Plug and Play PS2 Modchip on a memory card!

[Harrison]

The power of an advanced PS2 Mod Chip in a Plug `n Play PS2 Memory Card!

120 million PS2/PStwo consoles prepare to become modded via the use of a plug `n play advanced custom memory card! A new product is preparing to be launched within the next two weeks which gives PS2/PSTwo owners all the functions of an advanced PS2 mod chip but directly from an advanced memory card. That means no masses of wires to be soldered, no voiding of the warranty, just a simple insertion
of a special memory card known as `Vast' which will fully unlock ANY PS2 console just as would a hard wired mod chip would do so.

The product essentially exploits a flaw in the PS2 memory card system and uses MagicGate technology which means that the totally innovative design will be 100% secure. When inserted, the following operating system will boot giving any PS2/Two access to a wealth of features.

Coming out in 2 WEEKS!!!....

Lets hope this is real.

[Tiago]

Great news, but... in 2007? It should be done 2/3/4 years ago. But is better now then never.

And for PS3? To soon to talk about that?

[FOL]

This is awesome, hope its true. give me reason to use my PS2 (only played it 5 times, and thats from PS2 Launch).

[AlexJ]

Isn't MagicGate the technology Sony uses to prevent 3rd party unlicenced memory cards from being used? Looks a little bit suspect, but I hope it's true (and <£40). I assume then you just burn a ISO onto a normal DVD-R?

A piccy:

[Demon Cleaner]

Great news, but... in 2007? It should be done 2/3/4 years ago.

That is true. I have both consoles, and both are already chipped, so it comes a bit late for me.

[Harrison]

That problem is that there is no time limit on when someone suddenly discovered an exploit like this. The good news is that if this really is real owning one of this memory card mod chips will keep the PS2 alive for many years to come as it will mean we can use any PS2 (not just a modded on) to run games in the future. So if your PS2 dies you can just get a cheap second-hand one from ebay and plug the card in.

This could be especially good in a few years time when the PS2 starts to become a retro platform and people are downloading PS2 collections to play.

[toomanymikes]

If the rumour is true then would this work on a PS3 with the memory card reader? I have put off buying one so far because they are rediculously overpriced but this may swing things the other way.

[v85rawdeal]

Does that mean I CAN 'bin' my PS2???

Whoo, more free space...

MONSTER RANCHER is a breeder game (the same genre as Pokemon, Digimon and others), but unlike the other games it takes a more adult look at the genre.

Its other HUGE factor is how you can get new monsters. The game reads a small portion (I believe it is the header file) of any CD you put into your PlayStation, and uses that data to generate a monster. Some CDs will yield dragons (although you cannot get these or some of the other monsters at the beginning of the game), while others will give you smaller and less threatening beasts (these are usually the core creatures).

The great part is how some discs generate monsters that fit the source disc, examples include: Poison Pixie (female fairy dressed in tight black clothing) - Madonna's 'Ray of Light'; Tombstone Joker - Theme Park (PC). It also is a great reason not to get rid of some of your old discs. I have got some quite rare monsters off Amiga CD32 discs and Dreamcast discs.

After you create a monster, you then must train it so that it can succeed, not only in the dueling arena, but also for various quests that can occur. You control every aspect of the monster's training, from what it eats to what attributes it will be focus on improving, but you must also be careful as monsters can become seriously injured or even killed (certainly nothing that Pokemon considered doing).

You can also freeze monsters for later use, or even combine two monsters to form hybrid creatures that possess different abilities. The point of the game is to become the champion monster breeder, and there are rankings that give you an idea as to where you stand.

The game consists mainly of point-and-click menus, with the exception of the fights themselves. There are two different options for fighting: you can let the computer control your beast or you can take manual control of it yourself. As your monster succeeds or fails in the fights, their stats are affected, as is their mood towards you as a trainer. As their mood improves or worsens, they become more obedient or more disruptive accordingly, sometimes to the point where they will run away.

The game is a huge game that unfortunately saw only one release for the PS consoles in the UK, and that was Monster Rancher 2 (released as Monster Rancher here). The game has attained a cult following and second hand copies would sell for a fair bit on eBay.


Hope this helps a little bit.

[Harrison]

Nice explanation of the game.

Using CDs and DVDs to generate monsters is the one element that keeps these games going for a long time. Not knowing what you might get, and then wanting to see how much you can develop the monster you create.

It is a shame the three PS2 games in the series were never released in Europe as I think they would have done well. Other similar monster raising games have always seems to, although as you say the Monster Rancher games do take on a slightly more adult theme compared to others such as Digimon and Pokemon.

If the rumour is true then would this work on a PS3 with the memory card reader? I have put off buying one so far because they are rediculously overpriced but this may swing things the other way.

I don't think it would work in a PS3 because the system is very different and the way it handles PS2 memory cards isn't the same. The reason this works on the PS2 is because it accesses the contents of the memory card as the system boots.

[Harrison]

Maxconsole have released a video showing VAST working:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjDu6c3WAB4

VAST is the plug and play memory card mod chip first mentioned in this thread. And although the guy in the video is using a very butchered looking PS2 (no case and switches hanging by thier cable), the VAST mod memory card definitely looks like the real deal and works just like a proper mod chip.

They have also posted a video showing a prototype of another memory card mod chip in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XogKE-pGkMM

The only query regarding this one is mention of patched game discs. I hope this isn't the case as it won't make this memory card mod chip as popular or useful for all of us who currently use unpatched games and proper mod chips.

At least this video does show both seem to be real and working.

There is also a big rumour going around at the moment that the developers of VAST will be releasing FreeVAST straight after the card. This will be a software one version which can be used to turn a normal PS2 memory card in a VAST card. This will be even greater if this is true. I wonder if this is using a similar exploit to the recent PSP Pandora battery method.

It's all looking great. Everyone is also hoping these will work on the PS3. If they turn out to then we can expect huge sale increases of the PS3 over night. Who ever said piracy hurts console sales!