A noob trying to play PS1 imports and "backups", help please.

It's not true unless you use a Swap Trick maybe. If you use a modchip and the CD-R is a good quality media and burned well it will not have any significant difference really. But that's not to say that you can't use cheap media and a bad burner to cause extra stress and wear out your laser assembly sooner.

As far as Imports Only versus Normal Mod, there is absolutely no reason to get one unless you have some moral reasoning or something you want to abide by. The Import Only mod actually is slightly more complicated since it must "watch" a bitstream for the SCEX code and patch the last character (X which is actually I,A, or E depedending on disc region) to match the console's desired region. But that's just more complex for the chip designer and not for installation if you are comparing to a Stealth Mod, but if comparing to classic mod it is more work for you. Classic Mods take 4 wires. Stealth and Import Only are 7 or 8 wires.

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen categorical proof but the theory seems sound to me.

That said, the only optical drive I can think of that's died on me in a games console was a PS2 that only ever read legit discs.

 

So I tried that constant disc swap trick on my PSone (previously I just experimented on my obsoleted-ass PSX from 1995), and...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riy_ImxhIr4

Looks like I'm finally gonna record high-quality video on those Rockman and BioHazard trials and prototypes after all. =)

Stay tuned on some videos about said prototypes from yours truly in the near future.

 

How many swaps is it? I thought they'd made it impossible on the PSOne. I know it took like 3 swaps on my 7501 model and I think on older models it was less than that.

Still a modchip or at the very least a Breaker Pro or PS X Change disc is highly recommended to avoid the risks of swapping a disc that is actively spinning.

 

Swap Trick Killed This Laser Assembly

 

Judging from how much scratches and damages that surrounds that laser, I'd say it was meant to happen sooner than it should have.