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The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

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Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#21

Post by rbanffy »

bitwize wrote: post #15

> All an emulator is doing is changing the shape and flow of those commands. Maybe if you're SIMH and you're emulating an old CPU that was connected asynchronously to like RS232 peripherals. But I think this statement understates the complexity of emulating something like a console. Emulating a console or home computer, or even something like an old console's GPU, is HARD because you have to do these translations in…

> ou have to do these translations in a bug-for-bug compatible way, with strict timing constraints -- for the system's many components

Not only that, but you need to catch the way the hardware is accessed on the emulated console by generating a fault or trap, then rearrange everything for the actual hardware, and then pass control back to the emulated code on a processor that had, IIRC, no provision for hardware assisted virtualization.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#22

Post by tpmx »

avipars wrote: post #2

Playstation 2 and not the PS/2 port

And not the IBM PS/2.

Speaking of: I just discovered that newly manufactured keyboards with PS/2 keyboard interfaces are now an oddity. I should have bought some "gaming keyboards" with PS/2 interfaces five years ago.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#24

Post by rospaya »

RajT88 wrote: post #14

In my humble opinion, the PS2 is the best retro console for tinkering. So many of them were sold, they can be had cheaply, lots of aftermarket stuff for them (HDD/Network adapter), Crazy huge library of weird and interesting titles, vibrantly active homebrew community. And of course, the built-in backwards compatibility. Several interesting hardware revisions to play with as well (although the "fat" ones are the most…

Loved the PS2 but it's hard to argue when the original Xbox is basically a PC.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#25

Post by lynguist »

rideontime wrote: post #4

Props to everyone out there digging up, preserving and translating old interviews, articles, etc. Some others doing this work: Did You Know Gaming?: https://www.youtube.com/@DYKGaming/videos Shmuplations: https://shmuplations.com/

Thank you for sharing Shmuplations. It’s an absolute treasure trove of (to me) unknown interviews with Japanese game designers from the past 40 years. I’m delighted.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#26

Post by dfox »

tpmx wrote: post #22
avipars wrote: post #2

Playstation 2 and not the PS/2 port

And not the IBM PS/2. Speaking of: I just discovered that newly manufactured keyboards with PS/2 keyboard interfaces are now an oddity. I should have bought some "gaming keyboards" with PS/2 interfaces five years ago.

Newly manufactured true AT and PS/2 keyboards were rare even 20 years ago. The cheap keyboards from even that time implement only the subset of behavior of true AT keyboard required for PC with OS that leaves the hardware in PC-like state. These keyboards tend to confuse the hell out from various 90's RISC workstations (SGI, DEC…) that also use PS/2 interface.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#27

Post by zwieback »

yamtaddle wrote: post #9
zwieback wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I clicked on it expecting something about the PS/2, not the PS2. Showing my age, I remember when the PS/2 was new.

I always kinda liked having AT for the keyboard. No confusing it with the mouse port. Nice and clunky and Serious feeling.

Those DIN connectors were used in the "Ueberspielkabel" of my childhood. Germany decided to use 5 pin DIN as stereo cables, two in two out with one ground.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#28

Post by kitsunesoba »

RajT88 wrote: post #14

In my humble opinion, the PS2 is the best retro console for tinkering. So many of them were sold, they can be had cheaply, lots of aftermarket stuff for them (HDD/Network adapter), Crazy huge library of weird and interesting titles, vibrantly active homebrew community. And of course, the built-in backwards compatibility. Several interesting hardware revisions to play with as well (although the "fat" ones are the most…

I would agree, which is why a PS2 is on my list of consoles to acquire at some point, but it does have one significant nit: there is easily available no digital video output mods for them, which makes getting a decent picture out of them a challenge unless you already have a suitable CRT to pair with it.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#29

Post by rocky1138 »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #28
RajT88 wrote: post #14

In my humble opinion, the PS2 is the best retro console for tinkering. So many of them were sold, they can be had cheaply, lots of aftermarket stuff for them (HDD/Network adapter), Crazy huge library of weird and interesting titles, vibrantly active homebrew community. And of course, the built-in backwards compatibility. Several interesting hardware revisions to play with as well (although the "fat" ones are the most…

I would agree, which is why a PS2 is on my list of consoles to acquire at some point, but it does have one significant nit: there is easily available no digital video output mods for them, which makes getting a decent picture out of them a challenge unless you already have a suitable CRT to pair with it.

And even then, no progressive scan at 480 lines.

Re: The PS2’s Backwards Compatibility from the Engineer Who Built It

#30

Post by hotpotamus »

rocky1138 wrote: post #29
kitsunesoba wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would agree, which is why a PS2 is on my list of consoles to acquire at some point, but it does have one significant nit: there is easily available no digital video output mods for them, which makes getting a decent picture out of them a challenge unless you already have a suitable CRT to pair with it.

And even then, no progressive scan at 480 lines.

I remember some games offering progressive scan, but you needed a component video cable.
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