Fans of the original PlayStation know that there are substantial differences between the original "PSX" PlayStation and the follow-up "PSOne" revision, beyond just a smaller factor. One fan has taken that knowledge to its extreme by designing a PlayStation Hybrid that combines the two revisions onto one super-compact PCB. That fan goes by Secret Hobbyist on YouTube, and has been documenting the process of designing and building a custom PCB combining the best components of the PSX and PSOne into a single unit, complete with HDMI video output, microSD card support, and at a total power draw of less than two watts.
From the PSOne: more efficient processors. From the PSX: superior audio and compatibility and better microSD card converter.
As a long-time fan of console modding projects including
pocket Nintendo 64s and an all-in-one "
Ningtendo PXBox 5", the work done here is impressive. The final footprint even suggests that the PCB could be used for a souped-up
PlayStation Classic replacement, repurposing the chassis for what's technically more accurate hardware, or a "true" PlayStation Portable. Of course, the original PlayStation Portable could also play PS1 games, but there are latency and accuracy differences between original hardware and software emulation used by PSP and PS Classic—differences that won't be present on this PlayStation Hybrid PCB.
If you're interested in seeing the build process, the full video embedded above runs for about 10 minutes and will show you all the trimming, de-soldering, and re-soldering required to fuse the two original PlayStations into one Hybrid PlayStation. Thanks to the help of NextPCB (and the groundwork laid in Chapter 1 of this PlayStation Hybrid series), Secret Hobbyist was able to create his fully-working Hybrid PlayStation. Now, we'll just have to wait and see what kind of chassis it winds up in, and what the reception to the project is. So far, it's been quite positive.
