PSX, PS2, Saturn etc via VGA Is there a way to hook my PSX, PS2, Saturn, Xbox etc up to a VGA monitor like I do with my Dreamcast? If so how easy/difficult is it and would the end result be worth it? At the minute I've got various consoles either attached to various TV's about the place or packed away in boxes and like the idea of having all my older consoles in one place at the same time instead of strewn across three different rooms. Thanks for any and all advice or pointers :nod:
Possible? Yes. Worth it? Not really, unless you're willing to spend plenty of money on a VGA box that isn't crap.
You have to upscale the picture. Only decent way is an XRGB. There's an XRGB-2 for sale in the marketplace for £150.
For the PlayStation exists an official Upscan Converter: http://www.mogan.com.tw/html/auctionItem.php?item_id=w56919723 model no. SLPH-00016
That's awesome. Did that come with the Linux setup thingy that Sony sold for a while? I thought it only worked with Linux and some other software.
PS2 in 480p can output a VGA signal (so no converter required)... as long as your TV supports SoG for VGA. Hence the great big list of monitors that do/do not work with PS2 Linux. It can be done on the Xbox but it requires additional hardware (an LM1881 and some other stuff, iirc) as well as a custom BIOS. The other systems (PSX, Saturn) will need a upscaler of some kind as they're only capable of 480i RGB output at best, which is below VGA spec.
Thanks for the feedback, I thought it would be relatively easy but evidently not. Looks like I'll be leaving things the way they are for the time being at least.
It's a licensed product, hence the SLPH = Sony Licensed PlayStation Hardware.I wonder if it works on both the PS1 and PS2? I found more pictures at this site: http://www.modcontrol.com/Board/ps2-hardware/18117-ps1-ps2-original-vga-up-scan-converter.html It's commom to see these in Japan? PS: Thanks to internet archive i found this: http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20050306222050/http://www.waka.co.jp/music/slph-00016.html Looks like it works on PS1 and PS2. Any ideas if it works with any VGA monitor? I'm kinda interested on this.
Japanese Message Board with pics of PS2 games running on VGA through the SLPH-00016: http://bbs.a9vg.com/thread-499657-1-1.html
Well, you need the VGA adapter cable from the PS2 Linux kit and the Xploder HDTV disc to force the VGA mode for games. A wide range of LCDs support Sync-On-Green, but a lot of CRT monitors don't support it.
There's also the Blaze disc (lower compatibility though iirc), and I'm sure I read about homebrew elfs that did the same, if you've got the means to run them. I did try and get my chipped PS2 working for 640x480 VGA (480p), can't remember exactly where I got to but I never got an image on my Sony CRT.
I found a guy who makes a homemade PS2 VGA cable, but it needs a SoG green monitor and a Boot disc to make the VGA output work. Do you think it's worth it? Still, can anyone translated the link i posted earlier?
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/...-ps2-vga-cable-jogue-ps2-no-monitor-do-pc-_JM 60 Reais (about 37 dollars) + shipping. It seems that it's this project: https://docs.google.com/View?docid=dwn8sn8_0gmmd6z Looks like it need that HDTV Explorer software to make it work, but some games don't "like it". Also, the screen is not fully filled, looking a bit offcenter. Some pics: http://img338.imageshack.us/i/dsc02056wv9.jpg/ http://img470.imageshack.us/i/dsc02059qw7.jpg/ http://img126.imageshack.us/i/dsc02066sp1.jpg/ I still think the upscan converter it's the better solution. The SLPH-00016 or even this one made by Hori: http://www.ncsx.com/2004/ncs080204/upscan.htm The problem is to find decent reviews and pictures of it working, so we can make a decision to look for them. EDITED: Found this comment on the Hori Upscan Converter: I have the Hori Upscan Converter 2. If your planning to use it on a LCD screen I wouldn't get it. The converter only outputs to 640X480. And as most know that resolution on a LCD does not look great. Needless to say I was less then impressed with the results. The image is kinda fuzzy. And the sharpness control for the converter doesn't do much to help it. Of coarse it could also be my shitty Dell LCD monitor as well To be honest Im thinking of selling it. If you are still interested send me a pm. And this review. in French: http://www.metagames-eu.com/bonus/Article272_Test-VGA-BOX-Hori-Upscan-Converter-2.php And this. in Japanese: http://ta3.jp/game/upscan/
I'd say that's too much. Always a threat with analogue RGB signals. Most VGA CRT monitors should have horizontal position adjustments... TVs are luck of the draw. The Hori one will almost certainly be crap unless it's expensive (and honestly I'd have to see the official Sony one in person before considering buying it). It takes a lot of hardware to take an analogue 480i signal, capture it digitally, deinterlace/upscale to whatever resolution, and then convert back to analogue VGA. The process is inherently lossy (we're in the analogue domain to begin with, but worse, the transition from a 15.6kHz signal to a 31.2kHz signal requires the addition of digital electronics) so it's always a case of the hardware needing to be as high quality as possible. Consequently any cheap box just won't do a good job of it.
Yeah, i know that. Anyway, i'm mostly curious about the SLPH-00016 made by Waka. Even though it only outputs 480i, i think that's just perfect for PS1 games. It's probably difficult to find those these days, but i think it would be a perfect match for a PS1 and a good VGA CRT monitor. And since most PS2 games are 480i, i think it's a nice product for the PS2 as well. It may be not be the best upscaler avaiable, but a good one costs a lot. XRGB's are the proof. Still, i can't read japanese (and online translators make the text impossible to understand), so i can't confirm it's a good product. In the end, i'm just surprised to see that there was an officially licensed PS1 Upscaler. EDITED: Yet another japanese site i found, talking about the SLPH-00016 http://www6.shizuokanet.ne.jp/suzukike/ps_iken/ps23.htm
If it only outputs 480i then it won't be a good match for the vast majority of VGA CRT monitors - 480i is a 15.6kHz signal and most CRT monitors won't cope with that. Even if it did output 480p instead that wouldn't be a particularly good match for PS1 games, since many run in 240p and by all likelihood the box doing the upscan would linedouble, which won't look right.
