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How to defeat the Playstation Geographical Protection v1.25
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|| ||
|| HOW TO DEFEAT THE PLAYSTATION GEOGRAPHICAL PROTECTION ||
|| Mini FAQ --- Version 1.25 --- February 1996 ||
|| Written & Maintained by JOHN MUIR ||
|| Send corrections to: john.muir@almac.co.uk ||
|| ||
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Q: Why does this MFAQ exist?
A: Sony, in it's infinite wisdom, has decided that you should only be able
to play officially released games for your area. European games in
Europe, Japanese games in Japan and so on. This MFAQ is for people who
wish to play "foreign" games.
Q: What? You mean I can't run Dragon Ball Z in my American machine!?
A: I'm afraid not. Try booting ANY Japanese CD in your US machine and it
won't work. You will get a message stating this is not a suitable CD
for your machine. Needless to say, this also applies to all other
possible combination of machines and software.
Q: Is the situation hopeless? Will I never be able to play "imports"?
A: Not at all. Datel UK hope to have a commercial adaptor ready soon
which will plug into the I/O slot at the back of your machine, this
will remove the regional boot-up protection and allow you to use ANY
title on ANY machine without reverting to any form of trick or kludge.
Q: Where can I get this adaptor? It sounds cool!
A: You can't. It isn't released yet. There is NO firm release date.
Q: But I want to play imports NOW!
A: OK, since you asked here is how you can possibly play most foreign
CDs on your machine.
Q: Uh, hold on, what do you mean "possibly"?
A: Sorry, not all PlayStations are the same, see below to determine if
this MFAQ will be of any value to you.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IMPORTANT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Unfortunately the current US (S/N 595xxxxx onwards), PAL (where the demo
CD is NOT in a cardboard sleeve) and Japanese models do NOT work with
any of the methods in this MFAQ, Sony has updated the ROM to 2.1 making
the "swap tricks" obsolete. A hardware mod is "rumoured" in Hong Kong.
Check the table below to see if your machine is swap-capable:
Model Number Country of Origin Swap Trick?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SCPH-1000 [Initial batch] JAPAN Yes, all
SCPH-1000 [Second batch] JAPAN Yes, black
SCPH-3000 [Initial batch] JAPAN Yes, black
SCPH-3000 [Second batch] JAPAN No
SCPH-1001 [Initial batch] USA Yes, all
SCPH-1001 [S/N 595xxx or higher] USA No
SCPH-1002 [Initial batch] PAL Yes, all
SCPH-1002 [Second batch] PAL No
SCPH-2000 [Development machine] N/A N/A
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Solution: Wait and pray for the Datel adaptor (NB: Current status of
this device is unknown, it has possibly even been shelved.)
You could also consider selling your current machine and buying a used
older model as many people are unaware of the differences.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-----------------------------
SWAP TRICKS: Fact and Fiction
-----------------------------
There are four methods which allow you to use almost ANY PlayStation CD
in ANY PlayStation, regardless of origin (see below for exceptions.)
The "best" method would be to open your PlayStation and hard-wire a
switch which would allow you to toggle the lid sensor open and closed
plus another switch to allow you to stop and start the CD motor when
required. Needless to say this would invalidate your warranty and I do
not have the necessary details anyway so this is not covered in the
MFAQ.
The three remaining methods are detailed below (one safe and two dodgy.)
METHOD ONE: The Audio Menu [Safe and very easy]
------------------------------------------------
Works on : Very early Japanese, European and American machines.
Success : 80% Music is often corrupted. The TOC (Table of Contents)
from the boot CD is always used.
o Power up your PlayStation WITHOUT a game or demo CD in it.
o Select the CD Audio menu.
o Get a local CD that matches the country of the machine you
have. (ie a Japanese game for a Japanese PlayStation etc.)
o Find some tape, Blu-Tak or something similar. Several people I know
have found the corner from a cornflake packet works well <shrug>.
o Open the lid and look at the top right of the bottom section,
near where the hinge is. See the small circle in the groove?
Good. This is the lid sensor.
o Insert your local CD.
o Put the tape, Blu-Tak or whatever over the sensor and *gently*
push it down. The CD will now spin for a few seconds.
o When the CD has finished spinning take it out and replace it
with the foreign game you wish to play.
o Now shut the lid and exit the CD Audio menu. The game should
now work fine (see above for exceptions.)
o When you have finished playing, open the lid and remove the
tape, Blu-Tak etc from the sensor. This will stop the CD.
Notes:
i Try and get a local CD with as many tracks on it as you can.
The local CD must have at least as many tracks as the foreign CD
or you won't get all the music. Depending on the boot CD the
foreign game may give poor results or even crash.
Unfortunately the number of music tracks is NOT the only deciding
factor (the length of the data track is another) and you may find
that you are unable to get your foreign game to work satisfactorily
with the choice of boot CDs you have. See the other two methods,
they may give better results.
ii Owners of Japanese SCPH-1000 (later batch), SCPH-3000 machines and
later European/US models will find that this method does NOT
work. Sony has removed this particular loophole.
iii You can ONLY run PAL games on NTSC machines if you have an RGB
cable (not s-video, composite or ANYTHING else.) This also
applies to NTSC games on a PAL machine. In Europe this problem
is easily solved by investing in an import spec RGB/SCART cable
as sold for use with Japanese/US PlayStations. In North America,
Australia etc you will need to look into the options available to
you (an old or expensive monitor, probably.)
METHOD TWO: The Black Method [Fairly safe and easy]
----------------------------------------------------
Works on : All early machines, see above for meaning of "early".
Success : 95% Most games will work albeit sometimes with music
glitches or unexpected crashes.
o Follow the Audio method with a local CD in your machine. The lid
should be up and the lid sensor held down.
o When the black PlayStation appears (after the white Sony one) QUICKLY
lift the original game out and replace with the foreign one. You have
a few seconds to do this and it soon becomes second nature.
o If you must have the music working 100% or have a really stubborn
foreign game then try the White method detailed below.
METHOD THREE: The White Method(s) [Fairly safe but tricky]
-----------------------------------------------------------
Works on : The same very early models that can do the Audio method.
Success : 100% Works with every title I've seen, provided your machine
is capable.
o Switch on your machine and count 1..2..3..4 and THEN swap discs. You
need to do this *JUST* before the white Sony screen appears. The
timing is tough, you want the PS to read the country code but NOT the
TOC so don't expect to get it right every time.
o Another variation is to use a hybrid Audio Menu swap trick: remove the
boot CD and replace it with the "foreign" game just after the original
country code is read and before the TOC. Some people find this method
easier then the original White method.
+============================================================================+
|| ||
|| C R E D I T S ||
|| ||
|| Marty Chinn ....................... (for the SCPH-1000 and other info) ||
|| Joe @ Tronix ...................... (for the White method) ||
|| Tony in Hong Kong ................. (for the Audio and Black methods) ||
|| ||
+============================================================================+
* 1st 2.00 ~ Mac error message: "Like, dude, something went wrong."
