The Failed PlayStation Console! - The PSX Story - Gaming History Documentary 

Visit brilliant.org/LadyDecade/ to get started learning STEM for free, and the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium subscription.

I’d say the thing that drove the PS2 to such crazy success was the DVD Player, for those of you too young, a stand-alone DVD player alone was $500 back in the day and Sony had bundled it within a PS2. DVD was a great leap from VHS tapes.

One of the reasons it sold so well was its DVD Playback. Many people bought a PS2 simply for that because it was cheaper than a DVD player at the time.

I have an actual working one of these. It's a pretty fragile system thanks to the hard drive.

"why the vita flopped" if i remember right was a mix of developers not wanting to make games for it due to the piracy on the psp and consumers not being happy with expensive proprietary sd cards

I remember when the OG was called the PSX, and the magazine too

The arrival of the Sony PlayStation 2 killed the VHS format in the year 2000.

I honestly kinda wish that later in its life, the PS2 got the XMB in a system update with all the original bios elements. The PSX really showed just how cool that could have been!

Excellent video! Inspires a lot of thoughts and brings back a lot of memories all at once. I was a big fan of Evanescence back in 2003, and I have vivid memories of Christmas 2003 as well for personal reasons; I was also casually into gaming at that time, because back in 2003/2004/2005 I used to frequently spend my weekends at a friend’s flat with him and his flatmates, they used to play games like this on a Sony console plugged into their TV and I used to join in(And sometimes I listened to my CDs on it too!). I also went through a phase of using MiniDiscs too at that time, and thinking how many advantages they potentially had over CDs. It sounds like the PSX was a brilliant idea in theory which just didn’t translate well into practice, or just lacked practicality once it went on the market; I think the MiniDisc analogy is a very good one. (And reading back over my comment here - wow, I’ve written a short essay, LOL! This video has actually inspired a lot of thoughts! 🙂) Love the reference to my favourite scene from Crocodile Dundee too BTW! 😂 Great work, really enjoyable video! 🙌

Thank you for taking the time to put this video together! I absolutely adore this channel

Back in the day, everyone I knew referred to PS1 as PSX. But regarding the 'official' PSX, one doesn't actually need to mod the hardware to play non-Japanese releases. It turns out that FreeMCBoot software works just fine on the device.

@ladydecade thanks for these videos they're fun to watch and I'm always excited for every upload. 😊

I have a second gen model, collecting dust in my hall closet. As a PS2, for better or worse, it’s just a PS2(w/hdd). But as an analog DVR, it was amazing. Editing out commercials was super quick due to the EE’s processing power, and being able to edit using the controller and it recognizing quick taps, a lot quicker than using a remote. Being able to dump F1 races(that usually start after 2am) onto my psp to watch during my commute was a beautiful thing. I bought one because I needed a second DVR. Dual/triple tuner dvrs didn’t exist back then, and for the price of a cheap DVR, I could buy the psx, that supported background hdd recording while playing a ps2 game. I finally sent it to the closet when JPN turned off it’s analog broadcast and switch to terrestrial digital.

Nice overview. My wife surprised me with it as s gift and boy is it heavy, so respect for holding that beast up. Of all the consoles it is one of my favourites for its looks as it's simple but very effective. A doomed console but a very stylish, sought after one.

It's always impressive that LD usually has the physical hardware she speaks of. That fact isn't overlooked by me.

Ah finally, the PSX video. A necessity for gracious living

Wow that looks so cool! I never know about this! Thank you for sharing it with us

I always enjoy your gaming documentary videos just started watching again got a lot to catch up on nice one lady decade 👍

I bought a fully working psx 5000 series this April and I'm gonna keep it in storage till the modding scene is bigger. In my opinion it has a bigger chance of becoming the ultimate ps2 plus it looks cool as fuck.

I remember reading up on this back in day In one of the games magazines. And I was hoping at the time that this thing would come to the US, but it never did.

Brilliant once again the history is just so fascinating to hear it's just a shame it's so hard to get a working unit although you would need to reinforce your house before placing it anywhere 😂🤣😂🤩🤩👍👍🕹️🎮

I knew of the PSX from watching another RU-vidr's video about it a while back and it was very interesting piece of tech that could have been so much better if it weren't for certain issues that plagued this device such as overheating issues.

AetherSX2 (a PCSX2 fork) for Android is one of the greatest gifts to the emulation scene. I only have Tekken 5 because most of my favorite PS2 games are on my Vita. Tekken 5 does run so smoothly on my Flip 3. I keep asking myself, which system was my favorite? Genesis, SNES, PS1, Dreamcast, PS2, or GameCube? I can't decide. I'll end up saying my smartphones and Vita because I can play them all. But for library and experience owning the console, it's actually PS1 followed by DC. And that's because I got PS1 a year after its NA release. I got my PS2 three years after release. If I was stuck on an island and only had to choose those systems, I probably would say PS2 over Genesis, SNES, PS1, DC, and GCN. Can play PS1/PS2 games + DVDs/CDs. But I personally didn't like the darker, muddled graphics the PS2 mostly had. I was attracted more to the more colorful graphics from Dreamcast and GameCube. PS2 didn't really hit its graphical peak until 2005. Long live the PlayStation brand though. I owned every PlayStation except the PSP Go and PS5. Each one has been pretty great. My personal favorite is the Vita 2K. Been a satisfied owner for PlayStation products since 1996. I like Sony, Sega, and Nintendo all pretty equally for my gaming needs. Thank goodness smartphones exist for me to enjoy them all. Keep it up, Lady D. The best retro gaming channel for documentaries currently on RU-vid. The new G4 Icons but with obscure products and history lessons.

Just googling that thing would be tough because "PSX" is usually a term used for the PS1.

Applause for the Tommy Tallarico joke. Very nice!

Until now, I never really noticed how much the PSX was made to look like Sony's ES ("Elevated Standard," which sounds about as funny as "Gracious Living" 😉) line of high-end AV equipment. Perhaps if it had woodgrain blocks on either side instead of grey plastic, it might have attracted the people who forked over $2,000 for a CD player at the time.

Having an HDD makes me wonder if you could just run PS2 game image files straight off the HDD or if you could use the burner to burn the files to a DVD R. I'm pretty sure the pirate/modding community loved this console.

4:50 Don't forget the speakers and stereo head units! Sony historically made some quality stuff before the mid 2000s when they created the 'sony xplod' name.

LOL 15:02 hahaha. I love your videos!

Ahahaha I love the BTTF reference there! Also I didn't forget about the PSX... I remember when it was being hyped, and then it never came to the US :( Great video Milady LD!

Loved my VITA. Sony made two huge mistakes with the device. Using an over-priced proprietary memory format, and not having L2 and R2 buttons.

Fantastic viewing as always Lady Bongos 👏 👌

Lol, you kind of startled me a bit at 1:26 with that "So!" :)

Nice, a new video. Thanks :)

First time I see the box, loved the video

The PS2 was awesome in the day , I still have all my PlayStation launch models right upto the PS5. I think the Japanese pax would have been a hit in the UK

Amazing video!!!

17:25 - "It's a bit of a mess back there." That's what she said.

Actually, the Betamax/VCR war happened in the 70s, not the 80s.

i remember hearing about this back in the day, the big HDD in the thing made it feel ripe for piracy lol

Thanks for this! I'd never heard of this product, which appears to be an attempt at a home media box. I am shocked that Sony shipped a product that made digital copies of media onto disk or stick; I always thought that Sony presumed pirated copies would render their media holdings valueless. If it still had been around at the time I bought a PS2, I would have definitely considered adding it to my stack of DVRs.

Sony has had issues. My PS2 had a laser lens voltage issue. I'd cleaned it with a lint cloth and it worked a bit better but it's a known issue. I traded it in and got an Xbox. That's when I made the jump.

I always saw the PSX as a sort of testbed for the PS3. The PS3 could be used as a DVR with the Play TV add on which was only released in PAL regions that used DVB-T. It wasn’t successful.

Basically seems like Sony built a PS3 prototype, by adding a TiVo/DVR, and upgraded the CPU to a predecessor of the CELL Engine... Then realized they needed to make a walled-garden system to reduce video copyright issues and game piracy, and developed what we know as the PS3. And actually, thinking about it... These are likely Sony PS2 DevKits with a different consumer firmware. 🤔

So happy to have a mint fully working PSX-DESR 7700 in my collection 😅 great video

You mentioned MiniDisc as over hyped. I do feel MiniDisc was under hyped. It was not even known by so many that when I used it in front of so many people they did not know what it was, or what it did. It was for sure very under utilized. Until the PSP used the similar design with a different format. The UMD Disc. Mini Disc was absolutely amazing and If I could find some real studio pre recorded MD's I would save them to share the history. The Reason most tech by Sony failed is due to Sony being Greedy. - PSX didn't sell well because of overheat issues - PS Vita Failed due to propriety memory cards that were too expensive - PS Vita TV failed because of lack of games that were blocked from being played. Many PS Vita Games were restricted due to features in the game that required Vita specific hardware. Unless you modded it. You were very limited.

I don’t even like Sony for the things they have done and sometimes continue to do. But this thing is wild. Plus your face holding the CDI was hilarious. 🤣

Your audio mixing is rough on the ears. It goes from low volume when you're soft spoken to ear shattering when you get louder.

I remember reading a 3rd party PS2 magazine about the PSX and being hyped then it was released and was roughly £1000 to import. So yeh I couldn't bring myself to pay that amount of money on my part-time McDonald's wages 🤣

I indeed remember these coming out and was really hoping they'd be released Worldwide, of course the later Playstation systems feature many of it's breakthrough features... Looking at it now, the weirdest thing about it is the placement of its' controller ports, which look like damaged wires waiting to happen! 🤔😀🤘 .

Auch, that jab at Tommy Tallarico! It's nice he's getting what he deservers after the Intellivision Amico scam.

Id love to have a PSX. But from what I've heard. It's hard to find one in working condition.

“Whoa Doctor Mario, this is heavy” - FM Towns Marty McFly

I NEED TO GET IT TO MY COLLECTION

I always THOUGHT the PSX was a VERSION of the PLAYSTATION 1. Very INFORMATIVE video.

They should've at least taken 1 more year to develop the PSX, so it would have all the promised features and use more reliable tech.

Wow its really cool that you have gotten the actual consoles... Rather than other so could youtubers they make videos using screenshots only... But very impressive collection you got... Very very cool, Im a gaming collector myself, Butt i think youre collection is al little bit bigger😂👍... Soo very cool, Hee greetings from holland😉

Holy smokes. I forgot about this thing. Chonky boy! Great video!

I'm 39 in the U.S. I definitely remember reading about this in highschool circa 2000 or maybe 2001.

it's almost funny to think that the PS3 technically existed long before it actually did & they just called it "PSX" instead. i guess everything does just come in it's own due time.

I always thought this was pretty well know but obviously not available outside Japan. I'd say the ps3 3d TV was more obscure

[20:07] "It was like if Assassin's Creed 3 was a console." This is how you sum up a video in one sentence, thanks!

They even used similar UIs for their blueray players and "smart" TVs. Which was super awkward if you rocked both because you could never tell which systems menu you were navigating -_-

6:23 i never knew that the PS Xmediabar had its own logo!

Wish they had released that in the UK. I would have been all over it. I still have my PS2 with the plugin network/hard drive adapter. As i bought the MK2, this would have been about the right time for me!

Haha that Tallarico joke 😂... well done

Uhhh... why would the rear controller port make it incompatible with the multi-tap? It looks like it would plug in as easily as a controller would. Am I missing something?

Back then It was BELIEVED that it could beat the region lockout, but I have received confirmation that this is unfounded.

The PS2 had backwards compatibility and it played CDs and DVDs. Those features finished off the Dreamcast.

I bought a PSX two years ago on yahoo auctions through buyee but it was just before covid, which impacted the shipping to south america to the point I'd have to pay 3 or 4 times the price I paid for the console. They even said I could keep the console on their storage for as long as the shipping methods didn't get lower and that's the situation i'm right now: two years after buying the PSX, I still didn't get it because of this lel.

Man I haven't thought about this piece of tech and a long time but I already had a TiVo back then and I had my PS2 which played both games set of games it just wasn't interesting for me although the 250 hard drive that does take me back not even my vintage computers have that little hard drive space

Wow this channel is really cool l am glad that l found it l like the amount of fighting games that l am seeing makes me think that the people making these videos are cool people

Your documentary os great. You've got some spunk and personality. Unlike other people who just read

No component or RGB connection? Gamecube still winning with its Progressive Scan 480p resolution

I loved my PS2, paid to install a modchip, had dozens of burnt games.... The laser eventually burned out.

I remember we used to have Play TV for the PS3 which was a small box that plugged into your PS3 by usb and the TV aerial so the console could record shows like a PSX

PSX doesn't sound new to me but to me it's a retroactive name for the original Play Station after the smooth edged miniature version was released as the PS1.

Now do a video on the failed Sony Erricson Playstation Phone or Xperia Play . It was my very first smartphone and I still have it here somewhere . It was good for NES and SNES emulators though .

I have a PSTV and a large memory card that is barely used. I bet it's worth more now then when I got the thing. I may mod it or something if I ever get time but will probably do the Mini NES first. Oh well no big rush I just got TMNT on PC so I am presently busy when I am not doing other things.

It’s inaccurate to call it a failure. It was never marketed (barely marketed at all)or pushed to be a mass seller by Sony. I lived in Japan (military) during the release. They sold them in Japanese malls but there were not tons of them in stores. They had one in a display case, and it’s the best looking gaming console (even though it was much more than a console) ever. Way ahead of it’s time and too expensive to be anything other than an experiment for Sony.

I still have my PS2 now it's a amazing pieace of hardware

I have the 7000 Model with the 250Gb of Storage. It's really nice hardware. Loaded with a faster Processor, more ram, and runs the PS2 games smoother than the original PS2 unit. Games that can install and run on the Hard Drive built into the PSX. 1. Kingdom Hearts 2. Final Fantasy X. I know by experience by owning the games. The HDD Function Appears in the games for installation. Game play load times are a lot faster.

I think this is part of the reason my living turned out to be not so gracious, around that same time. I did buy a PS2 and MGS2 from K-Mart later, which I think helped matters

What is rhe song at the end? I want to hear it all

Castlevania Symphony Of The Night is still the best PlayStation game ever made on any PlayStation. Game never gets old.

Sony Mylo? How about the Xperia Play phone? Or even the PSP Go for that matter. I've thought about buying a PSX, but the fact that it's dead in the water if the original HDD fails kinda killed that idea for me. And no, you can't just swap in another one. There's proprietary encryption on the drive itself that marries it to the console. No one has either cared enough to attempt to crack it or they simply couldn't crack it.

sure the ps vita didn't do well but i really love the ps vita i thought it's a good underrated handheld i enjoyed in my opinion

Did Metroid II DX for the gbc ever exist & how did Metroid Dread originate?

Wasn't it possible to connect a multitap using an extension cable?

The Sony Nuon DV-R first, games console second, also clever use of the Tekken Tag Music at the end given the PSX wasn't sure what it was "No eyes no nose no body no shape no shape no shape no....."

That thing looks amazing!

Well now I'm screwed. I had a guy who was going to sell me one fully working. Now he's tripled his price.... 300cad was our agreed on price cause he didn't know what he had. Now he wants 900 :(

GTA3 and the DVD player won me over

I remember reading about this back in early 2001

And yes. That's Wii audio playing. Love it.

As a PSX I am not too fond of the thought of a reach around from the target demographic

I am pretty sure I asked my local Xtravison in Ireland to try to order me one, they just laughed and said there was no chance!

I always wondered about this system. One of the most Kaiju consoles ever made. Bummer it was a faulty machine. The cost alone was insane.

6:15 - it was amazing! But it was poorly marketed and poorly supported by Sony. It didn't help that it was far too gimmicky, and the rear touch features were a bit silly.

Still would be a cool way to play PS2 games today.. Just for the novelty of it. I like that it has S-video and RGB outputs