Alright, I think I'm finally going to start importing JP bm, but I didn't want to go groping in the dark, so I decided to come to my best source of information on bm: IndyDDR.
My questions are the following: What mix should I get? Exactly (I would like detailed instructions) how do I make my PS2 able to play it? How much will the whole deal cost?
Now, for the selection of the mix, I have a few criteria:
1) I want there to be a lot of songs, for the sake of getting my money's worth and reducing repetitiveness.
2) I want as few repeats from BMUS as possible, for the above-mentioned reasons.
3) I want there to be quite a few (good) songs that I will recognize from DDR/SM (i.e. Narcissus at Oasis, Ageha, Quasar, etc.).
4) I want there to be a wide range of difficulties (as in easy stuff that I can AAA all the way to hard stuff that almost nobody can pass).
5) I want there to be a cool-looking, user-friendly interface.
6) I want there to be a logical and user-friendly unlock system.
...Wow that's a lot of stuff. Oh, well. Thanks in advance for any help!
EDIT: I would also like, if possible, the whole thing (game+altering PS2) to cost <$100, but I'm willing to pay over that.
Buying advice
Moderator: Moderators
Japanese console games tend to run around $55-70 US depending on the game (Bemani titles have been around $60-65 US recently at launch) from most importers and at retail in Japan (so you're not paying much extra to get them here in the US). Check YesAsia and Play Asia.
HDLoader is pretty much impossible to come by new. A clone that does the exact same thing (it is the same thing, with different graphics) called HD Advance is sometimes possible to find. There's a memory card hack you can use with PS2Menu to load it off a memory card, as well, but this requires some setup.
HD Loader is neat in that it reduces the load times to around zero, but it can cause problems with some Bemani games in the sync department. 6th has been known to skip if you don't turn off the movies, 9th desyncs badly, 10th desyncs momentarily and catches up (accompanied usually by a movie glitch). I've been told RED works. I've not had problems with 7th and 8th, but others have said they exhibit a similar problem to 6th (being basically the same engine). Apparently there is a patch to HD Loader to somewhat fix this, or you can try turning off the movies (but that practically ruins the game as the movies are right up there with Pump often times in terms of quality and/or hilariousness). Also, if you were to get into pop'n music, you should be aware that 9 desyncs some, 10 doesn't work at all, 11 skips and desyncs notably, and 12 often plays the wrong samples when used with HD Loader. 7, Best Hits, and 8 work fine with HD Loader. DDR seems to work well, though I believe SN requires a compatibility mode setting. GF/DM and Keyboardmania also work.
HD Loader only works with PS2 games, and you still have to find a way to put the game on the hard drive (there's a problem called hdl_dump and associated frontends that will let you do it from your PC) as a US region PS2 will deny HD Loader access to a JP region disc. Once you've got the game on the hard drive, nothing cares anymore.
The cleanest method and simplest, as well, is to buy a Japanese region PS2. This is, of course, expensive. Second cleanest is to mod your PS2 using a mod chip. They're not easy to find if you don't know where to look for them, are difficult to install, and (evil, evil Sony would lead you to believe) can be of questionable legality (as they can be used to play burned copies). Modding your PS2 would let you use it normally no matter what region the game is for (or if it's a burned copy). Others use either a flip top case replacement or a slide card coupled with a swap set (I have no clue what the common ones of these are for PS2). You boot the swap disc normally as it is a "valid" US region disc, then you open the flip top or use the slide card to forcibly eject the tray and replace the disc (without the PS2 knowing) with the game you want to play, then have the swap software load the game. This will also let you play burned copies if you're so inclined. Yes, this means that it's just as easy to play an illegal copy of the game as a legit copy if it's out of region - stupid, I know. These methods also allow you to play original Playstation games for JP region, if you're so inclined.
Let the hatred of region coding commence!
HDLoader is pretty much impossible to come by new. A clone that does the exact same thing (it is the same thing, with different graphics) called HD Advance is sometimes possible to find. There's a memory card hack you can use with PS2Menu to load it off a memory card, as well, but this requires some setup.
HD Loader is neat in that it reduces the load times to around zero, but it can cause problems with some Bemani games in the sync department. 6th has been known to skip if you don't turn off the movies, 9th desyncs badly, 10th desyncs momentarily and catches up (accompanied usually by a movie glitch). I've been told RED works. I've not had problems with 7th and 8th, but others have said they exhibit a similar problem to 6th (being basically the same engine). Apparently there is a patch to HD Loader to somewhat fix this, or you can try turning off the movies (but that practically ruins the game as the movies are right up there with Pump often times in terms of quality and/or hilariousness). Also, if you were to get into pop'n music, you should be aware that 9 desyncs some, 10 doesn't work at all, 11 skips and desyncs notably, and 12 often plays the wrong samples when used with HD Loader. 7, Best Hits, and 8 work fine with HD Loader. DDR seems to work well, though I believe SN requires a compatibility mode setting. GF/DM and Keyboardmania also work.
HD Loader only works with PS2 games, and you still have to find a way to put the game on the hard drive (there's a problem called hdl_dump and associated frontends that will let you do it from your PC) as a US region PS2 will deny HD Loader access to a JP region disc. Once you've got the game on the hard drive, nothing cares anymore.
The cleanest method and simplest, as well, is to buy a Japanese region PS2. This is, of course, expensive. Second cleanest is to mod your PS2 using a mod chip. They're not easy to find if you don't know where to look for them, are difficult to install, and (evil, evil Sony would lead you to believe) can be of questionable legality (as they can be used to play burned copies). Modding your PS2 would let you use it normally no matter what region the game is for (or if it's a burned copy). Others use either a flip top case replacement or a slide card coupled with a swap set (I have no clue what the common ones of these are for PS2). You boot the swap disc normally as it is a "valid" US region disc, then you open the flip top or use the slide card to forcibly eject the tray and replace the disc (without the PS2 knowing) with the game you want to play, then have the swap software load the game. This will also let you play burned copies if you're so inclined. Yes, this means that it's just as easy to play an illegal copy of the game as a legit copy if it's out of region - stupid, I know. These methods also allow you to play original Playstation games for JP region, if you're so inclined.
Let the hatred of region coding commence!
A normality test:
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
Do you have a network adapter? If so, you can use any Seagate or Maxtor hard drive with it (I know big ones work, too - 300GB even). It doesn't have to be the official one.
A normality test:
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
Set it to master (cable select may work), and plug it in. I have some notecards bent and stacked to hold it in place since it tended to rattle a bit otherwise (the official kit comes with some rails). HD Loader will use it (it will initially ask you to confirm that you want to blow away everything on it and set it up for HD Loader). Most IIDX games are a full DVD (4.5GiB or so). DDR tends to be smaller (1-2GiB). pop'n varies greatly (Best Hits is a CD!) but can be up to a full DVD.
Once you've run HD Loader on it once to set it up, you can put it in a HD and use hdl_dump (or a frontend such as HD Handiness) to put games on it.
Note that Western Digital hard drives *will not work* as they don't fit. I think Hitachi/IBM fits, and I know Maxtor and Seagate do. The official drive is a Seagate.
Once you've run HD Loader on it once to set it up, you can put it in a HD and use hdl_dump (or a frontend such as HD Handiness) to put games on it.
Note that Western Digital hard drives *will not work* as they don't fit. I think Hitachi/IBM fits, and I know Maxtor and Seagate do. The official drive is a Seagate.
A normality test:
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
+++ATH
If you are no longer connected to the internet, you need to apply more wax to your modem: it'll make it go faster.
If you find this funny, you're a nerd.
If neither of the above apply, you are normal. Congratulations.
.
Check Play-Asia first. YesAsia is strictly optional for Bemani.MonMotha wrote:...Check YesAsia and Play Asia.
Not in the grand scheme of things. Depending on how long and how carefully you're willing to look, gently used PS2-Js run between $100 and $150 - or, the price of 2-2.5 Bemani titles.MonMotha wrote:The cleanest method and simplest, as well, is to buy a Japanese region PS2. This is, of course, expensive.
Under the DMCA, they actually ARE illegal... along with flip-tops/slide cards and swap discs, as well as most anything else that Sony feels like prosecuting. (In the past Sony has tried to claim that importing a console falls under this rule, since it is an elaborate way of circumventing region coding!) But I'm not sure that this should inspire anyone to do anything differently, other than spit on Sony for stooping to it...MonMotha wrote:Second cleanest is to mod your PS2 using a mod chip. They're not easy to find if you don't know where to look for them, are difficult to install, and (evil, evil Sony would lead you to believe) can be of questionable legality (as they can be used to play burned copies).
Understatement of the year... I consider myself an advocate of intellectual property rights, with my involvement in the emulation scene strictly limited to dead systems, and even I was tempted to go try to abuse PCSX2 into reasonable playing speeds once I unravelled the Leviathan that is the applicable IP law.MonMotha wrote:...Yes, this means that it's just as easy to play an illegal copy of the game as a legit copy if it's out of region - stupid, I know.