PS2 HD Loader impressions?
 

Anyone order the PS2 HD loader and tried it out yet? IGN has some impressions that make it sound like a pretty cool device for reducing load times. IDE drives are pretty cheap these days so it would be easy to get one of these puppies to, uh, backup all your games. :) The official website doesn't give too much info or feedback about what you can and can't do with the device.

I thought the FAQ was quite comprehensive on the site (they've updating the various sections on the site quite regularly lately, so if it has been a while since you've been to the site you may want to check it out again). Sounds like a great little program. I've convinced the wife about letting me mod the xbox, but I'm having a hard time convincing her to mod the PS2 (more capital needed :))

This is one of the main reasons I modded my xbox. I upgraded my hd to 120gig and copied all of my games over. The load times are much faster and its way more convienent to pick a game to play from a menu than getting discs out all the time. I don't have a hd for my PS2 yet but, it might be worth it with this software.

Hmm... you know, I never thought to try this, but can you just replace the sony hard drive with a 120 gig one and load playonline, ffxi, etc.? I thought there was some reason you had to use the sony one... but this device obviously works with just plugging in a maxtor drive to your network adapter.

I don't think it would be quite so simple. I'm sure Sony put some system files on there needed to make the PS2 recognize it. You would probably have to image the drive in a computer first.

Ah, I thought as much. They mention that you can use the Sony hard drive with the HD Loader, and that it won't interfere with Playonline or any of that stuff, so I figured it was worth a shot. So it looks like anyone that wants to upgrade their drive will have to forego any future game features that people will program for the existing official drive. Or swap them frequently... :P

I just placed an order for the disc. I'll post some impressions when I get it.

FFXI has to be played from the Sony HDD.

Not too exciting...doesn't work with all games (including all dual layered disks - Champions of Norrath was one slow loading mofo on my PS2), and doesn't backup DVD-R's for those buying it for that purpose.

Hmmmm IGN's screens show that they installed Norrath on their HD. I assume they played it and it worked....

Compatibiliy List: http://www.ps2nfo.com/ps2hdd.html

Check out the forums as well

Does this get around region locking? I'd be greatful if it did. Cuts load times and allows importing.

I'd give it a :thumbsup: if it did. AND I actually wouldn't mind if it randomly asked for an orignal disc for verification of ownership to prevent cheapskates from pirating. Even if it does involve going to blockbuster and renting the game again. They're paying some $ for the hassle.

Which site did you order this from?

We're talking IG-freaking-N here.

Actually someone in the mailbag asked them about this and they confirmed that they did it just for kicks to see if it would install. It installed partially and wouldn't run correctly.

http://www.divineo.com/cgi-bin/div-us/index.html

Supposedly if you have a swap magic disc, you can rip backups and imports. Of if you already have a modchip, you can rip imports.

Anyone found a good deal on a HD for this? I've been looking around for a Maxtor 120 gig 5400 drive.

Hard drive prices are really low right now... if you check your Sunday paper, every tech ad seems to have HDs for around 50-70 cents a gig (mostly after mail-in rebates, though).

Yeah, I've been checking around in the local flyers, but the ones I find are usually Seagates or WD (both seem to have problems with installation in the PS2 HD slot) or 7200 maxtors. All posts I read on ps2ownz.com and hdloader seem to be 5400 maxtors, and I haven't seen any in the local flyers yet.

I'm taking a wild guess that this thing needs a mod-chip installed or swap magic to run?

No, it's an actual pressed PS2 disc.

Don't ask how.... : P

I was almost tempted to try this out, but that not working list is getting big, fast.

I've had this for about a week, and it's pretty impressive.

I'm using a Seagate 80GB HD that I picked up at Best Buy two weeks ago for $40 AR. The HD fits perfectly. WD drives seem to be the ones with installation problems, but if you're willing to remove the network adapter casing, you can make them fit.

Divineo is selling the HD Loader for $30, but you can find it for $25 from some of the other modchip sites.

You don't need a modchip or swap magic to install original US games. Any PS2 will let you load original US games directly to the HD. However, it will not let you install imports or DVD-R / CDR backups unless you have a modchip or use a swap trick. HD Loader verifies that you have an original disc before allowing installation.

The 'not working' list is a bit of a misnomer. There are three compatibility switches that can be toggled once a game is installed. A lot of the games on the 'not working' list just need a compatibility setting changed. Compatibility settings are stored on the HD, so you only have to change them once.

Champions of Norrath is a dual layer DVD, and HD Loader doesn't properly install dual layer DVDs. However, the game can be split onto two single layer DVD-Rs and installed as two entries. You need to have a modchip to install the split DVD-Rs, but it is possible to get dual layer DVD games onto the HD with this method.

Online play also requires some hacking. You can't just install your original to the HD then play it online. I haven't read into the process, but there are workarounds to get DNAS info onto the HD. Again, you'd need to have a modchip to install modified DVD-Rs.

So far, this isn't a solution to install your entire library onto the HD. But for about $65 it lets you put the games that you play most often onto one menu and load them QUICKLY. If you're willing to accept the limitations, this is a very convenient tool.

Ripping dual layer games onto 2 DVD-R's isn't an option for me because I don't plan on installing a mod chip on my machine.

I own at least 5 games on the "not working" list. If they release a version 2.0 that fixes the current incompatibilities (excluding online play issues), I'll be all over it.