Retro collecting. Should I get a PS1 fat or slim?

Mal-Adjusted · 04-11-2013 01:37AM #1

the title pretty much says it all. Wondering if i should get a Playstation or a PSone slimmed version. If anybody has both or knows much about them, is there any chance of the pros and cons of each?
I'm just wondering how they compare and which one would last longer before needing to be replaced.
thanks

eddhorse · 04-11-2013 07:16AM

I'd try the Arcade and Retro forum for this.

I'm not savvy on the PS1 sorry.

the groutch · 04-11-2013 08:40AM

better to get a slim ps2 which will play ps1 games anyway, and double your gaming capacity.

RedXIV · 04-11-2013 09:11AM

If you decide to start collecting, I'd do what I did. just get both. Chances are you could pick up two in good condition for less than €40. Keep an eye on adverts.ie etc.

In terms of pros and cons, the only real ones that I know of would be its easier to install and external mod chip on the old fat one, but the screen mount will only fit on the new one, otherwise its quite hard to see any other differences

F1ngers · 04-11-2013 09:55AM

From Playstation.

Mal-Adjusted · 04-11-2013 10:13AM

the groutch wrote: »

better to get a slim ps2 which will play ps1 games anyway, and double your gaming capacity.

I actually have the slim of the PS2 already but it has some sort of block on 3rd party memory cards, which inadvertently blocks official PS1 memory cards as well! meaning it will play the game but being unable to save, i'd have to playthrough in one sitting and not did!

edit. Any ideas on which would last longer? My girlfriend's PS1 died recently after pretty much crumbling due to age.

o1s1n · 04-11-2013 10:15AM

Original first model Playstations have the best audio output. So that's a huge bonus in picking one of them up. They're also easier to mod chip if you're inclined to go that way.

And they look nicer

However if you're like me and end up with a mountain of consoles under the TV then the small form factor of the PSone really is a godsend.

Andrew76 · 04-11-2013 10:38AM

PS2 slim would get my vote as it takes up less space and looks nicer imo. PS1 memory cards work fine on mine as does that Matrix modchip yoke.

I know retr0 has had bad experiences with lasers wearing out on the phat but I've never had problems with phat or slim. Maybe it depends on usage.

Retr0gamer · 04-11-2013 10:46AM

Andrew76 wrote: »

PS2 slim would get my vote as it takes up less space and looks nicer imo. PS1 memory cards work fine on mine as does that Matrix modchip yoke.

I know retr0 has had bad experiences with lasers wearing out on the phat but I've never had problems with phat or slim. Maybe it depends on usage.

I'm on my third phat. They really are dreadful when it comes to lasers, the same with the PS1. There's a reason the US took out a class action lawsuit against Sony, it's as bad as the 360 RROD. For PS1 games I'd recommend a late model PS1 or a PS2 slim since they have better lasers. For PS2 get a phat and get a HD mod to save on laser wear.

Myrddin · 04-11-2013 10:50AM

I've seen a ton of Phat PS2's with laser failure too. I think as Andrew mentions usage is a factor, but on the whole they don't seem up to much punishment

TechnoFreek · 04-11-2013 11:05AM

PS1 phat for me. Plus a digital only controller if you really want that old school blistered thumbs vibe.

o1s1n · 04-11-2013 11:51AM

Plus also remember the expansion port early model PS1s have. There's an interesting device being worked on called PSIO which takes advantage of this port.

http://ps-io.com/

penev10 · 04-11-2013 01:47PM

I've gone through 3 PS2 phats. The part that aligns the laser (the name escapes me now) is very vulnerable to wear and tear. Starts making a whirring noise and you know the machine hasn't got long to go. It's allegedly easy to repair but I never bothered as people were always willing to throw their old consoles my way

deathrider · 04-11-2013 05:51PM

I reckon get both. Nothing wrong with having more Playstations.

TechnoFreek · 04-11-2013 08:31PM

o1s1n wrote: »

Plus also remember the expansion port early model PS1s have. There's an interesting device being worked on called PSIO which takes advantage of this port.

http://ps-io.com/

That is all sorts of awesome. I have a heap of roms across a load of dvds. Save burning each one to cd in order to play.

CiDeRmAn · 04-11-2013 08:52PM

The PS phat is a lot more straight forward to mod, as Kerb' will attest.

Atavan-Halen · 04-11-2013 10:55PM

If you have to go for a ps1 get a fat model 1. Anything with the model number ranging from SCPH-7000 to SCPH-9000 should be fine as they're the later models and a bit more reliable. While the earlier model "audiophile" consoles give great sound, they're very unreliable due to plastic parts in the laser mechanism wearing out very quickly over the years. The PSone (slim) is a nice machine but feels a bit cheap and mine has some issues reading discs sometime. Then again could just be my particular one.

KeRbDoG · 04-11-2013 11:00PM

I'd get a PS1 phat, looks and feels less cheap than the slim model.

05-11-2013 12:08AM

o1s1n wrote: »

Plus also remember the expansion port early model PS1s have. There's an interesting device being worked on called PSIO which takes advantage of this port.

http://ps-io.com/

Absolutely brilliant! Will be on that like a fly on sh*t. No need to mod the PSOne then. I remember back in day getting some guy in UL (of all places) to mod mine and it was horrendously unreliable. I'm not sure if it was the modder or the tech but some backups would play, some wouldn't and oddly some would stutter and freeze partially! I think it couldn't have been the laser as legit games worked fine. I suppose it could have been the backup media.

zilog_jones · 05-11-2013 11:13PM

o1s1n wrote: »

Original first model Playstations have the best audio output.

There is a lot of mis-information about this out there. All PS1's up until at least the 550x (and maybe 555x) have the same DAC as the first model, they just don't have the built-in RCA outputs (which due to the signal path actually deliver worse sound than the "AV Multi Out" connector). It's a good DAC for something from the early '90s but in this day and age is not great. "Audiophiles" are generally idiots

I wouldn't recommend an early model because the lasers are generally less reliable. SCPH-550x and newer should be better, although my original 5502 is a bit flakey after heavy use back in the day (seems to work better upside down). I have another SCPH-5552 which probably saw less use and have had no trouble loading games, and installing a modchip was easy enough.

Mal-Adjusted · 10-11-2013 10:50PM

Well, I took all your advice and got two

Bought the slim in Dublin yesterday and a friend actually found a fat in the back of a press and gave it to me (gave me a handful of games as well).

I thought there was a problem with the slim when i played Spyro on it because there was no sound, but the same thing happened with the fat so i'm fairly sure it's either the TV or the way they're connected. Anyone else have a problem with no audio?

edit: false alarm. there was a switch on the cable itself that was the wrong way...all working fine now, I can play all the Spyro I want!

CiDeRmAn · 11-11-2013 10:12AM

I suppose the good thing is the parts are easy to find, so if stuff goes peculiar you can obtain replacements to effect a repair.

CiDeRmAn · 11-11-2013 10:13AM

I suppose the good thing is the parts are easy to find, so if stuff goes peculiar you can obtain replacements to effect a repair.

o1s1n · 11-11-2013 10:51AM

zilog_jones wrote: »

There is a lot of mis-information about this out there. All PS1's up until at least the 550x (and maybe 555x) have the same DAC as the first model, they just don't have the built-in RCA outputs (which due to the signal path actually deliver worse sound than the "AV Multi Out" connector). It's a good DAC for something from the early '90s but in this day and age is not great. "Audiophiles" are generally idiots

I wouldn't recommend an early model because the lasers are generally less reliable. SCPH-550x and newer should be better, although my original 5502 is a bit flakey after heavy use back in the day (seems to work better upside down). I have another SCPH-5552 which probably saw less use and have had no trouble loading games, and installing a modchip was easy enough.

Yeah when I said 'best audio output' I was referring to output RCA jacks. They're dead handy for hooking the console up to a proper sound system. Such a shame more consoles didn't follow suit.

I guess at the time, Sony were looking at covering the audio CD market as well with the console.

CiDeRmAn · 11-11-2013 12:38PM

I still prefer the original GUI , perhaps it's simply nostalgia but it's nicer!

Myrddin · 11-11-2013 12:40PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I still prefer the original GUI , perhaps it's simply nostalgia but it's nicer!

Same, the newer one is too cartoony

o1s1n · 11-11-2013 12:47PM

I love the original PS1 startup and boot jingle, one of my favs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ivdML1Xes

CiDeRmAn · 11-11-2013 01:17PM

o1s1n wrote: »

I love the original PS1 startup and boot jingle, one of my favs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ivdML1Xes

I was about to say something smug about people with too much time on their hands also probably getting nostalgic about the old playstation tv ads....
Then I started getting nostalgic about the old playstation tv ads!
Society Against Playstation FTW!

Guyanachronism · 20-11-2013 03:23PM

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

Well, I took all your advice and got two Bought the slim in Dublin yesterday and a friend actually found a fat in the back of a press and gave it to me (gave me a handful of games as well).

Where did you get the Slim and how much? I am in the market for a PS2 slim. Not so much a retro collector (yet) as a lagging gamer who switched from consoles (last was PS1) to PC and now want to go back and pick up where I left off.

Are CEX reliable? Their site says 6 month guarantee*. and I have a few games that I would like to trade in. I am a little reluctant to go over donedeal or adverts.ie.

This thread has been useful so cheers.

*12 month warranty

the groutch · 20-11-2013 03:46PM

CeX would be very reliable, they fully test every console before they buy them, usually someone selling to them is asked to come back in an hour after it's been tested.

Mal-Adjusted · 21-11-2013 12:42AM

Guyanachronism wrote: »

Where did you get the Slim and how much? I am in the market for a PS2 slim. Not so much a retro collector (yet) as a lagging gamer who switched from consoles (last was PS1) to PC and now want to go back and pick up where I left off.

Are CEX reliable? Their site says 6 month guarantee*. and I have a few games that I would like to trade in. I am a little reluctant to go over donedeal or adverts.ie.

This thread has been useful so cheers.

*12 month warranty

Not sure if I can say the shop and price online, so PM sent.

I have no idea about CEX, as iv'e never bought a console there, but if you're getting a PS2 Slim, be careful because (and I learned this the hard way) Sony updated some models of their slims not to recognize any 3rd party PS2 memory cards. Unfortunatly, this lock was so good that it blocks many of Sony's own official PS1 memory cards, effectively removing any practical way to play PS1 games (unless you want to cruise through Metal Gear Solid in a single sitting and hope you don't die even once!) From what iv'e read online, some PS1 cards will work on them, but it's pot luck which ones. I think there's a list online for which models are affected.

Iv'e gotten plenty of stuff on Adverts. only once was i let down when a copy of FF7 i bought was scratched to s**t, but otherwise it's been grand. Actually, that reminds me, i must bring that game in to get re-surfaced.

Retro collecting. Should I get a PS1 fat or slim?

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