PSBBN - the Japanese-only "PS2 Pro" upgrade

[@f4micom]

It has come to my attenattention that PSBBN at the moment ONLY supports hard drives up to 120GB / you would not be able to use more than that with a bigger one due to a file system limitation, so choose your HDD/SSD wisely and also: when I say you can’t emulate the network adapter on PCSX2 I mean SPECIFICALLY in the context of running PSBBN It still does work for other stuff :)

[@noaharkadedelgado]

You should look into installing a 1tb HDD into the ps2 for OPL which lets you install any ps2 game you want onto the HDD!

[@zubiddydoodoopop]

I don't recall the exact cause, but the same drive size limitation exists for PSPs as well. I never knew it existed until I modded my PSP go to accept micro SD cards. You'll want to run custom firmware if you ever try and then enable the overclock feature in the xmb to prevent file read stutter playing videos and music. I thought I did something wrong after performing the mod but it just needed a little extra oomph to get it to work as it should.

[@AntoniNorman]

Should look into Police 24/7 as that used a Webcam that had a list of compatible webcams as the game came out before the EyeToy.

[@__Razer]

The PS2 has a webcam called "EyeToy".

[@vermillvexx]

Specifically, as stated on the GitHub page, "Lacks support for large HDDs so drives larger than 130 GB cannot be taken full advantage of."

[@Terminal423]

The reason for PSBBN not coming to the west literally being "your internet sucks" is actually amazing, and honestly sensible. I know folks tech circles will have tend to be the type to say "oh I had DSL/Cable in 2001!" but most people I knew didn't have anything beyond dial-up or very low-end DSL until 2006-2007. Sony not wanting to deal with the headache of the average customer calling in blaming them for a poor experience because the west's broadband infrastructure wasn't providing their minimum required speeds feels like a rare example of a "reasonable" region lock.

[@Valery0p5]

I got ADSL in my home in circa 2011, and actual fiber just last year in my corner of Europe. Japan having broadband in the 2000 sounds crazy.

[@hansharstell6471]

Well, this is a very interesting story about how companies look at the markets of different countries. For example, in Ukraine we didn't have any licensed first and second PS, nor did we have any NON-pirated games for them, and we didn't even know that the PS2 had any other network functions. Then, of course, there were already licensed and advanced 3 and 4 PS, but since it was a license, no one in my family could afford it.

[@Vahron]

There were also vast differences in DSL deployment between countries. The USA were very late on that aspect, several countries in Europe struggled with this throughout the entire 2000s, and for some reason, by 2004-2005 dial-up modems were already almost fully replaced with high-speed broadband connections in France.

[@Dave102693]

East Asia has the best internet in the world, so it’s not shocking

[@nickwallette6201]

This makes a lot of sense. Thinking about my own timeline: I grew up in a third-world country (the US), and absolutely only had dialup Internet when the PS2 was launched, but got my first cable modem shortly after (something like 256Kb x 64Kb, IIRC. So fast, huh?) Fast forward, life happened, I moved in with my GF who got a PS2 just before the PS2 Slim was launched, meaning all of this BBN stuff would've been winding down. At that point, we had DSL. But even that was only like 512Kb x 128Kb.

[@linoxyard]

11:22 the ps1 cpu can't be used to run ps1 games from hdd because it's being used in ps2 mode as an hdd and network controller. Sony decided to recycle it to be useful in ps2 mode too (also running at a higher clock in that mode)

[@saltedmutton7269]

WOOOO you tell them linoxyard!!!!! go go go go go go go go goYEAHHHHH

[@SergioEduP]

I was jut going to ask if it was being used for something else, because from my knowledge (by default while in game) it is used as a I/O controller but I think it would also be entirely programmable by the game devs to be more useful, but if it is managing the HDD and Network it makes sense that they couldn't reprogram it to run PS1 games from the HDD.

[@linoxyard]

@@SergioEduP Yes, you're right, I should've said I/O controller, it's not just the hdd and network

[@Valery0p5]

​​@@linoxyard so same thing for the 3DS with the Arm11 and the Arm9(+Arm7), with the second one taken from the NDS family (and the third one from the GBA) and used as a security processor in 3DS mode. Access to the SD for DS games is possible if you went in unlocked TWL mode instead of NTR mode, that is taking advantage of the DSi hardware upgrades instead of being limited to the restrictions of the original DS, but access to the SD was really slow for similar reasons as the PS2 with the HDD since the Arm11 is disabled, and it took several years to make a flashcard-less loader of DS and DSi games for the 3DS and DSi too. Bless the TWL team. (Also you can use the Arm7 in AGB mode to play GBA games natively btw)

[@linoxyard]

@@Valery0p5 yep! f4mi used to have a video about playing gba roms on 3ds, but it's not on the channel anymore. Btw, I like using open agb firm on 3DS

[@dimas.8300]

A video that starts with Daft Punk can only be a banger

[@BigBrolls]

Copyright strike inbound - ETA: 15 min - evacuate the area

[@schtormm]

@@BigBrolls nah, she licensed it

[@dimas.8300]

@@BigBrolls the songs were licensed, check the description

[@wallmenis]

Why do people gotta come first when I am trying to say sth... :') well i guess i am predictable.

[@notactivecollector]

me love daft punk

[@wincentywilk7511]

"Anything can read CD's [...] Your Grandma could do it if she had a laser pointer" This was so unexpected, I couldn't try to predict the next word in that sentence 6:00

[@nickwallette6201]

My grandma was so good at real-time de-interleaving, 14-to-8 demodulation, and decoding Reed-Solomon codes. I used to fall asleep to her reading the subchannels to me.

[@DiamondKingStudios]

Until he was rendered blind, my grandfather had a close relationship with computers for most of his adult life. He gave stories about how he was involved in wireless transmission tests between computers in his college in the early 1960s, and probably had to work with computers in his job at MARTA. His basement still has a complex computer setup, as he turned part of it into an office in the 1990s. That and my great-grandmother (his mother in law), having been raised on a Virginia farm probably even without electricity, became rather good at Wii bowling in her nineties.

[@FudgeXDD]

@@DiamondKingStudios Wii bowling at the age of 90+ years old... 🤯 that's so wholesome!

[@SonicManEXE]

Every time I watch a f4mi video I’m blown away by the production value. It’s the small things, like taking the tape degradation away around 4:47 when fading out and back in to show off the PSBBN software. I’ve been on KZbin since 2007 and I watch all sorts of stuff, from gaming/technology videos like these to woodworking. Maybe it’s the elder Gen Z in me that likes all the 2000s-based nostalgia, but this has got to be one of my favorite channels I have ever come across.

[@m.al-h9108]

she reminds me a lot of CaptainDisillusioned in production quality.

[@jacketpotato2058]

That and using the TikTok text to speech voice which is just funny

[@krich451]

Everybody always talks about hiding weed in there but I only did that one time when i was at my grandmother's beach house and it REEKED up the whole house as soon as the ps2 got the slightest bit warm. Terrible hiding spot.

[@schtormm]

automatic hotboxing machine tm

[@petergriscom3431]

​@@schtormmIt's like a precursor to the KFConsole.

[@nooneshott]

No it was just smoking it

[@Vanity0666]

Gamer smell...

[@d5n207]

They probably weren't using the PS2 while hiding weed in there.

[@AkaYagi]

its incredible seeing the progress in each videos, we getting full ass 3D models to explain instead of images back then

[@NicolasPimprenelle]

"Unregistered Corckboard 2" 🔥

[@ZepherionUltima]

Yeah, this one got me good

[@iPaoletti]

“It’s not a ps5, which means that my console has games” LMFAOOO

[@Pichuscute]

Got emmmmm

[@graphicsgod]

Sick burn..

[@mattb9664]

That's pretty funny

[@MIDNITE69]

subbed cuz of this line lol

[@The_Wailing_Doom]

What a clown

[@hardwarerepair200]

So PlayStation BB is basically the precursor version of PSN? I didn't know that, it's so cool! Thank you for making this video

[@noaharkadedelgado]

I wouldn’t say PSN, this feels too unique lol

[@tiptester]

I loved this I was really into computers as a kid and super annoying to boot I bugged my dad soooo much to get this kits for me and he did it. He was a bit surprised at how much time I spent on it. I never had my own PC so my desk setup was a dreamcast plugged into a monitor for web browsing (i preffered the setup) and the PS2BB sat along side it running linux and getting 2 hours of sleep after FFXI sessions. I bought a Phat PS2 recently from a thrift shop and in the weed draw was weed crumbs and several break up letters. I hope whoever that was is in a better place today.

[@ENNEN420]

The never-ending war between "unauthorized users" and Sony is a story that reminds us all of one thing: no matter how bad times get, no matter how ironclad the methods of the corporation get, nothing can come between you and your god given right to shitpost anywhere you please across the world wide web.

[@ProtoMan0451]

if i learned anything from being around for the early PSP homebrew scene, its that Sony can try as hard as they can to stop us but will never be able to outsmart random nerds on the internet with a desire to shitpost and play emulators on their expensive new console lmao

[@themanwithnoname4385]

Unless you're in Europe and the UK where it's a crime big enough that they threaten to extradite people to their countries to charge and sentence them.

[@Yuyun-ps274]

Regarding BBN camera compatibility, 20 Sony digital still cameras and 14 digital video cameras are officially compatible with the BBN, and one page used a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707 to test the functionality.

[@Yuyun-ps274]

An even more interesting feature is data installation, a feature that has been officially implemented in some PS2 software. FFX (including International), some Winning Eleven titles (Japanese PES), Kingdom Hearts 1 (including Final Mix), etc. are supported, and I have confirmed that I can use it on my BBN (NTSC J), and some Korean versions of software are also supported. The A Train 2001 Complete Edition also has a function that allows you to install additional contents to the HDD.

[@bhume7535]

The DSC-S85 released the same year as theF707. Is that one compatible? It can be had for like $20-30 and I have one myself.

[@Yuyun-ps274]

@@bhume7535 The site where the functionality was tested had a link about BBN, which I tried to access on archive but got a 404 error, so the page may have been deleted between 2002~2003. (The archive was from 2004). However, it is possible that it is being addressed.

[@Yuyun-ps274]

@@bhume7535 The site where the functionality was tested had a link about BBN, which I tried to access on archive but got a 404 error, so the page may have been deleted between 2002~2003. (The archive was from 2004). However, it is possible that it is being addressed.

[@Yuyun-ps274]

​@@bhume7535 The site where the functionality was tested had a link about BBN, which I tried to access on archive but got a 404 error, so the page may have been deleted between 2002~2003. (The archive was from 2004). However, it is possible that it is being addressed.

[@dimas.8300]

The realplayer mention gave me a wave of nostalgia, totally forgot about it :D

[@Azeria]

1:56 thankfully no console manufacturers ever thought this was a good idea again… _wait wait microsoft what are you doing with that hdmi in port?!_

[@9Itian]

1:17 UNREGISTERED CORKBOARD 2 I'M FUCKING *DEAD*.

[@kei_nishimaru]

The BBN was, for several years for me, a total nightmare to set up. It only worked when I finally got a legitimate network adapter and a Samsung IDE drive. Now, it’s much easier to get running- now loaded onto a SATA-converted adapter with a laptop drive.

[@Franface31]

Holy shit F4mi every video you release has and amazing bump in quality. Keep up the good work.

[@Ultima_Atulos_Maxim]

It's amazing how as the sharpness of the video goes down, the quality of said video goes up. Amazing video, F4mi. Keep it up!

[@SpiderMax95]

how can this funny blue haired woman on the internet find all these strange things from the 2000s... everytime i think i have seen it all, she comes and smacks me with another random accessory no one knows about. funny blue haired woman makes me feel funny things. :)

[@Th3Premium]

0:11 real gamer vibes

[@sirdespin]

The sequence of events is always the same: - Oh, a video about X, nice - Oh, nice cinematography and music - Oh, it is f4mi, nice

[@CoreyDWillis]

I'm so glad I found your channel! I love these kinds of deep dives on old tech combined with modern attempts to keep them working for historical/archival purposes.

[@BrentM11]

Yay a f4mi video. That was a really cool thing to see. It makes me want to dig out my PS2 and finally finish setting up the network adapter and hard drive. Great content as always!!

[@spectrobit5554]

Damn, insane production value... and it's not just style, too. I guess that's a way to make a good first impression, can't wait to see more from you!

[@algizmo7079]

Fun fact: PS2 fats were popular in UK prisons for the stash-hole, HDDs were banned : (

[@gaurav_sirohi]

So I was procrastinating work (WFH) and was about to get off KZbin, and then saw your video on my feed. I just couldn't resist, as I always liked your videos. I'm a big PS2 fan and have multiple NTSC-J units with authentic network adapter and always thought that I would install the English patched PSBBN someday. Now I just can't wait to do this. Screw work!! 😅

[@tricksan3]

You are one of my favorite creators at the moment. Keep going!

[@TheSphereHunter]

If Sony released a PS2 pro in 2024 I'd have infinitely more respect for them. 😂

[@electroniccat]

1:46 Micheal "The" Snare jumpscare

[@SergioEduP]

The 4:3 aspect ratio makes me want to play this video on an old CRT, 10/10 as usual!

[@SergioEduP]

(unrelated but do you still have some of those minidiscs available, i know of someone who might be interested)

[@nekojin1164]

@@SergioEduPi think emailing her if she had a business email will get her attention more

[@JDPC557]

I remember being completely amazed at "Central Station". Just being able to use my PS2 to connect online, read game news and send DMs to other players felt huge. Something like this would have blown me away completely.

[@poptheweasel100]

I wish i could use BBN instead of OPL to play my backup games, the UI is so satisfying and unique. The main issue I'm seeing is PSBBN has a storage limit, where having over 128GB of content installed prevents it from booting, which isn't a lot of space to work with. There hsve been attempts to work around this but the last post I saw was in May.

[@Ps3JessicaBr]

We need this

[@milymilo]

Same!! BBN looks so incredibly cool, I need it!

[@dunny]

I'd love that just for the reason that my BlueRetro doesn't work on games started through OPL which has led to me hardly using my PS2.

[@AstralPhnx]

Big mood. OPL is fantastic but doesn't look all that nice really. That and the other big bit of PS2 Homebrew being worked on, XEB+, is basically just trying to replicate, what else, the goddamn XMB from the PS3 and PSP. XMB is fine on those consoles but on the PS2 I want PS2 vibes damnit, I want whooshy ambience and cool shades of blue and cool 3D shenanigans. I would love for PS2BBN to be able to act as a proper full on replacement for modded PS2's though, that would just be sooooo freaking cool. Sadly the drive size limitations are... Yeah

[@ExtremeWreck]

I wonder if there could be some bank switching-esque solution.

[@TheOutsideLine]

Some of the most unique and interesting topics delivered in such a unique, compelling, and aesthetic way. I love this channel so much. The videos are just brilliant.

[@ChampionOfSkyrim]

a new f4mi video is the highlight of my week/month because f4mi tends to go down the same kinds of insane rabbit holes I go on and very few channels on youtube are hitting that mood

[@dankhill6851]

It's always a good day when F4mi uploads, thanks for the video! :D

[@scottmurray1525]

Had no idea any of this existed. I still don't know how to describe your channel, besides that I learn something new after watching every video. Great video as usual!

[@Rockhead84]

The interface for this (especially the CD player) is slick. Never heard about this so thanks for bringing this to the masses!

[@onlyVetements]

the thumbnail is so clean… your channel is one of my favorites on youtube rn by far, love what you do!!!!

[@GuilhermeDea]

Oh, this is so cool! I thought I knew everything I could ever know about the PS2, but I never had came across of all the features of the PSBBN - I knew it existed, but didn't knew it was so powerful and cool! And the production of the video was so top tier! This is the first time I'm watching one of your videos and I was genuinely impressed, one of the coolest videos I saw on the internet in a really long time!

[@BobTheMartin]

I adore how this video is basically recorded with a camcoder Your channel is THE BEST in this "obscure 2000s computing" category

[@godofmediocrity7582]

8:29 fun fact: you COULD actually use a USB keyboard on the Xbox dashboard. If you have the Phantasy Star Online USB Keyboard adapter (or, more likely, a USB controller port needed for modding) you can type away with the USB keyboard. I don’t know why Microsoft added the feature, but it’s appreciated nonetheless.

[@cryptocsguy9282]

@godofmediocrity7572 probably because phantasy star online for the dreamcast had the keyboard and mouse functionality as did a lot of dreamcast games to make playing online similar to on PC

[@eliexe6916]

Original xbox used standard usb connections with an extra connector for light guns, and basic keyboard support is baked in from when the os was running on PC based dev kits

[@kingjack7740]

1:46 The way I just started watching both your channel and Mic the Snare's recently only for this cameo to happen is crazy... I hope you gave him a Crazy Frog Minidisc as compensation.

[@plscks]

Great video, thank you for making it! I hadn't thought about my old PS2 in a long while, I'm sure I still have it kicking around in a box somewhere with the HDD and the network card. Definitely utilized the heck outta that network card playing boat loads of Metal Gear Online.

[@Meganaut]

And here I thought I knew everything odd and weird about the PS2. You completely nailed the video f4mi. This is an absolutely interesting and awesome dive into an obscure part of the PS2's history. Great work!

[@ecoProgrammer]

This video is a vibe, i really like the way this was presented, i just discoverd this video and now im subscribed.

[@benny21293]

the style of the whole UI and especially the game channels is how „future UI“ and „the internet“ was advertised back then. Except it was real in this case and still feels futuristic and exciting even though it‘s fairly old stuff at this point.

[@Chiefahleaf]

The fits went crazy on this video for f4mi. It was nice to see some discussion about the PSN network precursor

[@dant876]

IVE BEEN WAITING TO SEE A VIDEO ON THIS FOR LIKE FOREVER thank yhou f4mi

[@justmetal227]

This is the best video I've seen all year regarding the ps2. I am in love.

[@Stehaufmaennchen101]

Man i love f4mi video essays. Straight fire every time! 🔥🔥

[@Jakuzziful]

This channel is a goldmine. So interesting to see how Sony changed the UI and functions to compete with the Xbox in the japanese market. Besides the change of the 360 away from the Blade-Theme I think I don’t know any other substantial redesign like this.

[@maxmouse3]

Another PS2 fact I didn't know until now. Love the video and the editing. I'll give this one a go on my PS2 haha very cool

[@CosmicScaleFactor]

The "Digital Camera" feature on the Photo Channel can be used with any FAT32 formatted USB mass storage device. Some of the game channels also let you download pictures that are then added to the Photo Channel

[@anuaanua5285]

Ok so this is one of the most interesting Videos about console Hardware/Software ive seen in a long time. First time ever hearing about it and a great Video as always! (Btw i bought the logitech z-10 speakers and a used harmony remote and they are amazing. The speakers have an awesome sound for the price if you get them for around 50€ and im working towards getting my steam deck/tv setup to wake up with just a command from the harmony, its replaced 3 other remotes so far and i love it) Long story short keep up the awesome content!

[@greenknight9000]

As someone who loved browsing the PS2 menu when bored, looking at the Save File Icons, kiddie me would've *_adored_* this

[@CrowleyBlack2]

when i first heard about this in 2018, i was mind-blown. my favourite channel will always be playstation now because of the music. to this day, i listen to it as my music playlist.

[@SockyNoob]

The PS2 had less features than the Dreamcast in everywhere but Japan. Bruh. Hell, even the Dreamcast's huge success in the US didn't get us half the crap Japan got. I own a Dreameye, a Japan exclusive webcam and camera for the Dreamcast. Japan always gets the cool shit I swear.

[@ivanokmunoz]

4:27 PSBBN can only reads 128gb max on the HDD, this is because its limited by a 28bit LBA. I'm still waiting for someone to bring a patch for 48bit LBA

[@jakediditagain]

I’ve been obsessed with BBN for years and I’m glad there’s finally a video like this about it

[@Lil-Britches]

😂 this is great, I saw a video from 3yrs ago "wonder if they still makes videos" ya do and they are good informative and funny. I liked the editing in the 3yr old video really got me. Subbed

[@crispy_bedbug9]

idk how i've never heard anyone talk about psbbn before because it actually looks like the coolest thing ever. when i get a network adapter for my ps2 i'm definitely gonna install it, banger video

[@Cisli95]

I bought a japanese PS2 from my first trip to Japan and wanna try installing this ! That was such a cool and interesting video, can't wait to watch more

[@DivineLight661]

Been a while since i watched this channel, quality content as usual.

[@mazda9624]

14:40 You can also move save data between your memory cards and the hard drive on a stock PS2. I've been making backups of all of my memory cards for years with this method. When you select a save file on your memory card, it gives you the option to copy it to either the other memory card inserted or the hard drive.

[@f4micom]

oh my god i have never seen the option pop up on my ps2, maybe it's requiring hdd-osd?

[@mazda9624]

@f4micom I bought my hard drive used (it's the official Sony 40GB model), and I noticed that a few things about my bios changed after putting it in my PS2 for the first time. Maybe the previous owner installed some kind of update? The hard drive came with Final Fantasy XI, Tetra Master, and Play Online Viewer installed. Here are my system specs according to the Version Information screen on the main menu: Console: SCPH-30001R Browser: 2.00 CD Player: 1.30 Playstation Driver: 1.10 DVD Player: 2.10U Mac Address: idk too many numbers (This console is from May 2002 btw) My guess is that the hard drive updated the browser when I first inserted it? Here's how it compares to a few of my other PS2 consoles (one older and one newer): 1. Console: SCPH-30001 Browser: 1.20 CD Player: 1.20 Playstation Driver: 1.10 DVD Player: 1.20U (This unit is from Q4 2000) 2. Console: SCPH-70012 Browser: 1.40 CD Player: 2.00 Playstation Driver: 1.11 DVD Player: 3.10U MAC Address: too many numbers (This unit is from March 2005) It looks like my PS2 with the hard drive is running the newest browser, so the previous owner must've gotten an update onto the hard drive somehow. Maybe it was part of the Final Fantasy XI or Play Online Viewer downloads? These are all NTSC consoles sold in the USA btw.

[@KolaFiend]

@mazda9624 the PS2 patches its stock OSDSYS on every bootup by reading from the memory card, or in your case the HDD for any valid updates. it's what makes softmod installs so trivial eg freemcboot/freehddboot

[@AstralPhnx]

​​@@f4micomYeah it needs HDDOSD to be able to do that. Thankfully it's pretty easy to install

[@hamster9135]

Yep, hard drives come with a Browser 2.0 update that updates that main menu thingy. However, once you cross 128GB of data on the hard drive, the browser crashes unless you use the patched Browser update.

[@ggworksyt]

it’s always a good day for me when u upload 😊

[@DeathMonkeys]

The Daft Punk transition goes unbelievably hard

[@Crumpy627]

A PS2 video with an abundance of Daft Punk? That's a subscribe.

[@ramakrishnamishra8179]

loved this video!! Awesome making it in 4:3 aspect ratio

[@NinjaRunningWild]

It's not Japan only (not entirely anyways). The PS2 Linux Kit (which I own) contained the hardware. They made 10k worldwide. The HDD was also useful (unofficially) with a disc that allowed you to rip games to it.

[@Pichuscute]

Strongly appreciate that PS5 joke. Your content is spot-on, as usual. Surprised I hadn't heard about any of this stuff before, which is rare for me these days.

[@lostsaves]

This is WILD - thanks for sharing!

[@PkKona]

I don't know how you keep find those stuff I never heard about but god I love your video format Keep up the good work F4mi

[@JORGETECHJorge]

This is, technically speaking, the weirdest Linux distro so far

[@Dalek22comments]

Never heard of PSBBN before this. Very convoluted UI but very ambitious and cool for it's time. "which is arguably more dangerous than AGI" .. *Looks up AGI*. Yep, that sounds about right.

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

This Video is visually and damn well edited :D I like everything and even as a documentary Video is pretty damn great :D

[@VexAcer]

I'm kinda surprised I didn't know about this. Like I knew about the PSX DVR console, but this being a full on firmware upgrade for the original system is pretty wild. The interface is pretty awesome too, so sleek.

[@patxs]

PSBBN VIDEO LETS GOOOOO

[@ricky2k3_]

Damn, Daft Punk in a f4mi video glad I subscribed, amazing video

[@___aZa___]

I love your videos. the music was on point

[@DavidSmith-nt2wr]

Wow, Goldbridge from the Motorhead OST is something I haven’t heard in a while and wasn’t expecting to hear in the background of a video anytime soon!

[@zenvultra]

I had no plans of getting this until you mentioned the minidisc support. That’s insane!

[@mikethelegendarygamer4581]

I wasn't aware they made a PS2 Pro haha, also I'm subbed :)

[@NinoJoel]

9:49 it ran toll 2016 ? thats a crazy service live

[@ivey77426]

PS2 HDD is actually the best and most useful feature of that entire generation of consoles. Up to this day HDD is by far the most easy and superior way of playing ps2 games. As it is super trivial to get up and running, it loads games a lot faster than DVD, USB, or LAN and is just so extremely convenient. Sony removed it to prevent that hacking in the future (of course that didn't work for them either)

[@WillaGem]

an interesting thing about dsi is that it still has the firmware for the second slot but the physical port is removed

[@micheldonais7476]

Awesome vid as usual! Great job, f4mi! :) I love the funny tidbit PS2 was also the first console that could output 1080i. Not that anyone ever cared about that, because the PS2's "slow" processing speed and frame buffer was actually barely big enough to draw something in 1080i. Not even 720p or 720i was usable. I believe one or maybe few games did 480p once in it. But the crazy feature was there! Let's remind ourselves this was Y2K. They truly wanted to have a bonkers media centre with that PS2. Also, a personal note, I still have my official PSBBN disk I purchased for a huge $5 back then, even if my console wasn't compatible with it. Yay! Geeky stuff!

[@nikodem123asdf]

I strongly believe that Sony was too afraid of expanding on the HDD add on in the west cause they were afraid that it would lead to incredibly easy piracy. Same reason as to why PS3 had it's Linux compatibility revoked. Nowadays the HDD expansion bay is a blessing cause it makes it very easy to mod the system as well as play the games more reliably (in most cases). I do think that HDD was planned as a widely supported accessory, at least at some point. There's an early game on the system called "Drakan the Ancient's Gates", an open world RPG, which when played off a DVD has to take a breather every few moments in order to load the next bobble of the overworld(like Morrowind). However if it's installed on the HDD (via HDloader or Winhiip) the game will have no loading screens at all, which leads me to believe the game was optimized to run this way. If you try to play the game on PCSX2 with an ISO you will get the loading screens just as frequently as with a regular DVD. Other small observation: the loading screens show a purple disc spinning as opposed to a standard DVD like it was released on. Possibly at some point the game was to release as a 2 CD release with one of them serving as a "key" and would also be used to play back music(like old PC games). I can find literally no info on this game, these are just my observations and speculations

[@Dave102693]

This has to be the case

[@nikodem123asdf]

@Dave102693 another game I have been playing recently that works in a similar way is the neopets rpg. On the HDD it has no load screens while on a disc you'll run into them every once in a while

[@HandlebarOrionX]

Honestly I would have loved the Bomberman/Hudson channel if we had this

[@marcosjunior1014]

I came for the weird PS2 I stayed because of your unhinged humor then i came again whe-

[@s_callahan]

i grew up on the wii so seeing some of this stuff for the first time is completely alien and just super cool

[@hyakin7818]

I was expecting like dreamcast levels of dlc, browsing and just standart online stuff you're able to do on dc Not a fully fletched os we wouldn't see until '05 with the xbox 360 Also this explains a lot why the ps3 has those 2 os menu styles: the more modern, themed, one and the one in black with white lines you get in backwards compatibility and internal system related things; they just reused the psbbn os as a basis there and the ps3 os on top

[@CRCBenjamin]

I wonder if the tech used in PS BBN is the same that handles the PSX dashboard, seems it looks more like PSP media bar. Good Video!

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

It's fascinating to see how this worked on the PS2 in comparison to how it was on Dreamcast, where the modem was included as standard and the only limiting factor was having a dial up service and the boot disc (outside the US you could pick your own provider as well, so you could get a reasonable deal for the time instead of being forced to use the one from Sega. The stock modem was really slow, even for the time, but I believe that there was an upgraded one for the seven people who had broadband and a Dreamcast between 1998 and 2000. All the same, it's interesting to see how much more developed the online experience was for Dreamcast in comparison to this 1980s-style bulletin board system with a fancy UI overlaid onto it. ) Obviously, Dreamcast never got the additional storage needed to download things that couldn't fit on a single memory card but it was planned to get a zip drive, so it may have been possible to do more with it eventually. You could basically have a budget alternative to a PC at that point if you were using keyboard and mouse and plugging into a VGA monitor. Maybe the "print" key could have eventually performed a function lol.

[@94XJ]

Man, I just had a whole nostalgia trip of making my own crossover cable, creating a network bridge on my laptop (which was a bit more difficult than today in Windows XP) and using Xlink Kai to play Gran Turismo 4 competitions online. Online races on a console? Mindblowing at the time.

[@johnnada6855]

The OG xbox used memory cards too, you insert them in the controller.... and the Black eye peas were as big as tailor swift back then, yep that´s how times work

[@Lone_Underth]

omg mic the snare cameo. was not expecting my other favorite youtuber to be here

[@WooferCooker]

Totally makes sense why it even had a spot for the hard drive to begin with. Not to mention double USB’s and the single IEEE interface on the first generation phats. It was supposed to be a media machine! I suppose it dis meet that title after all since it still was the cheapest way to play a dvd at the time.

[@adrenaliner91]

You got a new subscriber! I didn't know this and this early 2K design of everything is still unmatched, so cool. And cool video. And... Unfortunately in my experience POPStarter never worked. Maybe because I'm european. German. Yeah, probably because I live in PAL-Land with a PAL PS2, oh well, my PSP, Vita, PSTV or PS3 can play PS1 if I wanted it on original hardware. - Oh and I loooove that you just used 4:3 for the video!