These game consoles cannot be bought in the store, everyone is hunting for them. What do PlayStation and Xbox dev kits look like?

Not long ago I came across the PlayStation 1 Net Yaroze. This is a special version of the first console from Sony, created for indie developers. What distinguishes it from the usual review is its jet-black color and a couple of additional modules in the kit.

And then I thought: how can I express the tools for developing games for consoles of the past? After all, not everything and not always can be created on a PC. For most tasks, there are special developer kits created for consoles.

Today we will look at what they are.

What are Xboxes for developers?

Xbox Aplha Tower I.

The philosophy behind Microsoft’s consoles has always been based on one principle: Xbox is a powerful computer in a compact body.

While Sony’s consoles used special components designed specifically to work in those devices, the Xbox Original used components that were as close as possible to the themes found in PCs at the time.

That is why the devkit of the first console from Microsoft looked (and in fact was) like a regular PC, but with one extremely important difference. Each devkit was equipped with the XDK (Xbox Development Kit) development environment, which, in turn, is based on a custom version of Windows NT (Xbox OS installed in the retail version of the console is also based on Windows NT).

The photo above shows one of the early revisions of the devkit. What’s noteworthy is that the first version of the Xbox Aplha Tower I (the official name of the device) only has a disk drive. In subsequent reviews, USB ports and even a SIM card slot were added.

By the way, there were only 3 main revisions, which looked like a full-fledged PC and one test one, already in the console case.

Naturally, the functionality of the test versions was wider than that of the market ones. At a minimum, it was possible to request unsigned code. Due to the maximum similarity to the PC development environment (Microsoft Visual C++ compilers were used), creating games for the Xox Original would be much easier than for the PS2 or Gamecube.

The legendary Xbox 360 is in line with Microsoft’s way in every way.

Technically, it was a miniature PC again (don’t you think that most Xbox 360 Aplha Towers are Apple PowerMac G5) and used the same XDK development environment.

For internal development, the girls in the form of the Xbox Aplha Tower were again used, and the developers sent devices closer to the Xbox 360 itself.

This is what the Xbox 360 XDK devkit looks like for partners.

Yes, if you remove the peculiar “hat” that contains the modules for debugging, then you will see an almost pink Xbox 360.

The difference will be in the OS; inside the devkit there is again an expanded Windows NT with an unlocked developer kernel and a new emulator of the original Xvox. It never appeared in the retail version.

But with the generations of Xbox One and Xbox Series, everything is much more interesting. Firstly, the girls there were as similar as possible to what eventually arrived on store shelves, with the exception of minor design differences.

The Xbox One 2 devkit has an HDMI output, while the One X has a fairly functional bottom panel. The internals are also very similar, but the Development version of the firmware has more rights for cars and the use of external code.

The hardware in the XDK version of the consoles, of course, also stood out; they were more powerful, unlike the previous XDK, where the processor frequency was underestimated. This was done specifically so that games on the retail version would work as best as possible.

Xbox Series X devkit. According to unverified information, games for Series S were also made on it.

Data on the devkits of the current generation of Xbox appeared relatively recently – in 2022. The current devkit appeared on eBay for 1,350 euros. Microsoft previously blocked this kit for working even with offline games, although it turns on and is fully functional. Currently, the company is monitoring leaks of information about this devkit as much as possible and trying to stop them. The main thing I managed to find out is that the Xbox Series X devkit has 40 GB RAM.

The first step to turning your Xbox into a devkit.

Well, the most interesting thing is about the Xbox One and Series generations. Any console can be officially switched to developer mode.

You can’t make games on your Xbox, but you can run test applications and unsigned code.

After pressing the reset button, your console will become a devkit.

But don’t rush. You can’t play everything for free, not a single official application, even if you purchased it, will run, but for DevMode (the official name) emulators of other consoles, for example PlayStation 2, are available.

To unlock DevMode, you just need to register in the Microsoft Partner Center and pay a one-time fee of $19. Yes, from Russia it is also possible.

Legendary PlayStation devkits

The first PS1 prototypes.

Sony’s history of development kits is no less interesting. For example, PS1 had two forms of devkits. Internal for developers and NetYaroze – a special console for developing small indie games.

It could be obtained officially, unlike the internal devkit.

DTL H2000. It was sent to partners for development.

A special kit was made for the developers – the DTL H2000 board. All the microcircuits and components from the PS1 were soldered onto it. It had to be connected to the computer in the ISA expansion slot (the old connector inside the PC, replaced by PCI Express).

It was with its help that games were developed and tested. For their approach of time are considered innovative. And also allows not only to develop unique projects, but also to easily port games from PC to PlayStation.

PlayStation NetYaroze in full set.

Sony had an interesting initiative called PlayStation Net Yaroze. This is a so-called “civilian devkit” that was mailed to anyone who applied for it. Along with the console, I bought a special cable for connecting to a PC and a software package for a small indie game.

Sony is conducting mass training in game programming using Net Yaroze at some universities in Europe, the US and Japan. In this way, the company has expanded its recruitment capabilities.

This terrible quality photo shows the world’s first prototype PS2 devkit. Why does the photo look so bad? Because there are no others at the moment.

The first prototype is a huge rarity due to Sony’s policy. The developers expected to return it after its use. Later, the prototype was destroyed.

PS2 development tool.

Over time, all prototypes were replaced by the PS2 DTL device (Development Tool, if you expand the abbreviation) by analogy with the DTL H2000 board, it also connects to a PC, and the main part of the development takes place on it, but with an eye on the architecture of the target console.

There were 4 such devices, and at each stage of development a special program was developed, from design to performance debugging.

The heart of PlayStation 2 is the Emotion Engine processor.

Why couldn’t games be developed on PCs like Xbox? Because Ken Kutaragi is not only the father of PlayStation, but also a visionary who tried to fight against the system.

While Nintendo and Microsoft used hardware that was as close as possible to PC standards, the PS2 featured a unique Emotion Engine processor coupled with an equally unique Graphics Synthesizer video core, which were designed specifically for use only in the PS2. Because of this, many developers (such as Capcom) complained about difficulties developing the game on the console. And life did not become easier for them in the previous generation.

This is what the test prototype for learning how to work with CELL looked like.

It is a well-known fact that the developers hated the PS3. The main reason for the tension was Ken Kutaragi’s latest innovation, called CELL.

This is an eight-core processor with a unique and extremely complex architecture. It was very difficult to make a game with this processor in mind.

For the same reason, the Xbox 360 became the king of multiplatforms, and games ran much better on it.

PlayStation 3 Devkit.

This thing that looks like a VCR is the basic version of the PS3. It had two hard drives.

One example is software for development, the other is a virtual environment for testing code. But the main thing is not the only one.

A device for debugging ready-made projects.

The method of dividing tasks that was used during the PS2 days apparently proved to be effective, and therefore there were several more reviews of test consoles.

They all looked like the retail version of the PS3. but inside there was a custom kernel for debugging almost finished games or prototypes.

First review of the PlayStaton 4 devkit.

PlayStation 3 was Ken Kutaragi’s last console. The father of the industry’s best consoles, Sony and PS4, was created without his participation.

And the first hardware that Sony made came to the formula of today’s formula – a console is a custom PC in a compact case, with unique processors, with a complex architecture and maximum simplicity of game development.

Second update of the PlayStaton 4 devkit.

Not much is known about the PS4 devkit; Sony is very actively clearing information about it on the Internet. There are only a few photographs from which one can understand that the devkit has two revisions.

There was also a story about a user named “Formu Reddit” who bought a devkit on Ebay from United Front Games (they closed in 2016, you may know them as the creators of Sleeping Dogs and ModNation Racers), and there on an uncleaned hard drive lay almost 800 gigabytes of encrypted data. What exactly was there, we were never able to find out.

Leaked image of PlayStation 5 chick.

A similar situation occurs with PS5. Somehow, a PS5 bundle leaked onto a marketplace where people immediately bought it and posted photos online. From a video published by blogger Macho Nacho Productions, it became known that the kit comes with 2.4 terabytes of memory. This is all the information about him.

The included firmware is old and cannot be used. In this case, it is worth noting only the main menu, as in the retail version of the PS5. So far, no way has been found to bypass the file encryption included in the bundle. However, it looks very futuristic.

Sony DTP-H1500.

At this point, an attentive reader should say: “Dmitry Dmitrievich! You actually forgot about portable consoles, what’s up with the PSP?”

Everything about the PSP is very interesting. The development of a playset consists of two components. The first one looked like a retail PSP, but it won’t turn on until you connect it to the second component, a large debug station.

Inside this “PSP developer” there was a special motherboard, which is different from the retail network.

But there’s nothing to say about the devkit of Sony’s latest portable. It was leaked online a long time ago and was even sold almost freely on Ebay for some time.

Now some developers of pirated ports and software use it for debugging and performance testing. It looks almost like the retail version of the PS Vita, but at the bottom there is a special board with a set of connectors for connection, including to a PC.

By the way, a fun fact: while writing the material, I found a devkit on Avito purely by chance. The ad has been removed, the price tag is unknown.

Devkits often look more interesting than consoles

I myself don’t believe that he’s writing this, but that’s all today. In this material, I tried to tell as briefly as possible, but interestingly, the history of the devices with which your favorite games were created. I hope it was interesting and informative.

In the comments, as always, I encourage everyone who read the article to the end. Share your impressions, ask why there is no word about Nintendo, and add your observations to the stories. Have a good day!