PS2 Swap-Magic

[fallenangle]

What ****** me off about the my C&E experience was that it was so random. I haven't done a lot of importing but I know people do get higher value goods through unhindered even without cheating with the customs value declaration. But when I import a couple of games actually valued at only just over ?18 each I get hit both times and end up paying the best part of ?8/game on top.

What nobody has explained is why there is this peculiar, no, ridiculous, ?18 limit on duty free mail order/online imports anyway. Why isn't it the same duty free limits for those travelling abroad - somebody needs to start a petition.

[fallenangle]

Finally bought Swap-Magic 3.6 and a flip top + a slide tool for use on my earlier v.3 PS2.

I haven't fitted it yet but I note the (totally inadequate - typical of the modding/import scene) 'instructions' for the Swap-Magic discs states it won't run import PS1 games. Surprised me that but I was wondering if with the flip top lid (or even the slide tool) I'd simply be able to use my PS-X Change boot disc for that purpose.

It's not really an important issue but I was thinking it would make the playing of multi-disc PS1 games easier than by the hot-swap method you have to use with PS/PSone consoles.

Anybody know?

[fallenangle]

Found out the answer myself and it's NO! I tried it while practicing with the slide tool. The PAL PS XChange disc just hangs mid-boot, if you unload it using the tool and replace it with a NTSC PS disc it just doesn't run whatever you do.

BTW I found the replacement tray disc front cover you get with the Pro slide tool kit is actually wrongly designed for the v.3 PS2 I'm using it on. The lug on it which is supposed to engage the right side tray clip isn't in the right place and actually fouls the slide clip. In trying to fit it I manage to break the right clip off and bend the left one to breaking point too. In fact my original v.3 tray front cover has lugs on both ends - I assume later models must have used a slightly different clip/lug design which accounts for this mismatch.

Simple Araldite job for the repair and, as the new tray front is actually held in place by a completely different internal clip system, I just pared off the lug with a craft knife. Everything now looks pretty good and seems to work. All I need now is one of the NTSC games I've ordered to arrive to see if the Swap-Magic does it's job.

[Jei]

The PS2X-Change disc doesn't work on a ps2. You need the Breaker Pro disc to use PS1 games using the method you are.

I actually have a spare one i'l sell you for a tenner if you're interested?

[blueheat]

I once installed a flip-top lid for my PS2, and found the whole process quite a bit more tricky than various websites made out. In the end I got rid of it though, as the only game I wanted to play at the time (Suikoden III) wouldn't run anyway (but I'm not sure if this is due to a faulty game, incompatability issues or possibly the fact that I'm using one of the very early Swap Magic boot up discs).

I've since been using the slide tool to play Growlanser Generations (which works great). I think it would be very useful to compile a list of games which do or don't work using these methods though.

[fallenangle]

Thanks for the info/offer but no - although it would be useful to be able to play PS1 imports on my PS2 for the limited number of games I have ?10 would be a ridiculous indulgence. I'll stick with my PS-XChange/PSOne.

[fallenangle]

Triumph and disaster.

I've had no problem with my v.3 PS2 using Swap-Magic with the replacement tray front and slide tool. So easy and my newly arrived Warship Gunner 2 runs perfectly.

So on my v.7 PS2 I decided to take the plunge with the replacement flip top case and went ahead with that. Seemed simple enough but principally because of the lousy manufacturing tolerances of the new top nothing worked. Every part just seemed to foul the various ports by a fraction of an inch causing all sorts of problems.

In the end I couldn't even get the Swap-Magic disc to even spin let alone load. It was hit or miss even getting an ordinary PAL game to run as well and when it did it sounded more like an old washing machine on its last legs.

I couldn't risk writing off my PS2 so I stopped trying to get it to work with the flip top and replaced the old case/parts, praying no permanent damage had been done. Thank the Sony gods it still worked and runs NTSC games/Swap-Magic with the slide tool perfectly.

Maybe with a bit of DIY I could have got it running properly with the flip top but I have to ask myself why did I bother. I've risked a reliable PS2 with a shoddily made piece of kit and spent ?12.50 more than I needed to for the privilege. My instincts told me I should have stuck with the simplist solution ie. the slide tool. Dumb decision not too.