ChangeLog

• initial support for PlayStation 1 and the DuckStation emulator
• new title matching algorithm with improved region handling
• updated emulator download links
• new AVIF image databases for Nintendo GameCube, Wii, DS, and 3DS

Cover Coverage

Most game launchers act as specialized file managers or like Steam for retro games. They don’t bother with high quality game box art.

Nostlan is different!

I’ve added over 10,000 new AVIF images to Nostlan’s database since the release of v3.

🆕 = new images added in v3+
⭐️ = very high quality
✅ = high quality
☑️ = medium quality
⏳ = in progress
❌ = no source or low quality

Enjoy automatic downloads of incredible cover art, scanned in 4K or higher! Even the smallest back cover text is now legible.

PS1 Initial Support

PlayStation 1 nostalgia might be at an all-time high. Low poly, janky 3D graphics are all the rage in the indie game dev scene.

It’s a great time to revisit classics like Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Silent Hill, and Spyro the Dragon.

Or perhaps like me, you were born in the mid 90s or later. I’ve never even played a PS1 game before!

Woah, black discs?!

PS1 Jewel Case Complexity

Most PS1 games came in clear CD jewel cases. Though I did use music CDs in the 2000s, I needed a refresher on how the cases are structured. 😅

In a standard PS1 case, the game’s manual doubles as the front cover art. The back cover is a separate piece, which includes inlay art on its reverse side.

That poses a challenge for displaying box art in Nostlan, since most games for other systems have a DVD-style case with a single piece of cover art which wraps around the front, spine, and back.

Some PS1 games, like Metal Gear Solid, come in 4-disc cases which are comprised of two back halves of a standard jewel case attached by a two disc holder in the middle, which can also hold manuals. Clever!

I adapted Nostlan’s current layout system to handle this complexity.

• cover = front cover of the manual
• coverFull = front cover with spines (4-disc case only)
• coverBack = back cover with spines
• manual = back of the manual (standard) or front of the manual (4-disc)
• inlay = inlay art, reverse side of back cover
• inlay2 = reverse side of front cover (4-disc case only)

But, you can see that much of my PS1 collection is missing cover art.

Currently, Nostlan’s PS1 database only has box and boxBack images sourced from Andy Decarli’s Collection. These scans of PS1 jewel cases offer some gritty realism (depth, dust, fingerprints, scratches), without the typical moire patterns on high resolution scans of halftone printed covers in DVD-style cases.

The Cover Project has covers for 4-disc cases, but it lacks manual covers for most games. Instead it has hundreds of custom DVD-style covers, but I want Nostlan to provide an authentic PS1 experience.

Since the front and back of manuals will be needed, I really ought to add support for displaying them from a PDF. Plus, being able to read manuals within Nostlan would be a great addition to the open box view.

Stay tuned!

PSX?

One thing that confused me about this console, why do some people call it the “PSX”?

“PS-X” (PlayStation eXperimental) was the development codename for the console, used in early press releases and marketing materials. Emulators from the late ’90s/early 2000s, like AdriPSX, Bleem!, and PCSX, reinforced the idea of “PSX” as shorthand. However in 2003, “PSX” became the official name a device that combined a PS2 with a digital video recorder.

Upon release, the console was simply named “PlayStation”, but nowadays, calling it that risks confusion with the brand as a whole and later consoles. Hence, “PlayStation 1”/“PS1” is the best way to refer to the original console.