Is there a software program that will allow me to play my backed up ps2 games without installing a mod chip? Dvd Squeeze claims you do not need a mod chip with there software. Is this true?

No.

Well technically there are swap discs, so a mod chip is not needed. Saying tha I don't know anyone who uses these as they are a pain in the arse, even those I knew who tried them got a mod chip in the end.

You can use Swapmagic disks and either a Slide Tool/Flip top lid (for older PS2) or a Magic Switch Pro V2 (for newer PStwo)

It's very easy to do and cheaper than a mod chip, but there is the process of swapping a disk each time you want to play, which may become an annoyance to some people with shorter attention spans.

Also every time you FORCE the drive door open you do a little more damage to the unit. The PS2 drive door was never engineered to be YANKED open physically.

Some people use flip tops, but this involves removing the PS2's cover AND the DVD drive's cover! Even worse, since it exposes the laser lens!

Some people use no-solder MOD chips which plug into the USB port. This is silly, since those cost like $30, and a real MOD chip only costs like $20. The issue for many people is installation. They can't find a local installer and aren't handy with a soldering iron themselves. But cost should never be a concern. By the time you pay for Swap Magic or GameShark or Action Replay ($30) and a slide card kit or flip top or no-solder MOD chip ($15-$30) you've pretty much paid for an installed no-swap duo mod or something ($50 installed, usually).

In some countries it is illegal for someone to fit the mod chip for you England and Wales for example. You can buy it from other countries and have it delivered, not allowed to be sold here, you can fit it, but you can't then sell the modded console unless you remove the chip otherwise you face prosecution nor can you get someone to fit it for you. Therefore if you are not good with soldering that no solder ones are the better option.

Mate, all I can say is: POLAND! You can get a brand new PSTwo Slimline with a mod chip already installed and a one year guarantee from the shop that does it for 800 zlotych. That's about 140 quid or 200 euros. The exchange rate for the zloty is bloody dynamic, I originally got mine for about 110 quid in early 2005.

If you can read Polish, check out the ebay of Poland: www.allegro.pl
If you can't read Polish, find someone who can or just do a search using google for some other sites.

As I've found, almost nothing is illegal in Poland.

As a side question... wouldn't it be possible to mod a playstation's drive with a switch that would give power directly to the eject tray's motor? This way one could switch disks without having to pry open anything.

Then again, if you're soldering wires and whatnot, it's probably better to use a modchip...

There are quite a few counties where the Mod Chip is Legal! Also in Australia some of the shops are selling brand new Chipped PS2 of the shelf.

Why bother with Poland when in the UK you can still order from Scotland, that is unless the law has changed there too? It's closer and cheaper on delivery too. The law only affects England and Wales, as Scotland and NI have seperate legal systems.

is it legal in ireland?

That's what no-solder mod chips do.

Problem? Disc is still spinning at FULL SPEED when this eject takes place.

Making the disc stop (called "disc brake") requires at least one wire to be soldered.

ive been quoted £50 for a mod chip + installation for a ps2 and £30 for an xbox

Thanks for this thread. It prompted my memory that my son has asked for a modchip for his PS2. Knowing little about them, I went to good ol' Google and quickly found that they're readily available in Australia, but there are more PS2 versions and modchips around than I've had hot dinners.

My next step, armed with the information that I found, will be to take a closer look at the PS2 to see what version it is. Once I know which modchips would be likely candidates, I might pick a few brains here.


Colin

im goin to barcelona soon. are there moded ps2's over there?