Got PAL PS2 w/ Messiah but live in US! What to do...

Hi all,

Back in the days when messiah was the only non-swap mod-chip out and Sony was sueing Channel Tech for it, I asked my friend in UK to buy me a PS2 w/ messiah modded. I thought that since it can read NTSC games, I should be able to play them on my NTSC TV. Boy was I wrong. PAL games come up flipping (as expected) and NTSC games are black and white. Most games boot up fine though, so the mod chip is pretty good...

I am considering serveral options now:

1) sell it and buy a new one
2) buy the sagestar VGA box and play games on my LCD monitor.

Any suggestions from you experts? Are there any other ways that will allow me to play my games on NTSC TV w/ colors? Cheap? (Those PAL->NTSC converters are expensive on eBay) That VGA box is $49.

If I sell mine, where can I get a modded PS2 in New York? Any online store? Or anyone in NYC area can do install? What chip should I get? How hard is it to do the install myself?

Thanks in advance!

You can do the ntsc color fix for the original messiah chip or purchase the pal to ntsc color converter($69 at the goldenshop). Playing pal games on ntsc you have to either use the ntsconv program to change the format of the game (doesn't always work) or get a multi-system converter ($149 at the goldenshop). No, I do not work for the goldenshop.

I am very surprised at what you are saying, SonicSnake - that is if it applies to PS2 games.

I guarantee that a PAL PS2, playing an NTSC game and connected by, say, the RCA cable to an NTSC television will display colours correctly.

If it doesn't, then someone might have done the Colour Fix forcing PAL 60 out the back.

The PS2 puts out the back whatever the game happens to be. So I'd say whoever modded the PS2 did some sort of colour fix that you don't need now. I can't think of anything else it could be.

THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! That's why I bought this PAL PS2 even thought I don't have a multi system tv! So is this color fix thing easy to do? If I bring my PS2 to a shop, can people fix it for me?

So, no one supports the decision of selling it and buying a new NTSC PS2? If I buy a new one, I'm probably gonna ask some friends who're travelling to HK to buy it for me. How are the modded PS2 in HK? Do they use good mod chips?

Someone needs to open the PS2 up and look see if an NTSC /PAL fix has been done. The diagram is in the FAQ/Guides section in one of the pages on the Messiah 2 Install Guide.

If you get a HK PS2 39006 remember you'll need a v8 compatible modchip like DMS3 or Messiah 2. The 39006 is 240v, NTSC-J. They might put the bluechip or Accessor in; so long as your friend sees it booting a DVD-R (take a known one with him) - it should work out OK.