NTSC Games On A PAL PS2....

[Jamcee]

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this.... but here goes anyway.

My girlfriend has recently purchased a game off ebay. The game is new and in NTSC format. Now, her PS2 is PAL and unchipped or modded . Obviously the game doesnt work on the machine and she is unwilling to mod / chip her PS2. To make things worse, the game in question has never been released in Europe, only USA .

Now I have heard that there is a "formatting" pin in a SCART lead and the removal of this pin will solve the problem and allow the PAL PS2 to play the NTSC game. Any ideas? Anyone else heard of this? Anyone know which pin it is?

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

Jam

[danholo]

In order to play games from any other region then Europe on your PAL PS2 is to get it chipped or use swap magic. I've never used swap magic before but if she doesn't want her console chipped, which would be the better option, you could give Swap Magic a try. I don't know how to use it though...

[bidermaier]

i think the best option is resell. Unless you want to buy her a NTSC PS2.

[HaHaUK]

Now I have heard that there is a "formatting" pin in a SCART lead and the removal of this pin will solve the problem and allow the PAL PS2 to play the NTSC game. Any ideas? Anyone else heard of this? Anyone know which pin it is?

Never heard of this, and it wont work simply by modifying the scart cable, its to do with the insides of the console itself.

Best option is to buy a US or modified PS2 as it's now illegal to mod them. Or like danholo said, check out SwapMagic.

[Dico]

can i ask whats swapmagic as i really would like to import PS2 games from NTSC regions. Is it like the Gamecubes freeloader?

[HaHaUK]

SwapMagic

Swap Magic 3 has been designed with one purpose in mind - booting backups/import games. In the Swap Magic 3.6 Plus package, there are two discs. One disc is for booting CD-R games, and another is for booting DVD-R games.
In short, the procedure for booting a backup with Swap Magic is like this:
1. Insert a Swap Magic 3 Disc in your PlayStation2 (CD is for booting CD backups/import games. DVD version is for booting DVD backups/import games)
2. When there are two options (Load Program and Video Mode) on the screen, that is the time to swap the disc. ** [ you need to install the tools ( eg. magic switch, fliptop , slide tools ) to enable the console not to reset while swaping the disc ]
3. Insert your CD or DVD backup
4. Use Flip Top Cover or Slide-Tool to put the CD tray back
5. Press X on joy pad and the game will start

Its a bit like Freeloader, but not as simple. Requires some modification of the actual system, and takes a little longer than the simple disc swapping of Freeloader.

[Jamcee]

i think the best option is resell. Unless you want to buy her a NTSC PS2.

Reselling the game wont help as it's never been released on PAL format. And will an NTSC PS2 work over here without a problem? What about her existing PAL games - will they work?

Jam

[Cobertizo]

An NTSC PS2 will need a stepdown converter to sort out the voltage difference between the two regions. And your PAL games won't work on it. If she has a slimline PS2, just get SwapMagic and a Magic Switch thing, and if she has an old shape PS2, then get SwapMagic and a FlipLid. That's the easiest way forward. Oh, and what's the game? Most, but not all games work easily with SwapMagic, so it might be worth checking before you go down that route...

[eretsua]

Reselling the game wont help as it's never been released on PAL format. And will an NTSC PS2 work over here without a problem? What about her existing PAL games - will they work?

Jam

her existing PAL games collection will not work on a NTSC-U/J unit...

PAL games works only on PAL Consoles
NTSC-J games work only on NTSC-J console
NTSC-U games work only on NTSC-U console

A NTSC-U/J machine will work over here but you'll need a stepdown converter.

so basicly you're options are to
investigate swapmagic (and the compatabillity with it the game in question).

buy a NTSC-U console with a stepdown converter.

Bite the bullet and mod your existing PAL console with chip. Despite it being against the law and costs a considerable amount of money.

Or perhaps the wisest choice in your situation is to forget about playing the game and instead sell it at your local pawnshop or throw it back up on eBay.

good luck!

[Jamcee]

Or perhaps the wisest choice in your situation is to forget about playing the game and instead sell it at your local pawnshop or throw it back up on eBay.

good luck!

The game in question is not even that great - "Harvest Moon - Save the Homeland" or something!

Thanks everyone for the feedback - at least i know exactly what the options are now!

Jam

[Cobertizo]

Following my earlier comment about compatibility, it seems that HM: Save The Homeland does work fine with SwapMagic. I got that from here: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/176791