Is PS2 a good &/or the best Shmuppers upgrade choice?

[Rob79]

qft

whether using backups or original discs, the wear and tear on the laser is the same....the only way to avoid this is to run it of an HDD....which by passes the need of the laser.....

wrong ~ your info is wrong. Just like old car audio cd players, the lasers werent built to read Burned Cd's, and the lasers wear out quicker.
PS1 and PS2 were not built to play/read backup games...

So people blame the chips, not the cd's they are using.
Ive done my homework on this subject and theres so much false info on the net.
I dont play my PS2 much so I think the laser will last !

btw, Playstation lasers dont like to be dropped or moved around ! This will cause the laser to fail as well.
Handle these systems with care.
Oh and one every 2 years, the laser should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol and q-tip.

[doodude]

Can someone explain this sites claim to me?

http://www.renchi.com/renchi/PS2_Consol ... Silver.htm

The claim is this PS2 is "Region Free".

Yet when you click the 'buy' button, suddenly it also says,
"Check compatibility of games and consoles to your home country before purchasing"

Am I not reading this correctly or what?

[jonny5]

either way.....believe what you want.....

but just so we are clear you JUST got a modded ps2 and you are arguing the point with people who have had them for years.....and used backups.....regardless of what you have read on the net and discerned to be mis-information.....maybe listen to what your peers have to say for a sec

no offense intended

i would suggest modding your ps2.....get your self an IDE HDD and the ps2 network adapter....download a copy of HDLoader 0.8b and just run everything but PS1 games off the HDD.....zero wear and tear on the laser and almost non-existent load times

that way you save your laser....you save your original discs....and you dont have to worry about big bad DVDR's wrecking the laser....lolz

you also dont have to deal with dozens of discs taking up space and havi8ng to switch games....just load into the HDD menu and load whatever game you want

[doodude]

either way.....believe what you want.....

but just so we are clear you JUST got a modded ps2 and you are arguing the point with people who have had them for years.....and used backups.....regardless of what you have read on the net and discerned to be mis-information.....maybe listen to what your peers have to say for a sec

no offense intended

i would suggest modding your ps2.....get your self an IDE HDD and the ps2 network adapter....download a copy of HDLoader 0.8b and just run everything but PS1 games off the HDD.....zero wear and tear on the laser and almost non-existent load times

that way you save your laser....you save your original discs....and you dont have to worry about big bad DVDR's wrecking the laser....lolz

you also dont have to deal with dozens of discs taking up space and havi8ng to switch games....just load into the HDD menu and load whatever game you want

Im not arguing any points at all & Im still in the decision making mode. I havent JUST gotten anything as yet.

I believe your points are very valid J5. If I can get a Mod'd US PS2 that will properly run imports then I wont be limited to just JAP shooters or games I cant understand ( Whats to understand about a JAP shooter... ) & Ill have more options for ( GASP! ) non-shooter games.

I dont want to spend the funds for a JAP PS2 '&' a mod'd US PS2. But I also respect the advice of members here, ie: Prof G & GPunch etc who suggest an import JAP console would be better, so Im weighing that advice too.

But in the long run I suspect Ill get & mod a US console just so Ill have more options. And I may PM you & ask you to explain all this again. But right now, Im just looking, thanks...

So while Im just looking for a US PS2 to mod what should I be looking for? Any versions, styles, years etc that lend itself to modding more so than others?
Does any one Shmup better than another?

[ForceDevice]

Im not arguing any points at all & Im still in the decision making mode. I havent JUST gotten anything as yet.

I believe your points are very valid J5. If I can get a Mod'd US PS2 that will properly run imports then I wont be limited to just JAP shooters or games I cant understand ( Whats to understand about a JAP shooter... ) & Ill have more options for ( GASP! ) non-shooter games.

I dont want to spend the funds for a JAP PS2 '&' a mod'd US PS2. But I also respect the advice of members here, ie: Prof G & GPunch etc who suggest an import JAP console would be better, so Im weighing that advice too.

But in the long run I suspect Ill get & mod a US console just so Ill have more options. And I may PM you & ask you to explain all this again. But right now, Im just looking, thanks...

So while Im just looking for a US PS2 to mod what should I be looking for? Any versions, styles, years etc that lend itself to modding more so than others?
Does any one Shmup better than another?

Erm... I believe he was replying to Rob.'s post about backup'd copies wearing out the PS2's laser.

[doodude]

Oh... well, Ive done it again, havent I...

[jonny5]

ya sorry for the confusion there....lolz.....

the main reason i would go with the mod vs the import is with the mod you can play everything.....with the import you can only play NTSC-J region titles....

on the other hand you could also get an import and soft mod it to run off an HDD....because then you would still be able to run NTSC-J PS1 titles on it and you could run any region PS2 title off the HDD.....

if you do decide to go that route all you would need to do is get an IDE HDD, the PS2 network adapter.....and if you were willing to pay the cost of a memory card(like 15 bux) plus shipping all i would need is the code off whatever PS1 title you might have to set up the exploit on the memory card....and i could send it to ya ready to go

then once you have the memory card you simply put in the memory card and the PS1 game and when the PS2 goes to load the game it triggers the exploit and takes you to the menu....you load your games off there....

you can copy original games straight onto the HDD in about 20 mins or you can do it through your computer much faster......

very simple....

let me know if you decide to go this route and i will hook ya up

[doodude]

mmm hmmm hmmm...wha, oh...are you talking to me!?

Well, sure you are...I think...

Yeah, Ill let you know but Im thinking as Im so very mentally challenged in the ways of PS2's & mods & such that it would be simpler to go with a US PS2 & mod it in some way that is either tard proof or have someone mod it for me. Which again, is sorta tard proof.

Im still just trying to figure out what to look for in a used US PS2. Is one easier to mod than another? Like the diff between Sega oval buttons compared to Sega round buttons etc...

[jonny5]

get a fat one....they are easier to mod and you need one if you ever plan on using an HDD with it....you cant soft mod or run HDD's with slim PS2's....

and like i said....if ou decide to get an import PS2....i will hook you up with a softmodded memory card for cost of the card and shipping....

PM me if you want more info or a more in depth explanation

[ROBOTRON]

so your friend is a genius who thought it'd be a cool idea to force his disc tray open and didn't think it would harm his console

yeah...he pretty much did.

[KindGrind]

Get an american one with SM3.6, unless you have somebody that can mod your console for you. I had a ps2 bricked by a friend (who had successfully modded quite a few consoles) and it totally sucked.

Happy with my current setup.

[antron]

I have been told that the Memor32 card lets you play PS2 and PS1 imports and backups with no modification. If this is true then for $60 this beats everything. Also lets you load from the HD.

When your PS2 dies just get another one from the pawn shop.

HDLoader on a plain memory card is cool, but PS1 imports and some (non-shmup) PS2 games are out.