Parallel port on original Playstation

[Scooter]

Was the parallel port on the back of the original Playstation every really used for anything (official)?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Nope.

The serial port on the other hand was used for the System Link Cable and supported by quite a large number of games including all of the Ridge Racer and Wipeout games.

[Sparkster]

.

[SplashChick]

I had a GameShark that used it.

[newt42]

I'm pretty sure that Sony took the parallel port out of later models in responce to the gameshark. Nothing Sony-made was ever released for it.

[Scooter]

That's what I thought. I wonder what Sony was thinking when they included the port in ealier versions? I'm sure they didn't remove the port in later versions just to disallow the GameShark, they were simply removing a bit of hardware and saving on cost by eliminating something that had no apparent use.

[Hobie-wan]

That's what I thought. I wonder what Sony was thinking when they included the port in ealier versions? I'm sure they didn't remove the port in later versions just to disallow the GameShark, they were simply removing a bit of hardware and saving on cost by eliminating something that had no apparent use.

I'm sure they added it with the intention of using it. Think about all the consoles which had ports.

Famicom > disk system
NES > unused
Sfami > Satella or whatnot
SNES > unused in west as the CD never happened
MD/GEN > SCD
N64 > 64DD

etc.

They often added ports so they could expand if they decided later. Sometimes it happened, sometimes it didn't.

[Scooter]

That's what I thought. I wonder what Sony was thinking when they included the port in ealier versions? I'm sure they didn't remove the port in later versions just to disallow the GameShark, they were simply removing a bit of hardware and saving on cost by eliminating something that had no apparent use.

I'm sure they added it with the intention of using it. Think about all the consoles which had ports.

Famicom > disk system
NES > unused
Sfami > Satella or whatnot
SNES > unused in west as the CD never happened
MD/GEN > SCD
N64 > 64DD

etc.

They often added ports so they could expand if they decided later. Sometimes it happened, sometimes it didn't.

Saturn had a port too.

[Hobie-wan]

Saturn had a port too.

Yeah, and the only use I know of it had was a card for playing VCDs that only came out in the east. Of course the Gamecube had 3 ports on it, thus the etc.

[silverback]

Saturn had a port too.

Yeah, and the only use I know of it had was a card for playing VCDs that only came out in the east. Of course the Gamecube had 3 ports on it, thus the etc.

my saturn has the VCD card in it, came with it. UK model.