You Could Save PS1 Games On Floppy Disks. Here's How
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Video game storage has come quite a long way since the 16-bit era in the late 1980s. The new PlayStation 5 has 825 GB of SSD internal storage, while the Xbox Series X comes with 1TB, and even that storage space may not seem like enough for hard-core gamers sometimes. However, back in the days of the original PlayStation in 1995, games were most often stored on tiny memory cards with limited save data space, so users had to choose game saves carefully. Which save data were you willing to part with to make room for a new Silent Hill save?
A lesser-known fact about the PS1 is that all was not lost for those poor save data sacrifices. All you had to do was grab a few floppy disks (can't get any more '90s than that) as well as one of the devices below to save and transfer all your data.
Datel PS1 Memory Drive
The PS1 was compatible with a 1MB memory card to store game data for easy removal and transfer. However, with only 15 blocks of memory, the cards often filled up very quickly. For additional storage, Datel produced the PS1 Memory Drive, a large, silver box-looking device that connected to the console's memory card slot and ran a 3.5-inch floppy disk. This way, save data could be stored on multiple low-price floppy disks, so Datel marketed the device as the "lowest price storage ever."
Datel is based in the U.K., and the company didn't have much of a presence in North America when the Memory Drive was released, so the device is a bit of a rare find today. However, that does make the Memory Drive a great video game collector's item. As of this writing, a used version of the Memory Drive is available on eBay, but it comes at a hefty price tag of $200.
InterAct DexDrive Game Save Exchange System
There was also a cheaper and more readily available alternative to the Datel PS1 Memory Drive, though this save option was a bit less direct. The InterAct DexDrive, developed in 1996, was a game console memory card reader that allowed users to transfer data from the original PlayStation to a PC's hard drive or a floppy disk. Users could connect the device to a PC's serial port and utilize the included DexPlorer software, which helped copy and move the PS1's game save data.
In addition to creating a safe storage space for game save data, there were a few neat benefits to the DexDrive. Using the DexPlorer system, game save data could be emailed to fellow DexDrive users or uploaded to the internet for the world to see. It's like the PS4's share feature, but old-tech. Plus, data could be moved from one memory card to another and reformatted. The DexDrive, which also came in a Nintendo 64 version, is now typically sold on eBay for $10-20.