GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

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SigmaShawn
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GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

Hey, guys. I've been testing a bunch of PS2 games with GSM to see what resolutions I can force with them. I started compiling a list of my findings so I thought I'd post it here.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... Rm/pubhtml

Here's the equipment I'm using:

Free MCBoot Version 1.953 and GSM Version .38 on a PS2 Memory card
SCPH-77001 PS2 console
Sony Bravia KDL-40sSL150 1080p TV
Official PlayStation component cable (silver ends)
All of the games on the list are NTSC U/C

List Guide:
Green Block for a resolution - Successful
Yellow Block - The game boots but has a different problem
Red Block - Does not boot, is missing resolution, or is displayed in a way that is unplayable.

A green block for Skip Video Fix on or off is the required mode for that game.
A green block for Missing Resolution / Pixelated means that the game is missing resolution.
A green block for Thinner Aspect Ratio means that the resolution forced will be thinner than its supposed to be. 4:3 becomes something close to 2:3. All resolutions can be affected. A game may go in-between a thinner and normal aspect ratio depending on the content that is displayed.

1080i Non-interlaced is not included on the list because every game I've tested with it does not display correctly on my TV.

1080p does not run correctly on an SCPH-70012 Slim I own. It can go into 59hz, have a glitchy video signal, and major slow-down. This occurred during Star Wars Battlefront II and Stretch Panic.

For games that only boot in a forced 1080i mode, sometimes it is very hard to tell if the game is just super sharp or is missing resolution. If there are mistakes with those games I apologize.

Just as a heads up, I am by no means an expert with this kind of stuff. I know there are other ways to play PS2 games and that there are other GSM compatibility lists. I'll be slowly filling in the rest of the list over time. I will also add games I buy in the future to the list. Not all games on the list are set in stone so compatibility may change. I'm not responsible for how you use your equipment or if you damage your equipment. I had no involvement in the creation of this software or hardware. I hope this list is useful to those who are interested!
Last edited by SigmaShawn on Sat Feb 02, 2019 6:31 pm, edited 15 times in total.
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Syntax
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by Syntax »

What's the point of making a list thats only sure to work for your monitor?

Are you playing on a crt via rgb, a dual res crt monitor or an LCD via component?
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

Syntax wrote:What's the point of making a list thats only sure to work for your monitor?

Are you playing on a crt via rgb, a dual res crt monitor or an LCD via component?
I'm currently using a 1080p LED TV, and was previously using a 720p TV which have both been used for testing. This list was created just to see what resolutions can and can't be forced using similar equipment to mine listed in the first post.
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Syntax
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by Syntax »

So you are only focusing on component video then am I right?
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

Syntax wrote:So you are only focusing on component video then am I right?
Yes
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Blair
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by Blair »

hey SigmaShawn, thanks for posting your list so far. I've been thinking about doing something very similar myself for a long while, but unfortunately I just haven't had the time or opportunity to do so. but your list looks pretty awesome so far. (I found a similar list that was nowhere near as long as yours on the racket boy forums that also had some information about forced 240p compatibility, 480p patches and also a section about exploder compatibility). I think it's wise just to stick to GSM compatibility for now.

one side note though for your own personal use outside of the list making you might want to get a video processor of some type. for games like wild arms 5 in 1080p it makes them infinitely more playable because you can fix the aspect ratio problems. and make windowed games full screen again. (along with a few other useful tricks). although I'm not sure what type of aspect ratio controls your current TV has. you might look into that as some televisions have fairly comparable abilities in that regard.
ZellSF
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by ZellSF »

R-Type Final works if you skip FMVs.
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

Blair wrote:hey SigmaShawn, thanks for posting your list so far. I've been thinking about doing something very similar myself for a long while, but unfortunately I just haven't had the time or opportunity to do so. but your list looks pretty awesome so far. (I found a similar list that was nowhere near as long as yours on the racket boy forums that also had some information about forced 240p compatibility, 480p patches and also a section about exploder compatibility). I think it's wise just to stick to GSM compatibility for now.

one side note though for your own personal use outside of the list making you might want to get a video processor of some type. for games like wild arms 5 in 1080p it makes them infinitely more playable because you can fix the aspect ratio problems. and make windowed games full screen again. (along with a few other useful tricks). although I'm not sure what type of aspect ratio controls your current TV has. you might look into that as some televisions have fairly comparable abilities in that regard.
Thanks for the compliments :). Yeah, my current TV doesn't have many options. I'm definitely interested in getting a video processor or a scaler in the future, but for the right price. Then I may go back and test higher resolutions for 4:3 games
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AndehX
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by AndehX »

SigmaShawn wrote:1080i Non-interlaced
You mean 1080p? lol
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

ZellSF wrote:R-Type Final works if you skip FMVs.
Huh, I could have sworn it didn't boot for me before with video skip fix on but I just tested it again and you're right. The list has been updated.
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by nmalinoski »

AndehX wrote:
SigmaShawn wrote:1080i Non-interlaced
You mean 1080p? lol
Not necessarily. If "non-interlaced" in this context is similar to NTSC non-interlaced, in how 240p is 480i but only ever shows even fields or whatever, then 1080i non-interlaced would be 540p.
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by BazookaBen »

Two things I've learned from using GSM in VGA mode with a PC CRT:

1) 1280x1024 is actually 1280x960 with small black bars, so it's a perfect 2:1 ratio from 480p. Looks really good on a PC CRT, better than 480p since it eliminates the tiny scanlines. On the CRT you can simply adjust the picture to move the black bars offscreen.

2) If a game won't work in progressive, 960i is great option. Looks just like 480i since it's simply line-doubled, but it's compatible with any CRT, and quite a few LCD's.
RocketBelt
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by RocketBelt »

Great list.
One thing about the 'pixellation' on some titles. What's actually happening, from what I read on the GSM forums, is that you're losing half the resolution. When those games are rendered by the PS2 there is never a full frame in the back buffer. This is by design, for performance. So there's no progressive video frame for GSM to enable. So what you see is just a vertically stretched half frame, which is like looking at the game through broken glass. The only way to get a nice picture on a modern set from these games is to deinterlace them.
So on your spreadsheet I would actually mark these ones as incompatible because who wants to lose half the resolution? You'll get a much better picture from these games with a good deinterlacer.
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

RocketBelt wrote:Great list.
One thing about the 'pixellation' on some titles. What's actually happening, from what I read on the GSM forums, is that you're losing half the resolution. When those games are rendered by the PS2 there is never a full frame in the back buffer. This is by design, for performance. So there's no progressive video frame for GSM to enable. So what you see is just a vertically stretched half frame, which is like looking at the game through broken glass. The only way to get a nice picture on a modern set from these games is to deinterlace them.
So on your spreadsheet I would actually mark these ones as incompatible because who wants to lose half the resolution? You'll get a much better picture from these games with a good deinterlacer.
Thanks for the feedback and the great information. The list has been updated, so now games that are missing half of the resolution will be marked red instead of yellow.
RocketBelt
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by RocketBelt »

Have you also tried forcing widescreen using ps2rd and codes? Try in on something like Ridge Racer V, the results are worth the effort.
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

RocketBelt wrote:Have you also tried forcing widescreen using ps2rd and codes? Try in on something like Ridge Racer V, the results are worth the effort.
No, I haven't. I've tried using Codebreaker to force widescreen but haven't had much luck. I'll look into PS2rd
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by RocketBelt »

Here are some configuration files to try.
If you use standalone PS2RD then include this in the cheats.txt file:

Code: Select all

//--------

"Ridge Racer V /ID SLUS_200.02"
Mastercode
90294978 0C0B5740
Widescreen
20332694 43C6C000
203326B4 43C6C000
20332EC4 3F1D0364
20332F80 3F199999
If you use PS2RD built into Open PS2 Loader then save this in a file called SLUS_200.02.cht in the CHT folder

Code: Select all

//"Ridge Racer V /ID SLUS_200.02"
Mastercode
90294978 0C0B5740
Widescreen
20332694 43C6C000
203326B4 43C6C000
20332EC4 3F1D0364
20332F80 3F199999
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

RocketBelt wrote:Here are some configuration files to try.
If you use standalone PS2RD then include this in the cheats.txt file:

Code: Select all

//--------

"Ridge Racer V /ID SLUS_200.02"
Mastercode
90294978 0C0B5740
Widescreen
20332694 43C6C000
203326B4 43C6C000
20332EC4 3F1D0364
20332F80 3F199999
How do you add a game to the list using the standalone PS2RD?
RocketBelt
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by RocketBelt »

There should have been a sample file called cheats.txt included with PS2RD. It goes into the same folder as PS2RD on your memory card or wherever you are running it from. Just open it with a text editor and paste that in at the bottom. If you don't have a sample cheats.txt file just create a new empty text file with that name and paste that block of code into it.
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SigmaShawn
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by SigmaShawn »

RocketBelt wrote:There should have been a sample file called cheats.txt included with PS2RD. It goes into the same folder as PS2RD on your memory card or wherever you are running it from. Just open it with a text editor and paste that in at the bottom. If you don't have a sample cheats.txt file just create a new empty text file with that name and paste that block of code into it.
I think the problem is that PS2RD is only reading cheats from the Cheats.BIN file. The only time a game appears is when that file is on the USB stick
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by WMJ »

I recently tested a bunch of games with GSM and found a few good ones that work well.

480p flawlessly:
Ar Tonelico
Ar Tonelico 2
Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou
Suikoden V
Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced

1080i perfectly (games have 16:9 aspect ratio option):
Dragon Quest 8
Final Fantasy XII ZJS
Wipeout Fusion
Wipeout Pulse (PAL exclusive)

1080i (doesn't fill full width making it look only slightly stretched)
Castlevania Curse of Darkness
Final Fantasy X
Front Mission V
.Hack Infection
Suikoden 3
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BazookaBen
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by BazookaBen »

WMJ wrote:1080i perfectly (games have 16:9 aspect ratio option):
Wipeout Pulse (PAL exclusive)
I've played Wipeout Pulse at 480p no problem. I may have needed to smash start to skip an intro movie, but I can't remember. Actually I recommend playing at 85hz (or whatever GSM's max refresh rate is) because the game's frame rate is unlocked, and it rarely hits 60fps, so you might as well run the max refresh rate to minimize judder.

And in regards to running other games at 1080i, I recommend running 960i if your display supports it. It's perfectly double 480i, and on my VGA CRT's it looks identical to 480i on a 15kHz CRT.
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Re: GSM Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by shano »

BazookaBen wrote:Two things I've learned from using GSM in VGA mode with a PC CRT:

1) 1280x1024 is actually 1280x960 with small black bars, so it's a perfect 2:1 ratio from 480p. Looks really good on a PC CRT, better than 480p since it eliminates the tiny scanlines. On the CRT you can simply adjust the picture to move the black bars offscreen.

2) If a game won't work in progressive, 960i is great option. Looks just like 480i since it's simply line-doubled, but it's compatible with any CRT, and quite a few LCD's.
Bit of a bump but i'm having issues when i try to use 960i VGA resolution on my Dell P1130 (Trinitron) via OPL with GSM that i would really like to resolve. It displays only half the image. Any way to get around this issue or why it's happening?

Using latest OPL Nightly build, Component cable going is going to a simple VGA adaptor (monitor does sync on green), all other VGA modes work fine.
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BazookaBen
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by BazookaBen »

These are good threads to bump, because they can keep information in one place.

Just for troubleshooting, I would recommend disabling the GSM embedded in OPL, if possible, then loading up an older version of GSM like 0.23. That's one I know for sure supports 960i full screen.

I haven't tried it with a newer version of OPL, so I'm not sure if there are compatibility issues. But if you can get proper 960i from 0.23, that should give a starting point for troubleshooting.
shano
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by shano »

BazookaBen wrote:These are good threads to bump, because they can keep information in one place.

Just for troubleshooting, I would recommend disabling the GSM embedded in OPL, if possible, then loading up an older version of GSM like 0.23. That's one I know for sure supports 960i full screen.

I haven't tried it with a newer version of OPL, so I'm not sure if there are compatibility issues. But if you can get proper 960i from 0.23, that should give a starting point for troubleshooting.
Oh true, will have to try that out soon then hopefully all goes well. :)

What version of OPL are you on currently?
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BazookaBen
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by BazookaBen »

shano wrote:What version of OPL are you on currently?
Can't remember. Haven't used my PS2 in a year or so. May be old enough that it didn't have GSM integrated. I may hook everything back up and try the new version to see what issues might crop up.
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by gingerbeardman »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uC2cbEwTaU

This video shows how to run SSX Tricky in progressive scan using PS2+OPL+GSM.

Configure GSM
- Enable GSM = On
- VMODE = HDTV 576p @50Hz
- Emulate FIELD flipping = On (this one is the crucial setting!)

It's also possible to use GSM 480p/720p @60Hz but you'll need to compress/expand the image vertically afterwards using a scaler or TV that can do it.

Before this discovery it was thought that it was impossible to play SSX Tricky and some other games with progressive scan video output. I've also used this trick with another EA game: SHOX Rally Reinvented.

I first published the finding here https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/ps2-a ... 273?u=matt and on some PS2 forums.
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by awe444 »

gingerbeardman wrote:Emulate FIELD flipping = On (this one is the crucial setting!)
Finally got around to trying this “emulate field flipping” option, and man, it is awesome! All games that I knew about that had previously not worked with 480p seem to work... are there any titles that still don’t work with forced 480p?

Recall that @marqs previously added a 960i option to the OSSC for the primary (if not sole) purpose of accommodating the non-480p-forceable titles, which could be forced to 960i as a comparable alternative. Seems like that option could probably removed now from the OSSC firmware to free up some space, given that this software fix now exists...
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by awe444 »

are there any titles that still don’t work with forced 480p?
In my testing I’ve found at least one game that still doesn’t force to 480p with the new emulate field flipping GSM option: Lord of the Rings The Two Towers. There’s almost certainly others since I only tested about 20 titles... not too big a deal since this particular game is 480p compatible on GameCube, but still a bummer
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Re: GSM HDTV Mode Compatibility List for NTSC U/C PS2 Games

Post by ZellSF »

From what I see field flipping doesn't do anything for field rendering games? Of which there are still a lot.

Fantasy Zone, Gradius IV, Maximo, Rez, Shadow Hearts and Wild Arms 3 just to name the first ones I could think of.
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