Persona 3:FES was perhaps my favorite PS2 game. There are a few other games I really liked, such as Dual Hearts, Jak 3, and Yu-Gi-Oh Capsule Monster Coliseum. The PS2 era set of games are real gems that tend to stand the test of time, and this memory card option is absolutely a step in the right direction for preserving that.
I got on the wait-list for the cards. Wow, I am glad to have discovered this channel out of nowhere. Also looked at all compatible games, and I think I am gonna have to test game ISOs that aren't in the list, as some of my favorites appear to not be included at the moment.
Mod seems super simple, and no hard-modding doesn't mean no soft-modding! Your clear instructions helped simplify the process! Favorite PS2 game is Kingdom Hearts.
This is a huge deal! There are still tons of PS2's out there and lots of options to repair the older fat models as they wear out but it's awesome to see another great option for both models. I also appreciate that the memory card mimics the design language of the real memory cards--you can easily have an extensive library of games tucked away on an SD card and someone would hardly notice it sitting on a shelf. I expect this will become the standard for how people wanting to play backups on their PS2. Lots of dead laser PS2's are going to get a new lease on life which is awesome to see!
I'm still counting on proper ODE for ps2. Something like xstattion or gcloader. I had fat ps2 with hdd and I was disappointed with number of glitches in games.
The great thing about these types of PS2 mods is that the first thing to go on a PS2 is almost always the disc drive, which can be a pretty big pain in the ass to fix sometimes. Being able to run your games off SD makes that a complete non-issue though!
@@unchpunchem8947 Hi ok to sum this all up quickly.. All I need to do is buy the set the site link he posted sells and they are fully all set to work and don't require anything but plug and play for a slim ps2? All I'll need to do is reimburse someone to help me correctly put all ps2 games on an SD card? The card size max is what?
@@unchpunchem8947 Yeah I'm worried about killing my SCPH-39001 Fat disc drive playing burned PS1 games using Tonyhax, but don't really have the soldering skills to do the XStation and HDMI mods on a PS1 while my PS1 games on my PS2 looks great over component. I might just buy a MiSTer for PS1 gaming once the CD laser on my PS2 Fat dies, given how fast the PS1 core for MiSTer is being updated.
@@kamilpotato3764 What kind of problems did you see with using a HDD? Any games that sucked with a HDD? Everything I play (JRPGs and GTA games mostly) has been clean sharing roms directly from a Raspberry Pi connected to my PS2 Fat via an ethernet cable, but I just bought a 40 pin to 44 pin IDE adapter plus a 44 pin to SD card adapter to play off an internal SD card. Unfortunately haven't gotten to test it yet since the damn power cable on the 40 pin to 44 pin adapter blocks plugging it into the official PS2 network adapter's IDE port and now I'm waiting on male to female IDE cable to come from amazon so I can fit it lol.
PS2 videos always bring me such good memories. I was doing a college internship program with EA Sports covering the launch of this console back then. I think i still have a gang of t-shirts and stuff left lol I think my favorite game is still WWF SmackDown. Now you got me wanting to pull out my modded unit and do some upgrades! lol
Late to this but that sounds like a reall interesting story! Have you done a video about your story? Would love to know more, the early 2000s was a special time
Wow, I'm floored by how OPL is breathing new life into much this much loved console. The fans are really doing the best work, and I love to see it. Resident Evil 4 is my favourite PS2 game of all time, though there are so many choice titles to pick from.
>Resident Evil 4 is my favorite PS2 game >Resident Evil 4 >PS2 Game Ummmmmmmmmm, we're you referring to another game? EDIT: Nevermind just found out it also came for the ps2 as well
@@darinwolf3 You're just bitching about semantics. RE4 was only a Gamecube exclusive for a matter of months, and the first place it went after that was the PS2.
There was long ago a kit to add an IDE connector to some early PS2 slims that still had the headers on the PCB. It was a pain to solder. This new kit is so much easier to deal with that it should be a no brainer for any slim PS2 owner.
I wish I had a kit... would be nice to have multiple options since this SD card route would limit some functionality for certain games that require 2 memory card slots active such as the games that use the Playstation Pocket.
The IDE kit is much nicer though since the PS2 will detect it as a normal hard drive, you can use things like freehdboot, or use it to play harddrive based games.
this guide needs updating desperately, the files you're copy and pasting are no longer in the directories you show in the video from the download on helders website
agreed. lots of these console mod youtubers videos are outdated quickly or supplies/files put of stock too soon after upload. I'd like to see youtubers do do update videos on their videos or at least playlists on each console so we can sort by upload date
I ordered the Free MCBoot memory card and the MC2SIO adapter from the site in the description. In every case, all of my ISOs are either running very sluggish, or not at all. I even tried to run Tekken Tag like in the video, but it's running like the USB example. For anyone reading this, go the fat PS2/actual hard drive route over this if you can. The compatibility list and performance is much better.
Yup all these ports are 1.0 so data transfer will be mega sluggish if you’re using anything but cross over connection or IDE HDD. If going the HDD route then good luck finding a working IDE drive that’s not breaking down due to being 10-20 years old 😁
@@EnterpriseKnight I must’ve been out of the loop mega! I just found out recently about the network adapters with sata ports vs the IDE! Either way any usb connection will be slow during FMVS and load times but network adapter connection is always flawless whether you use the SATA or IDE network adapter and use and HDD in the console or cross over with PC
El ps2 mc2sio trabaja mucho mejor si tienes el free mcboot instalado en una memory card oficial y tienes los juegos en una micro SD samsung.👍🏼 P.s: revisa las actualizaciones de OPL.
I love seeing new developments on these older consoles and this is one of the most significant. My favourite game on the PS2 was probably Time Splitters 2. I spent way too much time on that!
@@lonttugamer2939 awesome! I recall seeing that there's a hack that exploits the built in DVD playback software that enables the playback of copied games (with a specific payload) to be run without any modifications. Of course, this is much better, but, how amazing is that!
@@davidbristoll195 yup. It's called FreeDvdBoot, and it's basically ulaunch.elf that will boot straight from a burned disc, allowing you to softmod using a single DVD. (you can also use it as a payload for other software, but ulaunch is the best solution). A USB stick is also recommended for the optimal experience, burning your home brew to the DVD is not ideal if you want to keep them updated.
This is fantastic. Easy to follow and great timing. Thanks for all the tutorials Tito! Fav PS2 game is tough, huge fan of JRPGs. My most recent replay is one of my favs. Dark Cloud 1 & 2
Pretty cool device; it would definitely help ease the wear down of the DVD tray so the system could last longer. My favorite PS2 game was Transformers(2004). The game had giant levels, boss fights were fun, and great AI on the regular enemies. My favorite thing to do was to mess with the physics engine via the tractor beam weapon; flinging robots in the air like I had the force, haha. Unfortunately Transformers is one of the only games the PCSX2 emulator can't run properly; it will boot, but the shaders are a mess making it hard to see(especially in later levels). So playing the game on original hardware is still the best way to play it.
Did u try the beta version? Pcsx2 beta version now has vulkan renderer. Suikoden 3 used to unplayable because character keep blinking in 3ddirect. In vulkan, they fixed it. Havent try transformer yet, but give it a try
@@ardi1066 Just tried the latest Nightly(v1.7.2353). It's still having the same shader issue even with Vulkan. The issue happens soon as you load the first level(Amazon) and it's even worse on the 2nd level. I do hope it gets fixed one day. Any help getting it working would be appreciated.
Great video, ordered one using your code to play games on one of my PS2 slims that has a weak laser! This is great for less wear and tear on my collection.
This is incredible. I recently modded my OG GBA and got a ez flash cart, but for some reason, this really has impressed me. I grew up with having both a GBA and PS2 around the same time, but this is still some how more impressive to me. I even had to trim a custom slime green glow in the dark shell myself with the gba and installed the best back-lit screen you can get right now, plus a lithium ion battery clean juice and hand carve a USB C hole in the battery door with an exacto blade. This blows my mind because 1, this is all crammed into memory cards, and 2, you don't have to make a project out of it with specific tools from eBay. Or doing scary plastic trimming that you had to watch hours of tutorials to build up the courage to just start chopping at this brand new custom shell.
@@FakePomaceI think the cue has to coexist with the bin in certain situstuons. When needed, I just create a folder for the game and out both files in the same folder. That's how I handled a few ps1 games but I'm not experienced with Sony...
Thanks for the video... My favourite PS2 game has to be Gran Turismo 3. Even though it wasn't as graphically impressive as the NTSC Gran Turismo 4 with its 1080i video option, it set the bar for what GT4 after it became. Plus, I'm very into racing games and cars, not only in games, but in real life as well. Now, about this product. The only bad thing out of this being launched into the market is that PS2 Slim prices may start going up among collector circles as a result, as they will also be useful for mods, just like the PS2 Phat models had been creeping up in prices as people were picking them up to plop HDDs into them and load games from the HDDs...
Favorite PS2 game is definitely Gran Turismo 4. I think it still looks great after all this time. This device is fantastic! I've done hard drive and network loading on PS2 before, but this is a great solution for slim PS2 models. Network modding always seemed to have interesting issues for me, and I much prefer the system being able to run games on its own. I'm going to be keeping an eye on this project for sure.
oh god, this is like a dream come true for me!! seriously, i have like hundreds of PS2 games on my shelf (which i say with a heavy heart because i love these games in my childhood, is like a literal waste of space) but no way of playing (except for the emulator, which is good but is just not the same) because the disc drive on my still working slim model is failing... thank you for sharing the knowledge, seriously, i thank you, i just bought it for $5 online and i can't wait to play my favorite ps2 games from decades ago
Love the video! Your tutorials on setup are getting faster, yet showing more details; it's great! For $20-40, this is a lot easier and less fussy than setting up an SMB NAS share and having to drop ethernet to your PS2. Definitely going to recommend it to others It's been ported to Wii and PC now, but my favorite PS2 game is Phantom Brave.
@@shanez1215 im kicking my self right now. I just bought a modded ps2 slim with an sd slot in place of the dvd drive for $226 Canadian dollars plus having to buy controllers, power supply and av cable... it would of a lot cheaper to get a ps2 locally and get this memory card sd adapter
@@ryanwilkinson438 , please give La Pucelle: Tactics a try as well...it is made by the same people who made the game that you had mentioned, as well as the same people that are behind Disgaea.
While this is a promising solution for Slim owners, as of right now the compatibility or accuracy still have ways to go. Internal HDD with the SATA mod for the network adaptor is still the best option as out of thousands of games, only 1 or 2% have unfixable issues. The USB and SMB methods also have a ton of issues, some of those issues will probably exist forever due to limitations... that's why I believe MC2SIO will be the prefered method for Slim owners in the near future, just not right now.
Despite its shortcomings, my favorite PS2 game is actually Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. I absolutely love its way of twisting the original. It's like an M. Night Shyamalan version of the first game. Like, "hey, what if the Bad ending was canon?"
It's amazing how people still love this glorious machine, great explanation. It's hard to pick a best game, I'll choose Okami to be a bit less trivial.
My favourite PS2 game has gotta be Haunting Ground. Not only do I have a sentimental connection to it since its the first game I played with my girlfriend, I think it's genuinely one of the nicest looking games on the console and a great sendoff to the old style of survival horror games. Haven't been able to play my PS2 in a long time since the disc drive is broken but I will definitely be getting one of these when I have the money.
This is wonderful. I was just told about this, and to see it broken down definitely makes it better. Metal Gear Solid 2 is my favorite. It's a wild ride and over time I've come to deeply appreciate it.
This really is a great mod. My PS2 haven't seen much action towards the latter since the lens was already hit or miss. My favorite PS2 game of all time is ICO, followed by Shadow of the Colossus.
This is so cool, I saw the xStation mod for the PS1 recently and wondered about something like it for the PS2, this is perfect. My favorite PS2 game is actually Smackdown vs Raw 2006, I put so many hours into that game. I was pretty deep in my wrestling phase at the time.
Great in depth and informative video. Loved the intro also with the retro music and spinning consoles. My favourite PS2 game is WWE Smackdown Here Comes The Pain. It was the first game I ever played 4 players on with the controller adapter. Many hours and entertainment was had with inviting my friends over, They brought their own controllers and 4 of us all huddled around my small TV fighting it out in the hope to win a Royal Rumble match. Childhood memories.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was my favorite PS2 game. I bought the bundle when it came out, not to mention that the prices were a lot more reasonable by then. A close second would be GTA3. Great video! I subbed.
I've been using Free McBoot for years but I'm genuinely excited about an option like this esp if the disc drive dies later on in older PS2's. My favorite PS2 games are the .hack OG 4 series, Okami, DDR series and Over Zenith which I had to convert from PAL to NTSC to play via the Free McBoot on my PS2.
@@SIPEROTH again, who would ever want to take the time to do that? Just play on a real ps1, or an emulator on a pc. Why would you ever want to use that small of a display.
Take both those titles back to their second installments, and I definitely played them a lot. Never got around to the third installments for either of those series, though
Thrilled to be able to use my 75000 PS2 Slim to play PS2 backups finally! I was regretting giving my original model PS2 away in like 2007 to a friend lol. In any case, my favorite PS2 game is Final Fantasy X, with X-2, GTA San Andreas, and Persona 3: FES just behind it.
This is an excellent way to play these games. I have OPL and an ethernet setup for my slim PS2 but I'm happy to see more improvements on the scene. My favorite game on the PS2 is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, I spent way too much time treating it like a sandbox game and loved every minute of it.
First I would like to thank Macho Nacho for putting me on to this product, after a couple weeks of owning this product and testing quite a few games, I've come to a conclusion that most games I've tired are very glitchy when it comes to gameplay, most games got stuck during loading, and some games get stuck when playing. some games works perfectly, so I guess it all depends on which title your playing, I do believe in this product if they can work out the kinks, maybe an update with more gameplay support. just my opinion
imo it's probably OPL itself. In using it to play games over ethernet (the 'SMB' method iirc?) several games flat out wouldn't load even after tweaking the settings. I really wanted to replay Battlefield 2 because the console versions had this great gimmick where you could swap into the bodies of random friendly soldiers (like Jericho or...idk, Geist? Never played that one) but both OPL and PCSX2 can't handle it properly. It never occured to me until just now to check out the xbox emulation scene for that one lol
@@SanchezS1998 So I tried this on 2 models, one is a ps2 slim model (79001) and the other is also a slim model (70012).. when it comes to loading and gameplay, I was a lot more successful with the (79001) model, I do not recommend using this product with the (70012) model, the game barely loaded up, and if your curious to which game I was trying to play, that’s GTA:SA, and Scarface.
This is super cool, currently I'm playing games on my slim PS2 via the Ethernet port, which requires my PC to be on and plugged into it. So finally getting this would be a nice way to make my setup cleaner. My favorite PS2 game has to be Okami, it just has timeless beauty
Excellent video, great option! Favorite PS2 game was Final Fantasy X. I know, super original, but it was the game I bought the console for just like you, and put hundreds of hours into it. Blitzball was so much fun.
Thank you I was stuck when I found out that the ps2 slim only support 1.1 port but you came out with a better solution to play God of war games and Mortal Kombat games, thank you
Awesome stuff! The Retro gaming community never stops amazing work such as this, no replacement for passion. Anywho, my favorite PS2 game would have to be Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, great game with so much more to do and fun combat action with rpg elements ;D
I would have never guessed that the memory card slot had faster read speed than the USB ports. My favorite PS2 game is Shadow of the Colossus. Such an impressive game.
Not that surprising, USB 2 wasn't a thing yet except in the highest end machines. Memory cards also needed to be fast for saving or the disk drive would hang up waiting for it. What's baffling is how bad the PS Vita---released in 2011 mind you, speeds are. Transfer speeds to its memory card *cap* at 12MB/s, but will never even come close and average 5-8MB/s at MAX. The 12MB/s limit can only be reached with SD2Vita adapters... that's bad.
Shadow of the Colossus was pretty but way overrated...you are far better off with an underrated title that is called Dororo in Japan, but is known worldwide as Osamu Tezuka's Dororo: Blood Will Tell, as it is that game that is done right AND it also has the greatest amount of boss fights for a 3D fighting/hack-and-slash game outside of a Koei Tecmo title, @Justin Mohns, et al. Sega had a real sleeper hit with that game.
@@acumenium8157 Yeah the PS2 came out a month before USB 2 was released so it made a lot of sense why it wasn't included. And including a bleeding edge tech like that takes months or years in the console's development.
I know it was available on other platforms, but my favorite PS2 game was SSX 3. I really hope EA brings that series back. I know they released a reboot back in 2008, but I didn’t like that one. I would love to see a new one that played like the PS2 originals.
One of my all-time favorites is definitely Burnout, the third one And it was also one of the first games I got for the system Still remember being straight blown away by what was on screen An outstanding racing experience and timeless classic!
Oof, i was in the process of designing one of these myself, looks like Helder beat me to the punch lol That aside though, this project is super cool! It's nice to see the PS2 scene getting some more love, and it's especially cool that Slim users finally have an alternative to the slow USB interface! UPDATE: After watching the video post-premiere, this one's definitely better than mine lol. Might still open-source my design later for those who are interested, but just be aware that it doesn't have any of Helder's compatibility improvements and is strictly based on the DIY version.
@MenaceInc Yeah, I've been playing games on my PS2 from a network share for years. Unfortunately there are sometimes compatibility problems. For $20, it would be worth it to see if this fixes the games I can't get to run over SMB.
A favorite PS2 title of mine was Xenosaga. It stopped playing on All my PS2s years ago and I want to share it with my kids. Hoping doing a boot like this will help me share the memories with them. Great video!
I also love xenosaga (ep1) and is my to go to game to test be it on console or emu. I did not finish the game yet with OPL but i had issues with the 2nd cutscene which crashed at the very end before the third cutscene(after the nataraja boot up sequence) if you let the game plays but worked fine when skipping it using Start...so i had to get a specific opl version oh and i use a smb network share. Cheers !!!(i was looking foward to see if someone would also say their fav is xenosaga!! The double layered game of my life!!)
My favorite PS2 game has to be Jak and Daxter the Precursor’s Legacy. Wasn’t a huge fan of the second and third game, but the original was such a classic, it was also my first PS2 game back in 2003.
My favorite is definitely Dark Cloud. It's the one game I constantly return to on the console that hasn't been replaced with a new release, remake, or sequel. It's combat-focused, psuedo-random dungeon crawling is easy but engaging, requiring you to pay attention and swap weapons or characters on the fly. It's village-rebuilding is very simple, but free enough that you have a lot of room to rebuild all the towns in your own image, even if you have some limitations to make a "perfect" town. And it's soundtrack is just *wonderful!* On the video, I'm really glad you made it! This is an actually affordable way to play PS2 backups without much trouble, which is the holy grail for people wanting to experience a console's library without significant investment. I'm probably going to get one...once i confirm my PS2 Slim model will work. Good news, it does!
Nice, I remember trying to play it as a kid and getting lost with all the features it had. Reminds of things like radiata stories that had so much stuff going on behind the scenes that you needed a 100 page guide just to get the character ya wanted =P .
I loved both of them, but I definitely liked Dark Cloud 2 more than 1. There was a lot more to do, and tons of charm with the world, characters and voice acting.
@@keyblader1985 I think i'll always prefer 1...Although that's mainly because I never actually got Dark Cloud 2. Because my PS2 broke before it came out and I wouldn't get another Sony system for *ten years*. And by that point, Dark Cloud had been firmly entrenched.
I’d have to say San Andreas was my favorite PS2 game back in the day. It expanded the GTA environment a ton. Looking back, I also had a lot of fun with the Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter games.
My favorite PS2 game is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ As a massive fan of the first two numbered titles, I imported this game from Japan and was astonished at how much extra content and story additions there were. It was like a huge DLC expansion before DLC came around. I'm glad it eventually officially released in the west years later, but man did it feel incredible to experience everything before that! I have so many great memories with the PS2, and I'd absolutely love to win this.
I definitely gotta get my hands on one of these, being able to play games on my PS2 again would be great! The DVD drive unfortnuately kicked the bucket but the sheer opporutinies this opens up is amazing!
Oh man, this is so cool! I've been hesitant about playing my games in any way other than the traditional CD and disc drive, but this is amazing! I imagine it's a blast when you have all your titles loaded up and can effortlessly switch between them. I'm very limited on space nowadays and my games are all boxed up and out the way bar a few, so this is ideal - No modding, no expensive drives and adapters... The future is still bright for a console many years after it's official run! I have a lot of favourite PS2 games, but I'd probably say for fun-factor, especially as you can play it with a friend, it has to go to Time Splitters Future Perfect. A gem of a game in it's own right, but still one of the best arcade FPS games ever made :)
Wow this looks really promising had my ps2 like for 15 years and was sad that free mcbot with a external hard drive on my slim wasn’t the best option. Really hated the long loading times, it always felt like I would waste my time instead of reliving my past memories. For the winning chance: my favourite ps2 game always was FFX and KH1&2
For the raffle: Half-Life & Half-Life: Decay. And with the Steam Deck nearly here, perfect timing to break out the virtual crowbar. I really appreciate all the work that goes into softmods of all kinds. It really lowers the bar to adding quality-of-life features & revitalizing retro systems to enthusiasts lacking soldering skills. Plus, softmods keep these out of landfills when those darn mechanical drives (CD/DVD/HDD) flaking out.
Awesome technology! The modding scene has come a long way, all this available without modding the console. My favorite PS2 game has gotta be Shadow of the Colossus.
No modding?, Umm yes a softmod on the memory card is needed. And there is better ways to load via ethernet/usb adaptor loading of a harddrive, high compatibility and artwork, plus you can create a virtual memory cards on the harddrive at any size. SD card memory card solution is not the best method on a PlayStation 2 slim.
For the raffle: Hands down my favourite game is Ratchet and Clank 3, played it through so many times that the bolt count(ingame currency) got so high it doesn't display properly on the save menu. This would be an awesome addition to the kit since the dvd drive on my ps2 is making an ominous cracking sound(almost like gears slipping) when playing games and I don't know how long it will last.
if its the fat ps2 then yeah its a plastic gear guide thats getting chewed up by the wormscrew gear/motor. a way to fix it is by re-greasing it and push the arm down into the wormscrew. wish there was sellers that just sold the plastic guides, everything else lasts forever
You have made it much easier for me to understand loading and playing PS2 games from a memory card. My favorite PS2 at this moment is NCAA Football 11.
I’ve got the 2008 equivalent set up (HD Loader with the og 40gb 3.5 drive, so it holds a grand total of six games lol), the ease and affordability for this is AMAZING!
This honestly is the first time I could see myself being interested in the PlayStation2 at all. The slim is... REALLY slim and having a softmod solution that lets me play most of the games for this system seems like a good deal too. Especially since I have Dualshock 3 and 4 controllers which seem to work on modded PS2 systems via USB. Now is it actually worth picking up when I could just as well go for PCSX2?
pcsx2 is way better since you can upscale and use graphics mods and you can even use android emulators now. Heck even another modded console or even xbox serie S would be better than this BUT if you have an old ps2 or want to use original hardware this seems to be the best option.
I will remark that there are a number of games which run like garbage or otherwise have issues PCSX2 haven't yet fixed. A prime example is with rhythm games; Frequency and Amplitude are borderline unplayable in PCSX2 due to the input latency. It's extremely handy to have a modded PS2 where you have maybe a dozen compatibility issues depending on your method of loading games versus PCSX2 where all sorts of things can go wrong and require a lot of tweaking to make games playable. Considering how easy it is to mod a PS2, now, I think it's a great idea if you have or can find a cheap PS2, slim or otherwise.
To be blunt: PCSX2 has a LOT of problems. Mostly minor, rarely something that will interfere with completing a game, but it's very prone to graphical issues, minor lag issues, and the like. And that's with a good PC. This is present across many games, damn near none run perfectly, and that's not mentioning any game-specific issues. Of course, you can also get the advantages of emulation. Easy save states, upscaling, easy cheats, etc etc. Not to mention PCSX2 is free. I think that if you already have a PS2 and are intending to play it...go for this. Especially if you have a decent CRT to play it on, or an HDMI mod. If you don't, get it if you're willing to pay up for the original, flawless experience without any real issues, barring a small number of games...but aren't willing to pay and hunt for a collection, or if you want to play fan translations or hacks. I generally find that playing on real hardware is a better experience overall, although I can fully understand not willing to put in the effort, money or setup. But I do think it's worth it.
Pretty cool, but fair warning to those interested: the current version of OPL doesn't support saving of any kind when loading from an SD card (VMC creation is possible, but it's buggy if not outright broken from my experience), SD card compatibility is a pretty big problem at the moment (Walmart Onn cards work well though), and game compatibility issues are pretty severe, I would estimate between 30 and 40 percent of PS2 games have major issues or simply don't work. On the bright side though these devices are cheap and relatively easy to set up, just don't expect ODE levels of compatibility and convenience unless OPL makes some serious progress very soon.
@@ParadoxBoxx Yeah, it has potential but in its current state I'm not really a fan. Shouldn't be hyping stuff like this up until it's ready for primetime.
I'm surprised this is the only time I've heard of this incredible development. My favourite PS2 game is Metal Gear Solid 2. I don't think any game has been as technically impressive before or since and we may never see such a stunning leap in video game technology again for the rest of our lives.
Rain effects, character models, reflective surfaces, interactive environments...let alone the actual story being so ahead of it's time. MGS2 was an absolute beast of a game when it released.
@@tynao2029 while you're not wrong, it's true for the general mainstream as well. I knew more people with a PS2 than either of those options for games.
@DeanBetamberine Mgs3 is arguably the greatest game of all time. It's in my shortlist, around Majora's Mask, and Dark Souls 1. But hey, take a look at graphics comparisons between the original MGS2 version, and the ports/remasters. Kinda absurd how the original PS2 ver looks better.
I got the Helder bundle a couple months ago. I've found there is a lot more to getting this solution to work, but once you do it's hard to imagine going back. Hurdles I ran into: Incompatible MicroSD card (the solution is fairly picky). Surprisingly the cheapo Amazon basics card seems to be working fine, better than the way more expensive Samsung card I bought for the purpose. MicroSD card formatted incorrectly. Cluster or allocation unit size matters. The Google doc provides the details. Many games need you to create a config file that specifies one or more compatibility modes and other details Iso file name can be touchy. Splitting game files is not necessary if you use an exFAT formatted card. Time wasted. I wound up getting OPL Manager and tinkering with it to get box art and set up config files. Might have given up if that didn't exist. Tito, your video was a big part of my taking the plunge on this but it really scratches the surface of getting it to work to an acceptable level. Consider a follow up video with lessons learned after setting up a library of 50+ games.
Thank you for this comment, I was starting to think I might have had rotten luck with a bum unit but I figured there was more to it than this. I wish there were more complete tutorials out there, I got the full 2 part kit for a slim 75001 with an exfat Onn128gb and I can't get any ps2 iso files to show up at all, very frustrating, not the plug-n-play I'd hoped, but I'll stick with it until something clicks! Too good of an option when functioning to ignore!
@@nightsquats try using defraggler on the card after you've copied over the files. and get a copy of OPL Manager. I have both loaded as portable apps on a usb drive and it really seems super-useful for this purpose. easiest way to get the config files to match the spreadsheet settings that vary from game to game, plus getting box art easily.
This seems pretty cool, I'm not sure how much longer my PS2'S DVD drive will last and this seems like a brilliant solution. Good and easy to follow tutorial. Trying to narrow down my favourite PS2 game is difficult, but I would say any of the Ratchet and Clank trilogy or the Jak and Daxter games
Dealing with file formats is where people can get frustrated, I did, but vigilant homework has me Loving this device! This vid is not about how to use opl, nor is it supposed to be. The mc2sio itself works like a duh-reeeeeam!
Very interesting video. I’m curious to know if the memory card also works for PAL PS2’s? Anyway, my favourite PlayStation 2 game is Ico. One of the few times an AI companion was integrated perfectly, coupled with incredible sound design, music and a minimalistic approach to both gameplay and storytelling. It was pretty much perfect, to me at least, and changed the way I viewed video game design forever!
My favorites are Dark Cloud 1 & 2. I have a SCPH-79001. I assume I'd fall into that 75k++ category. But yeah, considering how small an 8 MB card is, it's really interesting how high the data transfer rates are relative to the USB. I've never done any modding; the closest thing I did was add a power socket to a mobile DVD player battery to power a PS1 on a plane. I also got an adapter use the PS1 screen as a television, with the help of a VCR. I really used the hell out of that thing. More recently, I think about some of the things I let go of, like my Gamecube and N64. I kept most of the single player Gamecube games for use with the Wii, but I miss the original hardware and I wish I'd kept the Mario Party games to play with my nephew and goddaughter
This would be a nifty solution to my broken Ps2 slim optical drive. I've been itching to play my fav games Ghost in the Shell : SAC and Suikoden Tactics in a while now. Hopefully with this i could relive a small part of my gaming memories with those timeless classics. Thanks for this vid.
I don't know if it's now commonly pronounced "Free McBoot" instead of what it was called before, "Free Em Cee Boot", but the "MC" stands for Memory Card. It's "Free MCBoot".
Stunned to see this, very excited to see how OPL compatibility progresses. Glad to see that my 39001 is compatible. Also, my favorite PS2 game is a tie between Persona 3 FES and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne!
How much more speed do the PS2 memory card slots have? I'm really curious about the differences. I was also hoping to see comparisons between DVD and SD Card.
The quality and usefullness of this channel is amazing, why doesn't he have more followers? It's a shame that Helder Gamer Tech does not ship to England, but ships to Isle of Man and Ireland...
I had trouble getting my USB to work in the PS2 and it turns out it's because it was a Sandisk USB I had to use a SD card to USB adapter with a 4gb Lexar to get the USB to register. It's also worth mentioning as I can't remember if this video mentions it but Sandisk microsd cards DO NOT work at all, the website says they are not 100% compatible implying they do work in some capacity and I've tried 2 different ones and neither of them work so make sure to use a non-sandisk micro SD card. The thumbnail shows a Sandisk so it's easy to assume they work but they don't Edit: I ended up buying a Samsung Pro Plus 128gb Micro SD card (blue one) which I can confirm works perfectly
THANK YOU for this post! I was in the same boat with my Sandisk SD cards not working. I went and got a Samsung branded SD card and had no problems after.
I love how he says at 14:12 "there is no modding required at all" and yet this product requires a software modded memory card to work that you either have to make yourself, or buy online. Even though you are not modding the hardware physically, modding the software of something is still modding. Honestly, this device isn't totally plug-n-play. You still have to have a modded PS2 memory card on top of the SD card adapter for this to work. I also love how he waits until near the end of the video before mentioning that the PS2 Slim 90,000 model systems won't work with this. That should've been mentioned right away.
@Kevnev Katfute That'd be ideal - that's the setup I have now and it works great - but it's not an option for PS2 Slim users. They've been stuck with USB for a long time now lol
@Kevnev Katfute Ah. I believe it's faster than USB (though I don't remember how much), and the compatibility seems a lot better from what I've gathered from the compatibility sheet linked on the store page.
I have the correct version of OPL installed on my Memory Card, the correct version of FMCB installed (official PS2 card with MagicGate) and none of the games I ripped to my SD card are showing up. Not only that when I first tried to insert the Micros SD it actually fell INTO the shell and I had to shake it out to put it in correctly. Not really satisfied with this so far :/
@@radatattat46 Yeah I heard about Sandisk potentially not working, so I used the generic "Onn" brand 32GB Micro SD that Walmart sells. Formatted it for FAT32 and still nothing shows on OPL
I am having the same problem. Setting USB to Auto will cause it to freeze. If I set it to Manual, I can get to the USB Games screen and see everything on the card, but then it freezes.
Thanks for dropping this vid I'm.not super tech savvy so having this option is a godsend for someone like me who still religiously plays his Ps2. U a real 1 Brody!!!
My favourite PS2 game would have to be Radiata Stories. That game for me seemed like the spiritual successor to what Tales of destiny was on PS1. Loved the story, the characters and the combat. Sadly buying it now costs a S$#t ton of money
This is the coolest thing I have seen for PS2! WoW! This would have been cool back during that console's actual generation! But, this really helps get more mileage out of the old machine.
Favorite PS2 game as well as favorite game of all time is Kingdom Hearts 1. It's not the best in the series (thank god), but it takes you back to a simpler time, and the story of how I acquired my copy, and how elusive it was for me to get, is part of why it holds a special place in my heart. Sometimes it ain't all about the contents of the game, but the circumstances about it.
I can't believe we went from Swap Magic to something like this. I remember making like 15 backup slide tools once I found out how to make one instead of having to buy one. I remember having to download the English patch for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy International Zodiac Job System and having to use a separate program to even play Scarface. My favorite game is either Rogue Galaxy or Urban Chaos Riot Response. Both had satisfying progression systems and a sit back and relax and play feel to them.
I have so many fond memories of playing ps2 with my step brother we easily put in 100 hours on Champions of Norath and the sequel Champions Return to Arms. Can't wait to share those memories with my kids someday.
Persona 3:FES was perhaps my favorite PS2 game. There are a few other games I really liked, such as Dual Hearts, Jak 3, and Yu-Gi-Oh Capsule Monster Coliseum. The PS2 era set of games are real gems that tend to stand the test of time, and this memory card option is absolutely a step in the right direction for preserving that.
I got on the wait-list for the cards. Wow, I am glad to have discovered this channel out of nowhere. Also looked at all compatible games, and I think I am gonna have to test game ISOs that aren't in the list, as some of my favorites appear to not be included at the moment.
please upload the files to google drive or something. The link is now broken
Capsule monsters is the best yugioh game of all time
Mod seems super simple, and no hard-modding doesn't mean no soft-modding! Your clear instructions helped simplify the process! Favorite PS2 game is Kingdom Hearts.
i have a matrix mod , can i play games with my usb
@@ervis6926 yes, u can
@@JalanHidayah__ how
My man
@@ervis6926 the matrix modbo 5.0 will read external and internal hard drive. It will read the game on/in hard drive automaticly
This is a huge deal! There are still tons of PS2's out there and lots of options to repair the older fat models as they wear out but it's awesome to see another great option for both models. I also appreciate that the memory card mimics the design language of the real memory cards--you can easily have an extensive library of games tucked away on an SD card and someone would hardly notice it sitting on a shelf.
I expect this will become the standard for how people wanting to play backups on their PS2. Lots of dead laser PS2's are going to get a new lease on life which is awesome to see!
I'm still counting on proper ODE for ps2. Something like xstattion or gcloader. I had fat ps2 with hdd and I was disappointed with number of glitches in games.
The great thing about these types of PS2 mods is that the first thing to go on a PS2 is almost always the disc drive, which can be a pretty big pain in the ass to fix sometimes. Being able to run your games off SD makes that a complete non-issue though!
@@unchpunchem8947 Hi ok to sum this all up quickly.. All I need to do is buy the set the site link he posted sells and they are fully all set to work and don't require anything but plug and play for a slim ps2? All I'll need to do is reimburse someone to help me correctly put all ps2 games on an SD card? The card size max is what?
@@unchpunchem8947 Yeah I'm worried about killing my SCPH-39001 Fat disc drive playing burned PS1 games using Tonyhax, but don't really have the soldering skills to do the XStation and HDMI mods on a PS1 while my PS1 games on my PS2 looks great over component. I might just buy a MiSTer for PS1 gaming once the CD laser on my PS2 Fat dies, given how fast the PS1 core for MiSTer is being updated.
@@kamilpotato3764 What kind of problems did you see with using a HDD? Any games that sucked with a HDD? Everything I play (JRPGs and GTA games mostly) has been clean sharing roms directly from a Raspberry Pi connected to my PS2 Fat via an ethernet cable, but I just bought a 40 pin to 44 pin IDE adapter plus a 44 pin to SD card adapter to play off an internal SD card. Unfortunately haven't gotten to test it yet since the damn power cable on the 40 pin to 44 pin adapter blocks plugging it into the official PS2 network adapter's IDE port and now I'm waiting on male to female IDE cable to come from amazon so I can fit it lol.
PS2 videos always bring me such good memories. I was doing a college internship program with EA Sports covering the launch of this console back then. I think i still have a gang of t-shirts and stuff left lol I think my favorite game is still WWF SmackDown. Now you got me wanting to pull out my modded unit and do some upgrades! lol
Late to this but that sounds like a reall interesting story! Have you done a video about your story? Would love to know more, the early 2000s was a special time
Wow, I'm floored by how OPL is breathing new life into much this much loved console. The fans are really doing the best work, and I love to see it. Resident Evil 4 is my favourite PS2 game of all time, though there are so many choice titles to pick from.
>Resident Evil 4 is my favorite PS2 game
>Resident Evil 4
>PS2 Game
Ummmmmmmmmm, we're you referring to another game?
EDIT: Nevermind just found out it also came for the ps2 as well
@@darinwolf3 You're just bitching about semantics. RE4 was only a Gamecube exclusive for a matter of months, and the first place it went after that was the PS2.
@@darinwolf3 Resident evil 4 was on many platforms including the ps2.
@@KakashiOkazaki it started out as an exclusive then came to ps2.
dude you are on the WRONG version. Play the gamecube version
There was long ago a kit to add an IDE connector to some early PS2 slims that still had the headers on the PCB. It was a pain to solder. This new kit is so much easier to deal with that it should be a no brainer for any slim PS2 owner.
I wish I had a kit... would be nice to have multiple options since this SD card route would limit some functionality for certain games that require 2 memory card slots active such as the games that use the Playstation Pocket.
The IDE kit is much nicer though since the PS2 will detect it as a normal hard drive, you can use things like freehdboot, or use it to play harddrive based games.
Nah I use smb as sata drives are WAY cheaper
@@tristan6509 yeah but you can’t do PS1 games.
this guide needs updating desperately, the files you're copy and pasting are no longer in the directories you show in the video from the download on helders website
You are saying right
Any luck?
agreed. lots of these console mod youtubers videos are outdated quickly or supplies/files put of stock too soon after upload. I'd like to see youtubers do do update videos on their videos or at least playlists on each console so we can sort by upload date
Its a 2 year ol video,what do you expect?
Just search the files and you can reliably find them and the website is still up@@ethansainejohnson2769
I ordered the Free MCBoot memory card and the MC2SIO adapter from the site in the description. In every case, all of my ISOs are either running very sluggish, or not at all. I even tried to run Tekken Tag like in the video, but it's running like the USB example. For anyone reading this, go the fat PS2/actual hard drive route over this if you can. The compatibility list and performance is much better.
Yup all these ports are 1.0 so data transfer will be mega sluggish if you’re using anything but cross over connection or IDE HDD. If going the HDD route then good luck finding a working IDE drive that’s not breaking down due to being 10-20 years old 😁
@@REACTIONGAMING100 can't you use a IDE to SATA interface with an SSD?
@@EnterpriseKnight I must’ve been out of the loop mega! I just found out recently about the network adapters with sata ports vs the IDE! Either way any usb connection will be slow during FMVS and load times but network adapter connection is always flawless whether you use the SATA or IDE network adapter and use and HDD in the console or cross over with PC
El ps2 mc2sio trabaja mucho mejor si tienes el free mcboot instalado en una memory card oficial y tienes los juegos en una micro SD samsung.👍🏼 P.s: revisa las actualizaciones de OPL.
I love seeing new developments on these older consoles and this is one of the most significant.
My favourite game on the PS2 was probably Time Splitters 2. I spent way too much time on that!
Me too! This is honestly the greatest thing i've seen in a while, and i pre-ordered the steam deck. I think that tells enough.
@@lonttugamer2939 awesome!
I recall seeing that there's a hack that exploits the built in DVD playback software that enables the playback of copied games (with a specific payload) to be run without any modifications. Of course, this is much better, but, how amazing is that!
@@davidbristoll195 yup. It's called FreeDvdBoot, and it's basically ulaunch.elf that will boot straight from a burned disc, allowing you to softmod using a single DVD. (you can also use it as a payload for other software, but ulaunch is the best solution). A USB stick is also recommended for the optimal experience, burning your home brew to the DVD is not ideal if you want to keep them updated.
@@lonttugamer2939 Yep, that's it. Awesome. imagine if this was found back in the day!
This is fantastic. Easy to follow and great timing. Thanks for all the tutorials Tito!
Fav PS2 game is tough, huge fan of JRPGs. My most recent replay is one of my favs. Dark Cloud 1 & 2
Pretty cool device; it would definitely help ease the wear down of the DVD tray so the system could last longer. My favorite PS2 game was Transformers(2004). The game had giant levels, boss fights were fun, and great AI on the regular enemies. My favorite thing to do was to mess with the physics engine via the tractor beam weapon; flinging robots in the air like I had the force, haha. Unfortunately Transformers is one of the only games the PCSX2 emulator can't run properly; it will boot, but the shaders are a mess making it hard to see(especially in later levels). So playing the game on original hardware is still the best way to play it.
Did u try the beta version?
Pcsx2 beta version now has vulkan renderer.
Suikoden 3 used to unplayable because character keep blinking in 3ddirect.
In vulkan, they fixed it.
Havent try transformer yet, but give it a try
That sounds cool! I'll have to give that game a shot soon.
@@ardi1066 Just tried the latest Nightly(v1.7.2353). It's still having the same shader issue even with Vulkan. The issue happens soon as you load the first level(Amazon) and it's even worse on the 2nd level. I do hope it gets fixed one day. Any help getting it working would be appreciated.
I just ran the mods on my modded mem card and connected my ps2 to a shared file from my computer, it was pretty easy
just use the hard drive adapter with the sata mod, it's faster then the disc drive, and it doesn't waste a memory card slot
Great video, ordered one using your code to play games on one of my PS2 slims that has a weak laser! This is great for less wear and tear on my collection.
This is incredible. I recently modded my OG GBA and got a ez flash cart, but for some reason, this really has impressed me. I grew up with having both a GBA and PS2 around the same time, but this is still some how more impressive to me. I even had to trim a custom slime green glow in the dark shell myself with the gba and installed the best back-lit screen you can get right now, plus a lithium ion battery clean juice and hand carve a USB C hole in the battery door with an exacto blade. This blows my mind because 1, this is all crammed into memory cards, and 2, you don't have to make a project out of it with specific tools from eBay. Or doing scary plastic trimming that you had to watch hours of tutorials to build up the courage to just start chopping at this brand new custom shell.
does it matter if the ROM is an BIN/CUE instead of an ISO?
@@FakePomaceI think the cue has to coexist with the bin in certain situstuons. When needed, I just create a folder for the game and out both files in the same folder. That's how I handled a few ps1 games but I'm not experienced with Sony...
Thanks for the video... My favourite PS2 game has to be Gran Turismo 3. Even though it wasn't as graphically impressive as the NTSC Gran Turismo 4 with its 1080i video option, it set the bar for what GT4 after it became. Plus, I'm very into racing games and cars, not only in games, but in real life as well. Now, about this product. The only bad thing out of this being launched into the market is that PS2 Slim prices may start going up among collector circles as a result, as they will also be useful for mods, just like the PS2 Phat models had been creeping up in prices as people were picking them up to plop HDDs into them and load games from the HDDs...
Favorite PS2 game is definitely Gran Turismo 4. I think it still looks great after all this time.
This device is fantastic! I've done hard drive and network loading on PS2 before, but this is a great solution for slim PS2 models. Network modding always seemed to have interesting issues for me, and I much prefer the system being able to run games on its own. I'm going to be keeping an eye on this project for sure.
That fucking game did 1080i.
oh god, this is like a dream come true for me!! seriously, i have like hundreds of PS2 games on my shelf (which i say with a heavy heart because i love these games in my childhood, is like a literal waste of space) but no way of playing (except for the emulator, which is good but is just not the same) because the disc drive on my still working slim model is failing... thank you for sharing the knowledge, seriously, i thank you, i just bought it for $5 online and i can't wait to play my favorite ps2 games from decades ago
Love the video! Your tutorials on setup are getting faster, yet showing more details; it's great! For $20-40, this is a lot easier and less fussy than setting up an SMB NAS share and having to drop ethernet to your PS2. Definitely going to recommend it to others
It's been ported to Wii and PC now, but my favorite PS2 game is Phantom Brave.
I've been waiting for this and was nearly to the point of attempting to solder an IDE cable to my PS2 slim. Thank God this came out.
Forgot about Phantom Brave! There were just so many amazing titles for the PS2
@@shanez1215 im kicking my self right now. I just bought a modded ps2 slim with an sd slot in place of the dvd drive for $226 Canadian dollars plus having to buy controllers, power supply and av cable... it would of a lot cheaper to get a ps2 locally and get this memory card sd adapter
@@ryanwilkinson438 , please give La Pucelle: Tactics a try as well...it is made by the same people who made the game that you had mentioned, as well as the same people that are behind Disgaea.
While this is a promising solution for Slim owners, as of right now the compatibility or accuracy still have ways to go.
Internal HDD with the SATA mod for the network adaptor is still the best option as out of thousands of games, only 1 or 2% have unfixable issues.
The USB and SMB methods also have a ton of issues, some of those issues will probably exist forever due to limitations... that's why I believe MC2SIO will be the prefered method for Slim owners in the near future, just not right now.
Despite its shortcomings, my favorite PS2 game is actually Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. I absolutely love its way of twisting the original. It's like an M. Night Shyamalan version of the first game. Like, "hey, what if the Bad ending was canon?"
Mine too!
I dig the atmosphere.
This title of silence hill my best on PSP great game.
It's amazing how people still love this glorious machine, great explanation.
It's hard to pick a best game, I'll choose Okami to be a bit less trivial.
Got A PS4 version as well if you want to enjoy it in looking sharp and nice on modern Tv's.
My favourite PS2 game has gotta be Haunting Ground. Not only do I have a sentimental connection to it since its the first game I played with my girlfriend, I think it's genuinely one of the nicest looking games on the console and a great sendoff to the old style of survival horror games. Haven't been able to play my PS2 in a long time since the disc drive is broken but I will definitely be getting one of these when I have the money.
You have one of the rarest game ever. Very expensive piece now
This is wonderful. I was just told about this, and to see it broken down definitely makes it better.
Metal Gear Solid 2 is my favorite. It's a wild ride and over time I've come to deeply appreciate it.
This really is a great mod. My PS2 haven't seen much action towards the latter since the lens was already hit or miss.
My favorite PS2 game of all time is ICO, followed by Shadow of the Colossus.
Favorite PS2 game is definitely Metal Gear Solid 2 hands down. Never grew up with a PS2, and am just now discovering this console's awesome library!
This is so cool, I saw the xStation mod for the PS1 recently and wondered about something like it for the PS2, this is perfect. My favorite PS2 game is actually Smackdown vs Raw 2006, I put so many hours into that game. I was pretty deep in my wrestling phase at the time.
Great in depth and informative video. Loved the intro also with the retro music and spinning consoles. My favourite PS2 game is WWE Smackdown Here Comes The Pain. It was the first game I ever played 4 players on with the controller adapter. Many hours and entertainment was had with inviting my friends over, They brought their own controllers and 4 of us all huddled around my small TV fighting it out in the hope to win a Royal Rumble match. Childhood memories.
I still remember those days
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was my favorite PS2 game. I bought the bundle when it came out, not to mention that the prices were a lot more reasonable by then. A close second would be GTA3. Great video! I subbed.
I've been using Free McBoot for years but I'm genuinely excited about an option like this esp if the disc drive dies later on in older PS2's. My favorite PS2 games are the .hack OG 4 series, Okami, DDR series and Over Zenith which I had to convert from PAL to NTSC to play via the Free McBoot on my PS2.
I recently bought an untested PS2 from eBay. I’m excited for this because even though it works great now, this will save a lot of laser wear
In a time when physical retro games are getting more expensive this is awesome. Unfortunate that ps1 isn't supported though.
you can still play ps1 on your android device,lag free
@@guiancarlorivera8552 but why would you want to? Why would you ever want to play anything on your phone.
@@Kruton1122 Well, if you buy a good controller for a phone is like playing your PS1 games in a cool handheld really.
@@SIPEROTH again, who would ever want to take the time to do that? Just play on a real ps1, or an emulator on a pc. Why would you ever want to use that small of a display.
This is great. So much easier than replacing a bad DVD drive.
As for favorite PS2 game, today I would say either MGS3 or Silent Hill 3.
Take both those titles back to their second installments, and I definitely played them a lot. Never got around to the third installments for either of those series, though
@Jess , what is your record on the kill count in that game?
Thrilled to be able to use my 75000 PS2 Slim to play PS2 backups finally! I was regretting giving my original model PS2 away in like 2007 to a friend lol. In any case, my favorite PS2 game is Final Fantasy X, with X-2, GTA San Andreas, and Persona 3: FES just behind it.
I'm going to be happy to be able to carry my backups with me portably, something you can't do easily with a hard drive and Network adapter.
This is an excellent way to play these games. I have OPL and an ethernet setup for my slim PS2 but I'm happy to see more improvements on the scene. My favorite game on the PS2 is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, I spent way too much time treating it like a sandbox game and loved every minute of it.
Yeah it’s definitely a bit of a sandbox
First I would like to thank Macho Nacho for putting me on to this product, after a couple weeks of owning this product and testing quite a few games, I've come to a conclusion that most games I've tired are very glitchy when it comes to gameplay, most games got stuck during loading, and some games get stuck when playing. some games works perfectly, so I guess it all depends on which title your playing, I do believe in this product if they can work out the kinks, maybe an update with more gameplay support. just my opinion
imo it's probably OPL itself. In using it to play games over ethernet (the 'SMB' method iirc?) several games flat out wouldn't load even after tweaking the settings. I really wanted to replay Battlefield 2 because the console versions had this great gimmick where you could swap into the bodies of random friendly soldiers (like Jericho or...idk, Geist? Never played that one) but both OPL and PCSX2 can't handle it properly.
It never occured to me until just now to check out the xbox emulation scene for that one lol
Which PS2 model do you have?
@@SanchezS1998 So I tried this on 2 models, one is a ps2 slim model (79001) and the other is also a slim model (70012).. when it comes to loading and gameplay, I was a lot more successful with the (79001) model, I do not recommend using this product with the (70012) model, the game barely loaded up, and if your curious to which game I was trying to play, that’s GTA:SA, and Scarface.
great video as always Tito! Can wait for when you publish something for the Wii :)
This is super cool, currently I'm playing games on my slim PS2 via the Ethernet port, which requires my PC to be on and plugged into it. So finally getting this would be a nice way to make my setup cleaner. My favorite PS2 game has to be Okami, it just has timeless beauty
Excellent video, great option! Favorite PS2 game was Final Fantasy X. I know, super original, but it was the game I bought the console for just like you, and put hundreds of hours into it. Blitzball was so much fun.
Thank you
I was stuck when I found out that the ps2 slim only support 1.1 port but you came out with a better solution to play God of war games and Mortal Kombat games, thank you
Very cool device! Can’t believe how booming the PS2 scene is after all these years.
My favourite PS2 game is Ico.
Awesome stuff! The Retro gaming community never stops amazing work such as this, no replacement for passion. Anywho, my favorite PS2 game would have to be Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, great game with so much more to do and fun combat action with rpg elements ;D
Fantastic choice my friend :D I recommend Star Ocean: Til the End of Time and Musashi: Samurai Legend too, games that are as good as KH2FM.
I would have never guessed that the memory card slot had faster read speed than the USB ports.
My favorite PS2 game is Shadow of the Colossus. Such an impressive game.
Not that surprising, USB 2 wasn't a thing yet except in the highest end machines. Memory cards also needed to be fast for saving or the disk drive would hang up waiting for it.
What's baffling is how bad the PS Vita---released in 2011 mind you, speeds are. Transfer speeds to its memory card *cap* at 12MB/s, but will never even come close and average 5-8MB/s at MAX. The 12MB/s limit can only be reached with SD2Vita adapters... that's bad.
But still very slow.
@@tendosingh5682 Faster than the DVD drive though probably. The PS2s not only had slow DVD drives, they were horribly prone to failure.
Shadow of the Colossus was pretty but way overrated...you are far better off with an underrated title that is called Dororo in Japan, but is known worldwide as Osamu Tezuka's Dororo: Blood Will Tell, as it is that game that is done right AND it also has the greatest amount of boss fights for a 3D fighting/hack-and-slash game outside of a Koei Tecmo title, @Justin Mohns, et al. Sega had a real sleeper hit with that game.
@@acumenium8157 Yeah the PS2 came out a month before USB 2 was released so it made a lot of sense why it wasn't included. And including a bleeding edge tech like that takes months or years in the console's development.
I know it was available on other platforms, but my favorite PS2 game was SSX 3. I really hope EA brings that series back. I know they released a reboot back in 2008, but I didn’t like that one. I would love to see a new one that played like the PS2 originals.
SSX was freakin epic! ;)
One of my all-time favorites is definitely Burnout, the third one
And it was also one of the first games I got for the system
Still remember being straight blown away by what was on screen
An outstanding racing experience and timeless classic!
Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout was an amazing experience, to me it's an unique game
I played it SO MUCH back in the day.
Finally unlocking the firetruck and getting all golds in the world tour. So sick.
Oof, i was in the process of designing one of these myself, looks like Helder beat me to the punch lol
That aside though, this project is super cool! It's nice to see the PS2 scene getting some more love, and it's especially cool that Slim users finally have an alternative to the slow USB interface!
UPDATE: After watching the video post-premiere, this one's definitely better than mine lol. Might still open-source my design later for those who are interested, but just be aware that it doesn't have any of Helder's compatibility improvements and is strictly based on the DIY version.
@MenaceInc Yeah, I've been playing games on my PS2 from a network share for years. Unfortunately there are sometimes compatibility problems. For $20, it would be worth it to see if this fixes the games I can't get to run over SMB.
@@flow221 what games u can't boot with smb?
@@mitzio948 Not necessarily can't boot, but have problems. MGS2 for instance crashes during the initial cut scene.
A favorite PS2 title of mine was Xenosaga. It stopped playing on All my PS2s years ago and I want to share it with my kids. Hoping doing a boot like this will help me share the memories with them. Great video!
I also love xenosaga (ep1) and is my to go to game to test be it on console or emu. I did not finish the game yet with OPL but i had issues with the 2nd cutscene which crashed at the very end before the third cutscene(after the nataraja boot up sequence) if you let the game plays but worked fine when skipping it using Start...so i had to get a specific opl version oh and i use a smb network share. Cheers !!!(i was looking foward to see if someone would also say their fav is xenosaga!! The double layered game of my life!!)
My favorite PS2 game has to be Jak and Daxter the Precursor’s Legacy. Wasn’t a huge fan of the second and third game, but the original was such a classic, it was also my first PS2 game back in 2003.
I agree that Jak and Daxter was great. I just think the whole series is awesome.
I am glad I am not the only one who thinks the first J&D is the best J&D.
My favorite is definitely Dark Cloud. It's the one game I constantly return to on the console that hasn't been replaced with a new release, remake, or sequel.
It's combat-focused, psuedo-random dungeon crawling is easy but engaging, requiring you to pay attention and swap weapons or characters on the fly. It's village-rebuilding is very simple, but free enough that you have a lot of room to rebuild all the towns in your own image, even if you have some limitations to make a "perfect" town.
And it's soundtrack is just *wonderful!*
On the video, I'm really glad you made it! This is an actually affordable way to play PS2 backups without much trouble, which is the holy grail for people wanting to experience a console's library without significant investment. I'm probably going to get one...once i confirm my PS2 Slim model will work.
Good news, it does!
Nice, I remember trying to play it as a kid and getting lost with all the features it had. Reminds of things like radiata stories that had so much stuff going on behind the scenes that you needed a 100 page guide just to get the character ya wanted =P .
The weapon upgrading in this game is unique even today.
I loved both of them, but I definitely liked Dark Cloud 2 more than 1. There was a lot more to do, and tons of charm with the world, characters and voice acting.
@@keyblader1985 I think i'll always prefer 1...Although that's mainly because I never actually got Dark Cloud 2.
Because my PS2 broke before it came out and I wouldn't get another Sony system for *ten years*. And by that point, Dark Cloud had been firmly entrenched.
@@shiftfire4511 Dark cloud is on PS4 if you own one.
I’d have to say San Andreas was my favorite PS2 game back in the day. It expanded the GTA environment a ton. Looking back, I also had a lot of fun with the Sly Cooper and Jak and Daxter games.
All of these, + Vice City and the Ratchet series for me.
@@RobotnikPlays , I always found True Crime: Streets of L.A. to be far more impressive than any of the GTA games on the PS2.
GTA Vice City is my favorite PS2 game. This was an awesome walkthrough. Also the mod community is something to behold.
My favorite PS2 game is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+
As a massive fan of the first two numbered titles, I imported this game from Japan and was astonished at how much extra content and story additions there were. It was like a huge DLC expansion before DLC came around.
I'm glad it eventually officially released in the west years later, but man did it feel incredible to experience everything before that!
I have so many great memories with the PS2, and I'd absolutely love to win this.
The funny part is that the original final mix only came out a few months after the original release
I definitely gotta get my hands on one of these, being able to play games on my PS2 again would be great! The DVD drive unfortnuately kicked the bucket but the sheer opporutinies this opens up is amazing!
if you have a fat ps2 a network adapter is an easeir option
Oh man, this is so cool! I've been hesitant about playing my games in any way other than the traditional CD and disc drive, but this is amazing! I imagine it's a blast when you have all your titles loaded up and can effortlessly switch between them. I'm very limited on space nowadays and my games are all boxed up and out the way bar a few, so this is ideal - No modding, no expensive drives and adapters... The future is still bright for a console many years after it's official run! I have a lot of favourite PS2 games, but I'd probably say for fun-factor, especially as you can play it with a friend, it has to go to Time Splitters Future Perfect. A gem of a game in it's own right, but still one of the best arcade FPS games ever made :)
Too complicated , there is already easy way
Eathersx2 😂
@@joke2u886 playing on original hardware was too way better than emulator.
Fun fact, playing using the memory card slot is actually faster than playing from a CD/DVD xD
Resident Evil 4 And Resident Evil Code Veronica was perhaps my favorite PS2 game
Wow this looks really promising had my ps2 like for 15 years and was sad that free mcbot with a external hard drive on my slim wasn’t the best option. Really hated the long loading times, it always felt like I would waste my time instead of reliving my past memories.
For the winning chance: my favourite ps2 game always was FFX and KH1&2
Both of these run pretty well on newer hardware (RTX)
FFX is on steam nowadays
For the raffle: Half-Life & Half-Life: Decay. And with the Steam Deck nearly here, perfect timing to break out the virtual crowbar.
I really appreciate all the work that goes into softmods of all kinds. It really lowers the bar to adding quality-of-life features & revitalizing retro systems to enthusiasts lacking soldering skills. Plus, softmods keep these out of landfills when those darn mechanical drives (CD/DVD/HDD) flaking out.
The heart is ready, but the soul is weak. Give me some of that PS2 hardware!
Wow! This is just so awesome! Looking forward to purchasing one of these kits
Awesome technology! The modding scene has come a long way, all this available without modding the console. My favorite PS2 game has gotta be Shadow of the Colossus.
No modding?, Umm yes a softmod on the memory card is needed. And there is better ways to load via ethernet/usb adaptor loading of a harddrive, high compatibility and artwork, plus you can create a virtual memory cards on the harddrive at any size. SD card memory card solution is not the best method on a PlayStation 2 slim.
For the raffle: Hands down my favourite game is Ratchet and Clank 3, played it through so many times that the bolt count(ingame currency) got so high it doesn't display properly on the save menu. This would be an awesome addition to the kit since the dvd drive on my ps2 is making an ominous cracking sound(almost like gears slipping) when playing games and I don't know how long it will last.
if its the fat ps2 then yeah its a plastic gear guide thats getting chewed up by the wormscrew gear/motor. a way to fix it is by re-greasing it and push the arm down into the wormscrew. wish there was sellers that just sold the plastic guides, everything else lasts forever
You have made it much easier for me to understand loading and playing PS2 games from a memory card. My favorite PS2 at this moment is NCAA Football 11.
I’ve got the 2008 equivalent set up (HD Loader with the og 40gb 3.5 drive, so it holds a grand total of six games lol), the ease and affordability for this is AMAZING!
Thanks for this. Pretty straight forward and easy enough to follow for non tech savvy gamers like me. My favorite PS2 game is Baldurs Gate!
This honestly is the first time I could see myself being interested in the PlayStation2 at all.
The slim is... REALLY slim and having a softmod solution that lets me play most of the games for this system seems like a good deal too.
Especially since I have Dualshock 3 and 4 controllers which seem to work on modded PS2 systems via USB.
Now is it actually worth picking up when I could just as well go for PCSX2?
pcsx2 is way better since you can upscale and use graphics mods and you can even use android emulators now. Heck even another modded console or even xbox serie S would be better than this BUT if you have an old ps2 or want to use original hardware this seems to be the best option.
I will remark that there are a number of games which run like garbage or otherwise have issues PCSX2 haven't yet fixed. A prime example is with rhythm games; Frequency and Amplitude are borderline unplayable in PCSX2 due to the input latency. It's extremely handy to have a modded PS2 where you have maybe a dozen compatibility issues depending on your method of loading games versus PCSX2 where all sorts of things can go wrong and require a lot of tweaking to make games playable.
Considering how easy it is to mod a PS2, now, I think it's a great idea if you have or can find a cheap PS2, slim or otherwise.
@@Natsukashii1111 The reason for doing this is because emulation is ass in general.
PCSX2 is a pain to get working with controllers
To be blunt:
PCSX2 has a LOT of problems. Mostly minor, rarely something that will interfere with completing a game, but it's very prone to graphical issues, minor lag issues, and the like. And that's with a good PC. This is present across many games, damn near none run perfectly, and that's not mentioning any game-specific issues.
Of course, you can also get the advantages of emulation. Easy save states, upscaling, easy cheats, etc etc. Not to mention PCSX2 is free.
I think that if you already have a PS2 and are intending to play it...go for this. Especially if you have a decent CRT to play it on, or an HDMI mod. If you don't, get it if you're willing to pay up for the original, flawless experience without any real issues, barring a small number of games...but aren't willing to pay and hunt for a collection, or if you want to play fan translations or hacks.
I generally find that playing on real hardware is a better experience overall, although I can fully understand not willing to put in the effort, money or setup. But I do think it's worth it.
Pretty cool, but fair warning to those interested: the current version of OPL doesn't support saving of any kind when loading from an SD card (VMC creation is possible, but it's buggy if not outright broken from my experience), SD card compatibility is a pretty big problem at the moment (Walmart Onn cards work well though), and game compatibility issues are pretty severe, I would estimate between 30 and 40 percent of PS2 games have major issues or simply don't work. On the bright side though these devices are cheap and relatively easy to set up, just don't expect ODE levels of compatibility and convenience unless OPL makes some serious progress very soon.
I've been really disappointed with it so far. Wish I had waited a bit before buying it.
@@ParadoxBoxx Yeah, it has potential but in its current state I'm not really a fan. Shouldn't be hyping stuff like this up until it's ready for primetime.
Thanks Tito just ordered mine yesterday and used the code! Can not wait to play the ps2 for the very first time!
I'm surprised this is the only time I've heard of this incredible development. My favourite PS2 game is Metal Gear Solid 2. I don't think any game has been as technically impressive before or since and we may never see such a stunning leap in video game technology again for the rest of our lives.
Rain effects, character models, reflective surfaces, interactive environments...let alone the actual story being so ahead of it's time.
MGS2 was an absolute beast of a game when it released.
@@cronoesify dreamcast and PC gamers: laughs
@@tynao2029 while you're not wrong, it's true for the general mainstream as well. I knew more people with a PS2 than either of those options for games.
Well, here's food for thought: The original PS2 release of MGS2 looks better than any of the ports and the HD re-releases.
Black magic type shit.
@DeanBetamberine Mgs3 is arguably the greatest game of all time.
It's in my shortlist, around Majora's Mask, and Dark Souls 1.
But hey, take a look at graphics comparisons between the original MGS2 version, and the ports/remasters. Kinda absurd how the original PS2 ver looks better.
I got the Helder bundle a couple months ago. I've found there is a lot more to getting this solution to work, but once you do it's hard to imagine going back.
Hurdles I ran into:
Incompatible MicroSD card (the solution is fairly picky). Surprisingly the cheapo Amazon basics card seems to be working fine, better than the way more expensive Samsung card I bought for the purpose.
MicroSD card formatted incorrectly. Cluster or allocation unit size matters. The Google doc provides the details.
Many games need you to create a config file that specifies one or more compatibility modes and other details
Iso file name can be touchy.
Splitting game files is not necessary if you use an exFAT formatted card. Time wasted.
I wound up getting OPL Manager and tinkering with it to get box art and set up config files. Might have given up if that didn't exist.
Tito, your video was a big part of my taking the plunge on this but it really scratches the surface of getting it to work to an acceptable level. Consider a follow up video with lessons learned after setting up a library of 50+ games.
Thank you for this comment, I was starting to think I might have had rotten luck with a bum unit but I figured there was more to it than this. I wish there were more complete tutorials out there, I got the full 2 part kit for a slim 75001 with an exfat Onn128gb and I can't get any ps2 iso files to show up at all, very frustrating, not the plug-n-play I'd hoped, but I'll stick with it until something clicks! Too good of an option when functioning to ignore!
@@nightsquats try using defraggler on the card after you've copied over the files. and get a copy of OPL Manager. I have both loaded as portable apps on a usb drive and it really seems super-useful for this purpose. easiest way to get the config files to match the spreadsheet settings that vary from game to game, plus getting box art easily.
This seems pretty cool, I'm not sure how much longer my PS2'S DVD drive will last and this seems like a brilliant solution. Good and easy to follow tutorial.
Trying to narrow down my favourite PS2 game is difficult, but I would say any of the Ratchet and Clank trilogy or the Jak and Daxter games
Dealing with file formats is where people can get frustrated, I did, but vigilant homework has me Loving this device! This vid is not about how to use opl, nor is it supposed to be. The mc2sio itself works like a duh-reeeeeam!
Very interesting video. I’m curious to know if the memory card also works for PAL PS2’s?
Anyway, my favourite PlayStation 2 game is Ico. One of the few times an AI companion was integrated perfectly, coupled with incredible sound design, music and a minimalistic approach to both gameplay and storytelling. It was pretty much perfect, to me at least, and changed the way I viewed video game design forever!
Yes it also works in PAL-PS2. It has no region lock.
My favorites are Dark Cloud 1 & 2. I have a SCPH-79001. I assume I'd fall into that 75k++ category. But yeah, considering how small an 8 MB card is, it's really interesting how high the data transfer rates are relative to the USB. I've never done any modding; the closest thing I did was add a power socket to a mobile DVD player battery to power a PS1 on a plane.
I also got an adapter use the PS1 screen as a television, with the help of a VCR. I really used the hell out of that thing. More recently, I think about some of the things I let go of, like my Gamecube and N64. I kept most of the single player Gamecube games for use with the Wii, but I miss the original hardware and I wish I'd kept the Mario Party games to play with my nephew and goddaughter
i just started playing Dark Cloud yesterday for the first time. I'm loving it!
@@TheMegaRedHead That's awesome! Congrats!
So since i have the 75001 model this wont work for me!!?😮💨😬🥺
My favourite PS2 game is Katamari Damacy.
I can't believe the adapters are already sold out!
You could also make one yourself
@@SummonerArthur I think he is refering to the one with the SD card slot. Not the Free McBoot memory card you can make your self.
@@OwtDaftUK yup, and I'm also talking about that one too. The board is simple, you can build one yourself if you have the skills
@Fur Q alright! Send me a soldering iron, a memory card, flux and I'll build you one
This would be a nifty solution to my broken Ps2 slim optical drive. I've been itching to play my fav games Ghost in the Shell : SAC and Suikoden Tactics in a while now. Hopefully with this i could relive a small part of my gaming memories with those timeless classics. Thanks for this vid.
I don't know if it's now commonly pronounced "Free McBoot" instead of what it was called before, "Free Em Cee Boot", but the "MC" stands for Memory Card. It's "Free MCBoot".
I always call it "Free M C Boot" because it feels so incorrect to turn the initials for memory card into a Scottish surname.
Stunned to see this, very excited to see how OPL compatibility progresses. Glad to see that my 39001 is compatible. Also, my favorite PS2 game is a tie between Persona 3 FES and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne!
what's your opinion on P4?
How much more speed do the PS2 memory card slots have? I'm really curious about the differences. I was also hoping to see comparisons between DVD and SD Card.
Someone did a comparison vid on YT, you just have to search for it.
The quality and usefullness of this channel is amazing, why doesn't he have more followers? It's a shame that Helder Gamer Tech does not ship to England, but ships to Isle of Man and Ireland...
I had trouble getting my USB to work in the PS2 and it turns out it's because it was a Sandisk USB I had to use a SD card to USB adapter with a 4gb Lexar to get the USB to register.
It's also worth mentioning as I can't remember if this video mentions it but Sandisk microsd cards DO NOT work at all, the website says they are not 100% compatible implying they do work in some capacity and I've tried 2 different ones and neither of them work so make sure to use a non-sandisk micro SD card.
The thumbnail shows a Sandisk so it's easy to assume they work but they don't
Edit: I ended up buying a Samsung Pro Plus 128gb Micro SD card (blue one) which I can confirm works perfectly
THANK YOU for this post! I was in the same boat with my Sandisk SD cards not working. I went and got a Samsung branded SD card and had no problems after.
I love how he says at 14:12 "there is no modding required at all" and yet this product requires a software modded memory card to work that you either have to make yourself, or buy online. Even though you are not modding the hardware physically, modding the software of something is still modding. Honestly, this device isn't totally plug-n-play. You still have to have a modded PS2 memory card on top of the SD card adapter for this to work. I also love how he waits until near the end of the video before mentioning that the PS2 Slim 90,000 model systems won't work with this. That should've been mentioned right away.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Sly Cooper, and Final Fantasy X are some of my favorites that come to mind when I think of the PS2. Such a beautiful console
Interesting! I wonder if this method is faster at loading games than old USB port... can't wait for the premeir!
@Kevnev Katfute That'd be ideal - that's the setup I have now and it works great - but it's not an option for PS2 Slim users. They've been stuck with USB for a long time now lol
@Kevnev Katfute Ah. I believe it's faster than USB (though I don't remember how much), and the compatibility seems a lot better from what I've gathered from the compatibility sheet linked on the store page.
I have the correct version of OPL installed on my Memory Card, the correct version of FMCB installed (official PS2 card with MagicGate) and none of the games I ripped to my SD card are showing up. Not only that when I first tried to insert the Micros SD it actually fell INTO the shell and I had to shake it out to put it in correctly. Not really satisfied with this so far :/
What brand of SD do you have? Sandisk doesnt work. I tried a Samsung branded one and its working fine!
@@radatattat46 Yeah I heard about Sandisk potentially not working, so I used the generic "Onn" brand 32GB Micro SD that Walmart sells. Formatted it for FAT32 and still nothing shows on OPL
@@roymcgeeters try going into settings of opl and go to bottom and make usb as auto
I am having the same problem. Setting USB to Auto will cause it to freeze. If I set it to Manual, I can get to the USB Games screen and see everything on the card, but then it freezes.
@@TGApuleius that’s about where I’m at too.
The helder website is dead.
Wow, the PS2 scene just keeps getting better.
I think the OG Silent Hill 2 is still an incredible achievement, probably my favourite.
Neat :)
where do we get the card from|?
for a plug and play option. the setup is extremely tedious.
If you know how much Work it is to geht this Performance on a slim model bevor we got this softmod, it's extremly simple
Thanks for dropping this vid I'm.not super tech savvy so having this option is a godsend for someone like me who still religiously plays his Ps2. U a real 1 Brody!!!
could you update the OPL files download? it's gone
My favourite PS2 game would have to be Radiata Stories. That game for me seemed like the spiritual successor to what Tales of destiny was on PS1. Loved the story, the characters and the combat. Sadly buying it now costs a S$#t ton of money
Need an update 👏🏽
This is the coolest thing I have seen for PS2! WoW! This would have been cool back during that console's actual generation! But, this really helps get more mileage out of the old machine.
page not found for freemcboot link?
@13:17 I would argue that it is a big con that it is not possible to save your game progress. Which renders this whole setup useless imo.
Anybody know if someone is selling them? Dude is always sold out.
Ali express
Favorite PS2 game as well as favorite game of all time is Kingdom Hearts 1. It's not the best in the series (thank god), but it takes you back to a simpler time, and the story of how I acquired my copy, and how elusive it was for me to get, is part of why it holds a special place in my heart. Sometimes it ain't all about the contents of the game, but the circumstances about it.
Dark Cloud 2...no explaination needed
I loved dark cloud. They don't make em like that anymore
lol thanks for deleting my comment.
Maybe update ur outdated tutorial OR let helping comments alive.
I can't believe we went from Swap Magic to something like this. I remember making like 15 backup slide tools once I found out how to make one instead of having to buy one. I remember having to download the English patch for the Japanese version of Final Fantasy International Zodiac Job System and having to use a separate program to even play Scarface.
My favorite game is either Rogue Galaxy or Urban Chaos Riot Response. Both had satisfying progression systems and a sit back and relax and play feel to them.
I have so many fond memories of playing ps2 with my step brother we easily put in 100 hours on Champions of Norath and the sequel Champions Return to Arms. Can't wait to share those memories with my kids someday.
This is awesome, I have so much trouble with the formatting and playback on a softmodded PS2 with a harddrive. Being able to use this is dope
Favorite PS2 game Front Mission 4, What a cool creation brilliant to use the memory card slot.