PSxMemCard Gen2

Two days ago I finally pulled out the Bitfunx PSxMemCard Gen2 memory card for the PS1 and PS2 that I brought back from America to solve a very specific problem: moving a save file from RetroPie to an actual PS1.

The Bitfunx PSxMemCard Gen2 memory card

To the interest of no one, I’ve been creating an AI media empire focused around Madden 2001. I got almost to the playoffs back in February, but lost momentum given other interests, concerns, etc. One of those interests was seeing if the season I’m playing on the RetroPie emulator could be loaded onto a memory card that I could plug into the original hardware using an actual disc.

PS1 with Madden 2001 and the PSxMemCard Gen2 memory card in Slot 1

I understand purity and perfection are the pursuit of fools in retro gaming, but one must dream. That brings us back to the PSxMemCard Gen2 memory card, which runs on the open source project SD2PSX, essentially an open source solution for PlayStation 1 and 2 memory cards—there’s something for everyone on the World Wide Web. The PSxMemCard Gen2 is the hardware you can buy that plugs into your PlayStation and, through a mini SD card, allows you to load save files pulled from emulator or FPGA systems such as RetroPie, Batocera, MiSTer, etc. Are you following me?*

The PSxMemCard Gen2 OLED screen

The memory card has an OLED screen with some basic navigation controls in button 1 (BT1) and button 2 (BT2) you can click quickly to move up and down and press longer to actually select the menu item you’re on. It’s a wonky system, but it kind of works. You can choose between various cards, and within each card are banks of cards (card1-1.mcd, card1-2.mcd, card1-3.mcd, etc.). It defaults to 8 cards with 8 banks each (I believe), but as you can see in the image below, you can add more cards. Depending on the space on the SD card, you can have seemingly infinite save files within each “sleeve of a giant CD wallet.”†

File directory on the mini SD card for the PSxMemCard Gen2

When I first inserted the memory card, I was unclear where to put my save file from RetroPie. Some advice online suggested renaming it using the original PS1 game code, which for Madden 2001 is SLUS-01241.mcd. I changed the save file to that filename and added it to the PS1 folder (not in any specific directory) and got nothing. That was advice from Gemini, to be specific.

I then took the above image of the mini SD card file directory and uploaded it to ChatGPT asking for advice. It recommended I rename SLUS-01241.mcd to one of the card names in the Card1 directory (such as Card1-1.mcd, Card1-2.mcd, etc.). I renamed SLUS-01241.mcd to Card1-8.mcd and replaced the file in the Card1 directory with the renamed Madden 2001 save file. I then selected the card (directory) and channel (file) on the OLED screen as Card 1 and Channel 8, and it worked.

Jets vs Patriots playoff game for the AI Maddeness season now playing on OG PS1 hardware and disc

I had to turn to the web for help because the pamphlet that came with the card was fairly useless. The practice of uploading an image of what I see and getting pointed support from ChatGPT is really useful in these cases.

Next step is getting an RCA composite splitter so I can plug the PS1 directly into my NTSC 27″ TV while having another feed going out to a Yolobox (or maybe my laptop) through the RetroTINK 5X so I can stream the game with some fidelity. I’ll save that struggle for a different post; it’s just one battle after another with retro gaming.

*It gets more complicated because you can load homebrew onto these memory cards and actually play games loaded on the mini SD card, but I am not going there just yet. It was hard enough for me to just get a save file running.

†This analogy comes from ChatGPT, and I’m not sure I love it. I think of it more as a memory card wallet, but I understand why it was pushing the CD wallet idea given we used to have those CD carry cases. For the analogy to really work, though, it would have to be pages within a CD carry case, no? Anyway, work with us….