PS2 (SCPH-30001 R) Backwards compatibility?

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

So i own a PS2 FAT (model number in title) and i'm a bit confused as i get conflicting answers everywhere i search online?
is it backwards compatable or not? i'm trying to play final fantasy IX and i keep getting a "disc read error", while this itself
could be an open and shut case, the seller said and showed proof it worked, and the memory card my ps2 came with
had ps1 game data on it, i'm just really trying to wrap my head around this..

 

[zfreeman]

Do other PS1 games work? It could be a dirty or dying laser.

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

Do other PS1 games work? It could be a dirty or dying laser.

i don't have any others to try unfortunately, however i could try this disc(s) on my sister's PS2 to see if it works, any PS2 game works though, which i personally find odd considering my copy of KH 1 is all a tad bit scratched up and works fine (i 100%'d it in about 4 days) unless PS1 games are just more sensitive, which i guess would make sense.

 

[Ryccardo]

All PS2s are supposed to run all* (original) PS1 discs (of the same region)...

* compatibility is not 100%, and worse for 75xxx+ models, but those problems come after the 4-color-over-black PS1 logo

...you could try with a plain audio CD, which equally should work on any model (and this time with no caveats), it will adequately test the CD laser (which apparently is less reliable) and drive control except the wobble detector!

Technically you don't need to ever have owned any PS1 disc to put PS1 saves on a PS2 memory card

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

...you could try with a plain audio CD, which equally should work on any model (and this time with no caveats), it will adequately test the CD laser (which apparently is less reliable) and drive control except the wobble detector!

could you elaborate more on this it's been over a decade since i've worked with a PS2 i've basically reverted back to being a newb

 

[Ryccardo]

could you elaborate more on this it's been over a decade since i've worked with a PS2 i've basically reverted back to being a newb

Like any compatible disc - stick one in and it should appear in the "browser"!

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

Like any compatible disc - stick one in and it should appear in the "browser"!

in that case, as mentioned above all my ps2 games work

 

[RAHelllord]

Just for the record, combination DVD and CD drives generally use two separate laser diodes to read CDs and DVDs, as they both require different wavelengths.
It's entirely possible that the laser diode for CDs has died, but the one for DVDs (what PS2 discs are) has not. If the seller showed proof of PS1 games working on it I would suggest testing a regular CD like Ryccardo suggested, and if that works maybe give the laser a clean with one of those cleaning CDs or DVDs.

However, it's also possible the seller lied and used homebrew to run a PS1 game off of a USB stick or similar to pretend that the disc drive is working correctly.

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

good news and bad news, the bad news is i don't have any audio CDs, the good news is my sister has a couple of ps1 games and i took one at random called jigsaw madness, and the disc got read so i'm guessing the laser does work?? maybe i can try cleaning my final fantasy 9 disc but i'm not sure how to go about that, and if cleaning the laser is still a suggestion at play im also not sure how to go about that

 

[RAHelllord]

Yeah, then the laser works. Cleaning CDs is usually best done with a slightly damp and soft cloth, preferably microfibers like for glasses or displays, and gently wiping from center to the edge. Try avoiding scrubbing over the surface and if there are big dust particles on it blow them off first so they don't scratch the soft plastic. No circular motions or something like that, just from the center to the edge and repeat as needed.

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

Yeah, then the laser works. Cleaning CDs is usually best done with a slightly damp and soft cloth, preferably microfibers like for glasses or displays, and gently wiping from center to the edge. Try avoiding scrubbing over the surface and if there are big dust particles on it blow them off first so they don't scratch the soft plastic. No circular motions or something like that, just from the center to the edge and repeat as needed.

unfortunately it did not work, i may just have to contact the seller at this rate, jesus christ this sucks....thank you for your help..

Post automatically merged: May 7, 2025

unfortunately it did not work, i may just have to contact the seller at this rate, jesus christ this sucks....thank you for your help..

the seller said they tested on a ps3 and it worked fine, now im just extremely confused, they sent me two gamefaq threads with supposedly the same issue and they all basically sum the issue up with "it's the laser of the console" which as already established in this here thread, is not the issue

 

[KleinesSinchen]

the seller said they tested on a ps3 and it worked fine, now im just extremely confused, they sent me two gamefaq threads with supposedly the same issue and they all basically sum the issue up with "it's the laser of the console" which as already established in this here thread, is not the issue

It is not uncommon that one disc is still detected or even working pretty normal and another completely fails on a weak drive.
Also: CDs can be unreadable while looking just good to the naked eye... or look horrible with scratches all over like a hopeless case and the drive doesn't even stutter.

Optical drives in consoles often perform very poorly, especially since they are old by now. A full-sized drive in a PC will most likely have to trouble reading the game at full speed. But only a proper C1/C2 test can give a hint on the condition of the CD in question (for example Nero DiscSpeed can do this -- not all drives support C1/C2 tests).

Cleaning the lens in the PS2 might make a huge difference. Different wavelenght (red vs. near infrared) might make a difference passing through any dirt. Since most PS2 games are on DVD the red laser is used for them. PS2 games on CD have a nice blue color.

I got one SCPH-30004... with that console my nose could already say there would be problems (tobacco stench). After cleaning the lens (yellowish goop on top ) everything was back to normal. Cleaning is worth a try. Unrelated, but you should also clean the fan while you are at it.

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

It is not uncommon that one disc is still detected or even working pretty normal and another completely fails on a weak drive.
Also: CDs can be unreadable while looking just good to the naked eye... or look horrible with scratches all over like a hopeless case and the drive doesn't even stutter.

Optical drives in consoles often perform very poorly, especially since they are old by now. A full-sized drive in a PC will most likely have to trouble reading the game at full speed. But only a proper C1/C2 test can give a hint on the condition of the CD in question (for example Nero DiscSpeed can do this -- not all drives support C1/C2 tests).

Cleaning the lens in the PS2 might make a huge difference. Different wavelenght (red vs. near infrared) might make a difference passing through any dirt. Since most PS2 games are on DVD the red laser is used for them. PS2 games on CD have a nice blue color.

I got one SCPH-30004... with that console my nose could already say there would be problems (tobacco stench). After cleaning the lens (yellowish goop on top ) everything was back to normal. Cleaning is worth a try. Unrelated, but you should also clean the fan while you are at it.

im honestly not even sure how to go about cleaning the insides this is extremely out of my scope of knowledge, like i said I've pretty much reverted to being a newbie to this stuff as i haven't owned one of these since i was like 5

 

[ChronoCrossfangirl2002]

coming back to this thread and i managed to open up the console, and uhhhh yeah it's quite dusty inside, i haven't got to the disk drive yet as it looks like it has 4 small screws that need to be undone, so whenever my pa gets back i need to ask if i can use his other screwdrivers, but from here it looks like i just need to take a peek at the disc drive itself and clean it, i heard using a dry tooth brush works and compressed air though im not sure if i have any of the latter.