The RG351P is one of the most amazing retro gaming emulators to hit the market.
This pocket wonder has the capability to play retro games from consoles and computer systems from the 70s right the way up to the 00s.
It’s well known that older games such as Commodore 64, Master System, NES and even up to Mega Drive and Sega Saturn play well on the RG351P – but what about PS1 games?
The RG351P has the ability to play PS1 games using the built-in lr-pcsx_rearmed emulator. Many PS1 ROMs play well on the RG351P although some of the more demanding games can run slow and choppy at times. Reconfiguring the lr-pcsx_rearmed settings to Buffering mode can help with performance.
Playstation launched the first Playstation PS1 console way back in 1994 which often comes as a big surprise to most.
The PS2 followed in 2000, and the PS3 came along six years later in 2006. The PS4 followed in 2013 and it wasn’t until 2020 when Playstation launched the incredibly popular and sought after PS5 console.
Considering other gaming consoles were also targeting the 32-bit console market in the early to mid-90s such as the 32X Mega Drive extension, the 3DO, Dreamcast and Saturn, it was Sony’s Playstation 1 that took dominance in the market and led the path to Sony’s industry lead in the gaming market for 30 years now.
We put our RG351P to the ultimate test against a range of good quality PS1 games, as well as comparing these to our own PS1 console to see whether we really can create a great PS1 game playing experience on the RG351P.
Play-ability of PS1 Games on the RG351P
In the days of online gaming and the processing capabilities of consoles such as the PS5, it’s easy to forget just how much of an impact games on the PS1 had on us when we were young.
Booting up the RG351P and playing the PS1 games I own here was such a nostalgic trip.
Not the nostalgic trip of playing the beeping pixelated retro games from the 70s and 80s, but how excited we were at the sight of true arcade quality graphics in our bedrooms.
I opened Colin McRae 2.0 and my jaw literally dropped at the visuals.
They are nothing compared to the ultra realistic racing games that can now be downloaded via an XBox Pass, but the PS1 took racing games from cartoon animations, such as Outrun and Super Hang-On, and delivered an almost arcade perfect driving experience – minus the steering wheel and pedals of course – although these were optional extras.
I’m watching the intro video sequence for the game as I type this, yet to actually press start, but I can feel the anticipation already building.
Graphics are great, animations sequences are absorbing, but ultimately the true test of playability is the handling and controls.
Can the RG351P deliver an authentic PS1 playing experience?
Yes it can!
Some may argue the transfer of PS1 games on to a smaller 3.5 inch screen diminishes playability, and there certainly is a point to be made there, but Playstation also launched the PSP in 2005 which did exactly the same thing.
As long as the controls have been configured properly within the settings of the PS1 emulator within the RG351P, the games handle relatively well.
The d-pad, buttons and sticks are no match for an authentic PS1 controller, as shown below for comparison, but equally they come in a close second.
For anyone worried that PS1 games couldn’t possibly be played on a hand held retro device, think again, you may be pleasantly surprised.
PS1 Games on RG351P vs the PS1 Console
What better way to test how well the RG351P manages PS1 games than to play them together!
We chose a number of classic games we owned from our teenage years and really put the RG351P through its paces!
Disney’s Tarzan
All Disney film inspired games will come with a ton of PR and get a ton of recognition.
Disney’s Tarzan didn’t launch on the PS1 until 1999, six years after the Playstation hit the shelves, which isn’t surprising as the Disney film of the same name wasn’t released until the same year.
The opening scene animation looks really nice, clear and crisp on the RG351P, which acts as a full animation trailer of sorts for the game.
This powerful animation sequence runs as smooth on the RG351P as playing a DVD, or these days, of course, streaming a film off Disney Plus!
The game itself runs super smoothly.
Tarzan is a 3D type platformer game that gives the appearance of Mowgli being closer to the screen as well as further away at time, and also the ability to climb trees.
Collecting coins whilst avoiding baboons, monkeys and lemurs is the name of the game, whilst collecting letters to spell out the word Tarzan, although surprisingly birds cause no damage when touched.
The controls are pretty decent, although a PS1 controller would be a little easier to traverse the terrain.
The smaller screen size isn’t always ideal as Tarzan looks very small on screen, measuring just 6mm in size (yes, I actually used a tape measure to check!)
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Despite the small 3.5 inch screen size of the RG351P the playability of Disney’s Tarzan is really good, you may just have to squint a bit.
Colin McRae Rally 2.0
Although McRae was a World Rally Champion, his name became forever recognised to anyone outside the rally fan community but the legacy of the games his name and brand endorsed.
It is sad to realize he passed so young at the age of 39 in 2007, his achievements and the games his name helped launch, keep his memory alive.
Whenever anyone mentions a retro rally game, Colin McRae’s titles are usually one of the first mentioned.
The game developers, Codemasters in this case, did an truly amazing job with the level of detail and really pushed the capabilities of the PS1 to render the rapidly moving scenery – along with authentic looking sunsets – whilst keeping the action fast paced.
Options include Rally and an Arcade mode not featured in the original best seller, giving as close to an authentic arcade experience as you’re likely to see.
The d-pad control is a little too unresponsive on the RG351P (I need to play this on our PS1 and original PS1 controller to compare) but the joystick control works well enough.
The game displayed well on the small screen and during the three laps played on the Arcade version of the Italy course, at Intermediate level, there was no lag or choppy return.
The PS1 version of Colin McRae Rally 2.0 can be played as easily on the RG351P as it does on the original PS1.
Pandemonium!
Pandemonium! Is an interesting 3D title released by Crystal Dynamics in 1996.
Self-cited as the ‘fastest 3D character game’, it seemed a good choice to put the RG351P PS1 emulator through its paces.
Now, whether the title for being the fastest 3D character game can stand up against all other 3D games released up to 1996 is probably way too deep a discussion for the purpose of this article, but suffice to say that Sonic – although more 2D than 3D – in the early 90s plays a lot faster.
That being said, the 3D effect for a game almost 30 years old is very impressive.
The PS1 version of Pandemonium! plays incredibly well on the RG351P.
The controls are easy to use within the game, although jumping can be a bit erratic, but I seem to remember that happening when playing this game on the PS1.
The graphics look great, no choppy frame rate drops and rendering is as smooth as silk.
How to Install PS1 ROMs on the RG351P
The Ambernic with the RG351P have everything together in one handy portable unit.
No more need to build a Raspberry Pi, and turning it on to a RetroPie retro console with coding and hacking, the RG351P is good to go!.
Fortunately the RG351P comes pre-configured with the PS1 emulator (lr-pcsx_rearmed) pre-installed.
This means new users can simply download and add the ROMs for PS1 games onto the ‘PSX’ folder within the FileManager of the SD card that slots into the bottom casing of the RG351P.
This can be done in a couple of ways but the easiest is to simply remove the micro SD card from the RG351P, insert it into a PC through either a built in SD card reader or USB media card, and then copy the PS1 ROM from your PC to the SD Card using the PS1 folder within the ROM parent folder.
Once the game is copied across to the micro SD card simply eject the SD card from the PC, remove the SD card and slot it back into your RG351P.
If your laptop or Mac do not have an SD card slot, there are USB card readers that can be purchased cheaply on Amazon that do the job well.
Then, with the new PS1 ROM transferred to the SD card, switch on your device, scroll to the Playstation category and your newly installed game should be ready to play.
Suggested Reading: Can the RG351P play PSP Games – a look at how the RG351P holds up to the more powerful PSP titles released in 2005
Limitations of RG351 Playing PS1 Games
Fortunately the graphics, gameplay, features and animations from the PS1 games work and display very well on the RG351P.
The games tested here work really well, and play just as well as they did back in the day on the PS1.
Depending on the game the small screen size of the handheld vs the TV the PS1 would have been connected to can cause a gameplay issue.
Games were designed based on the size of the screen they were to be played on, mainly televisions between 14 inches and 28 inches.
This meant characters could be designed much smaller against backdrops and backgrounds without losing any visibility effect.
Whereas games such as Tarzan struggle a little on a much smaller compressed screen.
Unfortunately the RG351P does not come with a HDMI socket, nor does it have the capabilities of sending a video output signal, so it is not possible to connect this handheld to a TV or monitor to play on a larger screen.
Based on our case studies and examples, playing PS1 games through the RG351P is not only possible but very enjoyable too.