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Swap Magic for Slim PS2 review
August 24, 2005 10:34 AM EST | PlayStation | Email to Friend
PS2 games on my US Slim PS2
The kit comes with a CD, for CD based games, a DVD, for DVD based games, and three small plastic parts which are to be inserted into crevices under the popup cover of the Slim PS2. There were no instructions included in the package so I headed over to the website in search of directions but came up with only a dead link. After about a half hour of searching the web I finally found a PDF with instructions that were very detailed and contained great pictures of the installation process. With instructions in hand, so to speak, I give the installation a try.
The first thing I had to do is install the three small plastic pieces. The first plastic piece required that it be pushed into a small hole. My fingers alone didn’t do the job so I had to grab a screw driver and shove it into position. After quite a bit of fiddling, it finally stayed in place. The next piece had to be slid in between a latch of some sort and was somewhat difficult to make stay in place.
The third piece slipped into place easily. With all the plastic pieces installed the physical work was done. Unfortunately I dropped the PS2 after this and all the pieces flew out. I tracked them all down, reinstalled them, and was ready to go once again.
When all the plastic pieces are in place the next step is to go ahead and boot up the swap CD or DVD. The game I was testing with was a CD so I popped in the swap CD and turned on the PS2. With the plastic bits in place you don’t have to keep the flip top closed, so I left it open. A flash screen appears followed by a second screen that allows you to adjust the video mode. If you are using a US PS2 set the video mode to NTSC and not the default “Normal” mode otherwise it won’t boot the game you’re trying to play.
Playing
Next the swap CD or DVD will stop spinning and you’re ready to swap in your import PS2 game. With the import game placed in the PS2 all you have to do execute the load command from the menu on screen and the game will start up spinning and load. Once I had the game loaded it played and looked perfect. Another big plus is that you don’t have to buy another memory card just for import games due to the fact that you can save all different regions of save games on one memory card.
Swap Magic for Slim PS2 has allowed me to play import PS2 games for a fraction of the price of a new Japanese PS2 and I have to say it works great. I have yet to come across a game that doesn’t work using this product. That said, it’s not something for the lazy out there as it does require swapping discs every time you want to play a game. So if you’re short on cash and already have a USA or PAL Slim PS2 then get this product but if not and you have the cash go ahead and grab a Japanese PS2.
Pros
* Relatively Easy Install
* Low price
Cons
* Requires Some Effort
* Requires A Slim PS2
Overall Score
9.2
Jeromy is the webmaster of http://www.gamebrink.com/ GameBrink.Com Import Video Game Compare
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