NTSC to PAL.

[boys from the dwarf]

How can i can get NTSC PS1 and PS2 games to work on a PAL PS2?

You can chip your PS2 if im right and that would allow me to play that sort of game but im a complete dummy and would need full step by step instructions on where or how to do that.

I saw a different sort of scart that said something about changing PAL to NTSC. would that work with a PAL TV and PS2? if you go on ebay.co.uk and type in "PAL to NTSC" some stuff like that comes up. does it work?

Are there other ways you could reccomend?

thank you. Odin Sphere and FFT wont stay unplayed forever.

[Baloki]

There's an item called a Swap Disk that you can purchase and it'll allow you to play import games, however it does involve physically pulling the CD tray out of the PS2 to change disks so will shorten the life of your PS2.

[Mirage]

It's not really an issue about PAL/NTSC anyway. Most TVs can decode both signal types, and besides, the European game console outputs North American games in PAL60 anyway, as far as I know. The Scart cable you saw was probably for older TVs who couldn't handle both colour formats, cause that's all it's about, two different ways of sending colour information.
There's no problem what so ever for the consoles to convert from one format to another either, it is all about preventing people from importing games, cause imports means they can't overcharge a game in regions with higher price levels)

The issue is regional encoding on the game discs, and this is circumvented by installing a modification chip (or as Baloki suggested, Swap Magic disc, but I much prefer a modchip). This isn't something a beginner should do, as it requires soldering on the actual console motherboard. Therefore, you're best off paying a professional to do it for you.

[boys from the dwarf]

The TV wont be a problem then. its just getting my PS2 to be able to play the games.

I have one of the thinner PS2s. would i still be able to get that chipped?

and what if bought an NTSC PS2? would i even be able to plug that in without having to buy some sort of socket changer?

[Mirage]

If you bought an American PS2, you would need to get an adapter for the power socket. Both the shape and voltage differs. You'd also need to either keep importing every game you want, or have to switch between your European and American PS2, which would be a drag. It should also be cheaper to get your current console modded than it is to buy a PS2 from the US, and have it shipped over to the UK.

Also, by "most TVs", I mean most TVs made the last 10 years.

[Dreddz]

Swap Magic is good but you'd want to be chipping your PS2, less hassle. And I dont reckon they shorten the life of your PS2 if your careful. Your TV should be able to receive NTSC signals, if not then get an RGB cable which will sort it out. That or rip the game into your computer, patch it then burn it back onto disc.

[o_O]

Swap Magic worked fine for me for four years. Then I got a modchip and wondered why I didn't make the switch earlier.

The other option is a memory card loader. You can make an image which, when saved to your memory card acts as a swap disk and you can bypass region checking. Be warned that this makes a small part of your memory card unusable though.

Most modern TVs can cope with both PAL and NTSC signals and if they can't, you can get cables to convert the signal.

[Discord]

This page:
Console Gaming World - PSX Patches - C

Copy the disk with Nero or something like that and store it as an ISO. Then let the program patch the ISO file and finally burn it on a new disk. Worked fine for me when I played Crono Cross.

[boys from the dwarf]

so let me get this right.

MagicKeys II Set Magic Keys 2 Magic Key

this would allow me to play FFT Odin Sphere and all sorts of stuff?

Sorry to be so cautious but i dont want to buy useless junk and like i said, im a dummy with this sort of stuff.

[o_O]

That will work.

Magic keys are the tools that allow you to open the CD tray of the PS2 without the PS2 realising. They will also only work on a Slimline PS2. If you have an old, big one, you need a slide tool instead of a magic key.

I recommend a modchip over a swap disc though. With a swap disc you have to open the case and swap the discs every time you want to play an import and it gets annoying.
The biggest drawback of swap discs is that you can't play a game with a larger table of contents than the swap disc itself. The last time I checked (around Swap Magic 3.6), the Swap Magic TOC was around 4.25Gb. Any game with a larger TOC won't boot, which ruled out games like MGS2 and Xenosaga. You can occasionally split a larger game over several discs (I managed to extract the ISO, rearrange it and put Xenosaga on three discs), but it's a lengthy and unreliable process. I went through about ten high quality Taiyo Yuden DVD+Rs before I got a bootable disc, and it took most of the spindle to get a playable set of three.