Nowadays it is difficult to imagine that the first beginnings of the conceptual concept of the Sony Playstation were developed back in the mid-80s of the last century. The console went through a difficult path of creation, but the efforts of its main author Ken Kutaragi were not in vain. The Sony Playstation 1 model laid the foundation not only for the successful development of its own family, but also had a serious impact on competitors' products.
First start
The opportunity to be the first to evaluate the PS1 prefix was given to Japanese gamers in December 1994. At the same time, the console's debut did not take place in the best conditions, as a serious competitor from Sega appeared on the market a week before this event. In terms of income, the situation was also rosy. Since Sony sought to attract the first customers at an affordable price, there was no talk of profit from consoles. The bet was on the income from the games. One way or another, the developers had a serious reason for optimism, since the Sony Playstation 1 prefix received a lot of enthusiastic responses in the first days of sales. This was confirmed by the complete emptying of the company's warehouses.
A year later, the console appeared in Europe and the United States, where it was waiting for no less success. In parallel with this, games were developed, among which were Ridge Racer, Warhawk, Philosoma Air Combat and others. Users snapped up disks for PS1 of all genres, waiting for the appearance of new series. Along with this, the manufacturer offered a considerable range of peripheral devices for that time, expanding the capabilities of the console. These include mice, cables for bundling consoles with each other, a Sony Playstation 1 memory card and other components. All this could not but affect the attractiveness of the model, which did not leave any chances for competition by the former leader of this sector represented by Nintendo and Sega.
Specifications
CPU Information:
- MIPS R3051 - 32-bit RISC.
- The processor frequency is 33.8688 MHz.
- The processor bus bandwidth is 1056 Mb / s.
- Performance - 30 MIPS.
- The data cache is 1 KB.
- Instruction cache - 4 Kb.
Memory data:
- The main RAM of the standard model is 2 MB, and the debug version has 4 MB.
- Sound memory - 512 Kb.
- Video memory - 1 Mb.
- Buffer memory CD-ROM - 32 Kb.
- EEPROM memory cards - 128 Kb.
GUI
In the classic version, the Sony Playstation 1 graphical interface is provided with a GUI with a dark blue background. At the same time, letters with icons are made with iridescent shades in the style of graffiti. However, in a later, compact PSone modification, the design was changed. In particular, the background turned gray and got shortcuts to access the CD player and manage the memory card. By the way, some modifications also supported video playback with elementary player control functions. In the future, this area began to develop as a parallel improvement in the quality of the gameplay.
Modifications
The first generation Sony Playstation has undergone many changes, with each option receiving a unique serial number. This process began with a modification of the SCPH-1000 version into which the connector was integrated. In the next edition he was removed. Further changes affected the internal content. In the 500x series, developers simplified shielding, moved the CD drive, changed the wiring diagram of the power supply, and moved the RFU and RCA ports from the back of the console. After that, the release of Sony Playstation 1 in the 700x line was launched, the representatives of which also had internal differences. In particular, instead of four chips, system RAM contained only one. The same thing affected the CD-controller - if before it was served by three chips, then in subsequent editions their function was performed by one. The final edition was the 900x series, which was equipped with the same hardware stuffing, but the creators deprived it of a parallel port and reduced the printed circuit board.
Possible malfunctions and repairs
Since the first appearance of the set-top box in the domestic market, there has been an acute problem of repair, since there was a shortage of components and spare parts for such equipment. In this case, the problems affected mainly integrated fuses on the motherboard, which blown. As a result, the following problems could be observed:
- The prefix does not detect the controller for control.
- The memory card cannot be read.
- Missing image.
- The console just does not turn on.
Today, you can find integrated fuses of a suitable model in any store that sells electronics. However, repairing a Sony Playstation 1 in the form of a recovery console motherboard may not solve the problem if the fault was the peripheral device. Therefore, it is necessary to test the operation of joysticks, memory cards and other related components that could cause a burnout on the board before repair.
Emulation
By today's standards, the PS1 console is certainly outdated in many ways. The first version, according to its technical data, is no longer relevant on the game console market. But, despite this, there are many enthusiasts who appreciate the merits of the first games running on this console. To do this, special emulators are developed that allow you to run such games on a Windows system. It is important to consider that the Sony Playstation 1 joystick may not be required, and not all versions of emulators can read memory cards. When choosing such a program, you should consider paying attention to the following nuances:
- Compatibility with a wide range of games for PS1.
- If necessary, the ability to play through the Network.
- Support for the latest versions of plugins.
- The already noted ability to emulate memory cards.
- Download from disk images.
Reviews about the console
The model has been tested by time and entire generations of gamers who eloquently speak about the console. In particular, its survivability, maintainability, reliability and functionality are noted - of course, in comparison with competitive products of that time. By the way, Sony’s prefix was one of the first to allow playing music CDs. In terms of cost, the opinions of the owners are not so supportive of the Sony Playstation 1. The price during its popularity in the Russian market ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles. At the moment, the prefix can be purchased either in a used state or abroad. In the first case, it can cost 1,500 - 2,000 rubles, and in the second, due to additional costs, approximately 5,000 rubles.
Of course, for such an amount to purchase a prefix, the capabilities of which have long been outdated, it is advisable only from a feeling of nostalgia. Nevertheless, there is such a demand. On the other hand, there are many users who still have the Sony Playstation 1 prefix, bought 10 or even 15 years ago. This again indicates the durability of the model.
Subsequent generation of the console
The development of the heir to the successful set-top box was not long in coming, and already in 2000 its second generation was released. The next model fully met the expectations of the creators, becoming the best-selling game console in history. By the way, according to 2011, about 155 million consoles were sold. Among the features that distinguished Sony Playstation 2 was DVD support. But at the same time, serious competitors from Microsoft and Nintendo appeared.
The next stage in the development of the console was the PS3 generation, which entered the world market in 2007. The console supported not only the game process, but also allowed the user to access the Internet and watch movies, and Blu-Ray format disks were used as carriers. At the same time, Microsoft is releasing one of the most successful consoles from its Xbox 360 line, forcing Sony to raise the bar.
The fourth generation was the last of the PS series. Her appearance in the world happened in 2013. The model operates under the Orbis OS, which, in turn, is a modification of the ninth version of FreeBSD. The fundamental change in the console was the universalization of the internal filling with the maximum approximation to the computer. So, in comparison with the Sony Playstation 2 model, the fourth generation received an AMD central processor with 8 cores, 500 GB of hard disk space, USB ports and the latest wireless modules. The disadvantages of the Playstation 4 include incompatibility with games from previous versions of the console. However, with the help of "cloud" services, gamers successfully solve this problem.
Conclusion
The technology embodied in the Playstation 1 was not only revolutionary for its time, but also laid down the basic principles for the entire gaming industry. The unprecedented capabilities of the PS4 can not be compared with the potential that the first Sony game consoles possessed, but it was PS1 that gave impetus and basic directions for moving towards future development. One of the ideas that changed the concept of the approach to ensuring the gameplay was the rejection of cartridges in favor of CDs. This is what allowed Sony specialists to work with more complex games, to improve the transmission of graphics and sound. In the future, the range of capabilities of the consoles was expanded through the use of DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as the fundamental departure from the specification of the technical stuffing and its approximation to traditional PCs.
Comparing the gaming potential of the first version of PS with the functionality and technical characteristics of newer versions of the console, we can say that these are completely different consoles. Nevertheless, developers still remain faithful to the basic concept of their products, giving them high ergonomics, reliability and a focus on ensuring maximum pleasure during the game. Another thing is that the improvement of technology, new consumer demands and competition do not allow to stop the process of modernization of consoles, which fundamentally changes their performance.