You’re so right. I just found this channel, wish TH-cam would have recommended this channel a long time ago instead of these other stupid gaming channels with kids sounding annoying.
I remember reading about this in a gaming magazine in the early 2000s. I went into GameStop and asked if the PSX was available for preorder. They were dumbfounded thinking I meant the PS1.
The confusion annoys me far more than it should. I know PSX was a preproduction codename for the original Playstation but somehow it has stuck even though an actual PSX system was released by Sony. It annoys me even more when you consider that the PSX had the first version of the XMB interface, it's an important enough milestone that its name should be its own.
Really enjoyed your take on this! I remember reading about this as a preview in Official PlayStation Magazine and thought it was an amazing piece of hardware, was really disappointed we didn't get one in the US. I've always wanted to track one down but I've seen so many horror stories of reliability issues and the thing being cumbersome to repair. Not to mention how heavy the thing is, not the most fun thing to ship out.
thanks for watching! yeah the reliability on these things make it a tough decision. they are beautiful looking systems though. I think more as a collection piece than a day to day PS2 system
Yeah I wanted one back in 2006 but it was much more practical to buy a PS3. Its funny how you can see where the PS3 got its ideas from. I just love the way it looks. However the problems the system had I just used the money to buy the Panasonic Q and never looked back. And thanks to you helping us mod the PS3 I think a modded PS3 would be far more practical and economical idea than getting the PSX unless you are a collector.
Most of the unit you come across will have a bad dvd laser, mine unit did. It took me 8 months to find THE CORRECT pc dvd rom drive to transplant ther laser to the PSX
A few notes: Softmodding with FreeMcBoot fixes a DVD laser issue because the PSX will default to use the DVD-R/CD-R laser instead of the DVD-RW laser. Apologies if that was unclear For those interested there are some "after the credits" announcements starting at 14:08
In Japan at that time there were heaps of DVR's with DVD burners available for sale. They were also a lot smaller than the PSX and most people already had a PS2 so it was pretty redundant for most people to buy a PSX.
I would assume the PSX would come with CableCard support (like the TiVo DVRs) and the DVD burner functionality reduced or removed (sadly) if it came to America.
TiVo came out around the same time as the PSX, and that didn't even have a subscription fee back then. You just bought it and it worked forever. I'm sure the PSX would have had intact DVR support if it came to America.
I wonder - sure, the drive is encrypted. But DD has no issue reading the raw bit-stream from a encrypted disk, but the image won't be mountable. But what if you DD'd the HDD, and then DD'd the image back onto an identical-sized drive?
@@AngelaTheSephira Also, computing power has increased tenfold since the release. I'm sure some clever cloggs could work an algorithm to bruteforce the encryption.
3:56 HOLY CRAP!! That background is extremely identical to the one used when updating a PS3. It’s so interesting to see little, what I guess count as, easter eggs like that in any kind of OS.
@@geddyleesowlnose What's so funny he's not lying PS3 had Blu-Ray capability more settings wifi and a harddrive that holds up to 120GB depending on which version ps3 it was. This thing had what 8mb memory card lol. This machine is a old piece of junk the failed miserably in the market.
I actually had one of these and used it for close to 10 years! I had just moved to JP and was in the exact situation that fit the demand: no DVR and no current gen game system. It worked with all of my old Japanese PS1 games, it recorded our TV, it played PS2, even burned DVDs for us, it was perfect!
It came out in 2004 and the PS 1 came out in the US and EU in 1995. This thing was basically a PS3 Beta or PS 2 Pro. Also you sound like Rex from the video game TY
A bit of more bizarre example, but: There was a movie creator mode in Ape Escape 3 which also used the XMB UI. I guess Sony really tried put it into everything they could think of then.
@@nick-in6rl Yeah me either. I never went through it until I 100%ed the game in recent years. The XMB UI caught me by total surprise and the movie studio mode is a lot in depth than I thought (Expected that you could only remix the clips you collected in the game). Nah you can make your own dumb little play from scratch using a script & whatever monkeys you collected throughout the game and iirc save it to the memory card.
@@VexAcer i recently went through the game again cause i miss the franchise but like i said i just never used the movie thing because it just sounded gimmicky. but it makes sense that the xmb ui was there because sony made the game
This was the first product to use the Xmedia bar, which I really like and am sad the PS4 doesnt use in some way. Wonder if there will ever be a way to make the PSX region free? I think its a cool system, reminds me of the Panasonic Gamecube. They always get all the cool stuff in Japan. Great video cool to see that thing in action.
It is actually possible to install a new HDD onto a PSX, but it needs to be a genuine Maxtor IDE drive. You also need a PSX firmware disc which can be pretty tough to find. After that though it installs pretty easily. I managed to make a fully working PSX using two broken ones.
I meant that he's stating a new HDD just can't be installed. It can with a genuine firmware disc and a Maxtor IDE drive. I've done it myself and the console returned to life@Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nur R34 '02
@@DiabloXL69 we’re talking years ago now, but I definitely don’t have a genuine disc, and my system came back to life, I’ve even got the XMB and OS running in English though the translation is a bit wonky. It’s in storage at the moment but perhaps one day I’ll get something uploaded showing it off
The PSX would have been such a BADASS thing to own over here in the States. Had the design flaws been fixed, I guarantee you this would have sold amazingly well here. I remember everyone back in the early 2000's loved the concept of DVRs, so the ability to have that combined with the best selling console of all time would be an easy sell.
Despite its flaws it is a beautiful looking piece ok kit , very nearly picked one of these up a couple of times over the years but ended up buying something else instead each time , Enjoyed the video mate 🖒
As long as people still realise that "PSX" has also been used as a shorthand for the Playstation 1 for over two decades now. :p It's even still part of the PS1 BIOS - "PS-X Kernel" serial debug messages.
P.S. Betamax was awesome. hehe I had Sanyo and Sony Betamax machines in the 90s, and used them to record things like Bad Influence (fantastic ITV retro series) and Reboot! for years. I still think the Betamax machines were generally far more sturdy than VHS. They did often have a better picture as well for a while, and then the VHS HQ decks were released.
I remember seeing articles about this back when it was a thing in Japan. I'd totally forgotten about it but it had intrigued me at the time. I admit though, despite it being a simple box shape, it felt aesthetically sleek and nifty even so.
In terms of feature set, the PSX could easily be seen as a "PS2.5". Because despite being based on PS2 hardware, it launched with many of the same non-gaming features that the PS3 launched with (XMB Interface, the ability to store media on the internal HDD, etc.)
You're my favorite channel atm. Super niche content that really, really appeals to me--and is hard to find in this quality. Great work. You earned your sub.
I'm 21 and I have never heard someone mention betamax outside of TH-cam in my life. Never seen betamax tapes in real either either But that's just because I enjoy listening to relaxing voices being passionate about something
Very interesting machine. Didn't know it was compatible with a PSX specific version of FreeMcBoot. I will personally stick to my PS2 units with FreeMcBoot playing my games from my NAS. :P Enjoy your holidays!
I just gotten this on a Thrift Shop for $10. Suprisingly the hard drive is still working on this thing. I only noticed it because it has the Sony, Playstation 2 logos even though it doesn't look anything like the console. Thanks for the guide to softmodding it. Its exactly what I needed. =)
Some things I need to point out; (great video btw) 1. D Terminal is for component, not RGB 2. On your USB drive you had the English menu patch files - did you end up installing it?
Thank you for posting. I truly thought this device would be ideal for DVR and console gaming. I wasn't aware it was plagued with such issues. What a bummer.
Thank MVG! I didn't even know Sony released a DVR/PS2 combo machine. I have a feeling the device flopped because streaming/catchup services were becoming commonplace. It happened to me. I purchased a DVD/DVR machine around this time, to record TV programmes, but never used it because I just use streaming services. Complete waste of money (£400 at the time). Looking forward to your next video. All the best for 2018!
I don't remember much streaming in 2001-2004/2005... you could barely stream an embedded Quicktime video off a random website if you were lucky with your internet speeds (lot of people still had dial-up or really slow DSL, not great for video. Dial-up I remember waiting 5 minutes for a SINGLE picture sometimes!) I mean, TH-cam didn't even come around till 2005, and the standard upload quality back then was around 240p (and by that I mean it was the MAX the platform even allowed at the time, lol.)
It's really cool to see this explained. I remember seeing stuff about it before release but never actually seeing or hearing more about it until a couple years ago.
Great find and great vid! That was a very interesting subject. That D-Terminal connector carries YPbPr ,and not RGB (didn't see anyone else mention it in the comments). Would have loved to see the PSX plugged via s-video/luma-chroma on your commodore monitor, hehe. Good choice using a crt, I also use crt for all my ps2 gaming! It's how that console looks best IMO. Big shutout to Initial D second stage :P I have that game too and play it with a steering wheel
My pleasure! You've got one of my fave TH-cam channels around, it's a joy to watch everytime. Gotta ask : any reason why you didn't plug the PSX in your Commodore monitor via S-video(with a cable that has luma-chroma on the monitor's end and s-video on the console end. You can buy those online or build it yourself)? Is it because you prefer composite for old consoles, over S-video?
@@twin10broter There IS actually. But its not great. A Russian guy attempted it and released it but for the life of me can't get the installation method and the translation is mediocre at best :(
A little late to this party, I know. I recently picked one of these up, and I absolutely love it, if for no other reason than it's a good conversation piece as not many are aware of this units existence.
"Throwing a towel on an xbox 360" ooh, flashbacks... my son turned my first 360 on while it was under a dust cover once... yup, red ringed it since I didn't notice until a week later. Second 360 died at random one day. 3rd 360 needs anew optical drive and has been sitting in a box since the xbox one arrived
you sound Straya'n mate... nice collection & video. Should have way way more subs! just as good as that metal jesus dude except he has many gamer friends who regularly do co host pieces. Only one thing I would have put was a few more personal thoughts and comments on things like the stupid controller ports HDD etc. Well done great content
Even though it was a failure the PSX definitely reminds me of the Sony of old, taking risks with (perhaps not as innovative) new ideas. The PSX offered the equivalent functionality of a smart TV/xbox one/ps4 media centre type setup 15 years ago! and while it is a bit bulky the styling still looks pretty good by todays standards (subjective of course), imagine if this came in a piano black with that glass top.
Another nice video as always, mate. Am surprised for the 1702 you didn't get an adapter that splits the s-video signal into the separate Y/C plugs for the back of the CRT. Consoles that support it look leagues better over that. But I agree with ya, a good CRT is just suitable for older consoles and computers.
Yeah this bugged me that he didn't know this!! Totally shocked me. I've been playing all of my old consoles on it ever since I bought one. Having s-video is awesome, and I think the cable cost me like ten bucks lol
I’m up late at night watching 1990’s video game videos. I’ve watched: #1. The history of 3DO #2 Why Saturn failed #3 a play through of SHINOBI X #4. A review of PS classic #5. A review of NES classic #6. A review of SNES classic #7. A review of TG16 classic
I have a DESR-5000; these systems are great, but the HDD is bound to die. Once the HDD goes - its all over red rover. Like the XBOX the HDD is matched to the console. You can get FMCB for these systems though and FTP games onto a new hard drive but you will lose the functionality of the DVR and the XMB
You *could* use an fpga between the hdd and console and "emulate" the old hdd / the shit that links the hdd to the console. But that would be a little bit hard unfortunatly :P
ElysiumDiary. Do you have any tutorials to reference on how to do that (if possible one suitable for a person that knows next to nothing about modding consoles)??? I'd really love to get into modding consoles and i'd like to start with this one.
Free-McBoot! What a throwback! I bought a PS2 Gameshark USB Dongle kit SOLELY for the purpose of FMB. I don't think I ever spent much time attempting to actually use the shark's codes, I really only wanted the bonus Universal Serial Bus port driver that came with the gameshark CD-ROM. I guess all you'd need is a PS2-MU Reader hooked to a PC and you can load things to the memcard, but the GS was cheap and came with the USB. Glad to see that people have found another use for FMB and given it a bit of new life. cool show-n-tell bro!
sadly the beat terminal output can only output component, no rgb. maybe a mod can fix that as you get rgb from it but no sync. maybe uses S-Video or composite out for the sync signal.
This DVR is actually very cool despite its flaws. I wish you had either the DESR-5700 or 7700 model to review, which had the most features, but I'm aware it's hard to get one an it doesn't diminish the high quality analysis. By the way, ghis video should have way more views, superb review. Already subscribed, hope I see more videos about obscure hardware! 👍
Couldn't you pull the hard drive, use a program like macrium and image it then throw that image on another drive? in theory it will keep the same encryption
Not sure about JP-only - I remember seeing these for sale at the Sony Lifestyle stores in the US - at least in the San Francisco area - SF and Palo-Alto specifically. Could have been overflow or oldstock repurposed for boutique sales from Sony's stores - but they were on US shelves in 2005-2006. Probably unique to the Bay Area since we had the Sony majority owned Metreon shopping mall which contained the Playstation Store where the PS2 and PS3 were launch-day'ed (there's even shots of the CEO taking the PS3 off the trucks in front of the store for the cameras). Those were better than Apple-store lines - the PS2 launch-lines were catered by Sony and participating retailers (hot-sandwiches wrapped in foil, and premium coffee and latés) plus we had line-passes (necklace-badges) for bathroom breaks ... or more often, a dash to the bar just inside one of doors to the Metreon. That bar on Oct 2000 had quite the uptick in nerd-traffic I recall.
I don't know about AIBO. I mean i know about it! It was a highly innovative hugely expensive toy that survived 4 or so product generations over a span of what seems like a decade, largely with no competition. And for such an expensive toy, a few hundred thousand units sold is not too shabby! When competition finally came, it was pathetic, AIBO still ruled supreme. It was marketed majorly by VAIO, Sony's computer division. And you know what, it's not dead. They announced a new one just a few days ago. It was on an extended hiatus.
I REMEMBER READING ABOUT THIS BEAST IN OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE IN 2004 !!!!!!!! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR COMPLETE IN BOX ONE JUST FOR THE COLLECTION !!!!!!
Man you should have way more than 20k, Keep it coming!
So start sharing ;-)
You’re so right. I just found this channel, wish TH-cam would have recommended this channel a long time ago instead of these other stupid gaming channels with kids sounding annoying.
skonaz I agree with this is totally original.
2K, too bad...
He's up to 45k now. That's tremendous growth in 3 months since your comment.
I remember reading about this in a gaming magazine in the early 2000s. I went into GameStop and asked if the PSX was available for preorder. They were dumbfounded thinking I meant the PS1.
The confusion annoys me far more than it should. I know PSX was a preproduction codename for the original Playstation but somehow it has stuck even though an actual PSX system was released by Sony. It annoys me even more when you consider that the PSX had the first version of the XMB interface, it's an important enough milestone that its name should be its own.
Wow that was 23 years ago.. How much times has changed.... I miss 2000s for culture and gaming, movies so much
Psx really does feel like the ps3 predecessor
I mean, it literally is
PSX is a PS2 variant
PS2.5
Duhh
Nothing gets past you.
Really enjoyed your take on this! I remember reading about this as a preview in Official PlayStation Magazine and thought it was an amazing piece of hardware, was really disappointed we didn't get one in the US.
I've always wanted to track one down but I've seen so many horror stories of reliability issues and the thing being cumbersome to repair. Not to mention how heavy the thing is, not the most fun thing to ship out.
thanks for watching! yeah the reliability on these things make it a tough decision. they are beautiful looking systems though. I think more as a collection piece than a day to day PS2 system
You can use free mcboot on this as you would a PS2, once the HDD fails you lose the DVR functionality and its effectively a less reliable PS2
Yeah I wanted one back in 2006 but it was much more practical to buy a PS3. Its funny how you can see where the PS3 got its ideas from. I just love the way it looks. However the problems the system had I just used the money to buy the Panasonic Q and never looked back. And thanks to you helping us mod the PS3 I think a modded PS3 would be far more practical and economical idea than getting the PSX unless you are a collector.
Most of the unit you come across will have a bad dvd laser, mine unit did. It took me 8 months to find THE CORRECT pc dvd rom drive to transplant ther laser to the PSX
this PSX is ideal for people who live in cold places like Alaska, Siberia, and Greensland
true, but it will help it cool down a little
+HoverX XZX28 it's a joke.
i suppose you could ship it from japan, although shipping prices would be through the roof
Same if you had a pentium 4 pc or especially a laptop
Why?
The controller ports and memory card slots really should be swapped around, what a bizarre design choice
A few notes: Softmodding with FreeMcBoot fixes a DVD laser issue because the PSX will default to use the DVD-R/CD-R laser instead of the DVD-RW laser. Apologies if that was unclear
For those interested there are some "after the credits" announcements starting at 14:08
Modern Vintage Gamer is it possible to change the language using the program
Pretty sure the Dashboard is locked in Japanese. Free McBoot should allow you to play games from any region however.
Ahm, sorry, but as far as I know, PSX can only support PSP media functions (load videos on PSP, for example), but not PSP games.
There is a translation mod to change all the menu's to English.
Well, that's good to know :) It would be interesting to see that in action.
I think the XMB is the best console UI i have ever used. It looked great on composite, and it looked sexy on HDMI.
Agree. When is the Android modders make it an Android launcher
agreed
In Japan at that time there were heaps of DVR's with DVD burners available for sale. They were also a lot smaller than the PSX and most people already had a PS2 so it was pretty redundant for most people to buy a PSX.
This would of been a hit in America, until cable companies get pissed and block the DVR from working
I would assume the PSX would come with CableCard support (like the TiVo DVRs) and the DVD burner functionality reduced or removed (sadly) if it came to America.
@@Yeen125 Yeah, it'd just be a overpriced PS2 with a built in capture card that you really couldn't use
TiVo came out around the same time as the PSX, and that didn't even have a subscription fee back then. You just bought it and it worked forever. I'm sure the PSX would have had intact DVR support if it came to America.
It really wouldn't have been a hit at all.
Cable companies suck dix.
I should be able to record video on my XBox One X
Yet another one of Sony's mind boggling decisions - not allowing HDD replacement / upgrades. Such a shame, its a beautiful piece of hardware.
But they fixed this with ps3 and ps4
I wonder - sure, the drive is encrypted.
But DD has no issue reading the raw bit-stream from a encrypted disk, but the image won't be mountable.
But what if you DD'd the HDD, and then DD'd the image back onto an identical-sized drive?
@@AngelaTheSephira Yes
@@AngelaTheSephira Also, computing power has increased tenfold since the release. I'm sure some clever cloggs could work an algorithm to bruteforce the encryption.
do you guys think sony will ever release a tool to decrypt it? i wanna see it's xmb menu so badly in a ps2 tbh
I'm totally envious, not gonna lie. Promise you'll take good care of her. See if you can image the drive and back it up. Like 7 times.
That's a legit plan!
Ghost 8 for DOS should do it.
3:56 HOLY CRAP!! That background is extremely identical to the one used when updating a PS3. It’s so interesting to see little, what I guess count as, easter eggs like that in any kind of OS.
It is quite remarkable how homogeneous the OS design language is between the PS3, P and X. I'm a fan, personally :)
@@Derpy-qg9hn Don't forget the Bravia TV's :) XMB is still my favourite UI.
The PS3 basically took everything this does and improved on it, besides the DVR fuctionality.
SuperSmashMaster43 lol please
@@geddyleesowlnose What's so funny he's not lying PS3 had Blu-Ray capability more settings wifi and a harddrive that holds up to 120GB depending on which version ps3 it was. This thing had what 8mb memory card lol. This machine is a old piece of junk the failed miserably in the market.
Pye Ltd. how can you get so worked up over something like that lol
@@MARQ101HVC hell, just the fact the hard drive can be replaced on a ps3 makes it far better alone.
But the PSX looks pretty damn cool, even to this day.
I actually had one of these and used it for close to 10 years! I had just moved to JP and was in the exact situation that fit the demand: no DVR and no current gen game system. It worked with all of my old Japanese PS1 games, it recorded our TV, it played PS2, even burned DVDs for us, it was perfect!
It came out in 2004 and the PS 1 came out in the US and EU in 1995. This thing was basically a PS3 Beta or PS 2 Pro.
Also you sound like Rex from the video game TY
Great video! The styling look a lot like the old Sony Vaio range. Congrats on the 20k subs and enjoy your break over Christmas!
The xmb styling was also used on older sony flatscreen TVs 😉
I'm pretty sure most Sony Blu-ray players still use XMB
A bit of more bizarre example, but: There was a movie creator mode in Ape Escape 3 which also used the XMB UI.
I guess Sony really tried put it into everything they could think of then.
@@VexAcer wait what???? I love ape escape 3 but I guess I never really messed with the movie make aspect. I just never appealed to me
@@nick-in6rl Yeah me either. I never went through it until I 100%ed the game in recent years.
The XMB UI caught me by total surprise and the movie studio mode is a lot in depth than I thought (Expected that you could only remix the clips you collected in the game). Nah you can make your own dumb little play from scratch using a script & whatever monkeys you collected throughout the game and iirc save it to the memory card.
@@VexAcer i recently went through the game again cause i miss the franchise but like i said i just never used the movie thing because it just sounded gimmicky. but it makes sense that the xmb ui was there because sony made the game
This was the first product to use the Xmedia bar, which I really like and am sad the PS4 doesnt use in some way. Wonder if there will ever be a way to make the PSX region free? I think its a cool system, reminds me of the Panasonic Gamecube. They always get all the cool stuff in Japan. Great video cool to see that thing in action.
RetroMTG ps4 is kinda XMB just super refined. I prefer it. But I wish the psvita had a different Os
In the UK we got the Japanese designed SNES. Haha
IKR the ps4 xmb is ugly as shit
PS4 use Orbis OS instead of XMB.
Orbis OS was based on FreeBSD 9.
@@pyeltd.5457 And so did australia
I always Wanted to get a PSX. Not play games but just display it my crib. I always thought it looked so cool. Same with the Panasonic Q
Then get one.
@@donutreligion2979 let him live his life the way he wants to brother😂😂😂👏😂😂😂
The Panasonic Q is absolutely gorgeous and timeless.
Cant tell if ur joking but it's just a box what's so cool about that lol 😂
Donut Religion not worth spending all that money.
This channel is dope. You convinced me to buy an original Xbox and softmod it. Super excited for it to arrive.
Good. Now get on Xlink Kai for multiplayer and get all your friends on there too.
DeeKnow that’s the dream
This woulda been the absolute coolest living room hardware to have in 2003, some folks in Japan must have felt like they were living in the future.
I never knew that this console exist. Nice video. Keep going.
I got my PSX DESR 7700 ordered today and it is in fully working order cannot wait to try it and add to my collection
It is actually possible to install a new HDD onto a PSX, but it needs to be a genuine Maxtor IDE drive. You also need a PSX firmware disc which can be pretty tough to find. After that though it installs pretty easily. I managed to make a fully working PSX using two broken ones.
I meant that he's stating a new HDD just can't be installed. It can with a genuine firmware disc and a Maxtor IDE drive. I've done it myself and the console returned to life@Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nur R34 '02
Jack32X glad to know I will be able to fix it if fails. When I finally get one that is.
How you did it? The PSX can't boot the firmware disc with a broken hdd pluged
@@Jack32X you need an actual genuine restore disc or just burn an ISO on a DVD or something?
@@DiabloXL69 we’re talking years ago now, but I definitely don’t have a genuine disc, and my system came back to life, I’ve even got the XMB and OS running in English though the translation is a bit wonky. It’s in storage at the moment but perhaps one day I’ll get something uploaded showing it off
Love that you're using an old Commodore PVM as your display, I finally got a hold of one last year and love it.
I remember seeing this in PSM as a kid and wanting one so bad.
The PSX would have been such a BADASS thing to own over here in the States. Had the design flaws been fixed, I guarantee you this would have sold amazingly well here. I remember everyone back in the early 2000's loved the concept of DVRs, so the ability to have that combined with the best selling console of all time would be an easy sell.
It's due to this beast is why I call the first PlayStation the PS1 (or PS) and not PSX, because when people say PSX I think of this beast.
Hey man, had this video pop up and just wanted to say how happy I am for you that your channel has grown so much over the years. Much deserved :-)
Despite its flaws it is a beautiful looking piece ok kit , very nearly picked one of these up a couple of times over the years but ended up buying something else instead each time ,
Enjoyed the video mate 🖒
Always appreciate your work over the years my dude. Great channel going here!
Great vid man, enjoying your vids especially when you take it to the next level mod and fix stuff.
even 12 years later the styling still holds up incredibly well
As long as people still realise that "PSX" has also been used as a shorthand for the Playstation 1 for over two decades now. :p
It's even still part of the PS1 BIOS - "PS-X Kernel" serial debug messages.
P.S. Betamax was awesome. hehe
I had Sanyo and Sony Betamax machines in the 90s, and used them to record things like Bad Influence (fantastic ITV retro series) and Reboot! for years.
I still think the Betamax machines were generally far more sturdy than VHS. They did often have a better picture as well for a while, and then the VHS HQ decks were released.
Playstation-X was the early name, hence why it's left in the BIOS.
Also the "V-Shaped controller" and other terms really show its age.
I remember seeing articles about this back when it was a thing in Japan. I'd totally forgotten about it but it had intrigued me at the time. I admit though, despite it being a simple box shape, it felt aesthetically sleek and nifty even so.
In terms of feature set, the PSX could easily be seen as a "PS2.5". Because despite being based on PS2 hardware, it launched with many of the same non-gaming features that the PS3 launched with (XMB Interface, the ability to store media on the internal HDD, etc.)
Been watching your vids for a long time now, I've finally decided to subscribe. Keep it up ;)
You're my favorite channel atm. Super niche content that really, really appeals to me--and is hard to find in this quality. Great work. You earned your sub.
I remember seeing that Sony PSX console as a kid. And it's cool that you had Initial D Special Stage running. That's a great game
Lovely machine =D Highly desireable system!
Yeah, it's not only nice that you can record games from other consoles passed through it but frankly, it's a good looking thing as well. lol
@@natgrant1364 fucking lol, the thing is a dumpster fire that never works
"My older viewers probably even remember Betamax"
I'm only 28...
Heck, I am 17 and I do know about the format.
I may not remember but as a 12 yr old I knew about the great war
Marine Trisinscius I’m only 22 and I know about the format.
Humberto Assis that’s awesome!
I'm 21 and I have never heard someone mention betamax outside of TH-cam in my life. Never seen betamax tapes in real either either
But that's just because I enjoy listening to relaxing voices being passionate about something
Very interesting machine. Didn't know it was compatible with a PSX specific version of FreeMcBoot. I will personally stick to my PS2 units with FreeMcBoot playing my games from my NAS. :P
Enjoy your holidays!
Whats a "nas?"
@@toolongtowrite7549 it probably means north american system.
@@toolongtowrite7549it means "Network attached storage" it's a media server in his case most likely.
I just gotten this on a Thrift Shop for $10. Suprisingly the hard drive is still working on this thing. I only noticed it because it has the Sony, Playstation 2 logos even though it doesn't look anything like the console. Thanks for the guide to softmodding it. Its exactly what I needed. =)
Hey if you did it successfully I have not been able to....do you have the steps you did it with?
@@zincmann I still do not have the time but since you mentioned it I'll try to do it in the weekend then I'll tell you if I'm successful. =)
Thanks Strider
This is my kind of jam, love these old hardware lookbacks. Subscribed.
Hand it to Ben Heck. Maybe he'll find a way to break down the encryption.
Whos Ben Heck? :/
@@AmbientMess A crazy repair guy, He repaired the Nintendo Playstation
Some things I need to point out; (great video btw)
1. D Terminal is for component, not RGB
2. On your USB drive you had the English menu patch files - did you end up installing it?
i was considering the english patch but i just prefer to keep things stock so i decided against it.
crazy thing is that you can still find these for cheaper than a new 3ds xl as of 2023
4:34 *Deja Vu intesifies*
Saw my mistake a year and a bit later
*intensifies*
@Seth Wellington intesifies
@Seth Wellington Go away normie
@Seth Wellington Get rap3d
Thank you for posting. I truly thought this device would be ideal for DVR and console gaming. I wasn't aware it was plagued with such issues. What a bummer.
Thank MVG! I didn't even know Sony released a DVR/PS2 combo machine. I have a feeling the device flopped because streaming/catchup services were becoming commonplace. It happened to me. I purchased a DVD/DVR machine around this time, to record TV programmes, but never used it because I just use streaming services. Complete waste of money (£400 at the time). Looking forward to your next video. All the best for 2018!
Streaming and catch up commonplace in 2004? think I still taped things...
I don't remember much streaming in 2001-2004/2005... you could barely stream an embedded Quicktime video off a random website if you were lucky with your internet speeds (lot of people still had dial-up or really slow DSL, not great for video. Dial-up I remember waiting 5 minutes for a SINGLE picture sometimes!) I mean, TH-cam didn't even come around till 2005, and the standard upload quality back then was around 240p (and by that I mean it was the MAX the platform even allowed at the time, lol.)
It was too expensive which didn't help.
How did this not catch on? This is incredible. Sure, it’s has it’s flaws, but this is WAY ahead of its time.
Thanks again for a very well made video. Merry Christmas man 👊😃👊
I remember hearing about Sony PSX. I didn't know what it was until now. Keep up the awesome work! :D
You deserve not just 20K, but 100k even 1 Million because your gaming channel is awesome !
It's really cool to see this explained. I remember seeing stuff about it before release but never actually seeing or hearing more about it until a couple years ago.
Man I always wanted one of these. Until you explained the Hard Drive situation. Now no way. If the internal hd fails than its table scrap.
Great video. You are the champion man! Game videos seem to the most interest but happy to see content from you regardless.
@0:00 - @0:08
The greatest console press conference in history lol
Once again a great video, looking forward to the game room tour :)
Way late here, but let's be honest the PS4 UI is a modified version of the XMB. Even parts like the settings menu are basically unchanged.
As usual, a great episode, I am waiting impatiently for the announced video ;)
Great find and great vid! That was a very interesting subject. That D-Terminal connector carries YPbPr ,and not RGB (didn't see anyone else mention it in the comments). Would have loved to see the PSX plugged via s-video/luma-chroma on your commodore monitor, hehe. Good choice using a crt, I also use crt for all my ps2 gaming! It's how that console looks best IMO.
Big shutout to Initial D second stage :P I have that game too and play it with a steering wheel
yep you are correct it will output component and not RGB unfortunately. Initial D rocks! thanks for watching!!
My pleasure! You've got one of my fave TH-cam channels around, it's a joy to watch everytime. Gotta ask : any reason why you didn't plug the PSX in your Commodore monitor via S-video(with a cable that has luma-chroma on the monitor's end and s-video on the console end. You can buy those online or build it yourself)? Is it because you prefer composite for old consoles, over S-video?
I’ve always wanted one of these and this video really might be the selling point. Great video, keep up the good work.
The dvr play back and abilaty to burn dvds is beast
Is there an English translation of the system with the menus?
Gary Stinten no
@@twin10broter There IS actually. But its not great. A Russian guy attempted it and released it but for the life of me can't get the installation method and the translation is mediocre at best :(
Thanks for another great video! I didn't know much about the specifics of the PSX DVR until I watched your review.
Respekt mate, lovin the vidz - keep doin what ur doin 8)
These videos are the best part of my week.
Hey, I'm going to Akihabara in a few months, you want anything?
I just only watched this video and already liked your channel! Keep up with the good work, man!
I was in Tokyo last year and saw one of these in a shop in Akihabara. Really wish I picked one up :/
The extra weight it would bring to your luggage would probably be very expensive
A little late to this party, I know. I recently picked one of these up, and I absolutely love it, if for no other reason than it's a good conversation piece as not many are aware of this units existence.
"Throwing a towel on an xbox 360" ooh, flashbacks... my son turned my first 360 on while it was under a dust cover once... yup, red ringed it since I didn't notice until a week later. Second 360 died at random one day. 3rd 360 needs anew optical drive and has been sitting in a box since the xbox one arrived
you sound Straya'n mate... nice collection & video. Should have way way more subs! just as good as that metal jesus dude except he has many gamer friends who regularly do co host pieces. Only one thing I would have put was a few more personal thoughts and comments on things like the stupid controller ports HDD etc. Well done great content
Even though it was a failure the PSX definitely reminds me of the Sony of old, taking risks with (perhaps not as innovative) new ideas. The PSX offered the equivalent functionality of a smart TV/xbox one/ps4 media centre type setup 15 years ago! and while it is a bit bulky the styling still looks pretty good by todays standards (subjective of course), imagine if this came in a piano black with that glass top.
Amazing video, the fact that you showed how to soft mod in the same video says a lot about your channel, SUBBED BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Another nice video as always, mate. Am surprised for the 1702 you didn't get an adapter that splits the s-video signal into the separate Y/C plugs for the back of the CRT. Consoles that support it look leagues better over that. But I agree with ya, a good CRT is just suitable for older consoles and computers.
Yeah this bugged me that he didn't know this!! Totally shocked me. I've been playing all of my old consoles on it ever since I bought one. Having s-video is awesome, and I think the cable cost me like ten bucks lol
Cool video. Keep going. Congrats from Spain on your 20k !!
Nice video, very interesting... But did you forget to deinterlace some of the capture footage?
Super cool. I always wanted to see one of these in more detail. Great video!
This thing is basically a PS3 prototype.
I’m up late at night watching 1990’s video game videos.
I’ve watched:
#1. The history of 3DO
#2 Why Saturn failed
#3 a play through of SHINOBI X
#4. A review of PS classic
#5. A review of NES classic
#6. A review of SNES classic
#7. A review of TG16 classic
I have a DESR-5000; these systems are great, but the HDD is bound to die. Once the HDD goes - its all over red rover. Like the XBOX the HDD is matched to the console. You can get FMCB for these systems though and FTP games onto a new hard drive but you will lose the functionality of the DVR and the XMB
You *could* use an fpga between the hdd and console and "emulate" the old hdd / the shit that links the hdd to the console. But that would be a little bit hard unfortunatly :P
ElysiumDiary. Do you have any tutorials to reference on how to do that (if possible one suitable for a person that knows next to nothing about modding consoles)??? I'd really love to get into modding consoles and i'd like to start with this one.
This is basically a ps6 that was out while the ps2 was in it's prime. I've always wanted one. Subscribed.
“299”
Never forget
Free-McBoot! What a throwback! I bought a PS2 Gameshark USB Dongle kit SOLELY for the purpose of FMB. I don't think I ever spent much time attempting to actually use the shark's codes, I really only wanted the bonus Universal Serial Bus port driver that came with the gameshark CD-ROM. I guess all you'd need is a PS2-MU Reader hooked to a PC and you can load things to the memcard, but the GS was cheap and came with the USB. Glad to see that people have found another use for FMB and given it a bit of new life. cool show-n-tell bro!
sadly the beat terminal output can only output component, no rgb. maybe a mod can fix that as you get rgb from it but no sync. maybe uses S-Video or composite out for the sync signal.
good info - i just assumed it was RGB also. thats a bummer that it isnt!
I ordered a tested one a few weeks ago from Japan, and was planning on using FMCB with it. Thanks for the info!
Who else feels like this is where the PlayStation 3 came from?
This DVR is actually very cool despite its flaws. I wish you had either the DESR-5700 or 7700 model to review, which had the most features, but I'm aware it's hard to get one an it doesn't diminish the high quality analysis.
By the way, ghis video should have way more views, superb review. Already subscribed, hope I see more videos about obscure hardware! 👍
Couldn't you pull the hard drive, use a program like macrium and image it then throw that image on another drive?
in theory it will keep the same encryption
Not if the crypto keys are stored on the drive controller board.
been looking for one of these for a few years, the amount of arguments I have had with people about what the PSx even is!
I wonder if contacting Sony over HDD issues would be worth a try..
This really seems like something the manufacturer should provide repair steps for.
After I saw how they acted to the cbomb issue, I doubt they provided such a thing. I hope they do in somewhere but I doubt it.
Great video dude, keep up the great work, Christmas greetings from Scotland
It seems like a nonstarter to have controller inputs on the back.
Not sure about JP-only - I remember seeing these for sale at the Sony Lifestyle stores in the US - at least in the San Francisco area - SF and Palo-Alto specifically. Could have been overflow or oldstock repurposed for boutique sales from Sony's stores - but they were on US shelves in 2005-2006. Probably unique to the Bay Area since we had the Sony majority owned Metreon shopping mall which contained the Playstation Store where the PS2 and PS3 were launch-day'ed (there's even shots of the CEO taking the PS3 off the trucks in front of the store for the cameras). Those were better than Apple-store lines - the PS2 launch-lines were catered by Sony and participating retailers (hot-sandwiches wrapped in foil, and premium coffee and latés) plus we had line-passes (necklace-badges) for bathroom breaks ... or more often, a dash to the bar just inside one of doors to the Metreon. That bar on Oct 2000 had quite the uptick in nerd-traffic I recall.
I don't know about AIBO. I mean i know about it! It was a highly innovative hugely expensive toy that survived 4 or so product generations over a span of what seems like a decade, largely with no competition. And for such an expensive toy, a few hundred thousand units sold is not too shabby! When competition finally came, it was pathetic, AIBO still ruled supreme. It was marketed majorly by VAIO, Sony's computer division.
And you know what, it's not dead. They announced a new one just a few days ago. It was on an extended hiatus.
haha i heard about that too as i was researching AIBO..should be interesting to see what is revealed!
I REMEMBER READING ABOUT THIS BEAST IN OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE IN 2004 !!!!!!!! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR COMPLETE IN BOX ONE JUST FOR THE COLLECTION !!!!!!
but you know what is such a shame about the PSX? no support for Progressive scan.
looking forward to the behind the scenes video. thanks!
Why is there a yellow sticker over the ethernet port?
probably never used?
It's a warning not to directly connect it into telephone sockets
ayylasco Thank you!!! I’ve been wondering this anytime I come back to this video.