As someone who had a psio and switched to xstation... updates form the developers at psio are much slower. Was promised a memcardpro update back in June or July, and here it is December. Also mostly people that continue to ask about an update in their forums, have been silenced, even as far as to have threads in the forum be locked due to too many people asking for updates. Also at times, bootup takes forever, and sometime simply hangs on bootup when specific controllers are plugged in. Not sure if this is an issue with voltage being used by the controllers/memory cards or what, but almost can NEVER get it to boot with 2 controllers plugged in, and 2 memory cards. I eventually gave up on the memcardpro support, and modded my own PS1 with Xstation. Although the system is much more simple... it boots probably at least.... 5x faster? psio appears to have a lot of features, but if you're looking for something fast and just works without jumping through hoops for firmware updates and having your games in a VERY specific format, then go with the xstation.
I have a PSIO, it's ok. Try it for a while and just enjoy your games! If you have issues then "upgrade" to the XStation. Ignore the minutia and gauge form your own personal experience.
PSIO isn't as awful as it's made out to be, you'll spend more time in game prep, finding working images, re-riping games and using the app to get it working. You only have to do that once, and then it's fantastic.
Seriously, have you EVER visited the PSIO forums and read about the myriad of bugs that have been 100% confirmed. You must be a casual user or not care much about the near 100% compatibility claim which is blatantly false.
Just to mention about fast loading in emulation. You can do that in some games, but it's very unstable and breaks many games. Not recommended, keep it standard speed.
My PS1 comes in the mail tomorrow sent it off to get PS1Digital and PSIO switch board installed. The gentleman was kind enough to install the switch board free only charged for the PS1Digital. Going to dismantle the CD drive clean and grease it to get it nice and quiet then playing through Xenogears and Legend of Dragoon straight away! I’m so excited, I even got a Brooks adapter so I can use a PS4 controller wired on my PS1.
I hope at some point there will be an ODE for the series 9000 PS1 I have , they are probably the most reliable "out of the box" models, but no ODEs seem to be supported at this point. The soldering is also a somewhat limiting factor.
The mstation is being developed by the same person who created the xstation. It is a solderless solution to the ps1 ode problem. Apparently is supposed to work on any model ps1.
Sucks how many people got a PSIO about a year or 2 ago but for us Aussies getting this was cheaper due to local shipping. Because this removes the usage the optical drive I recommended people buy a separate compatiable ps1 motherboard since its actually cheaper to get these days and simply swap the board with the XStation installed. I hope next month the GC loader will have enough in stock for ordering, trying to convert a multiple consoles to use SD/Micro cards is costly but saves a lot of money than paying for physical game copys in the long run.
Daniel C Thanks. Good luck to you too. I was surprised this was considered an “expert” level mod. Voultar did a great job in his instructional video and made it look very doable.
Voultar showed this screenshot in his install video of the X-Station, just to illustrate how many bugs or issues the PSIO was still facing after being available for all of this time. The creator of the PSIO hit Voultar's Twitter and was angry over it, which led to some pathetic attempts to try and defend the PSIO and ultimately resulted in Cybdyn delting their Twitter after making many, many, maaaany dumb Tweets
That's a terrible business practice. Voultar is simply showing information posted in a public forum. Dang I can't get rid of my PSIO fast enough. Also, the current PSIO bug reports forum has only 14 posts. There were far more posts the previous time I checked. Recently on Aug. 20, a news posting was made promising a major update in order to fix a majority of the problems. This is damage control at its finest.
@@arthurcollector4002 Cybdyn have been dicks about criticism since the PSIO launched, long before Voultar ever made any comments. He has a tone cause he's just done hearing the BS.
I bet it's possible eventually! The Xstation has different QSBs (Quick Swap Board) for installing it to different model consoles. So if the Xstation physically fits inside the PSOne and a compatible QSB is manufactured then it might be possible.
What would sell it for me is action replay support. That was a let down with psio. I'm sure it won't take much to enable though. I have made a pre order on the xstation now too. Love mods
I guess that if you want to keep all of the original hardware you would go the PSIO route. Kinda slow though. But you get to keep the whole unit intact with the exception of soldering the chip which is non destructive however.
Hey Bob, would love for you to weigh in on the state of the PSIO in the roundup sometime soon. The PSIO creator has basically abandoned it and people need to know not to consider it until the creator gets his act together.
I wouldn't consider it the PSIO at all. I've been more than happy with my Xstation and the creator is VERY VERY VERY responsive on github when issues arises. Then, when his Mstation will be ready , we'll have a simple drop-in solution that works exactly like the Xstation, with all console versions, and little or none soldering required.
Maybe I am missing something somewhere but I never registered my PSIO nor did I have to create any kind of account. Ordered from StoneAgeGamer, you are sent a paper with the information you use to download updates, nothing registered and no account needing to be created. You literally just enter the email address, order number, and serial number from the original purchase. You don't have to login to anything after this and you just download the update. Is it different if you order from another vendor? Second hand purchases aren't affected either because you just give them the info from the paper. This is why I have no clue why I keep seeing people claiming they are "unable to transfer ownership" ...do they mean they can't change the email address? It's not used for anything other than original order verification.
XStation + PS2 is the best of both worlds here. Phat ps1's are pennies on the dollar, and a good PS2 will be nice for watching DVD's too! Definitely going the XStation route myself.
I wish the xstation could be used alongside a normal drive, but except for that, it's ideal. also wish it was more hidden, maybe have a little ribbon on the board that goes to the back and that's where the SD card is, or put it prominently on the front, or at least make it easier to reach maybe someone could add the ability to add a disc drive to the xstation via an external port
To fix PS1 lasers, recap them as they have caps that go bad over time. The lasers themselves don't actually go bad. Granted in most cases buying a "new" PS1 and simply switching lasers is easier and cheaper (which is why the myth exists that they burn out instead of the caps going bad).
@@scikoolaid Yes like every active component, but it's very rare. I've yet to find a single laser that wasn't fixable with a simple recap of the laser assembly. Laser diodes have a much longer shelve life than your average cap.
Great video Bob! Always makes me happy to see the PVM overlay I made for you get used 😉 Has there been any talks for Gameshark codes support on XStation?
Yeah, those looks so awesome!!! Thanks again! I'm not sure if GameShark support is being planned yet, cause Rama's still trying to get the public release firmware ready, but I'm sure he'll look into it at some point.
I have to admit, I feel bad about gutting working consoles to take stuff out. I ended up buying entirely separate consoles to put ODEs into rather than swapping out hardware for consoles I've had since I was a kid...
I can see installers switching to the xstation. Currently with the psio you can install the switch but can't easily include the cartridge because of registration with the firmware. Psio should think about this. Most of the end users of their products aren't skilled technicians.
Been using a PSIO for over a year and it's fine. Might be a bit slower to start up, but it's not a big concern really unless you like to change games ever few minutes or something ridiculous like that. I like having my CD there to use for my actual physical games too (mostly my imports). PS2/PS3 are fine options for PS1 discs too, but unless they are modded you still can't play your imports. Now if they ever come out with a PSOne version I'd be a in for the XStation on one of those.
Looking for answer from someone with tech knowledge. Are there serious technical limitations preventing PS1 from having plug and play solder-less optical drive emulator?
Awesome review, Really hope xstation support comes to my 7501 that has a dead laser. Watching Voultars mod for the xstation do look doable at my skill level (unlike the digital mods that are way outside my current skill level.)l, but will probably try to get more solder projects in before looking at getting one and attempting.
This is cool and all and as someone that owns the OG with the parallel port and the slim i would of liked to see a version for the slim since i also have a LCD display for it and the only reason i would like to get something like this is because my slim is a NA version my games are Japanese and i use a swap disc to be able to play my games so being able to rip my games and play them on a SD card instead would be cooler.
the psio doesnt need to be patched in anyway, if it's bin and cue it needs to be 1 bin, patching for the cu2 files is just the cd audio cue sheet. unfortunate that is a step you gotta take to get cd audio to work with the psio, does cd audio work well with the xstation? That Castlevania game uses cd audio i'm pretty sure.
Why? You can already basically do this by softmod pretty much for free with FreeMCBoot and if you put it on a internal HDD or use a SSD or even SD to IDE adapter its basically the same thing.
Not IT I spent around a year playing around with Free McBoot on PS2 and eventually just realized the hassle and effort is just not worth it. Games were either glitchy or wouldn’t boot, Compatibility was limited and you spend more time with settings and tinkering than actually playing. And after all that, there’s too much fear to play the game because you don’t wanna be part way through and have it crash on you. And yes I was playing via HD and not USB. Free MCBoot has nothing on the simplicity of GDEmu, Phoebe or PSIO which I all have and require little work. Hell playing backup Wii and GameCube games via Wii homebrew is perfect by comparison with near 100% compatibility and no glitches once set up.
Ive changed my mind about SD cards I think M.2 would be better I wish the smaller size was more popular its only the width of 2 SD at its smallest length
Does anyone know how to get a hold of the xstation at the moment. It's July 30th 2023 at the time I'm writing this and their website for the past couple of weeks shows nothing on the xstation.
You know what I wonder about the XStation? It has Wifi support right? I wonder if it would be possible to load games off a network storage, sort of like how you can do on the PS2 with OPL. Just as a hypothetical. Also I prepped my PS1 for an XStation install last night. Not tough but it's important to be careful while doing it. I think most soldering novices could do it provided they feel comfortable soldering legs on chips.
RetroRGB or someone in the chat : Does anywone know why my PAL ps1 with PSIO on it dont wanna capture the colors correctly on NTSC games or NTSC-J games on a capture card? Is it because there is something weird with the PAL video output? Cause it displays correct on all my TVs including CRT TVs 😕
There is no need for this so no plans to develop it. There is native HDD support in fat models in OPL with free mcboot with 99.8% game compatibility. You can use IDE->SD adapter if you prefer cards. Or you can use CECHA PS3 with CFW. I have both and they are great for native PS2 experience
You can buy newly produced PS1 lasers from eBay. They're ~$20 and they have them for pretty much every model. It's really easy to replace them too. Only thing that sucks is most of them ship from China.
@@TheRestartPoint .PBP plays everywhere i tested it. Also on Playstation Mini! I checked the X-Station's information and unfortunately is not supporting .pbp files.
Will Xstation play music CDs if ripped to .bin? I have an audiophile modded ps1 and being able to play my uncompressed music collection from a menu would be the bee's knees.
@@Romerco77 I dunno, it sounds pretty amazing through the set up I have. Something about how whatevers rolled off on the playstation works with whatevers rolled off on the KLHs. I wouldn't say its monitor quality, but it sounds very good to my ears with the muting capacitors removed, better than my Oppo. I own way too many CDs for a person in 2020 so having a CD player that sounds right to me is important. The PS1 sounds good for whatever reason. If I could rip them to .bin and play them from a menu with the Xstation, that would be a nice quality of life upgrade if I could get that same playback quality with a menu of albums.
People have tested and it seems that you can have both installed. If you're replacing the PSIO with an XStation, I'd recommend uninstalling the PSIO. Or, sell that PS1 complete with the PSIO installed and mod a new one with the XStation.
@@RetroRGB thanks for the reply Bob! I appreciate it as always. I was gearing up to do the citation mod myself, but since I'd be uninstalling the psio, I'm assuming it would be best to send it to a reputable modder to fix the cut traces.
The XStation is an ESP32 (like an Arduino), that retails for around $5, with a dedicated interface to connect it, so you can expect to see it selling at $30~$50 for the firmware installed on it. The ESP32 is used mainly in smart light bulb connected to the Internet thanks to its WiFi capability. It could be interesting to use the WiFi present in the ESP32 to configure it, or select games from your phone. The PSIO uses an FPGA that is more expensive and less available so don't expect to see it selling much cheaper.
I‘m a „normal user and modder“ so I don‘t bother over Twitter fights and stuff. I am currently happy with the PSIO, but if the PSIO or the PS1 dies at some point I‘ll try definetly the ODE solution. Until then more models should be compatibal 😁 Thanks for this neat review Bob. I dont know if my retrosetup would‘ve got this far without you! PS: thought its not fair to thank you only via. a comment so I signed up for your patreon (5 attempt against the auto correct 😂 greatings from Germany).
i have a rather curious question. i have an external modchip that still works to this day. usually it would load up a menu for gameshark codes and the like before i can boot up or swap a game. what burns in my mind, however, how would it work in conjunction with an xstation?
What are your experiences of using PS1 games from a PS3 with PS1 internal chipset via HDMI? obviously that rules out 240p, but how is the totality of the video output? lastly, can a PS3 output PS1 games at 240p via analogue out? Cheers.
PS1 on PS3 was mostly a terrible experience for me. The games all look too soft and the original PS1 through an OSSC was so much better. Also PS3's can't do 240p, only 480i.
technozombie Yeah, I’m aware of that, but I imagine the compatibility differences between OPL and an ODE. And also the ability to play PS1 games without the need of POPStarter.
Man, I'm still waiting for a way to save games to the sd and not a memory card...much like the ps2 opl virtual memory card. Here's hoping someday someone can figure it out
Is it likely I'd have to remove the old 90s modchip from my scph-1002? My laser is struggling with CD-R, so I'd prefer to install a X-station or PSIO rather than a crappy chinese optical assembly.
@@RetroRGB Thanks. I've been thinking if we could swap an ssd for the dvd drive, that'd be pretty sweet, as I think the usb on ps2 might be a bit too slow for some games. Also, if theres a way to plug an hdd into the ethernet that'd probably be faster than the usb also
Hey guys do anyone have a ps1 with psio if so Can you back up your memory card saves on the sd card? And the ps1 reads the saves from sd card? For the games?
Just a naive question : do you know why modding community (and retrogaming enthousiats over the world) want that much to replace optical drives by emulated devices ? I mean, wouldn't it be much easier, authentic and way cheaper to "simply" re manufacture brand new compatible CD lenses, and gently replace them ? I just don't understand. (I like so much to manipulate tangible, beloved real cds ^ ^, and not have access in one clic to the entire library which leads at the end to no real involment from me on games). Sorry for by bad english, I am french.
I'm with you, there's something special about the original experience. As we move on from optical media, it's going to be harder and more expensive to find/manufacture replacement lasers and other related components. Everything from the motors to the gears, the demand for these parts is slowly dropping off, which means less sustainability for the companies still making them. People who make products like the ones in this video are preparing for the next affordable media format to preserve the games. In today's case it's sd cards. Not nearly as cool as CDs, but at least they are a cheap and reliable format. Your English is great btw 👍
@@vincentt2309 I have cd games (not scratched) from 1988 PC-Engine to xbox and they all work just fine. Same for all my friends. We don't have real stepback to objectivily and precisely measure cd longevity. It could survive all of us easily on theory. Conservationists were surprised to notice that electromagnetic devices (such as old tapes) last way longer than expected. I don't believe on a massive, general "disk root" event, it's just ponctual irrelevant "accidents". It's like paper : it's not because there are some 20 years old books stained with little mushrooms that all books are doomed to decrepit with those yellow stains after 2 decades. There are a lot of factors to consider (quality of the manufacture, handling care, types of environnemental exposition, etc. etc. etc). With cd, scratches are a big problem, but professionnal resurfacing (to replace old varnish with a new, more efficient and neutral) can be a solution. Anyway, roms are already preserved on hard drives. I understand the step here, it's cool but beside, I do not understand why no one seems to concentrate on simply re manufacturing sensible parts like lenses. Everything can be repaired / replaced in electronics. Thank you Dan ! Yeah, you're right concerning optical drive technologies going to fade (it's time for dematerialized). But it's precisely here that I don't understand why retrogaming enthousiats, conservationists, don't make part of those who will perpetuate this technologie (within a small, niche market shared with audiophiles, etc.). Today, we can manufacture things halfway around the world quite easily from our rooms... compatible lenses developed by our modding communities doesn't seem impossible to my eyes. But maybe I am wrong, hence my question ^ ^
@@nickwallette6201 Thanks for the detailed answer. While I don't personally agree with 3) and 5) (for me, handling physical, tangible stuff is a deep part of my gaming pleasure and feelings, but I respect and understand), and I also understand 4) (it's the more obvious actually ^ ^). 1) is totally negligible to my eyes, I really think quality pressed CDroms, for the very moooooost part, are going to easily survive us. So the 2) is what bugging me. Is this that unthinkable to keep factories that could manufacture perfect quality optical drives ? (supervised, and validated by our premium engineers in the retrogaming community, the same that create and command the manufacture of all those new stuffs). Classic electromagnetic eproms are still brand new manufactured, vinyle have made a come back, etc. A market call an offer (and industrial capabilities).
As someone who had a psio and switched to xstation... updates form the developers at psio are much slower. Was promised a memcardpro update back in June or July, and here it is December. Also mostly people that continue to ask about an update in their forums, have been silenced, even as far as to have threads in the forum be locked due to too many people asking for updates. Also at times, bootup takes forever, and sometime simply hangs on bootup when specific controllers are plugged in. Not sure if this is an issue with voltage being used by the controllers/memory cards or what, but almost can NEVER get it to boot with 2 controllers plugged in, and 2 memory cards. I eventually gave up on the memcardpro support, and modded my own PS1 with Xstation. Although the system is much more simple... it boots probably at least.... 5x faster? psio appears to have a lot of features, but if you're looking for something fast and just works without jumping through hoops for firmware updates and having your games in a VERY specific format, then go with the xstation.
Of course the Xstation was announced the day my PSIO was delivered...
you can install both if you want
I have a PSIO, it's ok. Try it for a while and just enjoy your games! If you have issues then "upgrade" to the XStation. Ignore the minutia and gauge form your own personal experience.
PSIO isn't as awful as it's made out to be, you'll spend more time in game prep, finding working images, re-riping games and using the app to get it working. You only have to do that once, and then it's fantastic.
Seriously, have you EVER visited the PSIO forums and read about the myriad of bugs that have been 100% confirmed. You must be a casual user or not care much about the near 100% compatibility claim which is blatantly false.
@@CastleManiaGames can you use both at the same time?
E.g. does it boot to psio 1st then when you run cd it boots to xstation?
Ordered from Castlemania! Stoked!
Awesome indepth video 👌
Would love to see this extend to the psone models
Me too, there doesn't seem to be anything out there
Just to mention about fast loading in emulation. You can do that in some games, but it's very unstable and breaks many games. Not recommended, keep it standard speed.
“With ps1 drives getting to be a quarter century old.”
Me: *laughs in saturn.*
My PS1 comes in the mail tomorrow sent it off to get PS1Digital and PSIO switch board installed. The gentleman was kind enough to install the switch board free only charged for the PS1Digital. Going to dismantle the CD drive clean and grease it to get it nice and quiet then playing through Xenogears and Legend of Dragoon straight away! I’m so excited, I even got a Brooks adapter so I can use a PS4 controller wired on my PS1.
Nicely done! I've been interested in both for a while. XStation looks very do-able.
Thanks John!
The Xstation seems to be the one I have most hope for. Maybe one day they'll reach compatibility for the slim PSOne.
At 5:47 you can see at the top of the list of threads "R-Type Delta Freeze On Level 5". 2 years later, it still freezes on stage 5. Thanks Cybdyn!
I hope at some point there will be an ODE for the series 9000 PS1 I have , they are probably the most reliable "out of the box" models, but no ODEs seem to be supported at this point. The soldering is also a somewhat limiting factor.
The mstation is being developed by the same person who created the xstation. It is a solderless solution to the ps1 ode problem. Apparently is supposed to work on any model ps1.
Sucks how many people got a PSIO about a year or 2 ago but for us Aussies getting this was cheaper due to local shipping. Because this removes the usage the optical drive I recommended people buy a separate compatiable ps1 motherboard since its actually cheaper to get these days and simply swap the board with the XStation installed.
I hope next month the GC loader will have enough in stock for ordering, trying to convert a multiple consoles to use SD/Micro cards is costly but saves a lot of money than paying for physical game copys in the long run.
What a great intro video. Not sure what I'm going to do yet but this is helpful for me. Thanks so much for making it.
I pre ordered a xstation and plan on installing it myself. Haven’t touched a soldering iron in ten years. Time to touch up the skills.
Good luck, I’m in a similar situation and considering doing the same
Daniel C Thanks. Good luck to you too. I was surprised this was considered an “expert” level mod. Voultar did a great job in his instructional video and made it look very doable.
Find a garbage board and just giver.
I hope they add an option to hide file extensions, minor nitpick of mine
Good suggestion. I'm sure Rama's thinking about all those little details as well.
Oh, boy! You showed the screenshot of the PSIO forums. You just made the list!
Voultar showed this screenshot in his install video of the X-Station, just to illustrate how many bugs or issues the PSIO was still facing after being available for all of this time. The creator of the PSIO hit Voultar's Twitter and was angry over it, which led to some pathetic attempts to try and defend the PSIO and ultimately resulted in Cybdyn delting their Twitter after making many, many, maaaany dumb Tweets
Poorly Playing Retro I heard about this after the fact. Wish I could see some screenshots of the tweets for the juicy gossip lol
@@enjoiboy385 I only saw them defending doxxing people, which is frankly all I needed to see to never give them any money.
That's a terrible business practice. Voultar is simply showing information posted in a public forum. Dang I can't get rid of my PSIO fast enough. Also, the current PSIO bug reports forum has only 14 posts. There were far more posts the previous time I checked. Recently on Aug. 20, a news posting was made promising a major update in order to fix a majority of the problems. This is damage control at its finest.
@@arthurcollector4002 Cybdyn have been dicks about criticism since the PSIO launched, long before Voultar ever made any comments. He has a tone cause he's just done hearing the BS.
Hopefully the Xstation's model compatibility can be extended, the moment it can be installed in a PSOne is the moment I get myself one.
I bet it's possible eventually! The Xstation has different QSBs (Quick Swap Board) for installing it to different model consoles. So if the Xstation physically fits inside the PSOne and a compatible QSB is manufactured then it might be possible.
If you are still waiting, we'll have the Mstation hopefully soon that should be compatible with all psx versions..
What would sell it for me is action replay support. That was a let down with psio. I'm sure it won't take much to enable though. I have made a pre order on the xstation now too. Love mods
Very fair and unbias review Bob. This is why we love you.
was hoping terraonion was working on one, with such a vast library, it would be great to have a hard drive on one of these things
Christ Larry, I've lost track of how many times you've asked for something video game relelated, only to have that wish filled within months.
@@TheLastThingWeNeed and now MODE works for ps1, though it's quite expensive.
I guess that if you want to keep all of the original hardware you would go the PSIO route. Kinda slow though. But you get to keep the whole unit intact with the exception of soldering the chip which is non destructive however.
Nice video.
Xstation is the choice for me. Works amazing!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Bob, would love for you to weigh in on the state of the PSIO in the roundup sometime soon. The PSIO creator has basically abandoned it and people need to know not to consider it until the creator gets his act together.
I wouldn't consider it the PSIO at all. I've been more than happy with my Xstation and the creator is VERY VERY VERY responsive on github when issues arises.
Then, when his Mstation will be ready , we'll have a simple drop-in solution that works exactly like the Xstation, with all console versions, and little or none soldering required.
Another Awesome Video man!
Maybe I am missing something somewhere but I never registered my PSIO nor did I have to create any kind of account. Ordered from StoneAgeGamer, you are sent a paper with the information you use to download updates, nothing registered and no account needing to be created. You literally just enter the email address, order number, and serial number from the original purchase. You don't have to login to anything after this and you just download the update. Is it different if you order from another vendor? Second hand purchases aren't affected either because you just give them the info from the paper. This is why I have no clue why I keep seeing people claiming they are "unable to transfer ownership" ...do they mean they can't change the email address? It's not used for anything other than original order verification.
I want them to emulate the reading disc sound too.
Thanks for the comparison!
Excellent video! I have a question: I bought a fat PS1 model SCPH-5500, but it is a japanese version. Will it work with the X-Station nevertheless?
It should. I'd double check on the sale page, but I'm 99% sure it'll work.
As long as it has a compatible motherboard, any Ps1 from any region should have no trouble with the X-Station.
Just picked up a scph-1001 in excellent condition this week for $50 just for the xstation! 240p goodness on my new bvm.
Oh snap! My Blue PS1 getting put to awesome use :)
XStation + PS2 is the best of both worlds here. Phat ps1's are pennies on the dollar, and a good PS2 will be nice for watching DVD's too! Definitely going the XStation route myself.
I always call it PEE SSS I OH. Out of the 1000s of games on the ps1 it would be interesting to see what xstations true compatibility is.
From what I hear excellent.
I wish the xstation could be used alongside a normal drive, but except for that, it's ideal. also wish it was more hidden, maybe have a little ribbon on the board that goes to the back and that's where the SD card is, or put it prominently on the front, or at least make it easier to reach
maybe someone could add the ability to add a disc drive to the xstation via an external port
I'm a casual enthusiasts of consoles but I love megadeth and seeing that Rust in Peace guitar made my day!!
Thank you!
When will it cease? BTW I called dibs on the Jackson.
Great video, thanks Bob!
To fix PS1 lasers, recap them as they have caps that go bad over time. The lasers themselves don't actually go bad. Granted in most cases buying a "new" PS1 and simply switching lasers is easier and cheaper (which is why the myth exists that they burn out instead of the caps going bad).
laser diodes do eventually die.
@@scikoolaid Yes like every active component, but it's very rare. I've yet to find a single laser that wasn't fixable with a simple recap of the laser assembly.
Laser diodes have a much longer shelve life than your average cap.
Great video Bob! Always makes me happy to see the PVM overlay I made for you get used 😉
Has there been any talks for Gameshark codes support on XStation?
Yeah, those looks so awesome!!! Thanks again! I'm not sure if GameShark support is being planned yet, cause Rama's still trying to get the public release firmware ready, but I'm sure he'll look into it at some point.
whitezombie0002 wow, thanks so much! This seals the deal, I’m getting one!
Glad to see there isn't any dangerous images of Voultar. You're the better man lol
I have to admit, I feel bad about gutting working consoles to take stuff out.
I ended up buying entirely separate consoles to put ODEs into rather than swapping out hardware for consoles I've had since I was a kid...
It's a good thing then that I didn't grow up with/own anything prior to PS2, so getting ODEs for PS1 and Saturn wasn't that soul crushing for me.
i think that the MODE used in the Saturn and Dreamcast works in PS1 now
I can see installers switching to the xstation. Currently with the psio you can install the switch but can't easily include the cartridge because of registration with the firmware. Psio should think about this. Most of the end users of their products aren't skilled technicians.
Been using a PSIO for over a year and it's fine. Might be a bit slower to start up, but it's not a big concern really unless you like to change games ever few minutes or something ridiculous like that. I like having my CD there to use for my actual physical games too (mostly my imports). PS2/PS3 are fine options for PS1 discs too, but unless they are modded you still can't play your imports. Now if they ever come out with a PSOne version I'd be a in for the XStation on one of those.
great stuff, i just subbed
the x station should only boot if the disc tray is closed, that way you can mess with your memory cards.
Looking for answer from someone with tech knowledge. Are there serious technical limitations preventing PS1 from having plug and play solder-less optical drive emulator?
Awesome review, Really hope xstation support comes to my 7501 that has a dead laser. Watching Voultars mod for the xstation do look doable at my skill level (unlike the digital mods that are way outside my current skill level.)l, but will probably try to get more solder projects in before looking at getting one and attempting.
Rich psx parts. I got a laser for my 7501 model works perfectly.
Xstation will work on the 7501 model?!
@@italoa.b.oliveira3499 No, not at this time at least. Maybe in the future.
I really wish that they would make one of these for the psone slim model
This is cool and all and as someone that owns the OG with the parallel port and the slim i would of liked to see a version for the slim since i also have a LCD display for it and the only reason i would like to get something like this is because my slim is a NA version my games are Japanese and i use a swap disc to be able to play my games so being able to rip my games and play them on a SD card instead would be cooler.
Awesome mod RetroRGB
the psio doesnt need to be patched in anyway, if it's bin and cue it needs to be 1 bin, patching for the cu2 files is just the cd audio cue sheet. unfortunate that is a step you gotta take to get cd audio to work with the psio, does cd audio work well with the xstation? That Castlevania game uses cd audio i'm pretty sure.
CD audio works just fine with the X-Station. No fiddling with custom software required.
They need to make one of these mods for the PS2.
Why? You can already basically do this by softmod pretty much for free with FreeMCBoot and if you put it on a internal HDD or use a SSD or even SD to IDE adapter its basically the same thing.
Not IT oh, good to know
Not IT I spent around a year playing around with Free McBoot on PS2 and eventually just realized the hassle and effort is just not worth it.
Games were either glitchy or wouldn’t boot, Compatibility was limited and you spend more time with settings and tinkering than actually playing. And after all that, there’s too much fear to play the game because you don’t wanna be part way through and have it crash on you. And yes I was playing via HD and not USB.
Free MCBoot has nothing on the simplicity of GDEmu, Phoebe or PSIO which I all have and require little work. Hell playing backup Wii and GameCube games via Wii homebrew is perfect by comparison with near 100% compatibility and no glitches once set up.
@@Edawg_91 - You couldn't be more wrong about FreeMcBoot & PSLoader. PSLoader still gets updated often. Your info is outdated & uneducated.
@@TexasHollowEarth Wow what an expert, whatever you say mate.
Man, this is a great review, thanks Bob.
What is the source for the creator looking into expanding compatibility for the XStation?
With xStation will be possibly play games like Chrono Trigger more fast?
No more faster than a brand new laser and mint disc.
@@eightbitminiboss Uughh
your bass has to many strings!
Ive changed my mind about SD cards I think M.2 would be better I wish the smaller size was more popular its only the width of 2 SD at its smallest length
I wonder if the cure to full health using regen and opening the ps1 lid on FF7 will work with any of this two mods
I own the Xstation. Tried the Regen trick and it works.
Does anyone know how to get a hold of the xstation at the moment. It's July 30th 2023 at the time I'm writing this and their website for the past couple of weeks shows nothing on the xstation.
Can parallel port accessories be used with XStation? Will XStation recognize those devices?
You know what I wonder about the XStation? It has Wifi support right? I wonder if it would be possible to load games off a network storage, sort of like how you can do on the PS2 with OPL. Just as a hypothetical.
Also I prepped my PS1 for an XStation install last night. Not tough but it's important to be careful while doing it. I think most soldering novices could do it provided they feel comfortable soldering legs on chips.
RetroRGB or someone in the chat : Does anywone know why my PAL ps1 with PSIO on it dont wanna capture the colors correctly on NTSC games or NTSC-J games on a capture card? Is it because there is something weird with the PAL video output? Cause it displays correct on all my TVs including CRT TVs 😕
I hope there's one solution for the smaller PSOne soon.
Nice, need one to my old ps1
Are there any PS2 ODE's in development? Or is it still just recommended to play through PCSX2 at this point in time?
There is no need for this so no plans to develop it.
There is native HDD support in fat models in OPL with free mcboot with 99.8% game compatibility. You can use IDE->SD adapter if you prefer cards. Or you can use CECHA PS3 with CFW. I have both and they are great for native PS2 experience
Oh okay got it. Guess it's worth investing the time into research after my laser goes bad.
@iVirtualPlays slim 7000 has ide on motherboard so with some soldering you can get hdd support
You can buy newly produced PS1 lasers from eBay. They're ~$20 and they have them for pretty much every model. It's really easy to replace them too. Only thing that sucks is most of them ship from China.
Not all of them are of good quality though. What's your experience with them?...
I bought one and it was bad so they gave me a refund and told me to just throw it away basically.
I'm still not sure which one I should get. Is there a list with games that "doesn't work" and how does the compatibility looks like with the XStation?
My opinion is to choose based on if you'll need to play original CD's. If not (or if you have a second PS1...or a PS2) then get the XStation.
Great video! I believe X-Station is my choice. One question. I have my PSX library in eboot.pbp format. Does X-Station support eboot.pbp game files?
I wouldn't have thought so. pbp is specifically a PSP (or emulator) compatible format.
@@TheRestartPoint .PBP plays everywhere i tested it. Also on Playstation Mini! I checked the X-Station's information and unfortunately is not supporting .pbp files.
Will Xstation play music CDs if ripped to .bin? I have an audiophile modded ps1 and being able to play my uncompressed music collection from a menu would be the bee's knees.
@@Romerco77 I dunno, it sounds pretty amazing through the set up I have. Something about how whatevers rolled off on the playstation works with whatevers rolled off on the KLHs. I wouldn't say its monitor quality, but it sounds very good to my ears with the muting capacitors removed, better than my Oppo. I own way too many CDs for a person in 2020 so having a CD player that sounds right to me is important. The PS1 sounds good for whatever reason. If I could rip them to .bin and play them from a menu with the Xstation, that would be a nice quality of life upgrade if I could get that same playback quality with a menu of albums.
Is the xstation able to play Judge Dredd and does it work with light guns and dance mats
Still waiting for plug and play solution 😁
Probably not possible on PS1 due to how the architecture is built.
@@Fattydeposit I see. Well, I have Saturn, that's fine for now 😹👍🏻
What kind of PS1 is the clear blue? What was it released for? I have never heard of it before and never knew they even existed
It's an aftermarket replacement. You can sometimes find them on eBay.
If I have already installed a PSIO, can I also install an XStation? Would the installation of the PSIO need to be repaired to install the XStation?
People have tested and it seems that you can have both installed. If you're replacing the PSIO with an XStation, I'd recommend uninstalling the PSIO. Or, sell that PS1 complete with the PSIO installed and mod a new one with the XStation.
@@RetroRGB thanks for the reply Bob! I appreciate it as always. I was gearing up to do the citation mod myself, but since I'd be uninstalling the psio, I'm assuming it would be best to send it to a reputable modder to fix the cut traces.
Iv had the psio for 2 yrs it’s great the only problem I see is it takes ages to load up the menu
I have problems with few games and
the loading time is my number 1 reson to get rid of it.
2) is updating it bloddly firmware
haloharry97 Iv have not updated it is as it’s a pain to do it right without screwing it up
Is there a European stockist for the Xstation?
The XStation is an ESP32 (like an Arduino), that retails for around $5, with a dedicated interface to connect it, so you can expect to see it selling at $30~$50 for the firmware installed on it.
The ESP32 is used mainly in smart light bulb connected to the Internet thanks to its WiFi capability.
It could be interesting to use the WiFi present in the ESP32 to configure it, or select games from your phone.
The PSIO uses an FPGA that is more expensive and less available so don't expect to see it selling much cheaper.
1:45 XStation setup details.
That is cool. I'm going to buy the Xstation when it is cheaper.
I‘m a „normal user and modder“ so I don‘t bother over Twitter fights and stuff. I am currently happy with the PSIO, but if the PSIO or the PS1 dies at some point I‘ll try definetly the ODE solution. Until then more models should be compatibal 😁
Thanks for this neat review Bob. I dont know if my retrosetup would‘ve got this far without you!
PS: thought its not fair to thank you only via. a comment so I signed up for your patreon (5 attempt against the auto correct 😂 greatings from Germany).
i have a rather curious question. i have an external modchip that still works to this day. usually it would load up a menu for gameshark codes and the like before i can boot up or swap a game. what burns in my mind, however, how would it work in conjunction with an xstation?
I think the gameshark function will work the same. I never tried one though.
@@RetroRGB I thought as much, would be interesting to experiment with in any case.
What are your experiences of using PS1 games from a PS3 with PS1 internal chipset via HDMI? obviously that rules out 240p, but how is the totality of the video output? lastly, can a PS3 output PS1 games at 240p via analogue out?
Cheers.
PS1 on PS3 was mostly a terrible experience for me. The games all look too soft and the original PS1 through an OSSC was so much better. Also PS3's can't do 240p, only 480i.
@@RetroRGB + the input lag! :-)
Now for the question: is something like this also in the works for PS2? It would be really great for Slim owners.
You don't really need this for ps2 because you can install a hardrive and use freemcboot.
technozombie Yeah, I’m aware of that, but I imagine the compatibility differences between OPL and an ODE. And also the ability to play PS1 games without the need of POPStarter.
Do You Want to Do Disney’s Hercules Instead of Tomb Raiders?
What about fmvs, stutter, its like ps2 opl? (game is fine, but graphic animations, slow)
Thank you for an honest review Bob :)
Man, I'm still waiting for a way to save games to the sd and not a memory card...much like the ps2 opl virtual memory card. Here's hoping someday someone can figure it out
Is it likely I'd have to remove the old 90s modchip from my scph-1002? My laser is struggling with CD-R, so I'd prefer to install a X-station or PSIO rather than a crappy chinese optical assembly.
PSIO website says mod chip have no problem with it
PU-22 gang B^) I can't hear you over my soundscope visualizer
Psio would be perfect if you didn't need to mod the ps1 to use psio.
With the XStation, you will still need to mod to get it to work. Left chip legs and solder a bored in. Cut the case. 😋
Do they have these for ps2? Or is it easier to free mcboot on a slim?
Not yet. You can use FreeMcBoot for PS2 games, but PS1 games don't work well that way.
@@RetroRGB Thanks. I've been thinking if we could swap an ssd for the dvd drive, that'd be pretty sweet, as I think the usb on ps2 might be a bit too slow for some games. Also, if theres a way to plug an hdd into the ethernet that'd probably be faster than the usb also
when is this thing shipping finally?!
Hit like if you want to see Bob play those two awesome instruments in the back!
th-cam.com/video/kQ2MPeilyro/w-d-xo.html :)
@@RetroRGB AMAZING JAM! Came in good timing too!
Hey guys do anyone have a ps1 with psio if so Can you back up your memory card saves on the sd card? And the ps1 reads the saves from sd card? For the games?
Does any one know of a mod that allows both sd and optical to run ? For games that use disc swaps like the monster rancher sereis
Is creator (Rama) of x-station the same guy who dome gbs-control?
Yes.
@@tehFoxx0rz so there are no words able to describe how amazing he is.
Is there anyway to put cheat codes with this mod ?
PSIO is better i say.. better looking menu 😋
So with Xstation you cant install the hdmi port???
I'm not sure how you could have gotten that impression - Every video I've done on them has both installed: th-cam.com/video/VUZq72I-nC4/w-d-xo.html
I've heard about this from Digital Foundry and Voultar.
Just a naive question : do you know why modding community (and retrogaming enthousiats over the world) want that much to replace optical drives by emulated devices ?
I mean, wouldn't it be much easier, authentic and way cheaper to "simply" re manufacture brand new compatible CD lenses, and gently replace them ?
I just don't understand. (I like so much to manipulate tangible, beloved real cds ^ ^, and not have access in one clic to the entire library which leads at the end to no real involment from me on games).
Sorry for by bad english, I am french.
I'm with you, there's something special about the original experience. As we move on from optical media, it's going to be harder and more expensive to find/manufacture replacement lasers and other related components. Everything from the motors to the gears, the demand for these parts is slowly dropping off, which means less sustainability for the companies still making them. People who make products like the ones in this video are preparing for the next affordable media format to preserve the games. In today's case it's sd cards. Not nearly as cool as CDs, but at least they are a cheap and reliable format. Your English is great btw 👍
CDs tend to age too. I have some games that don’t work anymore. It’s an alternative and more practical to have all your games on a single sd.
@@vincentt2309 I have cd games (not scratched) from 1988 PC-Engine to xbox and they all work just fine. Same for all my friends.
We don't have real stepback to objectivily and precisely measure cd longevity. It could survive all of us easily on theory. Conservationists were surprised to notice that electromagnetic devices (such as old tapes) last way longer than expected.
I don't believe on a massive, general "disk root" event, it's just ponctual irrelevant "accidents". It's like paper : it's not because there are some 20 years old books stained with little mushrooms that all books are doomed to decrepit with those yellow stains after 2 decades. There are a lot of factors to consider (quality of the manufacture, handling care, types of environnemental exposition, etc. etc. etc).
With cd, scratches are a big problem, but professionnal resurfacing (to replace old varnish with a new, more efficient and neutral) can be a solution.
Anyway, roms are already preserved on hard drives. I understand the step here, it's cool but beside, I do not understand why no one seems to concentrate on simply re manufacturing sensible parts like lenses. Everything can be repaired / replaced in electronics.
Thank you Dan !
Yeah, you're right concerning optical drive technologies going to fade (it's time for dematerialized). But it's precisely here that I don't understand why retrogaming enthousiats, conservationists, don't make part of those who will perpetuate this technologie (within a small, niche market shared with audiophiles, etc.). Today, we can manufacture things halfway around the world quite easily from our rooms... compatible lenses developed by our modding communities doesn't seem impossible to my eyes. But maybe I am wrong, hence my question ^ ^
If there is a market, there is a manufacture. I think it's working like that, am I completely mistaken ?
@@nickwallette6201 Thanks for the detailed answer. While I don't personally agree with 3) and 5) (for me, handling physical, tangible stuff is a deep part of my gaming pleasure and feelings, but I respect and understand), and I also understand 4) (it's the more obvious actually ^ ^). 1) is totally negligible to my eyes, I really think quality pressed CDroms, for the very moooooost part, are going to easily survive us.
So the 2) is what bugging me. Is this that unthinkable to keep factories that could manufacture perfect quality optical drives ? (supervised, and validated by our premium engineers in the retrogaming community, the same that create and command the manufacture of all those new stuffs). Classic electromagnetic eproms are still brand new manufactured, vinyle have made a come back, etc. A market call an offer (and industrial capabilities).