/v/ - Video Games

>>15579513

If you can hack it, then yes. Using an emulator is fine too.

>>15579513

I've got a fat; run games both off disc and off a modded drive via loader. I'm pretty happy with it, but at the same time, I should say that I hadn't played PS2 games elsewhere at the time I bought it, beyond being able to play a little at places that had one set up, like car dealerships (A few hours of Ratchet and Clank was admittedly a good way to deal with boredom of parents car shopping), and aside from that, if you want actual non-emulation compatibility, 20/60gb fat PS3s don't have the best longevity. As for TV, probably not the best output, but I use an old Vizio that allows for composite, component, and HDMI, with the aspect ratio on 4:3. For the most part it looks fine to me, however I haven't had a CRT in a decade or so, and never played PS2 games on one either. PS2 games are still pretty reasonable in price to pick stuff up for (especially compared to the Gamecube; though the amount of worthwhile games is larger, it's still not a case of "$30+ individually for must plays"), but there's a handful of games that are going up in price, and the amount of which slowly expanding on both fronts. Whether or not that would affect you depends on what you like (it's mostly horror and RPGs, the ones that didn't sell too well anyhow) or how you plan to run them (physical, loader, or burned disc), and also perhaps where you live. $60 is a bit much; where I am, slims are about $40 and fats $50 or so, but if it's in really good condition and you can get a good warranty (assuming you're looking at a place offering them), that might not be bad. PS2s are common as fuck and you could probably find them comparatively easily at pawn shops, yard sales, etc, but I'm not sure I'd want to risk them not working right, even if the money paid is cheap.

Do note though that the loader functionality only works for PS2 games; despite being PS1 compatible, the system's PS1 mode does not recognize HDD storage as a means to draw data from, likely since PS1s didn't have that as an option anyhow.

>>15579513

>>15579638

Actually, just noticed you're talking a slim on ebay, so yeah, I'd say that's probably too pricy (albeit not by all that much) and not liable to have much in the way of a warranty, though I could be wrong on the latter. Do you not live somewhere with half decent actual shops, or are they just as bad if not worse than shopping around online?

>>15579513

No it ain't worth it. Maybe buy one with a hard disk where you can stuff iso's into it if you insist.

>>15579513

>Am I going to waste $60? Or is it a good investment?

I legit just got a PS2 phat with all cables for 15 bucks. 60 dollars is way too much, you can do a lot better than that, its not like the "best selling game console" is particularly rare

I'm horny

>>15580102

There is the issue of whether or not ones found for cheap actually work right/will work for long, or if being sold in a format where you can actually refund them properly if they don't. Not saying $60 is an especially good price (I've been seeing fat PS3s going for that much lately), but one could have a bad enough string of luck that they wind up spending just as much going through cheap broken ones to find a working one if not careful. Personally for me, if a game system is being sold at a yard sale, pawn shop, savers, goodwill, etc, especially when it's an older system, it's probably being sold that way and not elsewhere for a reason.

You're certainly right that they're common as shit though, and I hope yours lasts a good while at that price.

>>15579513

just buy a controller and emulate, fuck

>>15580394

You're kind of dumb, huh

More worth it than a PS4.

Do you have a CRT? Old consoles like that really shine with a good CRT, and S-Video.

I got a slim used for 35, it came with a pile of random games and two actual DS2s. You gonna get heebed.

>>15579513

Yes, now buy one and play Ace Combat faggot.

>>15579513

Don't get a slim.

Just get a fat with a sata adapter.

You can just load games of the hdd.

>>15579617

Do you have any problems with running games from a different format or region?

Like an NTSC game on a PAL system.

>>15581287

>Old consoles like that really shine with a good CRT, and S-Video

Why would you not just use something superior like component? PS3 component cables are laying around everywhere for cheap.

Get a CHECHA PS3 instead. Just do some minor tweaks like putting a more powerful fan, apply artic silver thermal paste to everything and you can play 3 generations.

>slim

No, get a fat PS2 and put a 500GB IDE hard drive on it, OPL can now run both PS1 and PS2 games from the same interface.

If your TV has component inputs then buy a component cable and hook it up that way, DON'T BUY AN HDMI ADAPTER, they don't upscale at all, it's basically the same quality as a composite cable, if your TV lacks component then don't even bother with it and try to get a CRT with component inputs, like a PVM.

>>15581866

I don't know man, my friend's got a 60gb system and while it's not had heating issues, the drive's giving out. Still recognizes CD and Bluray media, but has reached a point where it can't detect DVD media at all. I assume there's a laser issue, but I hear those aren't the easiest thing to fix since the disc drive is a single unit, or something rather than something easily. Of course, this wouldn't be such a problem if he'd just CFW the damn thing and use it to load games into memory (I keep offering too, but he wants muh online for Dark Souls replays).

>>15581871

>OPL can now run both PS1 and PS2 games from the same interface.

Wait, they got the PS1 backwards compatibility workable via loader now?

>>15581871

Why not get a sata adapter instead? you can get much bigger drives and much more reliable drives.

>>15581866

make sure it's the one with the motionengine shit, otherwise it's not hardware emulation and instead software emulation and it fucking sucks but the ps3 has a really great ps1 emulation that is either runs perfect or doesn't

>>15581871

>No, get a fat PS2 and put a 500GB IDE hard drive on it, OPL can now run both PS1 and PS2 games from the same interface

What? Why would I use a system where I have to move every game I want to play to a slow IDE hard drive as opposed to just hooking up a slim to my network and sharing a hard drive? Just put the iso on a network shared folder and there you go you can play it.

Slim models are better for fixing the disc laser that plagued the Fat models for a while, making them more reliable if you want to play through physicals. Fat models are however better for the HDD extension and cracking the system.

>>15581877

Yeah, they somehow ported popsloader (what the PSP uses to emulate PS1) to PS2 and now you can add PS1 isos to OPL, you just have to create an elf file with the same name as your iso and edit a txt file everytime you add games.

>>15581878

Because most SATA adapters on the market have shit build quality, either they don't let you fully close the back (tons of wires), don't let you put the screws on (same reason) or the hard drive wiggles because of the fan, and besides IDE drives are super cheap so why not use one of those?

>>15581881

I forgot about this, there's also a way of setting up a raspberry pi with an external hard drive hooked to it and use that to load your isos through the "network", except you don't need to hook your PS2 to a computer/router and the raspberry consumes way less power and can make good use of the 1.0 usb ports of the PS2.

You're wrong about speeds though, IDE drives loads faster than DVD and is the same speed as loading games through the network.

>>15581944

I know that there's been a version for POPS for the system for a while, but to my knowledge that was a separate application. And besides, even if integrated into Open PS2 Loader, wouldn't that still just constitute emulating PS1 games and not actually loading them? Or is there something I'm missing to this?

>>15581956

Would also recommend running FMcB on the memory card alongside it, both to hotbar applications rather than dig in the browser (more shit on there means the browser mode takes longer to load line by line of files and more wear on the drive without even playing anything yet, and older applications, like those in app packs, will naturally be on the very bottom), and to dump updated applications to. Considering the app pack that's around contains uLaunchElf, it's a simple matter to run the installer for FMcB from USB without having to buy a separate, preinstalled card (though those are admittedly cheap last I looked) or going through the "know someone that knows someone etc, etc, that forked over cash for the install disc" means the guys behind it intended.

>>15579513

I have a PS2 and i don't recommend it except if you are a purist.

Looking at how well the emulator developement is going i would rather buy a good PC.

The PS2 is arguably one of the best consoles ever with a gigantic library. Go for it friendo.

>>15581847

Not that anon and an oldfag but isn't there a patcher that turns games into the right region format?

>>15582056

Found this thread on the matter, but it seems to be specific to PAL on NTSC, with one post at the bottom about trying NTSC on PAL.

http://psx-scene.com/forums/f150/will-pal-games-work-my-ntsc-ps2-opl-106246/

I might try a PAL game on my NA PS2 later and see if there's any noticeable issues with loading it at face value for that end, but I can't really do much about the opposite, since I'm not PAL and no one here has much reason to import one of their systems (a JP PS2 would likely be easier to find as an import here). In general though I don't really know of or hear about many great games that were left PAL only for western releases, other than maybe Forbidden Siren 2.

>>15582066

I know there's one for specific games, like the one for Ar Tonelico II, where the "official" process for patching a PAL version would be ripping the data, patching it first into NTSC region, and then patching the translation over it (IE: they didn't have to code the end patch for multiple regions). Can't say for sure off the top of my head if there's a generalized one without digging more, but the link above makes it sound like what's out there doesn't always help.

>>15581860

>PS3 component cables are laying around everywhere for cheap.

I've never seen any but HD Retrovision ones are pretty much the same price and are as good/better quality.

>>15581953

POPS is just Playstation on Playstation, there's an application called POPStarter and I think POPSloader is the same thing? I really need a few days to look into everything with the PS2 scene.

>>15582117

And I didn't seem to prioritize putting what few PAL ones I have on there yet over expensive NA and fan-translation JP games. Will see about working something out later for testing, but no guarantees. It does appear I need to recopy another unrelated game over anyhow (the notes for patching and playing that one calling it temperamental anyhow; might have to repatch/redownload it prepatched). For the record though:

>Forbidden Siren 2/Siren 2 does not have any testing listed in any state on either the OPL compatibility site (http://sx.sytes.net/oplcl/games.aspx) or the HDL compatibility one (https://www.absoluteanime.com/hdloader)

>Sword of Etheria has one entry for HDL ( "[Mode 3, Mode 5, Mode 7] Using advanced compatibility, modes 3, 5, and 7, seems to work fine." ), specifying "America" as region; No entry on OPL.

>Swords of Destiny has no testing listing on either site.

Those three being PAL ISOs I have on hand to dump in the future. I would also guess that most testing is NA centric, rather than PAL or JP, as far as PS2 used goes, I mean.

>>15582273

Digging around more with OPL v.0.9.3, there are the following video modes under “Display -> Video Mode”: Auto, PAL, NTSC, HDTV 480p@60Hz, HDTV 576p@50Hz, and VGA 640x480p@60Hz. Checking the user guide (http://psx-scene.com/forums/f150/open-ps2-loader-0-9-3-user-guide-156387/) it would seem those are just for the app's GUI itself, not the games. The GSM page (“5. Game settings screen -> GSM” in the above link's table of contents) looks like it might be useful, but I don't have much time to dig through it more right now. I do see "PAL 60hz" listings there, but I'm not sure that will help the the actual output if there's a physical cords issue.

>>15582284

The listed app, at least the one I got as part of an initial modpack, is "Sony Playstation POPS Emulator". It is a standalone application to play digitally stored PS1 games with, but given it specifically states emulator, even if it's a port of an official one, I don't think it's loader tier (IE: using the actual compatibility). Because as far as I'm aware, you can at least stick PS1 games on the drive (modpack included Gradius Gaiden as a sample), but they have to run via the emulator, on account of the system's actual PS1 mode not recognizing HDD storage, or at the very least, not having used to recognize it.

Reminder to everyone to play Orphen

>>15582337

>it would seem those are just for the app's GUI itself, not the games

Yep, those are for the menus.

It's a special kind of hell I want to enter, but it'll probably be fine.

>>15586184

Do some research into the differences in parameters of cable needed and whether or not the ability to change the GSM video mode from the loader might work with/interfere with such. Do they not make adapters or such though for running import systems on your native TVs? It strikes me that there might have been a market to be had there (given all the games you guys have missed out on over the years), but as a burger, there's not a lot of noteworthy PAL exclusive English releases, at least from what I've seen over the years on imageboards. Terranigma, Forbidden Siren 2, Doshin, and Last Window do come to mind though (and the last is region free, if expensive as an import). Point being there probably wasn't as big a market here, comparative to trying to get around region lock for JP imports.

i bought a used silver ps2 for 24$ (90 PLN) at a thrift shop

>>15579513

Not at that price, wouldn't bother with a slim, and they honestly look like ass on LCDs. So it's a no from me.

I have a fat w/ hdd plugged into a crt through component and it looks incredible, though.

>>15579513

I'd get one with disk-read-error off ebay for cheap if I were looking. I got mine that way and haven't even bothered replacing the laser.

Don't get a slim. Get a fat and a network adapter, replace the adapter's internals with a SATA connector then throw a 1TB or so HDD in it. Load everything you please from it, whilst keeping the laser comfy. Also get component cables.

no games lollolololol

also im from 4chan XD

>>15586991

unironically this is genius if you're softmodding

>>15587311

>playing from a HDD

>in 2018

Ethernet with OPL or nothing at this point.

>>15587374

Doesn't HDD still outpace network loading in compatibility and loadtimes? You can still use virtual memory cards if I'm not mistaken

>>15587385

I've heard that HDD has some problems with FMVs and the like, never had that with OPL. Although yes, some games aren't compatible, I've noticed Ridge Racer V and Vampire Collection.

Phat w/ HDD is fine. Got mine a long time ago. Still have my Magic Swap discs. Use to sell mem cards with Free McBoot pre-installed on ebay. But then bigger stores started doing it with the knock off memory cards (i was selling official cards) and everyone started buying them because it's cheaper.

>>15587456

Huh, I got my FreeMCBoot off Ebay on an official memory card about 2 years ago. Might have gotten it from you even.

>>15587374

HDD is much better than ethernet.

Stop posting misinformation.

>>15587856

My mistake, I was thinking of USB.

>>15581860

>Why would you not just use something superior like component?

Going from RF or composite to S-Video is a very clear improvement, going from S-Video to component is more subtle. And it seems CRTs usually have S-Video ports but no component (at least mine is like that), so I just accept it as good enough.

>>15581929

Don't get a Slim if you're buying a lot of physical discs. It seems after a while they start to scratch up your discs. I've had to adjust the ribbon inside the console so many times and it still happens.

>>15587479

It's possible. 2 years ago I put a lot of effort in building up my own collection. It was much more cost effective to buy huge bundles and then resell the stuff I didn't want/need. This included a shit ton of memory cards and other accessories from multiple consoles. I've slowed down since then but I have a tiny duffel bag of stuff still waiting to be sold off.

>>15588451

This. Slims really do have the incredible ability of destroying your discs. The slim was a major downgrade in almost all respects. Don't buy slim.

>>15581866

no those ALL die dude, just a matter of time when, Sony had 0 foresight when they made those things

If I were OP I would consider whether my PC is powerful enough to emulate and whether there are enough PS2 games that you really want to play to justify the purchase (this is likely)

>>15588419

I never got light gun games to work with S-video, but they did with component and composite.

>>15580373

Dunno man, I got my fat at Goodwill for 15$ and it still works great. Shoved an HDD in it and went to town.

>not burning the games to DVD-R's

Get a load of THESE faggots.

>>15588699

Just spray some flux-off on the glue which will turn it into slime, then use some 0.23 mm (0.18 to 0.20 mm on a slim) 30lb test fishing line to cut the glue and remove the die without damage.

>>15589216

>although I'm not sure what the drawbacks of using one are.

Expect ten frames of latency and a crudely stretched output.

>60 for a slim

> no crt

I see you like wasting your money OP

A slim shouldnt go over $30 pre owned but in good condition.

And in a modern screen you absolutely need the component cable or games will look like dogshit so add a $10 to the price, even then a CRT with the component inputs will look way better.

I came here to post this.

IF YOU DON'T OWN THIS GAME WITH A PS2 THEN KILL YOURSELF YOU WASTE OF FUNCTIONING ORGANS.

>>15589341

begone, woman

>>15590685

It looks surprisingly good.

I'll put it on my "to play next" list.

As for irony, I think it's wasted here.

To begin with, it doesn't work on the internet well (thanks to genuine retards who think exactly like some ironic post) and too many people here take every word literally.

I'm still surprised how many anons completely missed the point of Aelinore's actions in Dragon's Dogma.

>>15590689

>TECHNICALLY I never said it, verbatim!

>I-I even changed my post ID!

What a story Mark

>>15589216

Burned CD load times are insane. While they do work that is the worst fucking way to go.

>>15589041

PS2 emulation is really shitty. Some games work alright, but a lot of stuff just doesn't work. And it's more taxing are hardware than is really reasonable. And more than anything, who doesn't like just sitting down with a proper console/controller?

Issue I had with PS2 was when I went from CRT to LCD. The picture was for the most part too blurry to enjoy in nearly every game, and most of the LCD screen settings for lightness and gamma fuck it up even more, everything is either washed out or too dark. That was 10 years ago though, any experience if modern LCD/LED screens deal better with lowe resolution input and older consoles?

>>15579513

Eh. All the best PS2 games are better as PC ports anyways. Maybe MGS 2 and 3 might make the PS2 useful, as there are no PC ports yet and they emulate like shit.

>>15591706

emulation is for casuals though, enthusiasts use real hardware and get the best out of it. Too many issues and short comings with emulation make it a lot less viable.

>>15590575

>>15590661

>>15590671

>>15590683

I am responding with the same effort he puts into his post. You faggots need to stop acting like nobody knows about this website.

So how are those aftermarket network adapters like? Some earlier post mentioned how the SATA ones might not properly fit into the bay and have shitty build quality. They do seem to be pretty cheap though compared to the official adapters. I have FMCB and been burning discs but it's a pain when I could be loading them off a HDD or through the network. You can also save your games onto the HDD, right? I worry about my memory cards biting the dust one of these days. I've had this PS2 since like 2001.

>>15582581

Sell me on it. What's so good about it?

>>15581866

Even if you delid it, shit will stop working eventually. The shitty solder is used inside the fucking die, there's nothing you can do to prevent it from turning to dust.

>>15588699

Jesus Christ.

>>15593689

>Sell me on it. What's so good about it?

not much kind of a mediocre launch turn based rpg, play sky gunner instead

>>15593703

>sky gunner

I think I'll stick to my Ace Combat.

>>15593689

Checking the changelog, for OPL anyhow, it seems as of 0.9.3 there's an internal workaround allowing for some "clone" network adapters to work with the program. Doesn't give specifics as to which though.

>They do seem to be pretty cheap though compared to the official adapters.

Even official adapters should be reasonably cheap, at least where I live. I think they're like $5 or so; pretty much no one wants them at this point aside from those looking to use loaders. Though for all I know, offbrand ones are even cheaper (though I'd wager there's still shipping).

>You can also save your games onto the HDD, right?

I think so, but I haven't done it myself. I use a spare Memory Card in slot 2, since the one in slot one has FMcB and OPL on it, which while still small take up (I think) about half the 8mb official cards allow. Note though that an HDD will also eventually go bad, and you've got both storage and loading having wear to it.

>I worry about my memory cards biting the dust one of these days.

I think I remember the PS3 having a memory-card-to-USB cable accessory to allow for transferring saves off of cards, since the early models were PS2 disc compatible but had no native memory card port to reuse existing saves. If correct, it makes me wonder if there's anything keeping someone from using one to back up from/load save files onto a PS2 card via their computer.

>>15593721

>there's an internal workaround allowing for some "clone" network adapters

Crap. Somehow I assumed clones would work just like vanilla in this regard. That's a no go for me, then.

>I think they're like $5 or so

I've seen them for 40€ and up whereas clones went for 20€. Maybe they're just not that common in Europe. I fucking wish I could get on for 5 bucks.

>Note though that an HDD will also eventually go bad

FMCB does not take up much space indeed but unlike memory cards, I have a whole bunch of hard drives lying around, plus it's much easier to clone/back up hard drives. A good hard drive will last you a very long time. It's also why I would prefer a modern SATA drive instead of an IDE one.

>PS3 having a memory-card-to-USB cable accessory to allow for transferring saves off of cards

They do exist but these things are rather rare and costly. At least over here. I believe there might be a way to back up stuff via USB flash storage using FMCB but I haven't looked into it. I probably should look into updating it too. It's been years since I got this shit first set up.

>>15593706

completely different types of games

>>15593735

>20-40 euros

>for an ethernet adapter

I have to wonder, are the accessories for the Playstation 2 region-locked, or can you import accessories?

>>15593765

Those "Game Star" network adapters can't connect to the local network, and there is a possibility of issues with SATA adapters.

I'd just stick with the official ethernet adapters, get a router to act as a ethernet bridge if your router's far away, and connect wirelessly over SMB to your computer (5G-band wi-fi connections are more than fast enough to play over SMB wirelessly).

>>15593767

>winhiip

>not hdldumbgui

I really hope people start moving past winhiip.

>>15593770

contact the owner of the site, as it's his aim to have accurate, and up to date methods

>>15593767

>An official PS2 Network Adapter.

No, you just need something much harder to find for a good price. Hell even IDE hard drives are harder to find nowadays

>>15593776

>20 bucks or less

oh, right, 8channers

>>15590822

Really? I'm looking at >>15587929 here and it doesn't seem to be that bad.

Certainly slower, but not outrageously slow.

>>15593782

Looking at those shitty maxtors aren't you? Those are terrible drives that are prone to failure and often cap out at half their advertised capacity and frequently stop working if you go beyond it. You're genuinely better off getting a sata-ide adapter like a startech one and using that if you can't find a sizable IDE drive.

>>15593775

I was mistaken, it was just used for formatting but I'm seeing it is used in other guides so I will write a suggestion in.

>>15593770

Part of the issue is that, at least in my experiences in the past, winhiip has much easier to find documentation and instructions than hdldump/hdldumb. I suppose it self perpetuates

>>15593767

Considering that older installed stuff sinks to the bottom of the drive (which past the first page in the browser loads one line at a time, which can wind up being a lot of lines), I'm still glad I FMcBed a card so I could more quickly access applications.

>>15593764

I would like to know as well.

>>15593765

>The point I was making there is that they've gotten OPL able to utilize some of the offbrands, but only some.

Only "some" is not good enough, unfortunately. It's too much of a gamble for me like this.

>Are you sure you're looking at preowned prices, and not just new ones?

I was but…fuck. You're right. I shouldn't have looked at our Amazon first, just checked closed auctions on Ebay and they go for 5 bucks. Fucking nice. I'll just get one of those SATA conversion kits which seem to run for around 15€ and I should be good.

>I'm not sure how easily or readily it can copy or add files directly without some more research

Considering those memory cards have DRM on them, I don't imagine it would be quiet so straight forward indeed.

>hierarchy

Yeah, I have a hacked Vita. I'm familiar with Sony's insane file structures/mount point spaghetti.

>Definitely update to 0.9.3 OPL

Yeah, I'll remember that. Should be easy enough anyway.

>>15593789

> shitty maxtors

Can confirm. Stay the fuck away from IDE maxtors. And SATA maxtors too, probably.

>>15591719

Not really

>>15593792

>Considering that older installed stuff sinks to the bottom of the drive (which past the first page in the browser loads one line at a time, which can wind up being a lot of lines),

In addition to entries for ulaunchelf, OPL, and the FHDB configurator, what else could be clogging up your menu?

What is emulation.

>>15593866

It is something that takes a NASA-level computer to run most of the PS2 library properly.

Hell, Klonoa 2's audio isn't emulated properly in the latest PCSX2.

>>15593817

Games installed the drive get their own file slots, as well as other files installed in the same modpack that allowed the drive to be set up (which being the first, go all the way to the bottom). And it's not the FreeMcBoot menu on the memory card that's full of stuff (that one only has FMcB, OPL, and some game saves I haven't transferred to the backup card yet and of which the games for them could only save to slot 1 anyhow), I mean the actual browser mode for stuff saved to memory, which allows for access to both Memory Card files and HDD files (which is the thing I mean). Setting OPL to have a quick access on the FMcB start up, I can bypass having to navigate row by row to it like I used to, though I don't even need to anymore since that version of OPL on the drive is outdated compared to the one on my memory card.

>>15593800

I really need to get around to hacking my Vita myself.

>>15593789

>Looking at those shitty maxtors aren't you?

Seagates, though of poor reputation for certain runs, are literally the 2nd result on amazon

>>15579568

>Using an emulator is fine too.

Isn't the PS2 emulator kind of a shitshow?