Adding VCD add-on to PS1 portable?

[scaramanga_goldengun]

In the past, I was really interested in making myself a PS1 portable, but stopped caring because I didn't have money, and found out a PS1 can't normally play VCD's.

However, I just found this:

http://www.goldenshop.com.hk/AI-trad/ps ... ammers.htm

I've seen it in other places (and I know it's legit), but this appears to be the only place to still have it in stock.

Now my question is, how difficult would it be to integrate something like this into a PS1 portable? Obviously it would make the portable bigger, but does anybody think it's possible? I actually might consider making one, if I find the time between my job and college.

[tom61]

I think there is a newer mod board for a PSOne that can play VCD and is fairly small. I didn't note the URL at the time, as well, VCD are like a decade past being remotely in vogue and people on these forums are more likely to build a PSTwo portable if they want video badly, on these forums.

[scaramanga_goldengun]

See, I normally would go with a PS2 instead, but I play all of my PS2 games off a hard drive, and something like that would definitely bulk up the size of the portable...not to mention that regular hard drives aren't really meant to be "portable."

And as far as I know, there's only one PS1 model with built-in VCD support, but it's pretty rare, and therefore, expensive. There's also an official Sony VCD add-on that looks just like the one I linked to, but that is also rare and expensive.

[tom61]

See, I normally would go with a PS2 instead, but I play all of my PS2 games off a hard drive, and something like that would definitely bulk up the size of the portable...not to mention that regular hard drives aren't really meant to be "portable."

Go with a 2.5" laptop harddrive instead, vastly smaller, designed to be portable, and even consumes less power.

And as far as I know, there's only one PS1 model with built-in VCD support, but it's pretty rare, and therefore, expensive. There's also an official Sony VCD add-on that looks just like the one I linked to, but that is also rare and expensive.

What I stumbled across was an add-on card that was a mod chip and an MPEG-1 decoder designed to fit the PSOne, and is obviously not official.

[scaramanga_goldengun]

Would you mind giving me the link to that modchip, if it's still for sale? It sounds like something that would most likely be an easier and cheaper solution.

As for the hard drive, it's something I'll look into - I don't have a 2.5" hard drive because it wouldn't fit properly in the PS2 normally...and now I'm debating whether I'd want to play PS2 games and watch movies on the go enough to warrant the time and money I'd need to make it.

[tom61]

Would you mind giving me the link to that modchip, if it's still for sale? It sounds like something that would most likely be an easier and cheaper solution.

Wow, it was easier to re-find than I thought: http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/PSONE-VCD.html

Although, it only advertises 'Action Replay' functionality, not full-on modchip functionality. You should be able to disc-swap at the very least, though.

[scaramanga_goldengun]

Thanks, I'm amazed they still have it in stock too.