NTSC and JP PS1/2 games on a PAL PS1/2

I've been looking for a couple hours online for info on this, but the majority of it either is only relevant to NTSC consoles, expects you to already have experience with modding or is just generally not too useful for a beginner.

So I want to get physical copies of games like Hoshigami, King's Field, Forever Kingdom and a bunch of other games not released in the PAL region. However, I'm not sure of the best option to actually do this. I don't want to use a mod that requires soldering as I have no knowledge of doing so and don't want to spend money on tools I'm only going to use once. I'd also rather not buy a NTSC or JP console as that would leave me with 3 PS1s and 3 PS2s, which is a little excessive.

I was looking at things like Breaker Pro and Swap Magic, however every site that sells them look extremely dodgy and none really give much information (one site says it's all I need - another says I also need some sort of flip-top).

Probably should mention I have a 7502 PS1 and a 75003 PS2. I also live in the UK if that makes a difference.

Anyway, I was also wondering if it was even necessary to mod my PS1, or if a modded PS2 was also capable of playing NTSC/JP PS1 games.

So yeah, help on this is much appreciated.

 

OK, the simple answer is that those swap discs work fine with most games - there are a few titles that give problems, but they are mostly fairly obscure.

You don't need the flip-top case, that's just for the old "Fat" PS2s - on the slim ones, all you need to do is to disable the lid sensors (so the console can't detect the drive is open), and the stuff to do that normally comes with the swap discs.

You can also play PS1 imports on a PS2 using a swap disc - but it has to be a PS1 swap disc, the "CD" swap disc out of the PS2 set is designed for booting CD based PS2 games, not PS1 games. The same comments about disabling the lid sensors apply here, too.

Also note that you have to get swap discs that match the region of your console, or they won't boot. You should also get a RGB SCART cable if you don't already have one because both the PS1 and the PS2 generate slightly messed up color encoding when you switch them to the wrong region, but this isn't an issue if you're using RGB.

For the PS1, you can also use a swap disc (and you also need to defeat the lid sensor, although that's pretty easy on those models) - other options are to use one of those "game enhancer" or "goldfinger" carts and the swap trick (basically, boot up with a PAL original and then swap the disc to the import before selecting "start game").

For the PS2, another approach is to use FMCB and ESR loader, although that requires patched disc images (I.E. you can't directly boot your import discs, you need to rip them, patch them and burn them) - PSX loader will work with original discs on the PS2, but requires a swap with an in-region PS1 disc.

 

Right, so all I really need is a swap disc, plus the sensor blocker? Do you know of any reliable sites? Most I've seen look pretty dodgy and Amazon is sold out of Swap Magic. I believe I have a scart cable somewhere, but my TV supports 60Hz and also comes up with NTSC in the corner when playing 60Hz PAL games so does that not matter?

 

That, or get someone to mod your console for you.

By the way, Japanese consoles are NTSC. That's like saying you're either going to buy a Ford or a Fiesta.

 

Maybe, but the time, cost and effort don't seem worth it to me, I live in a kinda small rural town, so as far as I know, there's nobody that can do that sort of thing around here. And I was more referring to how you can't play a Japanese game on an American console, so I'd want a technique that works for both, rather than just letting me play US games or vice versa.

 

Sadly, I really can't help there - those discs were never that popular in HK because the vast majority of consoles sold here had modchips in them.

It depends on your exact model of PS2 and the sort of TV you have - the best thing to do is try it, and if you get a B&W image or flashing color then use a RGB wired scart cable.