First Handheld PSone
The homegrown PalmPSone shows how much a regular gamer can do.
August 04, 2004 - Refusing to wait for Sony to release the PSP, Brian Gardiner has developed his own handheld solution. Dubbed the PalmPSone, Brian's creation packs a PSone and a PSone LCD screen into one device that can be played with one person or linked up to another device for two-player action. With practically zero engineering and electronics experience, this 27 year-old Xerox employee has managed to make his own version of handheld gaming bliss.
The main impetus behind the whole project was Nintendo's GameBoy Advance. Brian told us that he felt that the technology was primitive and that Nintendo was taking its fans for granted with what was basically a portable Super Nintendo. The only available solution was to take the already diminutive PSone and make it portable. What followed was a three month learning process where Brian learned the required technology as different problems in the project surfaced.
The first steps were to rip apart a PSone, a controller, and a PSone LCD screen and figuring out how to get them all to fit together. All of this was helped out with various sources of technical information. The truly big hurdle, according to Brian, was creating the case to house the entire thing. This required learning SolidWorks, a CAD program where he created a 3D model. After fine-tuning the case, the file was sent to a rapid prototyping company where two cases were made with a machine that glues several slices of the design together to form the final shape.
The only reason that two were made is because there's a quantity discount, but this led to two final versions being made as well. Brian told us that that's as many as he's willing to make so far. Since the parts and technology are all coming from Sony, Brian felt that it was best that he didn't sell any of the PalmPSones to anybody despite the estimated $500 it cost him for each one.
Gamers shouldn't be too disappointed since the nickel metal hydride batteries that power the PalmPSone provide a whopping one and a half hours of continuous gameplay. Also, the CD drive is attached to the back and is an open-faced design. That means that the spinning disc is open to the elements and wayward fingers. Since the addition of a cover would have cost another $100, it was scrapped in the final design.
So far, response to the website has been mostly from people who have supported Brian in his efforts as well as inquiries as to when they might be able to purchase such an item. There have been no comments or emails from anyone at Sony Computer Entertainment America. With no future plans for selling any of the devices, this shouldn't be a problem.
Still, the fact that someone was so willing and dedicated to creating their own handheld PSone is impressive in and of itself. Brian was able to go from knowing nearly nothing to creating a full-fledged product in just a few months. It may seem daunting, but according to Brian, "If you want to do something bad enough, you'll figure it out."
Check out Brian's site, www.palmpsone.com for images and extra information about the device.
Kilde: IGN
The homegrown PalmPSone shows how much a regular gamer can do.
August 04, 2004 - Refusing to wait for Sony to release the PSP, Brian Gardiner has developed his own handheld solution. Dubbed the PalmPSone, Brian's creation packs a PSone and a PSone LCD screen into one device that can be played with one person or linked up to another device for two-player action. With practically zero engineering and electronics experience, this 27 year-old Xerox employee has managed to make his own version of handheld gaming bliss.
The main impetus behind the whole project was Nintendo's GameBoy Advance. Brian told us that he felt that the technology was primitive and that Nintendo was taking its fans for granted with what was basically a portable Super Nintendo. The only available solution was to take the already diminutive PSone and make it portable. What followed was a three month learning process where Brian learned the required technology as different problems in the project surfaced.
The first steps were to rip apart a PSone, a controller, and a PSone LCD screen and figuring out how to get them all to fit together. All of this was helped out with various sources of technical information. The truly big hurdle, according to Brian, was creating the case to house the entire thing. This required learning SolidWorks, a CAD program where he created a 3D model. After fine-tuning the case, the file was sent to a rapid prototyping company where two cases were made with a machine that glues several slices of the design together to form the final shape.
The only reason that two were made is because there's a quantity discount, but this led to two final versions being made as well. Brian told us that that's as many as he's willing to make so far. Since the parts and technology are all coming from Sony, Brian felt that it was best that he didn't sell any of the PalmPSones to anybody despite the estimated $500 it cost him for each one.
Gamers shouldn't be too disappointed since the nickel metal hydride batteries that power the PalmPSone provide a whopping one and a half hours of continuous gameplay. Also, the CD drive is attached to the back and is an open-faced design. That means that the spinning disc is open to the elements and wayward fingers. Since the addition of a cover would have cost another $100, it was scrapped in the final design.
So far, response to the website has been mostly from people who have supported Brian in his efforts as well as inquiries as to when they might be able to purchase such an item. There have been no comments or emails from anyone at Sony Computer Entertainment America. With no future plans for selling any of the devices, this shouldn't be a problem.
Still, the fact that someone was so willing and dedicated to creating their own handheld PSone is impressive in and of itself. Brian was able to go from knowing nearly nothing to creating a full-fledged product in just a few months. It may seem daunting, but according to Brian, "If you want to do something bad enough, you'll figure it out."
Check out Brian's site, www.palmpsone.com for images and extra information about the device.
Kilde: IGN
