"In my ongoing attempt to stay relevant on the site, I once again reaffirm my possession of RM's 1, 2, & 3. And because of this, it is my duty (as a member of this site) to come up with equally relevant topics of discussion, be those topics questions or comments. It is also my duty to help others with their programming problems, such that more and better quality games proliferate on this site."

So I've been thinking lately (last year or so) that there is one glaring problem with me making VIKINGMAN!. This problem is not due to software limitations, or my inability to progress the story. (I have a full plot line, just needs the requisite fleshing out.) The issue is that I doubt that I could ever share my creation with you guys. It's not that I don't have a Dex Drive - I do - it's that I doubt that it will run on any modern computer. Frankly, I've always imagined you guys were all so haxxorz that you had a beat up old PC running Windows 98 or 2000 sitting in a corner somewhere, nursing it along all these years, with and for the expressed purpose of uploading your RM1 games with. And it's not just a software compatibility issue either; when was the last time you saw a new computer with a 9 pin serial port on the back?

To some extent many of those here at the Mag have decided to side step the issue. They emulate, and in doing so, bypassing the whole Dex Drive issue; that's fine. They probably saw it as the natural progression from the more "analog" game creation process. I however, do not emulate. And I am not alone.

So what am I to do? Well, one idea would be to fall back on the kindness of the community that has given me so much.
This is what I propose: We create a position here at the Mag (or the Pav, but one at each would be better,) whose responsibility is to manually upload RM1 games with a functional Dex Drive. The idea being that when one of us creates a game, but either has no drive or can't get the drive to work, we can mail this person our memory cards and they can do the service for us. (self addressed stamped envelope included for return postage, of course; PS1 memory cards are not exactly something you can just go out and buy anymore.)

Hopefully, this would get more people confident about making games, and also bring new users to the site as they would now have no excuse not to share their games. Additionally, because you sent the game through the mail, it would serve as proof you made it and then you have a legitimate claim to a copyright on your game should you choose to pursue that route.

So the last question then is: Any Volunteers?

So let me try and figure this out. You have everything you need to make a game, but doubt anyone will be able to play it because of obsolete hardware? That seems pretty silly to me. There will always be people here able to play whatever you make. I can't speak for others, but I do own a dusty Win 98 that I use only for gamesaves, so any game I want to play, I can. I'm only limited by PS3 saves.

I think what you're trying to say is that there should be a place where people can send in their memory cards and get them uploaded if they don't have the hardware to do it themselves, and I personally like the idea. There are too many projects I hear about that aren't played simply because someone doesn't own a dexdrive/maxdrive. The ideal candidate for this would also have a PS3 to upload it that way too.

There actually used to be such a service on the site. But I guess it disappeared when Mag v5 was implimented.

You bring up an interesting question, though. Has anybody been able to use DexDrive on Windows 7?

Oh yes, I use it all the time.

I had to get a serial port added to my computer. While not all new computers have a serial port, the motherboard of computers always have comports on the actual board. You can get one of these and a dex drive will connect without issue (not what I would really call haxxor, but whatever). I know some people use a USB to Serial adapter with somewhat success, but what I just linked is the way to go.

Actually, on Windows XP, the Dex Drive didn't seem to want to work a good deal of the time, but so far on 7, it's been working 100% of the time. Weird really. I thought it was an issue with the Dex Drive and not the OS. Maybe I'm just getting really lucky.

Either way, I do all my creating on memory cards. And I'll only emulate RM1 when I want to do test playing and don't feel like messing around with cards... or if I need to take screenshots or video. In fact, I don't know a sinlge person who's ever created a RM1 game on just emulation. I know a very select few who use PS3... but lets face it. Hardly ANYONE here both has a PS3 and prefers to use it for RM1 use.

So I take it Kire's...Who wrote the latest software update actually?

anyway, I take it that the dex drive software you can download is windows 7 compatible? Or is windows 7 just less fussy about what it runs?

Issue I have is that I personally have neither widows 7 or a computer with a serial port. Spose' I could swing into a Radio shack and see if they have one, but my computer is "in the shop," so i suppose i could just have my father in law add one. looks straight forward enough...

But bottom line is that I currently have no way to get a game off the memory card and on to a computer of any sort (save the console) and my ps3 is sadly not reverse compatible (bought it a bit to late I'm afraid). Not to mention that we had a discussion about how all the PlayStation versions encode data to cards a bit differently. This is my main concern. At least on MY end.

Bottom line though is that 1ce hit the nail on the head. That was exactly what i was getting at. I'm glad people like the idea; usually when I make a suggestion I either get categorically told why it is pointless due to some other thing "doing just fine" or "is sufficient the way it is" or get chewed out because of some fact that I was unaware of that makes the suggestion stupid to have even been made in the first place.

Every PS3 is compatible with PS1 games. every single one. and every PS3 can use the memory card adapter.

Valk is right. There isn't a single Playstation console (slim or fat) that can't play PS1 titles... including the slim PS3.

Also, there's always USB to Serial... not the best way to go, but it will work.

And honestly, I don't see changing the site to have a new function for one member who has an issue... when that one member can do something to fix that issue without having to change the site. Now, if this was a problem with a number of people, yeah, I'd think it would be something to consider.

But not all titles.

http://us.playstation.com/support/compatiblestatus/

I'm telling you that my ps3 won't play ps2 or ps1 titles. At all. I HAVE TRIED. They dropped reverse compatibility back in the middle of 09' and I just happened to get one of those annoying half done models that does not have the ports for controllers or memory cards, informs me, categorically, that if i put a ps1 or ps2 title into it, that it can't play ps1 or ps2 titles, and won't take the downloadable reverse compatibility upgrade. Found out the model number just happens to be in an annoying gray area after I tried that trick. However, I can make virtual memory cards on the damn thing just fine; go figure that one out.

seriously valk, why'd you think they dropped the price?

No, all PS3s play PS1 games. Every last one. I bought my nephew a slim PS3 for christmas last year, and he plays his PS1 spyro games on it all the time. All PS3s are PS1 compatible, because they sell downloadable PS1 games in the PS Store, and they want to sell those. It's PS2 games that the slim PS3s can't play.

No PS3 has ports for PS1/2 memory cards or controllers. there's a USB memory card adapter available seperately.

Oh. God. do I have to do this? Alright, here's a link.
This is Sony's Official site. Choose the CECHE01 option and put any PS1 title you like in there. (Spyro came up as a no go BTW.)

I'll save you a smug answer and tell you that this version does however take the reverse compatibility down load. Mine, a CECHH01 does not.
Proof:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090220194654AAIWEMn
http://www.rockfordpcrepair.com/ps3backwardscompatiblechart.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091229015349AATO74D <--interesting factoid
and the nail in the coffin Valk, again I refer you to Sony's official site:
http://us.playstation.com/support/answer/index.htm?a_id=232

After some exhaustive searching, I came up empty on the controller port claim, but I swear i saw a picture of a PS3 that had ps2 controller ports under the flip up door on the front, next to the Disk input slot. I know that is where the SD slots and other Multimedia slots are now, but I could have sworn that original PS3's had PS2 ports on them as an option.

But now this topic is getting off track. So I will tell you once more, because apparently it did not sink in the first time; I have tried ps1 titles in my ps3 and THEY DO NOT RUN. I'm not saying that ALL ps3's are not backwards compatible (you dolt) JUST MINE.

I've got a launch 60GB system. No controller ports. Just SD card, Memory Stick, and Compact Flash slots in that door.

The "backwards compatible" listing in those charts refers to PS2 games.

The old 80GB system can't play PS1 games?

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 1665772280

"Note: This model will not play PlayStation® 2 games, but is backwards compatible with select PS one™ games."

So maybe it only works with the downloadable PS1 games?

That's strange as hell, that there's actually one single model of PS3 that can't play PS1 games, while every other one can.