The PlayStation Input Output or PSIO - A Real Game-Changer!
As many of you may or may not know, I grew up in a time when there was a clash between the PlayStation 1 (PS1) and Nintendo 64 (N64). I can quite good remember about how glad my neigbhour was when in late 1998, he got a PS1 to play with. And not only that - he also got a Crash Bandicoot game from his parents! Lucky bastard!
Then again, at that timeline, I had my own console, which was a Nintendo 64, together with two controllers, Mario Kart 64 and Star Wars: Shadows of The Empire games. Though we had quite different consoles, we never argued who had the better one.
Fast forward to 23 years later and I’ve finally got an addon, called the PlayStation Input Output (PSIO) for my PS1. This is a so-called Optical DiscDrive Emulation (ODE) device, which let’s you play yout favourite games via an SD card. No more using those pesky little CD’s, to when read, the drive sometimes gets just too loud! With this little thing, your PS1 becomes almost “immortal”!
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, in order to make your PS1 somehow “immortal”, you have to solder a Switch Board to your motheboard that is provided in the package in order to make it work. And not only that - if you have a game that is on multiple .BIN files or you use some Redbook audio inside of your game, you have to use their Cybdyn application in order to make a .CU2 file that the system can read. That sucks a lot.
But other than that, the installation process isn’t as difficult as it looks like it. As long as you are well prepared as I was for this task, off course! Aaah, and when you’re done modding the console, you can still use your CD-Rom if you want to. That’s neat!
After two months of waiting the postman, I’ve finally got my PSIO! It made quite a long trip from Australia. And after then, it was time to go to my workshop, eee room! Before I started the installation, I had to read through the 80+ (no joke!) pages of the manuals. Specifally, the manual that talks about the installation of the Switch Board to your motherboard. I’ve got an SCPH-7502 from 1998, which I bought for a laughable price of 10 € off Facebook Marketplace some long time ago, and because it has a Parallel I/O Port to it (like newers models of 9002 numbers unfortunately doesn’t have it anymore), I could install the PSIO onto it. And I totally did it! I’ve used a lot of flux, a sharp knife, some handgloves, solder iron, a magnifying glass, a wire cutter, a multimeter and the kynar wire you get with the package, though that was just right for my project. After I soldere a wire from the Switch Board to the motherboard, I carefully used a multimeter, just to be sure that the solder and wires were connection to each other. And when I finally did manage to wire everything together, after about 2 hours later, I’ve downloaded the contents of the SD card and the big SD card dongle onto the Parallel Port, gave some electricity through my system, put it together with the AV Cable of my television, put some controllers and a memory card onto it and - it just worked! Nice!
I’ve tried a lot of game on this device, and every game works on it! Incredibly! If I would know about this device, like 15 years ago, I would go nuts. It is really convenient to play some games over it and what it just the best thing about it is the fact, that you can play any PS1 game, as long as you have the .BIN files, and there is no skipping while looking at cutscene(s), while the loading times are also a bit faster than on CD’s. And to have a cherry on top - the console works very, very quite now! I’ve also removed it’s CD-Rom drive, because (A) I don’t need it anymore and (B) I want to preserve it for my children, so I can show them how it was to play those games on a CD-Rom.
I’ve also used an 64 gb SD card to store some of the best games of that generation (like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Mortal Kombat 3 and 4, etc.) to show various people the best games of that generation, while I’ll be on a convention - if that virus will ever be defeated, off course!
And to all you “nay, you are not speaking the truth, you haven’t “modded” anything at all” - here is your proof!
All in all, this is a great little device and the for the price of around 100 €, it is a must buy for anyone who lived through the 90’s, is a nostalgic gamer or had a PS1 at home. With it’s community and in the future, there will be an option to use your save/load files from your memory card to your SD card. This really is a device every retro fan should have!
Score: 9.8 / 10
The Good:
+ No more CD’s, just SD cards!
+ No more skipping in in-game cut scenes
+ Faster loading times
+ The console is far less noisy now
+ A good way to preserve your PlayStation 1 console
The Bad:
- Not compatible with Redbook audio.
- It’s quite difficult if you have multiple .BIN files
- You have to cut three traces and solder the Switch Board in order to function properly.
Dee enables my meme/ask game/text post game habit. @novemberhush - you’re the best, thanks for the tag!
Nicknames: I go by Eli/Ely these days (pronounced the same!). I have many aliases: Charlie, Peanut, Em, Changeling, Griffon, and in the group chat “To Whom It May Aggravate”. (These are not necessarily aliases - just different names for different circles all meaning the same me).
Zodiac: Pisces Sun, Pisces Moon... my astrology-inclined friend looked at my chart and went “Oh my god, no wonder you’re so... you.”
Height: 5'3
Hogwarts House: Slytherin (occasionally placed into Ravenclaw)
Last thing Googled: Uh. “How to find google search history.” But before that it was “Michael Yo wikipedia.” Cause I watched his comedy special and wanted his filmography.
Earworm: "Remedy” by Seether - somehow along the way I missed how much they sound like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, which are two of my favorite bands ever and I am routinely upset that I will never see them live. But also “Killin’ It” by Foxy Shazam.
Favourite musicians: Of all time? Gee. Here’s a long list.
Nirvana (they got me through high school, I have a tattoo of “All Apologies”)
Alice in Chains (Layne Staley’s voice is haunting when isolated).
Khalid (I love every single song he has out so far)
Post Malone (my brother’s love has carried over to me - “Hollywood Dreams” is amazing and his latest album is so good)
Motley Crue (childhood favorite)
Fall Out Boy (listen, if you were in middle school or up in 2005
One Direction (and their solo careers - I had a Liam Payne cutout for a year or two)
Eric Church (he has that old country vibe I like)
Waylon Jennings (my personal outlaw country fav)
Johnny Cash (one of my grandfather’s favorites)
Don Williams (memories - I can see my grandparents waltzing to his records in their living room)
Seven Mary Three (they were so good, “Water’s Edge” and “Headstrong” are my jams)
Namie Amuro (my current/all-time fav Jpop. I’m not caught up on recent Japanese radio hits though)
NeedToBreathe (listen, Rivers in the Wasteland is gospel, but like... I heard it on repeat and saw God, alright, just not at all in the way that they intended, and it’s on the list for those memories alone)
Hozier (I saw God to him too, but in the way Hozier actually intended)
SZA (my brother loves her and I love everything she’s released)
Following: 317
Followers: 164
Do I get asks: Usually a couple a week! I like to reblog memes. I have a box full of prompts right now I need to do.
Amount of sleep: Average? Like 1-3 hours a night. Recently I got put on a new medication that’s keeping me asleep for 6-7 hours and I feel a ton better, but I’m a chronic insomniac, so I don’t sleep a lot. For example - it’s almost 1 am and I have to be up at 8. I’m a big fan of caffeine.
Lucky Number: I don’t really have one. I’d say maybe 3? It’s the most reliable number for me.
What I’m wearing: Giant pink tie-dye shirt, black leggings in a size too big and covered in white/gray cat hair, glasses.
Dream Trip: Alaska, for the landscapes and midnight sun.
Instruments you play: I mean. My parents paid for guitar and piano. I can play songs on both of those things. If I have warning, like a week, and notes/chords in front of me. My brother got all the musical talent - he can play like four instruments, and he does that thing where he can hear a song on the radio and play it. He never does it with like a guitar or piano, though - he whips out his silver fucking trumpet that cost more than our monthly mortgage payments.
Languages you speak: English is my native tongue, I can speak survival Spanish and read it halfway decently if I don’t have to do it quickly, and I can arguably speak Japanese, but I’m rusty and relearning a lot as I stopped having a conversation partner when my Obaachan passed away about 6 years ago.
Favourite Song: Oh shit, this is hard. Changes with the weather. “All Apologies” by Nirvana is a big one, but “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes is probably vying for the top position. I also love Green Day’s “Basket Case” and Imagine Dragons’ “Polaroid” though.
Random fact about me: The first game I ever beat to a 100% completion was Sly Cooper: Band of Thieves. It would have been Spyro, but the PS1 memory card didn’t work in my PS2 and there was a power surge one night while I was asleep and the damn thing turned off.
Cats or Dogs: Both. Both are good.
Aesthetic: Grunge baby, but not in the trendy way. I’m a grunge baby in that way where an associate follows me around Macy’s, and once a very nice woman in Portland dropped her spare change into the white chocolate mocha I had just taken the lid off of after drinking about half.
Tagging people who might like this, disregard if you don’t! No pressure! @kiti-the-warrior-poet @sophaoat @sky-and-sometimes-others @artsake-dreams @icarusthriving @midnightwinterhawk
12/18/19: It was a decent Wednesday fleamarket day! Lots of random variety and plenty of Empty cases. My first find was an old 2gb sony usb stick (still in its box), a 60gb xbox 360 hard drive and an empty case of Smash Bros 3ds. They were all for $5.00. Then I found a bare PS2 and a NES controller, $10 for both. I found a ps2 Katamari game for $3.00. I found a glass case full of gba, gbc and game gear titles and some memory cards. Lady was selling all evenly at $5.00 each. I thought hard about it. It was a bit expensive, but I'm a sucker for jpn font. One of them was a Japanese ps2 memory card. and as I was paying the lady I saw a booklet of Zelda Minnish cap. I gladly paid a dollar for it. Also for a dollar was that Yokai watch toy and an audio cd. I also got lucky and I found what I suspect to be a modchip ps1 for a dollar! I then found four more PlayStation stuffs at a dollar each, four items, three ps2 games and a loose copy of the first gta on ps1. Things for a buck kept coming, as I found a zelda 3ds case, another music CD and a psp case. In it was a jpn manual for a Bleach game. I was giving away singles like nobody's business. At the next place I found a sealed bluray movie an empty case for Kirby 3ds and a Wii u manual, $2.00 for them. And by then, it was already late, I heard the calls of 'fill a bag' deals! I found a person who had a bunch of stuff laying around. I paid a $5.00 bag and I filled it to bursting with all sorts of stuff. Found some more ps2 and Xbox games, one of them had another ps2 memory card! Some loose psp games, some old school pogs, stuffed animals, game accessories and I found two old portable hard drives. Of course I got more stuff, but it doesn't fit much into gaming finds. But still, I got my $5 worth out of it. It was a random day indeed!
Resident Evil 2 was a nice surprise when finally revealed during the PlayStation press conference. It’s my favourite of the series growing up, and my crowning achievement is beating as Leon in one straight playthrough without a memory card, after I rented it for a weekend to play on a friend’s PS1 that I was borrowing console, so I extremely was very excited when I heard it was playable on the E3 show floor.
The booth itself was made out like the Raccoon City Police Department, complete with bloody hand prints on the glass, hinting at the horrors inside. After a very long wait (almost 3 hours) I was given a flashlight, ushered into a corridor with blood splatters, severed limbs and zombies that jump out for a truly terrifying introduction.
The playable area was also stylishly designed, looking just like the gothic style offices with wooden writing desks matching chairs, lifted straight from the game that was all too familiar for each gaming station.
The action starts with rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy already in the RPD main lobby, beautifully recreated in modern real-time graphics. Action is over the shoulder like Resident Evil 4, but still slow paced and familiar like Resident Evil 2 should be. If memory serves, there’s some ammo on the front desk somewhere around here... something tells me I might need these very soon!
A nearby blinking light on a switch intuitively points in the area to progress. The switch opens a nearby shutter, but it’s stuck, just open enough to crawl under. That seems like a great idea...
Squeezing through into a dark, waterlogged corridor, the sense of atmosphere is incredibly tense. Lighting only a narrow zone with my flashlight, I’m cautiously moving through the ankle-deep water, stopping nervously for even the slightest sound.
Blood splatters cover the walls and floor. Something serious went down here. Cries for help are coming from a nearby side room, the panicked banging on metal shutters signify the urgency from within. I burst into the small room, suddenly not caring much for my own safety and trying to help out wherever I can. Another shutter that doesn’t fully open?! Who’s responsible for maintenance in this place?!
I get the shutter open enough for my fellow officer to squeeze partly through and Leon grabs his arms trying to assist. There’s a gut-wrenching sound of ripping flesh and terrified screams as the officer’s torso is ripped clean off by the undead on the other side and Leon’s attempt at assistance, playing some twisted game of human tug-of-war. The officer breathes his last breath and dies, his legs presumably being devoured on the other side of the shutter. Leon loots the notebook in his breast pocket to reveal clues to a secret passage located under the Goddess statue in the main lobby.
It’s time to head back to the lobby and I exit the small office, leaving behind my fallen half-comrade. The sound of thud – thud - thud from the closed door. I’ve got a bad feeling about this!
The door flings open and the attacker is free, slowly shambling after me with low groans. I try to escape for it, fumbling with the buttons before I find the L3 click for run Three of them. I take aim, the over-the-shoulder camera coming into it’s own. The longer hold your aim stationary, the more precise it becomes, but I’m panicking here and empty a round of two into the wall behind.
The undead are getting close now and still coming, no matter how many warning shots I fire past their head unintentionally. It lunges at me, taking a chunk out of my neck and a I stumble back, wounded. I realise that I’m going to have to make a run for the broken shutter and sprint back down the water logged corridor, visibly limping from my wound. As Leon reaches the shutters and attempts to crawl for safety, he’s grabbed from behind, the zombie attacker from grasping and gnawing at his ankles. Sergeant Branagh saves him, pulling Leon through to safety and crushing the zombies skull. After a short cutscene, explaining the plot which is sort of irrelevant and this out of context demonstration, Sergeant Branagh gives me his combat knife. Which I can now use to progress to the cut the electrical tape to open the shutters to a new route.
I eventually find my way into the Armoury and obtain the shotgun with only 4 shells, just as the door bursts open and 3 undead shamble in. “Remember your training”. I let them get as close as possible and aim for the head, opening fire – BOOM. Loose flesh is blasted of their head, leaving only a blood-covered shattered skull, as the drop to they floor one by one. On that bomb shell my time is over and I’m left feeling disorientated, coming back to reality for the first time after becoming completely immersed 20 minutes before. But I’m still sat in Raccoon City Police Department and blood splattered cover the walls. Am I still in the game?
Resident Evil 2 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on January 25th 2019.
Features: RG350P Game Console, 360 degree joystick easy to operate 3.5 inch full view IPS screen(320×240). Zero distance OCA fits perfectly OLeophobic toughened glass OpenDingux Tony ...
After seeing @dollofdeath’s post, I thought I can do this for fun. If you do not find me interesting, intriguing, or inspiring, feel free to bounce and no hard feelings taken (ノ´ヮ´)ノ*:・゚✧.
APPEARANCE:《《o(≧◇≦)o》》
I am 5'7" or taller (My father’s genetics…)
I wear glasses (My left eye is blind af…)
I have at least one tattoo (Me no f*ck with needles…)
I have at least one piercing (Ears only…)
I have blonde hair (It does not look right on me…)
I have brown eyes (More on the hazel tip tho…)
I have short hair (I’ll look like a dude…)
My abs are at least somewhat defined (No abs but look fit…)
I have or have had braces (Me love eating too much…)
PERSONALITY: (*⌒▽⌒*)θ~♪
I love meeting new people (Most of the time it ends up in friendly conversation…)
People tell me that I’m funny ((*≧艸≦)…)
Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me (It pains me to see others hurt…)
I enjoy physical challenges (If I look fit, then I need to be fit…)
I enjoy mental challenges (I enjoy complicating puzzles and word searches but never Sudoku…)
I’m playfully rude with people I know well (My sisters and close friends but never my mother…)
I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it (Multiple times this has happened…)
ABILITY: o(*>ω<*)o
I can sing well (Catchy and/or relatable songs…)
I can play an instrument (Drums but I just hit stuff now…)
I can do over 30 pushups without stopping (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 1…)
I’m a fast runner (Mainly long-distance like marathons but sometimes sprints…)
I can draw well (Yes, I do…)
I have a good memory (I need to for the medical field…)
I’m good at doing math in my head
I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute (I must or sea water + sand from a big ocean wave go up my nose…)
I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling (Never arm wrestled before so I don’t know…)
I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch (My mother would never let me cook on my own without her assistance but I know I can do it tho…)
I know how to throw a proper punch (Yep, almost knocked out someone’s front teeth when I was in elementary school…)
HOBBIES:ヾ(〃^∇^)ノ♪
I enjoy playing sports (Not at school but with family; tennis, badminton, and soccer…)
I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 2…)
I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 3)
I have learned a new song in the past week (“Wonder Girl and the Labyrinth Gate” by Rin Kagamine and Len Kagamine ft. Miku Hatsune; creepy but catchy…)
I work out at least once a week (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 4…)
I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months (During the colder months tho…)
I have drawn something in the past month (Yes, very slowly…)
Fandoms are my #1 passion (My studies first and then fandoms…)
I do or have done martial arts (Never had the chance because my family views it as a masculine interest…)
EXPERIENCES:¯\(◉‿◉)/¯
I have had my first kiss (No…)
I have had alcohol (My mother uses it to cook but I drink very little; not a big fan of its taste…)
I have scored the winning goal in a sports game (Never owned or been in a sports game…)
I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting (For the sake of my eyes’ health, never…)
I have been at an overnight event (College orientation…)
I have been in a taxi (In Vietnam; there are absolutely no NYC yellow and black ones there…)
I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year (Me no f*ck with hospitals or ER as a patient…)
I have beaten a video game in one day (Tried to on my PlayStation One/PS1 but no memory card…)
I have visited another country (Vietnam…)
I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts (Never liked concerts…)
RELATIONSHIPS: ∑(;°Д°)
I’m in a relationship (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 5…)
I have a crush on a celebrity (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 6…)
I have a crush on someone I know (Yes but lost contact after high school graduation, so no longer…)
I have been in at least 3 relationships (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 7…)
I have never been in a relationship (Lust is prohibited here…)
I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them (Refer to third bullet point…)
I get crushes easily (I am picky af…)
I have had a crush on someone for over a year (Refer to third and sixth bullet points…)
I have been in a relationship for at least a year (Ain’t nobody got time for that part 8…)
I have had feelings for a friend (Refer to third, sixth, and eighth bullet points…)
MY LIFE: |ω・)و ༉
I have at least one person I consider a “best friend” (During my elementary school years but my bf moved back to China and lost contact ever since…)
I live close to my school (30 minutes away from home…)
My parents are still together (Divorced af…)
I have at least one sibling (2 younger sisters…)
I live in the United States (Born and raised in ‘Merica…)
There is snow right now where I live (Where I used to live; muddy snow does not count…)
I have hung out with a friend in the past month (Talk to, not hang…)
I have a smartphone (An android but it is better than nothing…)
I have at least 15 CDs (All from my uncle who is apparently also my aunt…)
I share my room with someone (My sisters and I have the same room…)
RANDOM SHIT: (・_・ヾ
I have breakdanced (Tried but not flexible…)
I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce (A bunch but I am not going to call them out…)
I have dyed my hair (Never in a million years…)
I’m listening to one song on repeat right now (“I Love This Sh*t by August Alsina ft. Trinidad James; the beat is too lit bruh…)
I have punched someone in the past week (I wish…)
I know someone who has gone to jail (Not yet but I want to…)
I have broken a bone (My bones are still intact…)
I have eaten a waffle today (My mother makes waffles at the restaurant she works but never at home for consumption…)
I know what I want to do with my life (Become an oncologist or a cancer doctor…)
I speak at least 2 languages (English, Vietnamese, and Spanish…)
I have made a new friend in the past year (Yes and my friend graduated from college; sending best wishes, love, and hugs…)
Other than @deafeningsandwichfun, @helpful-tiara, @i-dedicate-this-kill-to-the-fans, @imayooshi, @knacho, @lookslikerainydays, @paranoid-rhythm, @sakwma, @terassaras, @tivannyukyzu, and @xmiyoshi, anyone looking at or reading this is automatically tagged.
Btw, the people I tagged are absolutely wonderful people and they have wonderful tumblr blogs! Please follow them if you love fandoms, anime, memes, art, etc.!