List of Net Yaroze games

Net Yaroze with software development kit

The Net Yaroze is a development kit for the PlayStation developed and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment as a promotion to computer programming hobbyists, first released in Japan in June 1996 and later across Europe and North America in 1997.[1][2][3] The following list contains games and demos developed and/or released for the Net Yaroze.[4]

Conceived by PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi,[3] the kit was retailed at around £550 in Europe and US$750 in North America; The package contained a special black-colored debugging PlayStation unit, a serial cable for connecting the unit to a PC and a CD containing PlayStation development tools, among other items.[2][3][5][6][7] However, the Net Yaroze lacked many of the features an official PlayStation SDK provided and its primary RAM size was the same as the consumer model; Game code, graphics, audio samples and run-time libraries were limited to fit in the 2MB of primary RAM, 1MB of VRAM and 0.5 MB of sound RAM, since the unit will not play user-burned CDs, a necessary restriction to prevent piracy and ensure that the Yaroze program would not compete with the official PlayStation SDK.[2][3][7][8] The Yaroze could only be purchased via mail order, although Sony also provided it to universities worldwide.[5][7][8][9][10] Though it lacked regional lockout, three regional variations exists: The European/Australian version boots in PAL mode, while the Japanese and North American versions boot in NTSC mode.[6]

Around 1000 units were sold in Europe and North America respectively but more were sold in Japan.[10][11] Many games and demos made by hobbyists on the Net Yaroze were released on various demo discs that came along with magazines such as the Official UK PlayStation Magazine and PlayStation Underground.[4][7] Sony set up an online forum where users could share their homemade games, programming tips and ask questions to Sony's technical support staff.[2][3][5][6] Dedicated Usenet groups, with access restricted to Yaroze members, were maintained by Sony and homepage hosting was also provided.[5][12][13] The access was restricted according to the kit's region of origin, which made collaboration between users in different territories impractical.[5][12] Other games were also distributed online by their authors.

  1. ^ "Tidbits..." Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 22. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  2. ^ a b c d "Net Yaroze: Do it yourself - Sony plans to reintroduce the pioneering 'good old days' that lets users make their own games". Edge. No. 41. Future plc. January 1997. pp. 68–75.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Hardware: If You Can Build a Better Game..." Next Generation. No. 25. Imagine Media. January 1997. pp. 40–49.
  4. ^ a b Szczepaniak, John (February 9, 2011). "Blog: Net Yaroze on PS1 – we need YOU". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e Sanz, Juan Carlos (May 1997). "Aprende a programar Playstation con Net Yaroze - De Vuelta a la Decada de los 80s". Superjuegos [es] (in Spanish). No. 61. Grupo Zeta. pp. 108–111.
  6. ^ a b c "Prepare to meet your maker". Hyper. No. 44. Next Publishing. June 1997. pp. 35–37.
  7. ^ a b c d IGN Staff (2012). "Net Yaroze (PlayStation)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  8. ^ a b "Monitor - Net Yaroze Update". PSM. No. 6. Imagine Media. February 1998. p. 15.
  9. ^ Hamon, Sébastien (March 1997). "Dossier Matos : Net Yaroze - Sony fait du pied aux micros". Joystick (in French). No. 80. Hachette Disney Presse. p. 52.
  10. ^ a b Szczepaniak, John (April 26, 2012). "15 Years Later: How Sony's Net Yaroze Kickstarted Indie Console Development". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. pp. 1–4. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  11. ^ Márquez, Rubén (February 2, 2019). "Net Yaroze: la máquina que hizo posible el sueño indie en la primera PlayStation". Vida Extra (in Spanish). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  12. ^ a b Sanz, Juan Carlos (June 1997). "Aprende a programar Playstation con Net Yaroze - Nuevas Herramientas". Superjuegos [es] (in Spanish). No. 62. Grupo Zeta. pp. 112–115.
  13. ^ Tucker, Jake (April 13, 2017). "Meet The Devs Who Made Indie Games on the Original Playstation". Vice. Vice Media. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2021-02-09.