The Art of Modding: Creating a Custom PlayStation Classic Console

As I sit here with my modded PlayStation classic, I'm excited to share with you the process of taking this pre-existing console and turning it into a customized gaming machine. With the rise of retro gaming, there's been a surge in modders creating their own unique takes on classic consoles. In this article, we'll delve into the world of modding and explore how to create your own custom PlayStation classic console.

The Basics of Modding

Modding involves modifying or upgrading an existing device to enhance its performance or functionality. In the case of my PlayStation classic, I've taken the original hardware and paired it with a Raspberry Pi 3 A+ for improved performance. The Raspberry Pi is a popular choice among retro gaming enthusiasts due to its affordability, compatibility, and community support.

The Benefits of Using a Raspberry Pi

While the original PS classic has impressive specs on paper, the Raspberry Pi offers several advantages. With hundreds of developers backing this tiny device, retro gaming on the Pi has come a long way since its inception. The Pi can run PlayStation 1 games remarkably well, thanks to various tweaks and modifications that can be made to improve performance.

Adding Customizations

One of the most exciting aspects of modding is the endless possibilities for customization. With RetroPie, a popular emulation software, you can add shaders, scan lines, and other visual effects to enhance your gaming experience. The Pi's flexibility allows users to create unique themes, customize controller layouts, and even remap buttons.

Setting Up the Hardware

To get started with modding, you'll need some basic tools and knowledge. I began by soldering a Raspberry Pi 3 A+ into the PS classic case, ensuring that it fit snugly and securely. To make the most of the Pi's capabilities, I fabricated a little splitter to connect the USB ports, using female adapters from my collection.

Powering the Console

Adding power to the console was relatively straightforward. I created a simple circuit using an LED and a momentary switch to turn the system off. This feature allows users to easily shut down their console without worrying about overheating or damaging any components.

The PS Classic Case: A DIY Mod

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try your hand at modding a PS classic case yourself. I skipped ahead to show you how I mounted my Raspberry Pi inside the case using two standoffs and superglue. This approach is surprisingly easy, especially when using the right materials.

Conclusion

Modding a PlayStation classic console may seem like an daunting task, but with the right tools and knowledge, it's definitely achievable. By leveraging the capabilities of a Raspberry Pi and adding customizations to RetroPie, you can create a unique gaming experience that rivals commercial consoles. Remember to be patient and willing to learn – modding is all about experimentation and trial-and-error.

Tips for Beginners

For those new to modding, I encourage you to explore the world of retro gaming and start with some online tutorials. If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to ask in the comments below. Who knows? You might be inspired to create your own custom console!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's going on guys CTA Prime back here again today I just wanted to show you my modded PlayStation classic now there are mods out there there's bleem sink there's auto bleem and things like that and theoretically on paper the hardware that comes in the PS classic from the factory has more power than the Raspberry Pi but the Raspberry Pi has the backing of literally hundreds of developers and retro gaming in the PI has come a long way since the very first one was released and it just happens that the Raspberry Pi can run PlayStation 1 games really really well and there's lots of tweaks you can do to make it even run better you can add shaders you can add scan lines there's all kinds of stuff you can do to this and frankly I kind of got tired of waiting around for a retro flag to finish up the PlayStation 1 case so I picked up an extra PS classic to go ahead and mount it out now the internals of the classic will still work it's just not going to be in this case here and if I wanted to I could actually put it back in here no hot glue was used whatsoever in this build I'm gonna show you that in a second but first I want to get into a little bit of gameplay here now as you can see I'm using DualShock 4 controller should playstation 4 controllers and they're connected to the Raspberry Pi that's inside of here through bluetooth I have both of them configured one player and 2 player I could add more if I had more ps4 controllers but unfortunately only have to the front USB s are functional I also added a power button with a safe shutdown script and I have the LED right in place where it needs to be on the PlayStation classics case if you can solder this mod can actually be done in about 20 minutes it's really easy to do as long as you're using that Raspberry Pi 3 A+ you could put a B+ in here but you're gonna need an HDMI extender and there's just not a lot of room in here but the A+ does a really good job with most of the stuff I want to run I just skipped ahead a little bit Here I am using the pcs X rearm core in retro PI and I do need to remap this controller because it's a it's really easy to do that though I don't even think about it before I started filming theme I'm using four retropie is nostalgia it's available on the ES themes menu there's a bunch of themes you can choose from if you don't like to look at that one and that's really one of the big reasons everybody loves the Raspberry Pi and retropie tons of customizations so if you're new to the Raspberry Pi I have a ton of tutorials if there's something you need to know about the Raspberry Pi and retro pie go to Google type in ETA Prime and then the question you want to ask in 99 percent of the time you will find a video from me over the years I've tested a lot of PlayStation 1 games on the Raspberry Pi 2 all the way up to the 3a Plus that I'm running in here and everything that I've tested runs really well you might run into a few games that are a bit slow here and there but there are tweaks you can do inside of retro PI or retro arch to get them running at full speed real quick I just wanted to show you the LED and the power button here it's gonna turn the system off and in about 10 seconds the LED will go off so let's go ahead and take a look at how I have this thing set up now if you really want a tutorial I can make one but it does require soldering like I said no hot glue is used whatsoever in this build I did have to use some superglue here and there but I think it looks pretty good now the main reason I use the Raspberry Pi 3 a plus is because the HDMI lines up directly with the HDMI on the PlayStation classics case and it fits right in here Raspberry Pi 3 just won't fit like this I did have to fabricate a little splitter for these USBs but they slide right into the PlayStation classics USB port holders and they fit pretty snug so you won't have to use any glue these were just female USB adapters that I had laying around I actually bought them from the dollar store I clipped the ends off and I fabricated a little splitter to go into the single USB port on the A+ i also had to add a female micro USB adapter to send power to the paths on the back of the pie I also added an LED and a momentary switch here the pie itself is held in by these two screws the HDMI sits so perfect in here all I needed were those 2 standoffs and I just super glued them to the inside of the case and that's pretty much it I mean it's actually really simple to set something like this up if I was you I wouldn't run out and buy one of these for 50 bucks just to put a pie in it eventually somebody's gonna come out with a case that looks just like this and hopefully it's retro flag because in the past they've come out with some of the best retro style console cases for the pie that I've ever seen they have the Mega Drive the SNES and the NES and what I've heard through the grapevine is ps1 is next but we never know how long it's going to be if you absolutely have to do something like this I'm gonna leave links in the description to everything I use to make this even the PlayStation Classic can get everything on Amazon and if there's a big enough demand I will do a tutorial video on this I actually have enough to make one more of these so if you're interested in seeing a tutorial or learning how to do this let me know in the comments below it's actually a fun little weekend project and if you're good with a soldering iron you can put this all together in 30 minutes or less that's pretty much it for this video guys really appreciate you watching if you have any questions let me know and like always thanks for watching you\n"