The Ultimate Guide To PSX CD-Rs

[alexfree]

https://alex-free.github.io/psx-cdr/

This is the result of years of research, $$, time, testing, etc in regards to CD-R performance with the PSX. I really struggled using a $30 Wallmart burner and Maxell/'fake' Verbatim CD-Rs personally when I first got into the PSX.

It was a perfect storm of a bad burner, bad media, and nearly 30 year old CD-ROM drive hardware (that wasn't exactly high quality to begin with) in dire need of a refurb. I of course knew none of that in 2021, and I really just wanted to get it down to a science. I couldn't understand why the situation was so dire. Modchips existed since IIRC '96, and people used things like the PSX Change boot discs back in ~2000. So what had changed in 20+ years? Why does everyone seem to have issues playing CD-Rs on the original hardware?

I think with my refurb and PSX CD-R guides I have figured that out. The number one Github issues with the various soft-mods for the PSX are 'X game does not boot/X game freezes at this point' and almost every time it is a disc read issue that I can't reproduce on my hardware. It is telling because most of these issues are it locking up right before a FMV is played, or audio stuttering/cutting out. Finally with these guides, I can point someone to some more useful advice other then (does it read the disc if you turn the console vertical?: https://github.com/alex-free/tonyhax/is ... 1578802945 ) lol.