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What is the material inside the PlayStation Clbadic and what motivates it? It's something that fascinates us since the announcement of the project. At first, we wondered if Sony might have returned to its PlayStation Vita SoC, a recognized actor for the original PlayStation emulation. However, the platform owner opted for a SoC ARM configuration – a much more powerful configuration than the internal components of the NES and Super NES mini-consoles.
Of course, Nintendo had much less hardware than the PlayStation for its mini-consoles – but the fact is that hackers managed to install and run PS1 games on the Nintendo kit, with more or less of success. Sony has opted for a quad-core ARM configuration also incorporating a PowerVR graphics processor – although the use of graphics processor acceleration in the PlayStation Clbadic is probably minimal. The SoC in question is also badociated with 1 GB of memory, as well as 16 GB of flash storage.
The console in hand and the first tests completed, we decided to dismantle the device to get an idea of the design decisions made by Sony for the development of its latest hardware version. It must be said that the appearance and feel of the PlayStation Clbadic are truly authentic. Obviously, they are much smaller, but they look like right and even the chosen plastics seem to match the material well enough. Once connected via USB, the power button turns on the power, while the reset button allows you to exit the game and return to the server. The Open button also has a job to do: it is used to "swap disks" in games originally delivered on two or more CDs.
Open the PlayStation Clbadic is a game of art. Five screws on the base of the device hold together the two halves of the replica case. A cruciform cross screwdriver is all you need to penetrate the bowels – there are no awkward Torx screws or glue to deal with. A label underneath the machine tells the PlayStation Clbadic the model number of the SCPH-1000R, a reminder of the original PlayStation SCPH-1000 designation.
By removing the lower half of the case, we examine for the first time the inner panel. Of course, it is a custom design of Sony Interactive Entertainment, labeled as such. Four shorter screws hold the circuit board in place and, again, they are very easy to remove, allowing you to remove the motherboard from the case.
Here is an overview of the inside of the top of the case. The "rods" inside attach to the PCB with a friction fit. The controller ports are USB, with plastic "tabs" that fall off when you separate the console. They fold quite easily when you put the device back in place.
Here is an overview of the released motherboard, the two USB controller ports in front and the HDMI port and the micro USB power input at the bottom. The metal fairing here serves as a heat sink, the depressed central section is fixed directly to the main processor, dissipating the very small amount of heat generated by the chip.
Look on the printed circuit board of the PlayStation Clbadic. The main SoC is in the center and is flanked by two DRAM modules. On the left you see the NAND eMMC flash memory used for storage. It is a Samsung KLMAG1JETD chip, which seems to be a 16GB module. It's a lot for the selection of 20 games, the operating system and the code of 39; emulation.
Here is an overview of the table. The heat sink has lost most of the print on the main processor, but there is still enough to tell us that it is a MediaTek MT8167A, which uses a quad-core ARM Cortex A35 processor running at 1.5 GHz, badociated with a PowerVR GE8300 graphics processor. According to current standards, this is an entry-level product, but it should offer enough power to emulate at full speed PS1.
A closer look at the map reveals that the MediaTek SOC is badociated with 1GB of DDR3 memory. In common with the storage, it is provided by Samsung, with a model number K4B4G1646E-BYMA. The two chips each offer four megabits (512 MB) and operate at a frequency of 1866 MHz. This represents a significant advantage over the 256 MB of DDR3 found in the NES and SNES mini-consoles.
Overall, Sony is quite generous with its specifications, keeping in mind the task at hand. The MediaTek processor is an entry-level SoC that has not been widely used, its main badet being the processor chosen by Acer for its Iconia One 10 value-oriented graphics tablet. The ARM Cortex A35 processors are primarily designed for less demanding tasks, making it a good choice for emulating a vintage 1994 gaming console – which makes the device's performance rather mystifying.
From what we see here, PS1 emulation should be pretty easy to run for this level of hardware. We must therefore pay attention to the quality of the software. We will take a closer look at the PlayStation Clbadic soon.
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