PlayStation
The PlayStation (known early in development as the PlayStation EXperimental, or PSX), Sony's first video-game console, was launched in 1994. The system was widely popular and quickly became the best selling home console to date, only to be passed by its successor, the PlayStation 2.
It was initially set to be an add-on for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System as an answer to Sega's Sega CD. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony transformed it into the PlayStation video game console. Ironically the game system that was suppose to help Nintendo hindered them instead since the Final Fantasy games from VII onwards were released on the Sony Platform instead of the successor of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System the Nintendo 64 due to space restraints and other technological hindrances.
The PSone (also PSone, or PS1) was a smaller and redesigned version, released in 2000. Sony also released a small LCD screen and an adapter to power the unit for use in cars. The PSX is fully compatible with all PlayStation software.
Controls[edit | edit source]
Controlling the on-screen characters is achieved through the use of a hand-held device known simply as a "controller", which plugs into the front of the console via a long, thin cord. Controllers for the PSX originated as gray in color with black buttons, but adapted to an array of colors as the console grew in popularity. The characters on the buttons are depicted in different colors.
Controlling the movement of the character is executed through the Left-Analogue stick, a joystick type control with a swivel joint with a knob that fits the thumb for easier maneuvering. The Right-Analogue stick generally controls camera angles, but can be used to change the direction the character faces while the Left-Analogue permits North, South, East, and West movement. The D-Pad (or Directional Pad) serves as menu-navigators but can also be used as a secondary means for moving the character on-screen. The other four buttons on the right-side of the controller function differently between games. Starting from the top and moving clock-wise, there is the green Triangle (▲), the purple Square (■), the blue cross (X), and the red circle (●). In Chrono Cross, Circle opens the list of Key Items, Triangle opens the menu where gear and Elements are allocated, and the cross button simply allows progression of dialogue and any other selection function.
On the top rim of the controller are the L- and R- buttons. In the center of the controller are the Start and Select buttons. Start typically allows the game's progress to pause. Pressing Start again should unpause the game session.
Chrono (Series) titles for PS[edit | edit source]
- Chrono Trigger re-release on Final Fantasy Anthology.
- Chrono Cross
Emulation[edit | edit source]
An Emulator is a program that allows console video games to be played on Personal Computers. The name emulator literally refers to the fact that the console's video game playing behavior is emulated. PlayStation emulators, such as ePSXe, allow games such as Chrono Cross to be playable on computers. Generally illegal, as the games played upon them are illegally acquired copies, use of emulation is permissible when one owns original copies of the games played on them and has no reasonable way to play the game on the original console, or wishes to emulate the game to receive screenshots. Legal specifics regarding Video game console emulators differs with each project, and the Terms of Use for each emulator is also detailed by the creators.
Other Square Titles for the PlayStation[edit | edit source]
- Final Fantasy VII
- Dragon Warrior VII
- Torenko: The Last Hope
- Front Mission: The First
- Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together