=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PSone FAQ v1.0 By Olly Dean (nekofever@hotmail.com) Last Updated 22/2/01 Copyright 2000,2001 Oliver Dean =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE USED ON YOUR WEBSITE WITH WRITTEN (EMAILED) PERMISSION FROM ME (nekofever@hotmail.com) ON THE CONDITION THAT NO PROFIT WILL BE MADE FROM IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. =-=-=-=-=-=-= 1.1 CONTENTS =-=-=-=-=-=-= 1.1 CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION 2.1 WHAT IS PSONE? 2 WHY WOULD I WANT ONE OVER A PLAYSTATION? 3 FAQ 4 SPECIAL FEATURES (i) THE LCD SCREEN (ii) THE CELL PHONE HOOKUP 5 MEMORY CARD MANAGER 6 CD PLAYER 7 PLAYING IMPORTS/CHIPPING (i) AVAILABLE CHIPS (ii) BOOT CDS 3.1 CONTACT INFORMATION 2 OTHER FAQS BY ME =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1.2 INTRODUCTION =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The original Sony PlayStation was released in 1995 and has since grown into the second most popular console ever (after Game Boy) with millions of owners and nearly 1000 games. Just before the release of it's successor, PlayStation2, Sony have released a brilliant redesign of the original PSX, PSone. -------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.1 WHAT IS PSONE? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As above, PSone is the redesigned PlayStation. It is smaller, quieter, and looks better. I thought the original PSX looked minging - like a dark grey brick, but this looks really good. You can see pictures on http://www.sony.com. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.2 WHY WOULD I WANT ONE OVER A PLAYSTATION? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For a start, it is about 2/3 the original PSX's size. Here are the exact dimensions: | Length | Width | Depth | ---------------------------------------- PlayStation | 45mm | 260mm | 185mm | ---------------------------------------- PSone | 38mm | 193mm | 144mm | ---------------------------------------- It's about the size of a DVD case except it's about double the depth. By about 2001 you will be able to link some cellular telephones to the PSone and go onto the internet, and play online in some games the only problem is that the technology isn't there yet, and you'll probably need a pretty advanced and expensive phone. Also, cellular phones aren't as standardised in the West as they are in Japan so don't hold your breath for this to reach us. The third and probably coolest upgrade is that in early 2001 (in Japan) Sony will release an LCD screen that clips onto the back, as well as an adaptor to plug the PSone into any car's cigarette lighter, meaning those long car journeys will soon become a lot more enjoyable (unless you're driving). =-=-=-=-= 2.3 FAQ =-=-=-=-= Email me any of your questions. Q. Will the PSone play my PlayStation games? A. Yes, unlike the PS2, PSone has 100% compatibility with all PlayStation games. Q. Which Cell Phones are compatible? A. Sony haven't announced it yet. Q. Do I need new pads and memory cards? A. No, all peripherals work except for the old style Gameshark (Action Replay) that uses the parallel port and the Link Cable that uses the serial port as the PSone lacks these ports. Q. Does it have regional lock-outs? A. Yes, unfortunately it does. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.4 SPECIAL FEATURES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This will be updated as soon as the LCD screen and the cellular phone hookup is available. (i) THE LCD SCREEN At the time of writing, the official screen has not been released but several third-party screens are available. These vary in price between $100-$150. They all have different features such as rechargable batteries, cigarette-lighter adaptors, and larger screens. I have seen both a 4 inch screen and a 5 inch available. (ii) THE CELLULAR PHONE HOOKUP =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.5 MEMORY CARD MANAGER =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Memory Card Manager has been updated from the PlayStation to be more user-friendly. It is accessed by turning on the PSone without a game in it and selecting 'Memory Card'. It still works in the same way as the original one. When you enter it, all the files on any memory cards that are plugged in will show up, and by selecting the options you can delete single files, copy single files, or copy every file on one of the memory cards to the other. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.6 CD PLAYER =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The features on this are pretty self-explanatory. This has all the basic stuff like track-repeat, disc-repeat, etc. Strangely, this has more features than the PS2's CD-player. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2.7 PLAYING IMPORTS/CHIPPING =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *** NOTE: In no way do I support chipping for piracy *** People get PlayStations 'chipped' in order to disable the security and allow the playing of illegal copied games and import games. Imports are desirable as they come out earlier and have numerous advantages over the US and European versions such as being uncensored and have added value features such as soundtrack CDs. Beware as they will more often than not be in Japanese, although menus and speech may be in English. (i) AVAILABLE CHIPS I know of a chip that will make your PSone require a boot CD to load games and will make it unable to play anything but pirate copies of games. There is currently no decent way to chip a PSone. NOTE: Chipping or anything invasive will invalidate your PSone's warranty so you will be unable to get it repaired by Sony. (ii) BOOT CDS This is a much better way to play imports and will also play illegal copies (although this is still not recommended). The one I have is called 'PS-X-Change' and requires a VERY small do-it- yourself modification to the disc tray. I don't know where you can find the NTSC (US and Japan) version but the PAL (Europe and Australia) is available from Video Game Centre in the UK (+44 01202 527314 or www.videogamecentre.co.uk) for £19.99. The small modification involves putting a small PVC tab into the small hole where the lid closes to fool the PSone into thinking that it is always closed. These are the instructions: 1) Switch off your PS Console. 2) Insert the PS-X-Change CD. 3) Switch on your PS Console. After a few seconds you will see "Remove Disc" text on the screen. 4) Remove the PS-X-Change CD. 5) Insert the import game you wish to play. You can either close the console lid or leave it open. 6) The game will now run. This disc is highly recommended. As it says on the back of the box, doubles the amount of games available. -------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.1 CONTACT INFORMATION =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Email me at nekofever@hotmail.com or check out my website which has nothing to do with PlayStation at http://www.shenmuefansite.com. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3.2 OTHER FAQS BY ME =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= All of my FAQs can be found here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4283.html -------------------- Fin.