Debug PS1, need video assistance

[Mayhem]

Somehow found a blue Japanese debug PS1 in Game today! Quite amazing... someone for whatever reason traded one in. Anyhow PAL PS1 games play fine on it, but US games only come out in b&w. Now my TV handles NTSC and PAL fine with everything else I've thrown at it, so this is a bit bizarre. Don't have an RGB cable to test with it though. Any thoughts?

[yashiro]

You sure its japanese? I would not be suprised if a PAL Debug deck behaved as you describe.

[Papercut]

If it is Japanese or US it will say ntsc 110v on the bottom of it.

I'd be surprised if Game sold you a machine with a stepdown, but I guess someone could have replaced the psu.

You could tell by seeing whether the system menu boots at 50 or 60Hz.

[Mayhem]

I did a search on the serial number. It is a PAL debug unit. Strange thing is though, it's running off 110V (complete with 2 pin flat plug) and needs a stepdown to operate properly. Maybe because it came from Japan...? And all of the ports etc marked on the machine are in Japanese. I'm guessing to get a colour picture through it for any game I'll need an RGB cable then? Should be no problem to find one... PS2 RGB cables work fine on the PS1 right?

[yashiro]

Aye the cables are compatible. It should work fine BUT you may be unlucky and find it won't do colour for ntsc games at all.

[yashiro]

Quick! report back, the suspense is killing me! >_<

Incidentally does it use the standard figure 8 power lead or an external transformer box?

[Mayhem]

Find one as in buy one... don't have an RGB lead for the PS2 at the mo heh...

It's the standard figure 8 power lead... to a 2 pin plug on the other end. And then a stepdown to plug it into our power sockets. Both the power lead AND stepdown came with the unit when I bought it... yep the muppets in Game had no ****ing clue what they had! The stepdown is hand labelled 30W and is well... let's just say you'd never see it on sale in Maplins, it looks like something you'd cobble together in a physics lab out of spare parts

[yashiro]

Nah man, those stepdowns are the best ones.

[mt50]

how much did you pay for the console then?

[Mayhem]

Same price as what Game were selling the rest of their second hand PS1s for: ?20