Modding your console.

Placebo

I was thinking of getting a mod chip for my ps2 since i am going away for holidays and i think its ntsc version down there so i was wondering if it has any side effects or any disadvantages.

Repli

I wouldn't do it UNLESS you know what you're doing cos once you open the case your warranty is void and you'll have to pay if you screw anything up... leave it to the professionals imo..
I heard about a ps2 modchip that requires no soldering you just plug it in.. might be worth lookin into

Shinji

i think its ntsc version down there

Just an aside - you say "down there" which makes me think you might mean Australia. If so, then you don't need a chip - Australia is a PAL territory and all their games work fine on our consoles (and vice versa).

Placebo

nope its not australia and that usb thing requires a soldering of 1 wire. I will let " professionals " do it , but i dont think they have ne garuntee of "if we **** up , you get a new ps2"
How long does the ps2 warranty go on for ?



Thanks.

DiscoStu

there is a swap trick for the ps2 that can be done but it requires the console to be opened up(not the cd tray but the case). some enterprising folks have copped that modding the case is a better option than modding the main board with 26 microsoldered wires.

http://www.consoleplus.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=315

all you need is that replacment lid on your ps2 and cd/dvd swap disc combo for booting games. this also has the advantage of not messing with the actual electronics of the console itself. it should also work for all games out now and any that appear later.

now all i need is some money

Placebo

this seems good, but erm does the boot disc work for all games ? dreamcast needed different boot discs for different games, anyway why do we need the cover ?

DiscoStu

thecover is needed as when the ps2 cd drive opens it clears the region code of the disc that was stored in memory. the cover allows you to get at a disc inside the drive itslef without having to open the tray of the cd drive(same idea as the little spring used for opeing the psx cd cover without disturbing it). i would assume that as nwerer games appear a newer boot disc may be required as copy protections improve, but condsidering the cost a replacment boot disc would not me to much of an issue. think how much it would cost to replace a chip in your ps2 if newer games decide they dont like it.

all i care though is if it will play rpgs which are terribley out of fashion in europe at the moment or so the games companies tell us.

Placebo

hmmm you are right, i think both cover and boot disc are about 30 dollars but on top of that is post and packaging, i might just go for this man.

thanks

all i care though is if it will play rpgs which are terribley out of fashion in europe at the moment or so the games companies tell us.

what do u mean ?

DiscoStu

no suikoden 3, not a whisper of info on a european xenosaga release same with the .hack games. im not holding my breath for grandia xtreme or the new star ocean game either. not even tentative info on final fantasy x-2 for europe let alone final fantasy 11.

what was the last major rpg that hit the shops in europe, but wild arms 3 and that didnt exactly sell well. the kids want their freeform crime sims these days and are not to interested in japanese rpgs.

what is the next rpg title tolook forward to? dark cloud 2. it may have gotten rave reviews in the states(ps2 zelda etc.) but i cant see it selling much considering how terribly bad the first one was.

i think it would be easier to just learn japanese and move there to play some decent games. apart from that chiping/modding is the only way to go

DiscoStu

after further research it seems that all dvd9s will not work. plus some other random games. since xenosaga was the first games i was gonna order and its on a dvd9 im not getting it

Placebo

i think i am gonna end up just getting an internal modchip .
whats dvd9

Raskolnikov

A friend of mine has his PS2 internally modded, he did all the soldering himself and has never had a problem. Unless you drop a magnetic screwdriver on the mainboard or something you've got very little to worry about.

DiscoStu

id be a little bit more worried about excessive heat from the soldering iron burning out smaller components on the main board and the removal of the laquer(sp) over the pins so solder can applied.

chipping a ps2 is a far from easy task

dvd9 = 9 gig dvds

Shinji

Yeah, modded PS2s have a hell of a time with dual-layer DVDs, because the mods often screw up the layer change (and I think the PS2 has a funny habit of re-reading the region code occasionally when it switches layer, too). My housemate has had to borrow my US PS2 to play Xenosaga because it consistently crashes when playing it on his modded .jp console.

Placebo

so modding = no no ?

i am confused . I heard you can turn the modding system off aswell and play ps2 as the chip wasnt there .

DiscoStu

some chips can but not all.

the new dms3 chip which looks like a very good system allows you to do it as well as reflash the chip at a later stage if newer games dont like it or wont work with it. but its an evil ****er to install.

Placebo

messiah 2 does it aswell i think , whats this stuff about wrecking your laser ?