The Blog

Sony PS one Laser Assembly Disassembly and Removal

Nix McRetro // 2nd November 2013 // Guides, Sony, YouTube

Here’s a look at removing and disassembling the optical-drive assembly from a Sony PS one. I originally described the PlayStation laser assemblies as pretty much the same except for the flex-cable length, but that was too broad. Sony used several KSM-440 optical-drive variants across the family, so treat this as... Continue reading

PSIO Prototype 1.1 Game Demo: Star Ocean: The Second Story

Nix McRetro // 2nd November 2013 // Gaming, Sony, YouTube

Star Ocean: The Second Story seems to be a pretty good game. I didn’t die immediately like in Crash Bash. Please remember that this is a prototype device and these results do not necessarily reflect the final hardware or game compatibility. You can hit up ps-io.com if you have any... Continue reading

PSIO Prototype 1.1 Game Demo: Crash Team Racing

Nix McRetro // 2nd November 2013 // Gaming, Sony, YouTube

Crash Team Racing, I’ve never played this one before, but it feels like Mario Kart with crates instead of those spinning cubes that give you power-ups. Overall it seems to work well on this PSIO prototype! Please remember that this is a prototype device and these results do not necessarily... Continue reading

Sony PlayStation 1 Eject Button Maintenance

Nix McRetro // 31st October 2013 // Hacks, Repairs, Sony

Oh, those pesky eject buttons! Have a peek at what makes them stick, you’ll be pleasantly surprised! We add a little bit of ceramic grease for good luck and smooth sailing. Continue reading

Reducing the Vertical Bar / Band on the SNES

Nix McRetro // 24th October 2013 // Hacks, Nintendo, YouTube

The vertical bar on this SNES did not bother me too much while I was playing as Ness in EarthBound. Then I discovered how much it could be reduced. Two 220 uF capacitors rated at 16 V and we were cooking with gas! I fitted one between the 7805 voltage... Continue reading