PS1/2 How was named 'the chip' ?

[benone]

Hello everybody!
I'm just searching in my own memories and... I remember being offered a PlayStation (not the PSOne slim, the phat one) around 2002-2003.

It was modchipped and I really played a lot with this console. I remembered that there was different "modes" when I pressed and held the Reset button, so I could get past Wild Arms 2 piracy protection, even if it was an original.

We always were talking about "the chip" to refer to a modded Playstation. It was obscure who was doing this kind of work and how it was done.

I'm searching around the Internet to find the name of "the chip".
Is Multimode 3 (MM3) was common in the end of 90's?

thanks for your help and time!

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Here is some page mentioning (Reset) for triggering different modes.
https://quade.co/ps1-modchip-guide/mayumi-v4/
(Scroll down "to modes of operation")

There is information about other chips on that site as well (and installation diagrams).

I'm pretty happy with my PsNee.

 

[SylverReZ]

That was a Stealth modchip. You held down Reset to turn on/off the stealth features that bypassed additional AP measures in games such as "Dino Crisis".

 

[benone]

I appreciate a lot your replies SylverReZ and KleinesSinchen !

I'm almost 100% sure that yes, there was a Stealth option with that modchip.
I gave that old Playstation maybe 10 years ago...

I do not remember my PS1 model, but do remember that in the cd player menu, I could not make appear the oscilloscope and fancy spectometers when pressing 'Select' button, etc. I assumed it was an older model.

So I guess for the 'models of chips', this is mostly about Mayumi, MM3, ONEchip and PsNee.

On this page, the Playstation 1 modchip history is written: https://quade.co/ps1-modchip-guide/
So the chip I had may have been implemented at the end of 1990's decade.


I'm not planning doing any modding right now, I really prefer softmodding methods for now. But I got in my hands a PsOne (slim) , a phat PS2 and even a Game Boy Advance saved from electronic recycling last summer. So it might be a project for someday...

I found the 'swap' trick to load Ps1 games without a chip. I refer to this video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTx9l6XFBlU&pp=ygUYcGxheXN0YXRpb24gMSBzd2FwIHRyaWNr )

Kind of funny, but worth a try someday.

thanks again for the provided help!

 

[SylverReZ]

I do not remember my PS1 model, but do remember that in the cd player menu, I could not make appear the oscilloscope and fancy spectometers when pressing 'Select' button, etc. I assumed it was an older model.

Starting from SCPH-700x is when Sony introduced Sound Scope (the CD player oscilloscope like you just described), so it seems like your model is somewhere below that.

I found the 'swap' trick to load Ps1 games without a chip. I refer to this video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTx9l6XFBlU )

I used to do swap tricks back in the day before I was capable of installing a modchip into the console, back then my soldering skills wasn't as great.

thanks again for the provided help!

You're very welcome. Let me know if you need any more help.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

I used to do swap tricks back in the day before I was capable of installing a modchip into the console, back then my soldering skills wasn't as great.

I've done it because wanting to see it. But this method is really → ← for the hardware.

Kind of funny, but worth a try someday.

Double hotswap is abusing error tolerance (and retries on error).
Please use FreePSXBoot exploit (or a save exploit) instead on a non-chipped PS1. Hotswapping will lead to damage at some point.

Or just flash PsNee to some cheap chip and solder it in. Never looked back to something else.

 

[SylverReZ]

I've done it because wanting to see it. But this method is really → ← for the hardware.

I know. This method was quite risky as you was putting tension on the laser.

 

[benone]

I keep that in note to not do swapping, haha!

I only did soldering to repair a radio antenna. It's safe to say that I'm a total newbie in soldering stuff. I never flashed a chip, neither. I do have an arduino given by a friend, but I'm very unfamiliar with all this, yet.
What would you suggest to somebody who never did anything in this field and would like to try? I may document myself a bit.

Usually, I play Ps1 isos on my PSP with a temporary custom firmware, then I plug the composite cables with a plug for the PSP on an older television I was given. Works pretty well.

 

[SylverReZ]

Usually, I play Ps1 isos on my PSP with a temporary custom firmware, then I plug the composite cables with a plug for the PSP on an older television I was given. Works pretty well.

The PSP has to be the best system to play PS1 games on the go with POPSstation.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

I only did soldering to repair a radio antenna. It's safe to say that I'm a total newbie in soldering stuff. I never flashed a chip, neither. I do have an arduino given by a friend, but I'm very unfamiliar with all this, yet.
What would you suggest to somebody who never did anything in this field and would like to try?

A very good question! Many people attempt installing modchips without any experience and end up with broken consoles.

My advise is usually: Get some scrap electronics and start desoldering and soldering components. Solder wires to tiny chip legs making sure to not short two chip legs. Practice! Without experience you will probably make a lot of mistakes and need to get a feeling for soldering first.

It was doable for me and I have drug induced movement disorders. Two of the points are very small. Don't take my blog as manual My installation is not good and would be rightfully criticized by anybody being good at soldering:
https://gbatemp.net/blogs/psnee-i-went-down-the-rabbit-hole-pictures-650kb.17991/
I found it harder than the XenoGC (which I foolishly, but successfully) installed with the zero wire method.

A Modbo for PS2 is lying here… but I'm not able to do that.

 

[benone]

That's cool, thanks for the pieces of advices and blog article. I appreciate a lot you two took the time to answer and everything you explain is clear, and well I say it again, it is very much appreciated!