A new firmware update has just been released for the new and upcoming PlayStation optical drive emulator (ODE), the X-station. While users who pre-ordered their units before late September are expecting to receive them very soon, the project’s main developer ramapcsx2 addressed some bugs, improved compatibility and ameliorated the overall presentation of the X-station, all within the 1.0.2 update.
A new dark them has been added to the rather simplistic but practical menu and the user’s choice can now be saved into the SD-card. The options menu has been reworked from the ground-up and more 3rd party controllers are now compatible with the X-station.
Here’s the full list of bugs fixes, new features and improvements that early adopters of the X-station will be getting with firmware 1.0.2:
- Faster DSP command parsing for improved stability
- Fixed “Fantastic Pinball Kyuutenkai” black screening
- Interrupt priority balancing
- Added a Dark Theme
- You can now choose your theme from the Options menu
- All options saved to SD card
- Restructured the Options Menu
- Improved third-party controller support
- Fixed an issue with “Castlemania SotN” through fastboot
- Many more fastboot improvements
The update process is pretty straight-forward. It only requires extracting the downloaded archive into a folder labeled “00xstation” on the SD-card, then selecting Update Firmware from the options menu, once the X-station loader has fully booted.
Castlemania Games, the main provider of the X-station is currently in the testing/programming phase right before shipping the Wave 1 units out. Users will most probably receive the X-station with firmware 1.0.2 pre-flashed, but if that won’t be the case, updating is quick and easy just like mentioned above.
UPDATE: Ryan from Castlemania Games confirmed to me that all the X-station units ordered from his shop will ship with the latest firmware flashed right onto them.
XStation's are currently being programmed/ tested. Shipping begins tomorrow, Friday. We expect that it will take us about a week to ship everything so please hold on the "just checking on my order" emails please 🙂
We will try to keep you all updated on where we are at as we go. pic.twitter.com/hDY073l97M— CastleMania Games (@CastleManiaRyan) October 22, 2020
At this point I cannot but mention LaserBear‘s great 3d printed SD-card tray, that has been carefully designed around the X-station, giving the subject console a factory look.
- Download the X-station latest firmware: https://github.com/x-station/xstation-releases/releases
- Buy LaserBear’s 3d printed SD-card tray: https://laserbear.net/shop/ols/products/ps1-xstation-sd-card-mount
- Pre-order the X-station from Castlemania Games: https://castlemaniagames.com/products/xstation
Samsung (MB-ME256GA/AM) 256GB 100MB/s (U3) MicroSDXC EVO Select Memory Card with Full-Size Adapter
(24470) $51.99 $44.99
