My small collection of
odd computers and video game consoles.
The GAMARS VCD card is not all that uncommon, but I felt that it deserved
a place in these pages just because it's so neat. I picked up mine
for $15 at a local pawn shop (Pawn Doctors is great) - no
box, instructions, or anything... but it works fine. I find it funny
that I got it there. See, when I first was questing for a VCD card,
I was first going to stop by a local internet retailer called BaySoft
Games with my friend Steve (his idea, long story). It turned
no one was there at the time... so I stopped by
Pawn Doctors.
That's where I found my X'Eye... Months
later I stop by and low and behold... my VCD card for a much cheaper price.
I had to get a spring from a friends later version of this card.
He has a mod chip in his PSX, so he didn't need it.
The GAMARS VCD card lives in infamy. With it's "Press any Ley"
menu aside, it's probably the best unlicensed accessory for the PSX.
It plays Video CDs (not DVDs), which any Anime fan knows is really
the only way to watch those Fansubs you downloaded off of Hotline (finding
software to convert and burn your own is easy). You can also buy
professional VCD burns - but there are so many pirated movies selling out
there that it's hard to find new ones. There are four versions of this
card in existence that I'm aware of. I have the most basic version
- it just plays VCDs. You toggle between VCD and Game setting via
a switch on top. There is another, almost identical looking version
that also works as a game shark-like accessory. These two units will only fit on first
and second generation systems that have the expansion port on the rear. GAMARS also released an uglier version
pair which do the same thing, only they just look like gray boxes.
I've seen the VCD only card retail around $45-$65, and the combination
cheat-code version usually sells for $60-$80 (or at least they did in 2002 when I wrote this). Of course, none of these will
work on the newer PSOne design, or the PS2. This card is the reason
my PSX didn't hit the shelves of my storage room for several years. |
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