An electronics enthusiast has recreated a motherboard for the PS1 from scratch. And it's not from Sony. This unique project promises to revive consoles that have been dead for years, at a low price.
For over 20 years, the first PlayStation has influenced a whole generation of gamers. In recent years, retro consoles have been making a comeback, as demonstrated by the launch of the R²one, a modern console inspired by the PS1. However, for those who want to restore an original model, solutions remained rare and expensive. Collectors and retro-gaming enthusiasts alike were often forced to abandon their broken consoles.
An Italian engineer, Lorentio Brodesco, has just changed that. He presented his nsOne project on Reddit, for “Not Sony’s One”: a PS1 motherboard designed from an original model that was disassembled, scanned, and analyzed by hand. Built with simple tools and a lot of patience, this reverse-engineering work quickly attracted the interest of enthusiasts. The latter then launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production. The goal is clear: to allow all enthusiasts to recreate a functional console from original components.
The nsOne board allows you to repair a PS1 with original components and an official case
The nsOne is neither an emulated console nor a modern replica under FPGA. It is a complete motherboard, compatible with all the original components of a PlayStation: processor, memory, graphics chips, power supply, and more. It even uses the exact format of the compact PS1 models (PU-23 series) to fit into an official case. Better still, it reintroduces a parallel port absent from the latest versions, making this model unique.
Available from €40 for the bare board, or €95 with the chips already mounted, the nsOne quickly exceeded its funding goal. All passive components are new, which improves reliability compared to vintage models. The creator also promises to share documentation and technical files with the community. A boon for those who want to restore their PlayStation 1 without breaking the bank, or simply preserve a piece of video game history.
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