PS1/2 FreeMcBoot or ModChip?

[EnigmaXtreme]

Which option should I seek out if I want to just pop in a backup or different region disc and it will load?

People are telling me that I shouldn't get a modchip because McBoot has rendered them boot, but from what I've read to run different region discs I have to use Swap Magic or something and to run backups i have to patch em before I burn em

 

[DinohScene]

FreeMCBoot.

It's plug and play basically.

Yes you will need to patch backups but hey, those extra 5 minutes of patching.

 

[yusuo]

Free Mcboot, I use it on my pal console and it's quite happy allowing me to play pal or NTSC games no hassle, just make sure to use esr patcher on your isos before you burn them. That way they'll auto boot as well. Never had an issue with mine plus with free Mcboot you get to use emulators and the media centre system call SMS which comes in handy for playing avi's from a memory stick

EDIT
Esr patcher takes less than a second to patch an iso you just have to remember to patch before you burn otherwise the disk won't do anything, you'll just get an unrecognized disk error

 

[Hyro-Sama]

I have both. I bought FreeMcBoot without knowing what it did.

 

[yusuo]

I have both. I bought FreeMcBoot without knowing what it did.

And out of curiosity which would you say was better?

 

[xist]

Personally, as someone who's used Free McBoot since it's creation, and prior to that the titledb exploit, i'd say that if you have a chance at getting a half decent chip installed then go for that. It's just the far simpler option and isn't reliant on anything else.

 

[jinnpan]

Chip all the way

 

[relminator]

I use both. Having a chip let's you play around with FMCB itself with no worries. Plus you don't have to ESR your Discs. Not that I use Discs anymore. OpenPS2 Loader FTW.

 

[EnigmaXtreme]

Ending up getting a chip and it works great, despite some early NTSC games not showing properly on my screen :/

 

[DinohScene]

*snip*

I have to admit that it really does look professionally installed.

 

[jinnpan]

Ending up getting a chip and it works great, despite some early NTSC games not showing properly on my screen :/

Which chip did you get?
Are you using an RGB Scart Cable?

*snip*

I have to admit that it really does look professionally installed.

Thanks, I do my best for all my PS2 installs.

Here are a few more I have done

 

[DinohScene]

I've seen quite a few of them in your PS2 installer thread.

Really neatly soldered!


What type of glue do you use to keep the wires to the mobo?

 

[EnigmaXtreme]

Ending up getting a chip and it works great, despite some early NTSC games not showing properly on my screen :/

Which chip did you get?
Are you using an RGB Scart Cable?

Modbo 4.0 and no

 

[jinnpan]

Press and Hold triangle and circle when you boot the PS2, it will access the chip menu. You can change the video settings.

 

[Lumstar]

A multisystem TV is useful to serious PS2 users. Further reduces need for patching.

If you don't want to be confused with technical details (which I'm unsure of myself)... The simplest way to understand PS2 is it doesn't tie in-game video mode to either console or game region code.
All PS2s should default all instances of a specific game disc to the same format. Including color and resolution. Unless a mod or patch forces otherwise.

Meaning in normal cases:
50hz always uses PAL color when applicable
60hz always uses NTSC color when applicable
All PS2 models have identical AV jack pinouts (composite/svideo/component/RGB/etc)

For example AFAIK if I play a common PAL PS2 game on my chipped American PS2, it'll remain 576i 50hz PAL. Unplayable without patches on most older TVs here.

 

[jinnpan]

Modbo 4.0 has built in on the fly patching.

 

[Lumstar]

Yeah that's why I tried to be very clear I was detailing how I grasp the unpatched behavior. You're seeing effects othen than default when using them.

 

[EnigmaXtreme]

I tried my backup of NTSC Metal Gear Solid and nothing seemed to work, i changed the chip setting to PAL60 and it stretched the boot screen vertical wise

 

[Lumstar]

I tried my backup of NTSC Metal Gear Solid and nothing seemed to work, i changed the chip setting to PAL60 and it stretched the boot screen vertical wise

Perhaps for some reason the game is being forced into 576i. That might stretch it?

Sony did not support PAL60 on PS2. Whenever a PS2 game's manual or menu referred to "PAL60", it was in error. They meant NTSC.

 

[PeterPS2]

Free Mcboot, I use it on my pal console and it's quite happy allowing me to play pal or NTSC games no hassle, just make sure to use esr patcher on your isos before you burn them. That way they'll auto boot as well. Never had an issue with mine plus with free Mcboot you get to use emulators and the media centre system call SMS which comes in handy for playing avi's from a memory stick
EDIT
Esr patcher takes less than a second to patch an iso you just have to remember to patch before you burn otherwise the disk won't do anything, you'll just get an unrecognized disk error

Hi, i have a PS2 PAL and i can't get FMCB installed correctly. Always appears "Please insert a PS or PS2 disk". What am i doing wrong? Is it the ESR patcher? How can i use it? I'm such a noob in there metters.....
Thks in advance. Regards.