New PSX ODE: XStation

Video Games
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Not confirmed but I believe it’s by the same people who did the Fenris Saturn ODE so people are guessing it’s the PSX equivalent. Never got around to installing my PSIO and the nature of it has put me off so hoping this is way less buggy and fits inside the machine.

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I’m in the same boat as you. Got my PSIO back in early 2019 but never got round to installing it and now after all the bad rap the past few firmwares have received I don’t know if I ever will. Looking forward to seeing this. The reason why we haven’t seen a true ODE for PS1 is apparently because the CD controller is on the motherboard and not the drive unlike other consoles so I will be curious to see how they overcome these technical hurdles.

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That sounds difficult, I hope it gets figured out so it’s perfectly playable. I’m glad someone else is trying to tackle it too.

On a related note it seems the PSIO devs are making another ODE: https://twitter.com/sentientsixp/status/1274095331702198273?s=20

This time it looks to be internal and you can keep the drive in place but I’m weary of getting another device from them.

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Same. I have a spare PS1 that I would hook up with an ODE if a solid choice for one came out. The PSIO wasn’t ready for prime time when it released, and I think the devs understand that now, or at least I hope they do. But I’d still be wary of a new solution from them, unless it proves to be rock solid out of the gate.

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Voultar just posted this on Twitter https://twitter.com/Voultar/status/1287955371534036993

And he claims that the X Station “completely shits all over the PSIO’s compatibility.”

I guess I’m solidly hyped now. Looks like it’s coming real soon if Voultar has an installation video coming for it soon

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This is great news!

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Oh nice, will this mod always require some soldering skill. That’s partly what scared me with PSIO, but the PS1 is so old now that it’s probably worth doing a ODE mod to lengthen it’s life

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I think it will, from the looks if it might be slightly easier to solder than the PSIO.

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Not to mention that the other upgrade that you may want to do, the psdigital, will always require soldering.

I’m excited for this though as its finally a better solution than the PSIO. But of course that also looked super promising at first so will give this a bit of time to see how much it changes. No rush for PS1 stuff since my system still reads disks and I already only use it with RGB stuff.

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@Fuzzy posted this over on reset

General
Q: Who are the creators of XStation?
A: I’m (rama) is the designer and @8BitModsThanos is helping and coordinating.

Q: Where can I buy it?
A: XStations board sales will be from Castlemania Games only.
8BitMods will not offer the board directly as they are busy with Fenrir, the upcoming 21-pin Fenrir, and others.

Q: Who will be offering installation services or pre-modded consoles?
A: There is no exclusivity on install services so the list will be large. 8BitMods will be offering installs and pre-modded systems. In the US, Voultar and iFixRetro will also offer installations.

Q: What is the price and release date for XStation?
A: Price and release date are TBD and yet to be announced. Estimated to be under $100 and around September in time for the @citrus3000psi’s ps1digital mod.

Q: What models of PlayStation can I install XStation?
A: Every PSX model up to and including PU-18 which includes Japanese launch units, through early SPCH-70xx. It does not support PSOne or any newer models.

Q: What special features does XStation have?
A: XStation is region free and anti-modchip protection is integrated. Chris Covell’s de-dither option will also be toggled. 50/60 hz output is automatic.

Q: How are multi-disc games handled?
A: You can change to the next disc by opening and closing the lid. It’s yet to be determined if this functionality can also be added to ps1digital’s in game reset (IGR) feature.

Q: What compatibility problems are anticipated?
A: None. This should work identically to the CD drive with the same timings.

Q: What are the current known defects remaining?
A: Roswell Conspiracies, and Wing Commander IV freezes at the end of the intro. These are both being researched and expected to be resolved.

FIRMWARE
Q: How will firmware updates be handled?
A: No registration necessary, unless it gets cloned. No registration necessary for updates. It is transferable, you can also roll back FW if needed. XStation won’t hold any personal information. The sellers will, for shipping purposes only. All user data is private and not shared or released to the public.

Q: Can i update the firmware from WiFi?
A: Firmware can be updated from SD card at first, but it’s planned to support updates over WiFi later.

INSTALLATION
Q: How difficult is the mod?
A: It is primarily soldering a quick solder board (QSB) in place, and connecting with the XStation via a single flat flex cable There are some pins that need to be lifted or snipped from the DSP chip.

Q: Can I keep existing modchips?
A: Any modchips must be removed.

Q: Does it require cutting any traces?
A: No traces are cut but pins need to be lifted from the DSP chip.

Q: Can the CD drive still be used with the xStation installed?
A: No, the xStation will replace the drive but the tray will remain.

Q: Is there a detailed installation guide?
A: Voultar will release a video over the next few days and it will become clear what the process entails.

Looks like Rama nailed compatibility.

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Kinda interested in how Monster Rancher 1 and 2 work without a CD drive. Don’t you need it to read discs and generate different monsters?

Has either ODE ever addressed this?

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This is really interesting - I already have a PSIO and the latest firmware has made some strides but I must admit I’m eying this jealously.

We’ll see how the Cybdyn ODE shakes out as apparently it will work alongside the PSIO in some way.

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This may not be the thread for this, but what are the biggest issues folks have had w PSIO? It’s been good for me!

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The compatibility has gone backwards for the last 6-12 months. This is a symptom of more accurate emulation but can be frustrating when games like FFVII stop working.

I’m actually pretty happy with mine as I mainly bought it to experience parts of the PSX library I couldn’t play before.

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https://castlemaniagames.com/products/xstation
CastleMania are paying customs for these places:

Customs paid shipping for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

It costs approximately $19 for customs and shipping to the UK for example (total of $118).

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I love this kind of thing, it avoids carriers like Fedex/DHL charging you surcharges on top of import duties.

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I would love it if more companies did this.

A brief shoot-out between the x station and psio from RetroRGB:

It doesn’t really go into too much depth but did show how much quicker x station is compared to the psio.

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