD burner.

 

I'd really like to play Vib Ribbon, but you cannot with this device just yet.