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Playing import games on your Playstation 2 or new Slim PSTwo console was virtually impossible, considering that it required you to install a mod chip into your PS2 machine, something that not everyone is able to do, or is willing to do. A PS2 Mod Chip requires you to solder small wires to some pretty small solder points right on the main board (motherboard) of your PS2 Console. Playing import games was really for the hard core gamer, and the gamers that would be willing to do some internal surgery to their ps2 consoles.

The PS2 Swap Magic changed all of that. With the PS2 Swap Magic there is absolutely no need to solder anything or install any type of chip into your PS2 console. In fact, unlike mod chips for the Playstation 2, with the PS2 Swap Magic you’ll be ready to play your import game in just seconds. By using the PS2 Swap Magic and a PS2 Cover, you’ll instantly be able to play your import and backup Playstation 2 games without any hassles or fuss.

The PS2 Swap Magic Disc acts as a loader for all of your import and personal backup games. You’ll first load up the PS2 Swap Magic disc, and when greeted with the main menu, you will select LOAD PROGRAM and press your X button. At which time, you have to remove and take out the PS2 Swap Magic disc and insert the game disc you wish to load. Unlike a mod chip, where once installed, you just put in the game disc you want to play, the latest import or backup game and power up your PS2 console to start playing. You will have to do what’s called a single swap with the PS2 Swap Magic discs. What this means is that you’ll simply put in the PS2 Swap Magic Disc first, before your game, and then swap it out after the Swap magic for PS2 has loaded.

While heavy mod chip users consider this annoying, for people like myself, who would prefer not to solder and perform electronics surgery, it’s a very small price to pay for being able to play those really cool Japanese and European games. With the newest versions, there are also some added benefits over mod chips, such as loading homebrew applications and software directly from your ps2 memory card. Something that mod chips simply do not allow you to do, unless you buy the high end mod chips like the DMS4, etc… which require even more wires to be soldered.

The features of the PS2 Swap Magic speak for themselves, and clearly indicate that the need for a ps2 mod chip is eliminated completely and there is absolutely no modification required to your ps2 console in order to play your import and backup games with ease.

PS2 Swap Magic - Feature List:

There is no warranty to void

Works with original import games

No modchip for the games to detect

No modification to the internal system

No extra stress on the laser lens

No soldering required - plug and play

Swap Magic 3 CD Version For PS2 CD-R backups Included

Swap Magic DVD Version For PS2 DVD-R backups Included

Multi-Language menu: English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Italian, Korea

Compatable with DVDRips (632mb+ CD-R backups) via TOC Refresh feature*

Includes built-in PAL/NTSC region selector

Games start with the single swap method detailed below

What is important to note is that when you buy the PS2 Swap Magic, you’ll actually get 2 individual discs. Don’t worry, and don’t be confused. One is clearly marked as a CD-Rom disc, which the other Swap Magic disc is the DVD Disc. You’ll need both discs, depending on what type of game you are trying to load. The PS2 Swap Magic CD Version is needed for CD based games (yes, some PS2 games - even your personal backup games you may have made) actually fit on a CD-Rom disc, in which case, you will need to use the PS2 Swap Magic CD Disc to load the game. Most games, especially newer ones however require the use of the PS2 Swap Magic DVD Disc. It’s really not very hard at all to determine which type of game disc you have, simply because you can look at the disc itself and it should have either the CD-Rom or the DVD logo on the game disc, or blank disc media on which you saved your backup copy.

I first heard of Swap Magic was when I was busy solving eerie mysteries and killing grotesque looking creatures in Silent Hill 4. I admit it—I am a Playstation 2 fanatic. I have somehow acquired this addiction from my cousin who always includes me in his long hours of playing PS2, from racing games to Role Playing Games (RPGs).

During one of my mystery packed game session of SH 4 “The Room,” my cousin suddenly came out of nowhere and excitedly started talking about the Swap Magic for Playstation 2. One of the most annoying problems faced by PS2 players is that the PS2 console won’t allow users to play imported game CD titles and back up copies of legally obtained titles.

Many PS2 gamers find themselves out of luck when, after shelling out big bucks for a legal copy, their legal copy becomes scratched or unusable. To add insult to injury, many titles sell out quickly or go out of print, responsible law abiding PS2 players once again find themselves in a bind. Swap Magic solves these problems.

Swap Magic, which comes bundled with a in CD and DVD format disc, allows every PS2 fan to use or play imported or backed-up games on their Playstation 2. Imported game titles include both foreign translations of US titles or games published by foreign publishers. Backed-up games are Playstation 2 games legally copied by individual game disc owners for back up or archival purposes. Legal disc owners usually back up their libraries to protect against accidents or damage to the original discs they normally use. Swap Magic poses a major advance for PS2 gamers.

Not only does it allow once to play archived and imported copies, it is extremely easy to use. You only need to boot your PS2 with the disc. After boot up, you swap it with imported or backed-up game discs. The Swap Magic comes with a Swap Tool which is included with every package, to enable you to swap your games effortlessly.

Just why would a gamer be interested in import games? That’s a very good question, and one I just love to talk about. Most of the hottest and rarest games often come out for the Japanese market or the Asian and European markets. If you’re looking for the coolest puzzle game, you’ve got to have a Japanese PS2 to play it. The best rally and other racing games often come out only in Europe, which means you would need a European PS2 to play the games. With the Swap Magic, your USA PS2 will be able to play all of the hottest game titles that will probably never make it this side of the Ocean.

And for European gamers that just can’t get enough of the US games, Swap Magic comes in your version too, with a USA, PAL and JAPANESE version of the discs available.

There are various ways of using the Swap Magic disc. A slide card is used for an original Playstation2 console. In a Slim PS2 on the other hand, there are other options that you can also choose from in disc switching. There are numerous websites that offer a number of disc swapping devices and methods which are designed for archive and imported disc play on the PS2.

These other methods range from replacing the original top loading lid with a new lid for easy switching to installing a switch that will allow the original lid to open without the system even knowing it.

Although Swap Magic allows legal PS2 game owners to play backed-up/archive copies of their legally acquired discs, Swap Magic also prevents users from making illegal copies. Swap Magic retains the same copy protection systems that the PS2 uses. While there are many versions of Swap Magic on the market, Swap Magic’s terms clearly prohibit the illegal copying and use of PS2 game titles.

Used responsibly, Swap Magic enables PS2 game owners an extra measure of peace of mind. Swap Magic users can rest assured that when they back up rare or discontinued game titles, the back ups will work as expected.

Installing a mod chip into your Playstation 2 can be a bit of an intimidating task. Unless you’ve been glued to a soldering iron and have the utmost confidence in your soldering abilities - you’re probably scratching your head wondering if you’ll be able to do it. There is a good side to all of this though. Most PS2 Mod chip manufacturers have realized that not only do they need to ensure that their ps2 mod chips have features on top of features, but that they must also be relatively easy to install. I mean lets face it, not every single Playstation 2 owner has worked with electronics and soldering irons. In fact, many of us have probably never touched a soldering iron. Having said that, it certainly is not difficult to install a mod chip into your Playstation 2 console. I am by no means an expert when it comes to chips and soldering, but I found it to be medium on the scale of difficulty.

Modchip installation is not however for everyone. And I would urge anyone, that has not yet purchased their Playstation 2 system but plans to purchase it and immediately add a mod chip, to check out the various Pre Modded PS2 systems available for sale online. There are several online stores that have pre modded ps2 systems for sale and often times you’re paying just a nominal fee for the pre installation of the mod chip, when you consider that you would have to purchase the mod chip, ps2 system as well as the soldering tools and supplies, if you don’t have them already. The added bonus is that you won’t have to solder at all, and you can also rest a bit easier because most web sites will actually offer a lifetime warranty on the installation itself, and replace the 30 - 90 day manufacturer warranty and cover the unit if it is defective or not working in any way.

Alright, now let’s move on to the tips and suggestions to ensure you have a successfull PS2 Mod Chip Installation.

You need the right soldering iron: You don’t want to get a soldering iron with a tip the size of your pinky finger, or one that heats up to the point of melting the ps2 main board. You want a soldering iron that has a small, fine tip, making it easy to install the ps2 mod chip when you have to solder to the smaller sections of the motherboard. You can get a fine tip soldering iron for less than $15.00 at most Radio Shack stores. Make sure to get one that is rated at 15 Watts, this will provide enough heat for the soldering job, without actually hurting your console.

Use thin, 15 AWG Wrapping Wire: You can also get this wire at almost every single Radio Shack Store. Far too often, an ps2 mod chip installation is bothced simply because of the wiring that is used. If the wire is too thick, you’ll have a hard time attaching it to the right places, without the wire touching another part of the main board. It also helps that wrapping wire is insulated, because this ensures you won’t short out your main board.

Use Solder with Flux in it: For those of you that don’t know, flux helps solder melt and attach itself to both the wires you’re using as well as the solder points. Far too often people are using solder without flux, and buying flux seperately. Don’t! Doing it that way will mean that you could potentially use too much flux, and corrode / eat away at the solder point as time goes on, forcing you to re-solder at a later date.

Keep your wires as short as possible: Because you’re actually sending data / information FROM the modchip, to your Playstation 2 motherboard, the less of a distance that the data / information has to travel, the better. Many customers that initially thought they had done an incorrect ps2 mod chip installation were simply wiring up their mod chips with wires that were far too long. The Playstation 2 is a bit picky, make sure to keep your power and ground wires as short as possible.

Probably the most important tip is simply to take your time. We all like to rush, and getting that ps2 mod chip in the mail means sitting down and wanting to install it right away, as fast as you can. Some of the solder points are small, requiring precision. While you don’t have to be an expert a soldering, you DO have to take your time, making sure and double checking every single connection. Make sure that the wires ARE actually attached, and more importantly, that they’re attached to ONLY the soldering points they should be, without touching any other wires.

Get the RIGHT chip for YOUR Playstation 2 console model number. There are 16 different versions of the Playstation 2 Main Board, and you have one of them. The question is which one do YOU have. Before you buy your ps2 mod chip, make sure to check which version you have. You can do this by going to Google.com and searching for PS2 MODEL IDENTIFICATION and you’ll see results from numerous web sites offering a listing of all PS2 Model numbers. You can of course opt for a Universal PS2 Modchip, this will do away with having to find out your model number in advance, because the universal ps2 mod chips like the Modbo 4.0, will work in every single Playstation 2 console on the market today.

There is absolutely no need to be intimidated by a ps2 mod chip installation. I myself am not very good at soldering, but was able to complete the installation from start to finish within 50 minutes. I am including taking apart and putting back together the Playstation 2 as well. Soldering time and wiring was about 30 minutes of the 50 minute job. Now mind you, I do have steady hands, and I did buy all the right equipment for the job.

What is also important to note is that the total of all the items you’ll need to do the installation (soldering iron, wires, etc..) will not cost more than $20-$30 at your local Radio Shack store, certainly not a kings ransom considering you now have access to thousands of games. If you’re still uncertain after looking at the installation directions at the online stores, then opt to go for the pre modded ps2 systems. They’re not expensive, and they are truly a plug in and play solution. But be careful that the online store you’re buying from is selling you a BRAND NEW Playstation 2 and that they will actually replace the original Sony Warranty, as you don’t want to be in a position where you end up with a brand new PS2, without a warranty in place.

Any serious Playstation 2 (PS2) gamer knows the frustrations when it comes to playing the most graphically intense games. There is often a tremendous load time associated with getting from the point of putting the PS2 game disc into the console, and having it load the game. Not to mention the time it takes to load between levels. Or how about those times when you’re on a mission to thwart he bad guys, but you see the rendering getting choppy or freezing up for a second or two. We used to blame it all on game glitches or bugs. You know, those little mistakes that were just never fixed, because the game itself was working as it should. I know I thought that was the issue. Until I got my hands on the Playstation 2 HD Loader disc, and all of a sudden, my games were glitch free, and load times were a thing of the past. Let me start by explaining just what the HD Loader actually is. Utilizing exciting new technology, The HD Loader allows you to install and run your Playstation 2 games directly from a hard disk drive connected to your console (Sony PS2 Network adapter and compatible hard disk drive required). The HD Loader is a revolutionary piece of software which allows you to store games on any modern high capacity IDE Hard Drive connected to your PS2 (Sony Network adapter required). Now you can install, delete and manage your games and files on your HDD with just a click of a button. The simple and intuitive multi lingual user interface allows easy navigation and selection of files stored on your Hard drive. Games are executed at lightning speed and accessed directly from the HDD, no need to insert your game disc. Just launch HD Loader and select the game you wish to play.

The HD Loader essentially turns your Playstation 2 console into what could be called a portable hard drive. Except that it not only allows you to store the games and the game data on the hard drive, but it also lets you LOAD those games directly from the hard drive too. And just what does all of this mean for you and me, the gamers? It means that once we’ve copied the game from the disc, onto any old IDE hard drive plugged into the Playstation 2, we’re able to put in the HD Loader disc, and select whichever game we want to play, a game we’ve already put on the Hard Drive.

You see, the Playstation 2 is capable of reading data from a hard disk drive much faster than it can read from a CD or DVD. Using The HD Loader to run your games from a hard disk drive leads to significantly reduced game loading times. And updating as your on a level or load times between a level become things of the past. Never again will you need to endure painfully slow loading times which sadly plague so many Playstation 2 games. This applies for old and new games alike. One of the things that either Sony or game developers never really “worked on” was game loading time on the PS2. Take for example the same game title on either an Xbox or a PS2 console, and if you sat and times load times, you would notice a very big difference between how quickly a game loads on an Xbox (especially between levels) and how much faster the load times are than that same game on the Playstation 2. The reason for this is actually quite simple. The Xbox loads parts of the game data onto the built in, internal hard drive. Because the game data is already on the hard drive, it is essentially ready to “go” when the next level is loading, and it loads at lightning speeds.

Until the HD Loader was released, Playstation 2 gamers were envious of their Xbox counterparts. What the HD Loader does though, goes even beyond the simplistic level loading or reducing load times. It actually allows you to put the ENTIRE game, on the hard drive. And not just one game, as many games that will fit on to the hard drive you have installed into your PS2. So you’ll not only be able to have faster load times, but you’ll also be able to store the actual games, digitally, on your Playstation 2 hard drive, without having to damage your game discs in the process. There is no need for the discs to be used, so you can put them away for safe keeping. In fact, you can keep them as good as new because you’ll be loading the entire game from your hard drive, and not the disc itself.

I keep making mention of the fact that a PS2 Network adapter is required, if you want to use the HD Loader. This is in fact true, but the reality is, the Playstation 2 can NOT have a hard drive connected without a Network adapter. You see, the Network adapter acts as your IDE converter. While it is designed to let you get online, and play online games, it also has a plug on the inside, which allows you to connect a Hard Drive to the game console. This was developed mainly for the Final Fantasy game, which actually required a Hard Drive to play, to store and load content from the hard drive. Now before you go thinking that you’ll be stuck with a 40 gigabyte hard drive, the one that comes with the Final Fantasy game. It’s important for me to state that while you could use that 40 gigabyte hard drive, the HD Loader is compatible with both standard IDE hard disk drives and the official Playstation 2? hard disk drive.. So you won’t be stuck with just 40 gigabytes, you can go right up to 120 gigabytes or 250 gigabytes of space. Any standard IDE Hard Drive will work, something that was also impossible before the HD Loader.

But much more than just playing games from your hard drive, you can also load MP3 music, your digital pictures, and a wide variety of other “data” on to the hard disc, and have access to it on the fly.

If you’re thinking ‘That’s great, I’ve got games on my Hard Drive, but how the heck to do I load them, or even see what’s there’ then you’re in luck. The HD Loader user interface is designed with simplicity in mind. Just boot up the HD Loader and begin playing your games without wasting any time navigating through a complex user interface. The interface lists all of your games and options, in an very easy to use and easy to navigate manner. The intuitive user interface allows easy management of games currently installed on your hard disk drive. Adding or removing games is as easy as pushing one of the buttons on your controller.

In short, the HD Loader is the ultimate Hard drive storage and management solution for your PS2 game console. Not only will it get rid of those awful load times, but it also offer you a chance to protect your expensive PS2 game collection, but storing the games on the Hard Drive while you’re playing them, and keeping the original games safe from scratches, dirt, or dust. So if you’re tired of long load times, and want to get into the action right away, then the HD Loader is probably THE must have item on your list for the holidays.