PS2 (Slim)

I want to buy a Playstation 2. But there are
some things that keep me thinking whether to buy
it or not.

I saw the new PSTwo (Slim) and since it's difficult
to find the original PS2 I asked if
there was a modchip for it but I was advised
not to get one because there are lots of chances
to damage my console. (The chip gets overheated
cause all the information of the disc goes through
it and when it gets burned it destroys the area of
the PSTwo (Slim) that it's attached to.)

Then I was told about Swap Magic and I realy got
confused with what I read.

First of all, is there a way to use Swap Magic
without opening your PSTwo (Slim)? I saw a
manual about how to apply a small mod on
the PSTwo (Slim) and you are supposed to remove
the bottom cover. Even if you get the warranty
sticker off with a hairdryer you 'll be voiding it
cause the glue on the screws will be removed.
(There is some glue or other material on the screws
witch get removed if you in remove the screws
to let the Sony Sercive know if the console was opened.)
I saw some tools, that fool the sensor, which apply
under the lid of the PSTwo (Slim) and this doesn't
seem to void the warranty.

Anyway I would like to know if these tools work and
if there is any other way to play backup that does not
void the warranty. I do not intend to open my console
and try anything even after the warranty expires cause I would
like to have the Sony service available if some
problem occurs.

I also read that there are some heat issues with the
PSTwo (Slim) because it has no fans to cool the system.
Some people say that they have no problems with long hour
use and others say that the chances to damage your
console with Swap Magic are the same with installing
a modchip. This is because the slim version of PS2 does
not have a circuit for voltage balance of the laser lens
and since the laser quality is poor, a bad burned backup
could damage the laser. But is this true?

One last thing I want to know is if the PS2 firmware
checks if a disc is original (so that it knows whether
it should boot it or not) through the informtion
table of a disc (Layer Material, Disc Type ect.).
If this isn't true then I could burn a downloaded iso
of Swap Magic without haning to buy it and be able to
boot the games with it.

Any other information like what kind of media (DVD+r,DVD-R,
Manifacturer ect.) should the games be burned on is appreciated.

(Sorry for my English!)

Thanks for reading and replying!

 

heh, how could they tell if the screws were taken out before? Wouldn't they need to remove the screws to check?

Anywho, you can't make a working backup of SwapMagic. It is impossible for us to do this with our burners.
Also, i believe there are a few mods you can use with Swap Magic that do not require you to open your system. The slimtool will work, and possibly the new fliptop lid for the slimline?

 

Anything you do with your PS2,PSTwo slim that is deemed outside of normal operation VOIDS the warranty.
I.E. defeating the sensors, swapmagic, plug in chips, modchips, the straw mod PS2 & any other type of mod designed to use the playstation in a manner other than it was (supposedly) designed to be used. In other words if they want to void your warranty they can find a way to get you. Having said that I can believe the overheating from modchips could cause a problem with PSTwo slim. There is fuckall room to fit the mod onboard without being on top , or on the opposite side of the board from a major chip. Caueing an overheating concern for sure. I fitted my DMS4 Lite in the only place I could find that wouldn't cause this problem. On the top side of the board where the metal chassis fits on . Beside the laser mounting the chassis has a ridge approx 1" wide & runs from front to back (of the playstation) if you try your chip in this area you can move it around untill it fits with approx 1/4" clearence allround. I mounted mine to the top of the chassis so that it can use the chassis as a heatsink plus give 1/4" clearence underneath. It is a prick to fit there as your wires have to run to the underside of the board, but hey mine has been running for 2 months every day 8 - 10 hours sitting in a basket (to keep the wife happy) which I would think would raise the tempreature. I have V12 slim production date is post September 2004. This evidently meens that the laser problem has been fixed. Hope it helps

 

I bought a slimline less than a week ago. So far, it's worth the money I paid for it.

But since you're in the same situation that I was in about a month ago, when I finally decided to get one (it's been looming in my head to get one since they came out, just I never got around to it) and wanted to see my backup options.

I came from the dreamcast people, who had a much easier time backing up games thanks to Utopia, Kalisto, Echelon, and the other people who put hard work into defeating DC protection. However, they kinda fell apart as their userbase became more demanding (basically, 13 year olds whined until the crackers gave up)

Anyways : There are options when it comes to soldered modchips. DMS and Infinity seem to be the most talked about around here. There are rumors that they can damage your PS2. There are different theories, but it mostly comes down to dead laser syndrome. You can buy an additional mod/fix and get that installed to help with that. The findings on this are mixed.

DMS also came out with the first solderless, fix-all chip. The DMS4 EZI. This chip will do everything, and is completely solderless. The chips are very close to release date (somewhere in the next week or so? There have been a lot of delays) so wait up to see the results on that. It retails around $80 USD.

Swap magic : Is what I ordered (I'm on backorder from gocybershop.ca, which is said to be the best place to order from). I got it with a PSTwo fliptop (http://www.ps2lid.com) which will let you do both kinds of swaps (there's a kind where you can't open the lid, and another where you have to).

There are also a lot of other mods when it comes to Swap Magic. There's the tape mod, where you open your PSTwo and tape down the sensors. People who have tried gluing the sensors have reported dying PS2s. Also, there are mixed results when it comes to just TAPING them.

There is the straw/tissue mod, where you use a piece of tissue to hold down one sensor and a straw to hold down the inside sensor. This is said to be an amazing pain in the ass.

The other two solutions are the magic switch, the ghost switch, and the slim tools. These pretty much do the work of the tissue/straw thing but are a lot less of a pain the ass.

I think what the tools didn't do was boot up DVD backups, but I'm probably wrong.

I'm personally going for a new fliptop and swap magic. I'll update my post on it when I get them, and if I get them to work. I haven't heard anyone complain about those as of yet.

Also, if you use the sticker as a sort of hinge, you can open up your PSTwo without voiding the warranty. Other people suggest that you use a blow dryer and carefully remove the sticker (but I suggest the hinge method)

As for the problems with modchips/SM : anything that defeats the playstation's original usage puts it in potential danger. And yes, they took out a protection in the newer PS2s (I think it was v9 and on) that protects the laser from killing itself. So if you're really afraid of killing your PS2, you should get an extended warranty (if you can get one) from wherever you buy it, and be extra careful with your PSTwo.

As for the fan problem : that's incorrect. The PSTwo has a fan in it, a small and very quiet fan. If you look at the back of one, you'll see that it has ducts to let the heat out. Pretty much every video game system has this. I honestly suspect that the overheating issues are caused by stupid people who don't give their PS2s room to vent. Or people who put them near sources of heat. When my old, old, old PS1 started to crash on me ingame because of overheating, I started using a small fan on it to let it keep going.

As for how the PS2 checks to see if a game is original : As my understanding goes, original games have a small ring that are printed onto them which contain bad blocks of data. These blocks are unreadable by anything but the PS2s and are not reproducible except by use of the original disc printers.

Finally : I read a very convincing essay on why the PS2 suffers from dead laser syndrome. However, the solution to fix this is not a one-shot fix (like the PCBs designed to prevent them) for Sony to have fixed them, it would have required a costly redesign, which probably wouldn't have happened so fast. Also, Sony has never officially addressed the dead laser issue, so not too much is known about it.

However, the rumor goes that the models with date code 4D and on are less susceptible to this kind of problem (who knows) but if this is true, then you have no problem with the PS2s, as all PS2s now made are of date code 4D and on. (Unless you buy from old stock, which probably won't happen considering how hard PS2s are to find)

Oh, and as far as media goes : My PSTwo would NOT read DVD-Rs made by TDK (and these are supposed to be one of the highest quality media to use). It wasn't the DVD-R's fault either, these DVDs play perfectly in every other machine I've ever used them in (both of my computers, both my DVD players, my girlfriend's DVD players, her computers) I recently bought Sony brand DVD+Rs and burned a DVD movie to it. The PS2 read the DVD+R without problems, so I'm going to stick to DVD+Rs for my backup purposes.

To me, it makes sense that DVD+R would work better on Playstation 2s. Sony is one of the big supporters behind the DVD+R format (which is a rival to the DVD-R format), so it makes perfect sense that their favored media (as well as their own brand of it) would work with a PS2.

Anyways, I hope this answered all your questions. And I'll keep you updated when my Swap Magic set comes in.

 

It's easy to find the PS2, the PSTWO is just a waste of money for so many reasons!

 

I would have to agree with Meta1.That the PSTwos are a bit of a waste of time(I have one chipped it myself & it shit it self yesterday[not bad almost made it to 1 month]). The PS2s are still around if you want them.

 

Ok, I bought a new Slim PsTwo, and I had to return the first one because it was giving disk read errors, and when trying to play madden it was all jumpy. So I got another one, and it looks like it may be doing the same thing. So the question is should I buy an older model? The answer seems to be "Yes" across the board. Now the real questions:

-What model do I buy? (And is the V number just the last two digits of the model number? (70012=V12)???)

-Also, where do I buy this thing and how much should I expect to pay for it?

 

Wow!!! Thanks for the detailed replies!!!
After reading all these I think I'll try to find a PS2
and use the Swap Magic with the Slide Tools.
If I won't find it anywhere then I guess I will buy
the PSTwo again with Swap Magic and Slim Tools.
I'm waiting for yor post RemyK313 about the Swap Magic.
Thanks again for the replies.

 

sokairyk id suggest not using and getting the slide tool. It messes up your ps2 pretty badly in alot of cases and is a pain in the ass - but on the bright side: its cheap and no installation! Id suggest going for the fliptop.

 

Corky..... the disc read errors are probably the fault of the game you're trying to use. I bought a copy of GTA3 the other day, and it gave me disc read errors, so I returned it the same day for a DVD that wasn't completely scratched up. It works fine now.

Also, the number SCPH-7000* is the model number for the v12. The easiest way to tell if a PS2 is v12 : slimline. All slimlines are v12s, and nothing else is. The number at the end (either 2,3,4, 11, or 12) designate what region they're made for. 12 is for US, 11 is for North America. (Think of it like 1-1, 1-2, 2, 3 and 4)

Where do you buy it?
You can try Amazon and eBay if you'd like.
If you live in the US, try everywhere.
There's a global shortage of PS2s in the US.
(There's also a shortage of XBoxs, the Nintendo DS,
and World of Warcraft, so it's not just PS2s)

The only way you're going to get a PS2 at a retail store is if you call around every day when you have the time. Try GameStop, EBGames, ToysRUs, Walmart, GameCrazy, any electronic or home furnishing store, your local gameshop, Fry's Electronics (outpost.com), and anywhere where you think they might be at.

The base price is $150 but you may have to pay more for it if the retailer decides to jack up the price.

In other words : Good luck getting one at retail price. It took me three weeks, and I happened to get lucky when I bought mine last week from CompUSA.

As for v12 modification : All PS2s made within the last couple years suffer from problems due to power surges. The v12 is more susceptible simply because it's newer and a universally agreed-upon solution to fixing its problems hasn't yet arrived.

Anything you do to modify a PSTwo puts it in potential danger of being fried. So, you really should wait for a solution which has been tested and confirmed to work.

Besides, all the great games of the last few years can be readily found used at great prices. I bought GTA3, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, and Twisted Metal Black for only $14. In a lot of cases, it's probably cheaper to buy original copies used, than to rent them for 6 or 7 dollars, and then copy them.

There really aren't too many games that you can't find used. Seeing as most people aren't into rare games, most people are content with Prince of Persia, Snake Eater, and Thug2.

I mean, how many people are getting their PS2s modded for foreign games, or for games that have been discontinued (Like Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance) : Not as many as the other guys.

Well, this is the solution I've decided to take. In fact, the only reason I'm still going through with my v12 fliptop order is because I badly wanna play "Initial D : Special Stage" without having to spend a dollar per race.

Think it over guys : how badly do you need a game, and is it worth potentially killing your PS2 for?

 

umm no actually there are better games out there for the ps2. and the new ones are real good too but cost 50 dollars, and more great games will come out to the ps2 in the future also which will also most likely to be 50 dollars. so which would u rather do.. pay 50 dollars for the game, or get it for free after just paying only like 40 dollars for modding it.

think it over guys, do you really want to pay 50 dollars for everygame?


( and gta 3 is old the new one should be out in a couple weeks or months )us version that is

 

There aren't too many games that have actually made the "Greatest Hits" list in the last year, and judging by the amount of sequels and unoriginal games coming out this year, it doesn't seem like there'll be that many this year.

If a game's truly good and enjoyable, you'll simply buy it. Rather than going through trouble with Gran Turismo 4, I'm just going to buy it the day it comes out.

Oh, and Masoud, GTA : San Andreas came out a few months back, that's nothing new.

 

i meant gran turismo 4

 

lisen masoud wen is gturismo 4 cumin out?

 

hey and if u can find out bout the latest flight simulator game release date?

 

hey masoud i guess u like pilot games. becoz u r a pilot if im not mistaken??

 

lol! one my silly jokes any way plz get me the release dat for gt 4.?

 

I dunno where on earth ppl get the stupid it doesnt have a fan remark when if you open a pstwo slim first thing u see is a huge fan...

 

ps2 slim overheats

 

So I guess Im just lucky and got a super duper special one that doesnt. cause even after 5 hours of burnout 3 multiplayer it didnt OH.