Clean Sony EyeToy Driver (Hard to Find)

[B]

I mentioned this in a warning about CNet Download.com spyware at viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28692

None of the drivers I could find for my old Sony Playstation EyeToy camera (to use it as a PC webcam) were clean; all had at least some kind of adware/spyware/malware, whether from CNet or "Toggle.com" or elsewhere.

If you're interested, the ONLY clean copy of the EyeToy driver I could find was one I modified myself from a D-Link driver, as described in a very old post at http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content ... 8152/?o=20 (see below).

EDIT: This actually works with all three EyeToy models -- see 2nd post, below. I've only tested in Windows XP.

Anyway, it's clean, and after the simple .INF file tweak (it's just a text file), it works!

Some notes are:

1. Out of the ZIP file the .INF is read-only; you just have to change it.

2. Do a global search/replace in the file as instructed below (I used Notepad).

3. Do not let Plug-and-Play install the driver. As per some other sites' instructions, blow through the initial PnP prompting, and then go to Device Manager and Update the driver normally.

4. VIDCAP32.exe works better as a quick test than does the AMCAP file mentioned.

Good luck.

WivaKu - Apr 07, 2004, 04:57am EDT Reply - Quote - Report Abuse
Private Message - Add to Buddy List
>> Re: EyeToy on PC... Drivers located!
Perhaps you prefer talking about hamsters, but if you're still interested in the Eyetoy, here are the details to get it to work. Found it on a French site (http://www.jeuxvideo.com/forums/1-18-83 ... -1-0-0.htm).

- go to http://support.dlink.com/
- download the driver for DSB-C310 (select version 1.10, revision B1)
- unzip the file and modify the file OV519.inf
- replace VID_05A9&PID_8519 with VID_054C&PID_0154 (replace all)
- attach the EyeToy and point to the folder with the DSB-C310 files
- during installation a small popup will appear with the text "????", just click OK
- select your frequency (50Hz for Europe or 60Hz for US)
- done!
- to test you can use e.g. AMCAP.exe which is in the DSB-C310 folder

[B]

And better news. The same driver works for the silver "Namtai" version as well, with a similar quick .INF file hack. It just uses a different ID string.

So all 3 cameras will work.

More complete instructions are at http://www.jacobsen.no/anders/blog/arch ... ndows.html

I just made two copies of the driver directory, with a different .INF file in each one. I also re-did the first (black) driver to change the device name (cosmetic only really); to get it to stick I had to delete the first version from Device Manager.

I can now swap between the black and silver models. (Can't get both at the same time yet.)

How to use the Playstation EyeToy on Windows

eyetoy.pngFor Christmas a Playstation 2 Eye toy entered the home, and it's a pretty neat little toy when hooked to the PS2. However, it turns out that it's also a dirt cheap, high quality camera compatible with the PC after a bit of hacking!

Here's how to turn your EyeToy camera into a webcam compatible with Skype, MSN Messenger etc. I just did this, and you can too:

Connect your Eye Toy to your USB port. Windows will show a popup showing either 'Found New Harware: Eye Toy Namtai' or '... Logitech'.

Unplug the camera.

Now download the drivers of D-Link DSB-C310 v1.10, which is a camera that uses the same chipset (OmniVision OV519 series). The drivers can be found here:

ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Usb/dsbc310_revB/Dr ... er_110.zip

Now comes the next, important steps:

Decompress the drivers in any folder you'd like (for example C:\TEMP\Eyetoy\ or anywhere you can comfortably find back). It should look something like this:

Open the file OV519.inf using Notepad:
Open the file in Notepad

Hit Ctrl+H simultaneously & search for any ocurrences of VID_05A9&PID_8519 and replace it by

VID_054C&PID_0154 if your camera identifies itself as Eye Toy Logitech
or
VID_054C&PID_0155 if your camera identifies itself as Eye Toy Namtai.
Search replace

Replace all instances.

Then search for
DeviceDesc="D-Link VGA Webcam"
and replace the contents between the quotes with "Eye Toy". This is only in one place.

Save the file using the same name. You might have to unset the read-only bit on the file first. (Right click the file name, select Properties and uncheck the checkbox saying Read Only):
04-read-only.PNG


Connect your Eye Toy to your USB port. Windows will ask you for the driver. Don't let it connect to Windows Update (you won't find anything there of interest anyway), but point it to the folder you chose in the step above. Windows automatically installs the required drivers and you're now all set!!

You can test your new webcam by running for example Skype or MSN Messenger and do webcam setup there!

My very initial testing of the EyeToy Namtai shows that it is capable of a resolution of 640x480 pixels and the default colour balance, framerate etc seems very good..

Need a cheapo webcam? Head to amazon.co.uk today and pick up the 'Eye Toy: Play 2 with Camera Platinum (PS2)' for £19.99 (free shipping!) and then you can even resell the game on ebay for a tenner...

Credits to forum.hardware.fr and Shazbot blog for inspiration.

Update: for your ease of use, I have uploaded a set of drivers for both the eyetoy versions (Namtai & Logitech) here: ftp://ftp.jacobsen.no/pub/drivers/eyetoy/ - download the one that fits your camera, unzip and point the Windows new hardware wizard to the directory where you put the files.

Update2: As I'm googling more, I've found more links about this: see also:
http://www.jamespo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eyetoy/
http://www.ionstorm.co.uk/files/eyetoy.php

I have NOT tried Jacobsen's ftp versions, or checked them for malware -- I prefer to modify the driver from D-Link as described.

And what the heck? The Eye Toy has a built-in microphone? I didn't even know! (I've been hooking up a separate mike...) I picked these up used for 2 bucks at GameStop.

[B]

Well I've had no luck getting it going on Vista64. There is a great lead at http://blog.thepcmechanic.org/?p=30#comment-19 where the author found a 64-bit driver for the same Omnivision webcam chipset (from Hercules), but no matter what I do I can't get it to work. If anyone manages to get it working on Vista64 or Win7 please let us know how....

[DevKitty]

Many apologies for the somewhat late response, but I wanted to graciously thank you for FINALLY posting this clean webcam driver. I've been looking for a Sony EyeToy driver all over the place; but like you, have been finding spyware and malware attached. SO annoying. Anyway, I'll attempt to install the driver and will let you know how it turns out. Thanks, B!

[B]

Cool, thanks for letting me know. I'm glad someone else found it useful after all.

[B]

What are you talking about? Are the DLink links dead?