Memcard Size

RealityMage · March 28th, 2004

Hello.

Is there any way to make the memory cards of greater size than 128kb?

In FF7, I can only get 11 save-files into the memory card, while it supports 15 per slot.

Then it says "Out of memory" when I try and save more. Since there is so much room on my HD, I'd like to have a bigger memory card.

I hope you guys know what I'm talking about.

**moomoomoo** · March 28th, 2004

The PSX itself doesn't support more than 1mb cards. And as the emulator is emulating the hardware, a bigger memory card file simply wouldn't work. The games were designed to address 15 slots, and 15 slots they shall address

Vanit · March 28th, 2004

I think I understand what RealityMage is asking. The reason you can't have more than 11 is probably because there are already 4 slots occupied by other games in that card.

**moomoomoo** · March 28th, 2004

I think he's rather looking to make a 100mb card (lolomgwtf) so he never has to create another one again!

**hushypushy** · March 28th, 2004

moo, the PSX was only designed to handle 128kb memory card files. i dont really know why you cant have 16 files on there (128/16 = 8kb each..) but, im sure they are 128kb. if you dont believe me look at the memory cards in your ePSXe folder

**moomoomoo** · March 28th, 2004

Sorry, it's just that they're called 1mb cards on the packaging. :P The first block is a header block, for dir allocation etc.

**hushypushy** · March 28th, 2004

well, a 1mb PSX memory card is an 8-in-1...but it needs a switch as the PSX BIOS and many games only recognize a 15 block system. i used to have a 2 in one, you press a button and it switches memory cards.

on newer systems like the Gamecube, i bought myself a 16 MB card...because the GC doesnt have built in limits

**Betamax** · March 28th, 2004

Actually is is 1mb... as in 1 megaBIT rather than 1 megaBYTE. There are 8 bits in a byte, therefore 128 kiloBYTES = 1 megaBIT.

Gotta love marketing ploys

. This is the same thing that nintendo did when quoting sizes of it's carts, and also how modem companies quote their speeds (56k is really only a max of 7 kbps).

You can get ps1 carts that are larger than this, however they involve a bit of jiggery pokery. In essence the psx can only see 128k at a time, you flick a swicth on the card to access different 128 segments (so in reality they are 2 or more memcards on the same card.)

Anyways getting back to the inital question, one only has to ask why? You can create as many cards as your heart desires. So there's no real need to make them bigger, just make a new one. Also due to the way the cards are formatted they lend temselves extremely well to compression (a single 128k memcard usually compresses to about ~4k). So in theory you could fit about 300 of the blighters onto a single floppy

**moomoomoo** · March 28th, 2004

Heh, quite clever of them really. For many years I wondered where the rest of my 56k had run off to, while sitting there with 4 kbps download speeds.

**Betamax** · March 28th, 2004

Aye, and that's a ploy in a ploy so to speak, the 7kps is only achiveable if you're within a distance of say 10 meters from the telephone exchange (ie the receptionist at the front desk

).

RealityMage · March 29th, 2004

Doh! You guys are right - I have other save blocks on it. Ay!

Occam's razor indeed - and I was thinking of some other crazy reasons for the quirk.

Regarding the megabit thing - yeah - that really annoys me. First of all, it's not like anyone with a bit of knowledge of computing realizes that they always talk about megabit to fool the ignorant. And secondly, they never actually write out "Megabit", they always write "Mb", which isn't immediately distinguishable from "MB".

What programs deal with magnitudes of bits, anyway, pretty much every software program I've seen talks about magnitudes of bytes.

Ah - and also the change of versioning lingo brought about by Microsoft.

Windows XP, Athlon XP, Gameboy SP, etc. etc. Why "XP"?

Before that, they broke from Windows 3.1 into Windows 95, 98, 2000, Millenium Edititon? WTF! What's wrong with "Windows 7.1" or something?

Anyway, that is all.

March 28th, 2004	#1 (permalink)
RealityMage Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 8	Memcard Size Hello. Is there any way to make the memory cards of greater size than 128kb? In FF7, I can only get 11 save-files into the memory card, while it supports 15 per slot. Then it says "Out of memory" when I try and save more. Since there is so much room on my HD, I'd like to have a bigger memory card. I hope you guys know what I'm talking about.

March 28th, 2004	#3 (permalink)
Vanit Heretic Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Australia! Posts: 2,712	I think I understand what RealityMage is asking. The reason you can't have more than 11 is probably because there are already 4 slots occupied by other games in that card. __________________ Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.

March 28th, 2004	#5 (permalink)
hushypushy the only one you've ever SEEN Join Date: May 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 21,837	moo, the PSX was only designed to handle 128kb memory card files. i dont really know why you cant have 16 files on there (128/16 = 8kb each..) but, im sure they are 128kb. if you dont believe me look at the memory cards in your ePSXe folder __________________ Dedicated to mediocrity and repetition since 1994. 2008 "How Not to Post" guide

March 28th, 2004	#7 (permalink)
hushypushy the only one you've ever SEEN Join Date: May 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 21,837	well, a 1mb PSX memory card is an 8-in-1...but it needs a switch as the PSX BIOS and many games only recognize a 15 block system. i used to have a 2 in one, you press a button and it switches memory cards. on newer systems like the Gamecube, i bought myself a 16 MB card...because the GC doesnt have built in limits __________________ Dedicated to mediocrity and repetition since 1994. 2008 "How Not to Post" guide

March 28th, 2004	#8 (permalink)
Betamax Resident Movie Critic Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland Posts: 9,480	Actually is is 1mb... as in 1 megaBIT rather than 1 megaBYTE. There are 8 bits in a byte, therefore 128 kiloBYTES = 1 megaBIT. Gotta love marketing ploys . This is the same thing that nintendo did when quoting sizes of it's carts, and also how modem companies quote their speeds (56k is really only a max of 7 kbps). You can get ps1 carts that are larger than this, however they involve a bit of jiggery pokery. In essence the psx can only see 128k at a time, you flick a swicth on the card to access different 128 segments (so in reality they are 2 or more memcards on the same card.) Anyways getting back to the inital question, one only has to ask why? You can create as many cards as your heart desires. So there's no real need to make them bigger, just make a new one. Also due to the way the cards are formatted they lend temselves extremely well to compression (a single 128k memcard usually compresses to about ~4k). So in theory you could fit about 300 of the blighters onto a single floppy __________________ Superior marketing of an inferior product will always win over inferior marketing of a superior product. Last edited by Betamax; March 28th, 2004 at 23:50.

March 28th, 2004	#2 (permalink)
moomoomoo Administrator Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: UK Posts: 839	The PSX itself doesn't support more than 1mb cards. And as the emulator is emulating the hardware, a bigger memory card file simply wouldn't work. The games were designed to address 15 slots, and 15 slots they shall address

March 28th, 2004	#4 (permalink)
moomoomoo Administrator Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: UK Posts: 839	I think he's rather looking to make a 100mb card (lolomgwtf) so he never has to create another one again!

March 28th, 2004	#6 (permalink)
moomoomoo Administrator Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: UK Posts: 839	Sorry, it's just that they're called 1mb cards on the packaging. :P The first block is a header block, for dir allocation etc.

March 28th, 2004	#9 (permalink)
moomoomoo Administrator Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: UK Posts: 839	Heh, quite clever of them really. For many years I wondered where the rest of my 56k had run off to, while sitting there with 4 kbps download speeds.

March 28th, 2004	#10 (permalink)
Betamax Resident Movie Critic Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland Posts: 9,480	Aye, and that's a ploy in a ploy so to speak, the 7kps is only achiveable if you're within a distance of say 10 meters from the telephone exchange (ie the receptionist at the front desk ). __________________ Superior marketing of an inferior product will always win over inferior marketing of a superior product.

March 29th, 2004	#11 (permalink)
RealityMage Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 8	Doh! You guys are right - I have other save blocks on it. Ay! Occam's razor indeed - and I was thinking of some other crazy reasons for the quirk. Regarding the megabit thing - yeah - that really annoys me. First of all, it's not like anyone with a bit of knowledge of computing realizes that they always talk about megabit to fool the ignorant. And secondly, they never actually write out "Megabit", they always write "Mb", which isn't immediately distinguishable from "MB". What programs deal with magnitudes of bits, anyway, pretty much every software program I've seen talks about magnitudes of bytes. Ah - and also the change of versioning lingo brought about by Microsoft. Windows XP, Athlon XP, Gameboy SP, etc. etc. Why "XP"? Before that, they broke from Windows 3.1 into Windows 95, 98, 2000, Millenium Edititon? WTF! What's wrong with "Windows 7.1" or something? Anyway, that is all.

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