I bought a PS2 Slim model from a local pawn shop, and I'm curious about trying to do a few things with it. Namely, I wanted to experiment with Linux on PS2. I hear BlackRhino works well, but the installation (or merely booting the OS) is highly unconventional due to the Slim's removal of HD expansion. Suffice it to say, any method I've researched requires that I buy something: Swap Magic, Action Replay, or a device that would allow me to boot from burned discs.

I'm wondering if there's some other manner of loading burned discs which doesn't require any special tools or hardware modifications. If all else fails, I guess I'll have to break-down and buy one of these Swap Magic discs.

I wouldn't mind hard-modding my system, if there's a fairly simple way to go about it. I really don't know anything about the PS2 scene. I'm hoping someone can simplify things for me, or just point me to the most relevant info on the subject. Anything I've researched seems to point to specific PS2 models, or is otherwise outdated.

(Also, I'm not sure what the policy is on discussing homebrew stuff. I apologize if this is against posting guidelines.)

Pardon the double-post, but I wanted to note that the issue is resolved. I decided to purchase a mod-chip. Now I just need to solder this tiny thing onto the board without damaging my console!

Eeek, good luck. Aren't modchips illegal though? Or is it just that they void your warranty?

You can do whatever you want with something you own. When you purchase a console, it's not as if the developer can obligate you to a set of guidelines that are part of some assumed contract between you and them. Intelligent property is another matter, but that doesn't apply here.

It does void your warranty, however. That ship has sailed, since I already replaced the entire case.

Don't you mean *intellectual property? At any rate, thanks for clarifying that; now I know.

What does this mod chip do? And why a slim model, not the much more adaptable and customizable Fat model. It even has a little spot for hard disks and stuff!

I'm assuming the slim model because that's what he got originally. And no clue about the mod chip, I don't know about them personally.

Oops. You're right. I get intellectual / intelligent property mixed-up. Let me try to commit that to memory now.

The modchip I bought (Modbo 4) allows you to boot burned CD-R / DVD-R games. (either PS1, or PS2) I believe it will also allow you to boot from USB or memory card. There are some miscellaneous features, as well; such as being able to skip boot logos by pressing a button.

I got Modbo because it's universally-compatible with all PS2 models. My slim has a v13 motherboard.

It's true that the slims aren't as expandable as the older models, but I got the thing so cheap. I'm not complaining! The only thing that bothers me is that they removed HD support; but you can boot from USB devices if your console is modded.

So to paraphrase, it lets you play PS1/PS2 games on the PS3? I don't understand why that's not a manufacturer feature right out of the box.

It's on the PlayStation 2, and it lets you bypass the copy protection systems that prevent you from booting burned discs. This is useful for those wanting to play homebrew software, imported games or back-ups.

The PlayStation 2 contains a copy of the PlayStation 1 hardware for backwards compatibility. The PlayStation 3 contains a PlayStation emulator (as far as I'm aware) and some early models had a PlayStation 2 emulator but this didn't seem terribly reliable, hence people tend to keep both consoles around.

He has said PS2 Slim in every post, where did PS3 come from?



It's also useful for people who pirate games, who are probably the ones buying 90% of the mod chips.

The original 60gb PS3 actually contained some PS2 hardware - it wasn't emulated. There *was* a PS2 emulator in the earlier models, but they axed it along with so many other nifty features.

I think the only exploit out for PS3 requires that you buy a FlashDrive with the software on it. I believe the only thing it allowed you to do was play back-up games. I recently read something about the same exploit via a TI calculator, somewhere... I'm sure Sony has already patched it out, either way.

The original PS3 models had backward-compatibility with PS2 and PS1 games. The PS2-compatibility was achieved by actual PS2 hardware. They removed this hardware from the PS3 slim line for cheaper production costs; so it's only backward-compatible with PS1 games. I used to think PS2 compatibility was just emulated, but apparently not. That might actually be feasible, though. It would certainly help PS3 slim sales.

BrandonW ported it to the TI-84+.

I was just about to say the same thing before I saw your post. Thanks Netham.

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I hope you're not in that category, Zera.