| Manufacturer | Sony |
| Model Number(s) | DESR-5000, DESR-5100, DESR5500, DESR-5700, DESR-7000, DESR-7100, DESR-7500, DESR-7700 |
| MSRP | 79,800¥ – 99,800¥ |
| Countries Released | Japan |
| Release Year | 2003 |
| Discontinued | 2005 |
Background
The Sony PSX was released in Japan in late 2003. It was primarily marketed as a Multimedia device with built-in PlayStation 2 features, and not as a PlayStation 2 primarily. The system originally retailed at ¥79,800 for the lowest spec. 160GB DESR-5000 model, while the 250GB equipped DESR-7000 model retailed at ¥99,800.
Features
The PSX was the first game console that used the XMB or XrossMediaBar which was later used on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. Like the PS2, it supports playback of DVDs and CDs, however, the PSX also supports recording videos and burning them to DVD-Rs. It features Composite, S-Video, and Coaxial inputs on the back, as well as Composite, S-Video, D-Terminal, Coaxial, and Optical audio outputs. These systems also come with an internal hard drive which is either 160GB or 250GB depending on the model. These could be used to store photos, videos, and music, as well as for games that require a hard drive like Final Fantasy XI.
Common Failures / Issues
As time goes on, more and more of the hard drives used in these systems are starting to fail. Since the firmware is stored on the drive, failure or removal of the hard drive will cause the system to hang on the bootup screen. This normally wouldn’t be much of an issue, but Sony decided to encrypt the drives inside every PSX and this encryption has not been completely cracked yet. It’s also common for one of the multiple lasers to fail, causing it to stop reading disks.
Modification / Repair
Thankfully, there are two options to revive a PSX with a broken hard drive. The first, and easiest, option is to create or purchase a FreeMCBoot memory card which will allow you to bypass the hard drive entirely and start the system immediately into either LaunchELF or OpenPS2Loader. LaunchELF allows you to launch PS1 and PS2 games through the disk drive, as well as any homebrew software installed on an external drive. OpenPS2Loader allows you to run game backups off an external drive or a network using the ethernet port on the back. The other option for reviving a PSX with a dead hard drive is to replace it with an IDE emulator. The only option currently that supports the PSX is created by Felix Lazarev and is available at https://3do.dev/ for $335 USD. Although this option is expensive, It’s currently the only way to restore the full function of one of these systems.
RetroZero 