NTSC games on modded PAL console (PS2 and Mega Drive specifi

The place for all discussion on gaming hardware
Post Reply
rickyc675
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 11:27 pm

NTSC games on modded PAL console (PS2 and Mega Drive specifi

Post by rickyc675 »

Hey everyone,

So I have some questions I would like answering regarding NTSC games being played on a 60hz modded pal console. The consoles in question are PlayStation 2 and Sega Mega Drive. I'm fed up with terrible PAL 50 and currently building a new NTSC collection. All of my Nintendo consoles are NTSC models but to save a bit of money and space, I had my PS2 and Mega Drive 2 modded (modbo 4 and switchless reset button mod respectively)

I've read lots of snippets of info online that state NTSC games will run ever so slightly slower on a PAL modded console than they would on genuine NTSC hardware, however I am looking for a more coherent answer.

My understanding from what I've read online is that the GPU inside the 2 consoles runs slightly slower in PAL machines and results in a slightly slower refresh rate being produced (59.5 approx for modded PAL and 59.9 approx for actual NTSC)

What I would like to know is how noticeable is this difference when playing the games? Will NTSC games feel noticeably faster when played on an actual NTSC console, as opposed to on a modded PAL console?

If the speed differences of framerates are only milliseconds then I will be happy using the modded hardware, I'm not a speedrunner so not looking to break any records or anything, just want the best experience possible with retro games, no 50hz!

For the record, both consoles are connected to a Sony CRT TV using RGB SCART.

Many thanks!
User avatar
Fudoh
Posts: 13045
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:29 am
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: NTSC games on modded PAL console (PS2 and Mega Drive spe

Post by Fudoh »

What I would like to know is how noticeable is this difference when playing the games?
no, absolutely not. The only difference it makes is that the "60Hz" output from PAL system can cause v-sync problems on the Framemeister.
User avatar
AndehX
Posts: 790
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:37 pm

Re: NTSC games on modded PAL console (PS2 and Mega Drive spe

Post by AndehX »

Fudoh wrote:
What I would like to know is how noticeable is this difference when playing the games?
no, absolutely not. The only difference it makes is that the "60Hz" output from PAL system can cause v-sync problems on the Framemeister.
I encountered this issue. Using a sync stripper fixed it for me.
Post Reply