Worth getting a mod for PS2 nowdays?

[DNCornholio]

Do you guys think its worth modding a PS2 these days?

I currently own a slim PS2 and about 20 games (since 2007). I have a strong desire to play NTSC games (mostly Japanese ones) however some have told me about other methods of playing import games (MCBoot and other memory card based methods).

My concern is the comparability of memory card based boot methods and that it may only work for a few games. However, Im debating making a $70-80 investment on a chip and install (at my local area)....

Would you consider it a risk to mod PS2s nowdays or do you believe most installers are adept at it given how long they've been around..

Also, excuse my lack of knowledge on PS2s since I've only ever owned an unmodded unit.... what would I have to do to get an external HDD to work with the PS2 to play games, movies etc...?

Cheers.

[dlanor]

Do you guys think its worth modding a PS2 these days?

Not really, unless you are fanatic about playing PS1 backups/imports on it.
Because they are the only games not playable by softmod means (as yet).

I own one modded console myself, which admittedly has been very useful to me in my work with homebrew design etc. But the other consoles I own (four others) have no physical mods at all, but rely only on softmods for all backup usage (two by myself and two out on loan to relatives). It should be noted here that with the softmod methods imports too must be made into backups to work, as booting original import discs by pure softmod means does not work. But making backups of them works fine and is done by means identical with those used for game releases of the local region.

I currently own a slim PS2 and about 20 games (since 2007). I have a strong desire to play NTSC games (mostly Japanese ones) however some have told me about other methods of playing import games (MCBoot and other memory card based methods).

There are many such ways, mainly based on the homebrew program ESR, which allows playing backup games from specially patched DVD-R discs, and the other homebrew program OPL which allows playing backup games from a variety of media, currently including USB HDDs/memory sticks, IDE connected HDD (probably not available for your slim though), and SMB fileshares with games stored on a PC (the most promising method IMO).

My concern is the comparability of memory card based boot methods and that it may only work for a few games.

That has been the case with some older method (eg: USBAdvance), but with both ESR and OPL game compatibility is already better than 90%, though OPL still lags a bit behind ESR in that area. (But OPL is still under active development.)

However, Im debating making a $70-80 investment on a chip and install (at my local area)....

The choice is yours, of course, but I would not do it if your PS2 model is one of those compatible to the FMCB softmod.

All slims with model codes lower than SCPH-90000 are definitely FMCB compatible.
For the SCPH-900xx models it varies, so let us know if you have one of those.

Would you consider it a risk to mod PS2s nowdays or do you believe most installers are adept at it given how long they've been around..

It is not just a matter of skill, but of the electronic methods used for mod chips.
Some of the signals controlled by a modchip are forced into a specific voltage level, even though some original circuit of the PS2 is trying to do something else, which can strain those parts electronically (overcurrent etc). This has nothing to do with the skill of the installer, but is due to some of the standard methods used by the modchips.

So it is always better for the hardware if no such modchip is used.

The one exception is that some PS2 models will get a longer service life if a special laser protection modification is installed (several variants exist), but that is not in itself a modchip, though the use of such protection is extra important for those who do use a modchip. (Because the laser output is one of the 'forced voltage' points.)

That said I should also add that I have no such protection on any of my own consoles, except maybe the modded one. Since I didn't mod it myself I never inspected its laser. And it has always worked perfectly so I've never had any reason to check it out.

Also, excuse my lack of knowledge on PS2s since I've only ever owned an unmodded unit.... what would I have to do to get an external HDD to work with the PS2 to play games, movies etc...?

For using an HDD connected by USB very little is needed.

You just need to have some way of booting the homebrew software involved, which for those purposes would mainly be SMS (for media playing) and OPL (for game backups). So a standard FMCB installation to which you add OPL would do fine.

The same also applies to an HDD connected by LAN, using SMB protocol, usable both by SMS and OPL, though a little trickier to configure. (But you can always get help here.) This has been made to work both with SMB LAN partners that are real PCs and those that are just NAS units (often a PC too, of a specialized kind). But some NAS units can not easily be configured for this use, so I would only go for something others have had success with.

Using an HDD connected by IDE interface is hardest of all, as no slim has a complete IDE interface from scratch, and only the SCPH-700xx models have the basic chips needed for a simple add on kit (commercially available) to add a complete IDE interface.

For other slim models there is reputedly an IDE interface solution available, which adds the extra chips missing in those models, and also (mandatorily) adds a modchip. But this kit is still not available in the western hemisphere, as far as I know.

I think I've now covered most aspects of your questions, but feel free to ask again if anything needs clarifying.

Best regards: dlanor

[versatileninja]

Maybe I am missing something here, but with the PS2 slim, you can load PSX backups using a softmod. Using Free Mcboot with PSXLauncher.elf installed, you can load PSX backups.

All you need is a PS1 trigger disc, and then you can do the swap. Did I interpret you wrong dlanor?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnJH1CcbXG4"]YouTube - [How To] Play PSX (PS1) Backups on Playstation 2 Slim (NOT FAT PS2)[/ame]

[dlanor]

Maybe I am missing something here, but with the PS2 slim, you can load PSX backups using a softmod. Using Free Mcboot with PSXLauncher.elf installed, you can load PSX backups.

All you need is a PS1 trigger disc, and then you can do the swap. Did I interpret you wrong dlanor?

Slightly, yes. The misunderstanding lies in our clearly different definitions of what a 'softmod' is.

To me this excludes the sensor-modded disc-swapping method you describe (and which I never use myself).

Best regards: dlanor