Greetings gaming enthusiasts,
I’m happy to announce I have a new product, called the PlayBaby.
If you’re interested in what the PlayBaby offers (read on for details), it can be purchased from Tindie here
PlayBaby is a compact and efficient PlayStation AV Multi-out to DSUB (with 3.5mm audio-output) for your PlayStation 1 and 2 gaming consoles; to output 15Khz (240p) and 480p video.
On PlayStation 2 systems, this adapter will automatically handle both:
RGBs [composite sync 240p games]
RGsB [sync-on-green (SoG) 480p games]
There is no human intervention required, the adapter will automatically detect change in resolution from the PlayStation.
Note that this device does not upscale or do any sort of transcoding; it merely handles PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 signals gracefully, in particular the resolution-mode changes from the PS2 which change from sync-over-composite-video/luma; to sync-on-green when changing from 240p to 480p content.
Finally, no more poor quality, clunky, unshielded, leaky capacitor SCART cables; convert your PlayStation output to shielded VGA connection right away!
Some features of this board:
Onboard power filtering through decoupling capacitors
No external power required
No buttons to manage
Dual sync separators and cleaners
Clean RGBs output
Female D-Sub connector output
3.5mm audio jack output
High quality PCB in matte black finish
All PlayStation 1 games are output as a 15Khz RGB (240p) RGB signal, you will have to either:
Utilize a proper monitor that can support this signal natively. Generally this includes most CRT equipment, professional broadcast gear, and some specialized modern LED/TFT/VA flat panels.
Connect the output from this device, to a video upscaler which can scale from 240p to 480p (or higher resolution), such that it can be displayed on modern equipment.
All PS2 games are capable of 240p via the PlayBaby; so the above bullets still apply.
However some PS2 games can be forced into 480p mode if hold down "triangle + x" as the game is booting. You will then receive a message box which allows you to enable progressive scan. In some cases, progressive scan is an option in the menus within the game itself. You can view a list of 480p supported games on my website here.
Note that the PlayBaby is very similar in design goals to the SyncBaby, which I’ve sold for a number of years - and is targeted towards the Super Nintendo. It can also be purchased off Tindie here. My next project will be a similar adapter for the Sega Dreamcast. I’m anticipating to have that ready for December 2021. The long term goal is to have a DSUB option for majority of consoles, phasing out SCART for those who choose to do so (or want the option to do so).
To best of my knowledge, this is the first DSUB adapter available for the PS1/PS2 gaming console. There was an official VGA cable made for the PS2 that came packaged with a distribution of Linux on the PS2; however the cable reportedly only worked with the Linux distribution (for some reason). Nonetheless, both the cable and the Linux distribution are very rare, and often exceed $400 on eBay!
Thanks for your support to date. I know these emails are rather unsolicited but they are few and far between, and targeted only towards existing customers.
Hope you are staying safe,
CC