Another interesting fact concerning the ps1 chip, Sony used it as an Io controller so backwards compatibility was essentially built in to the design of the ps2
PlayStation 2 software is distributed on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. In addition, the console can play audio CDs and DVD movies, and is backwards compatible with original PlayStation games. This is accomplished through the inclusion of the original PlayStation’s CPU which also serves as the PS2’s I/O processor, clocked at 36.864 MHz in PS2 mode.