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