In response to mf29's ps2 topic.

[Phobius]

Well seeing as modifying your ps2 is no way illegal all it does is voids your warranty and if your warranty has expired then theres no big deal to it. Also if home brew talk can be talked about so can swap magic and hd loader since its pretty much in the same category am I right?
Also if 3 moderators continue to talk about it instead of closing it then this should be allowed as well I figure:
http://forum.esforces.com/showthread.php?t=69819
And technically thats more warez then anything like this because I don't know about you but I've never seen anyone able to put in a nes or snes catridge in a PSP there fore leads to you have downloaded illegal material such as games/cracks and talking about it in that thread and all mf29 wanted to do was play japanese ps2 games on his ps2 with the original dvd he could have purchased and imported. Also don't be a hypocrite when it comes to stuff like this closing one topic and leaving an even worse topic opened, either keep them both open or close them both its stupid to leave one open and another closed another that being said... lets move.

Anyways back to your question you have 4 choices as far as I know.
1. Mod chip if you have no soldering skills I would avoid this unless you know someone who does.
2. Flip Top which is very easy to put together but requires the use of swap magic cd's/dvd's.
3. The magic key's I don't know too much on these I just know thats one way of going with it.
4. Hd Loader if you have a ps2 HDD you can go about it this way.

Some methods are cheaper then others and some are a little more expansive. Its nice being able to play back up copies without having to worry about damaging the original dvd's.

 

[Jariroth]

Yep i always though modifying PS2 with a mod chip or something similar, was legal as long as the games you played were legal.
Because then you paid the price of the console to the developers of PS2 and you also paid the price of the game to the developers of the game, no harm done.
Unless you try to play pirated games with it...

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

...which is probably one of the main uses of it, no?

Either way I believe this was decided as against the AUP by Cucumba and Majin You a long time ago. The homebrew discussion can use that same ruling as precedent, if it's in fact true.

I would have closed it down myself except I already got one S-Mod on my case, I didn't want to further exacerbate things by possibly doing the wrong thing with the homebrew stuff.

EDIT: Here's the actual passage from the AUP, if anyone's interested:

Warez, Cracks, and Hacks
Anyone who asks for any form of warez, crack, leeches, FTPs, fserve, patches, mods, chips or hack of any kind will be dealt with according to the corrective action section below. Allowing people to ask for/exchange warez in our forums makes all of us liable for the consequences. Oktagone, our host, does not allow warez on their servers, thus it is against this AUP and their TOS (Terms of Service).

 

[MF29]

Isn't there some sort of a chip that can plug into the PS2's USB Port, and overrides the Japanese coding of imported games, and lets you play them? All I am planning to do is buy Kingdom Hearts Final Mix + and play it on my PS2.

 

[PiXel]

the Import is going to come soon to me, im happy that i got swap magic 3 for my ps2

its worth it, it doesnt ruin your Ps2 as you can play imported games, they may cost some bit more but its worth the money.

yeh for the "modifing the ps2 is for warez only"

wrong, www.play-asia.com a site where you can buy imported games.

 

[Nuttzy]

it doesnt ruin your Ps2

not right away it doesnt,

that little slide card forces the tray to open, without the aid of the motors inside.

which can wear down said gears and motors much faster than normal use.

 

[MF29]

Not if you use the PSone designed PS2 with the pop-open tray.

 

[PiXel]

Not if you use the PSone designed PS2 with the pop-open tray.

yeh wich i actually use >-< the slide card was in my opinion to dangerous.

 

[Super Veggeto]

Same, Slim ftw.
I have a modchip though, can solve all your problems

 

[PiXel]

ModChip is actually a risk heh, THere is no way you can claim that your Ps2 after that doesnt work anymore.... you will end up with a modded ps2 wich works or with a modded ps2 wich doesnt work heh