Yes or No

[mnvip]

I have the new system I bought today..
With the Grand T 3 inside.

I have been informed it;s a V4
Correct me if I;m wrong.

But what I want to know is what I need to play Backups.

I read I need a gameshark 1.8
But I want to knwo do I need a mod chip

I read places saying u don;t need one ,
and other places like here saying yes.

Please tell me what I need !!

Also does this swap method work
http://www.megagames.com/ps2/ps2swap/lesson1.shtml

Thanks in advance

[Dal]

Hi matey,

you could use the cog/knife method but it would be meaning taking the front off your PS2 and having a screw driver forced inside, its not pretty so i dont recomend that at all. So go for a modchip i have the NEO2.2 mod, there are various flavors its just down to what you want from the modchip.

Check out www.playstationmods.com or www.modchip.com and make your decision.

I would go for an internal mod though not the External USBMOD but thats just me.

Also you could use the REGION X over the Game Shark for booting your backups, thats what i use 100% of the time these days.

Goodluck

Dal

[Charlie]

Dal's answer makes a good high level intro for you. If you accept his advice, then going a little deeper, this what I advise in response to questions of this sort:

Detailed step by step instructions are for you to organise as per my standard advice below. Seeing as my reply is quite lengthy, you can see why nobody is going to post step-by-step details here. You've just got to get through it like the rest of us.

I'll start from the basis that you have an original game to copy such as one you have bought and wish to protect . You will need a modchip for your PSX/PS2, copying software and the right PC hardware for the burning job. I recommend the Yamaha 2100S (or E) CD-RW for optimum compatibility for read and write with the recommended copying software.

Go to <http://www.megagames.com> & <http://www.psxcopyworld.co.uk> to get detailed advice. The basic principles are as follows:

1/
You will need to get the PSX/PS2 chipped to allow backups to play. Go to the website <http://www.playstationmods.com> from where you can buy a mod. An internal mod is recommended and if you live in the UK, they'll do it for you if you are not a soldering whizzo. You could also visit <http://www.modchip.com> for their solution.

2/
You will then need copying software and patching software. I recommend just two programs: they are CLONECD and CDR-WIN. The former makes 1:1 copies (you'll need the tutorial from one of the above mentioned sites). Thus if you have an unprotected game (megagames.com lists games for which there are patches and the type of patch required) and if the game is of the same denomination as your PSX/PS2 (e.g. PAL), CLONECD does the job perfectly. CDR-WIN stages the CD copy to your PC's hard disk so that you can patch the game as necessary (per PPF-O-MATIC.EXE downloaded from megagames.com together with the patches); then you burn the game back to the CD with CDR-Win.

3/
For the above to work properly, your CD-R MUST be compatible with the burning programs. The sites from which you download the programs list the compatible devices.

4/
If you copy games from one TV standard (like NTSC) to play on another standard (like PAL) then the game may or may not play in colour. There are patches to change this or you could buy a convertor that sits between your TV and the PSX/PS2. I have one of these because I hate patching and the patches don't always work.

5/
Your biggest challenges will be DVD games and Protected Games. DVD games can't be easily backed up at present (search this forum under the keyword DVD RIP). Protected games are likely to be an increasing issue. Megagames.com is usually on the ball here but for EA games, go to <http://www.eapatcher.com>

6/
Finally an explanation of why the foregoing is necessary. Sony have gone to a lot of trouble to stop people backing up their games. Sony accomplish this by going through some clever pre-boot stuff that identifies from the surface of the CD/DVD whether or not the media is original. So we have to boot with compliant media (developed, for example, with the Sony OEM kit), pause the process, swap in the copy game (patched for NTSC/PAL or copy protection defeat), and carry on.

This forum has more than 19,000 subscribers. I'd bet that the bulk of them started off like you. It's not that difficult when you've done it once, especially with CloneCD.

Good luck and I hope this reply has been helpful