Easiest way to play PAL Dancing Stage imports

[Wadely]

My only current gen console is a Xbox, and I've recently been playing a lot of DDR on it. I'm thinking about getting a PS2 with some extra holiday money that would almost exclusively be used for bemani games (DDR and Taiko drum master, for now) and possibly some light gun games as those are the only areas where the Xbox just doesn't have the games out there to keep me satisfied.

I've seen song lists for the European Dancing Stage games and I like a lot of the licensed songs for them. Not because of the challenge of dancing, just the joy of dancing to songs I know and listen to outside of the game.

If I get a new (slimline-type) PS2, what all would have to be done to play European PAL imports on it? Would I need a mod-chip AND a external PAL->NTSC converter or just the converter, or just the mod chip and then the chip/PS2 handle the conversion?

All the threads I see on the internet are about modding to play Japanese imports, which I might also play later, but my real reason for wanting to play imports is for Euro dance mixes.

[abrannan]

I'd get the older (thick) PS2. The mod chips are better supported for that at this point. The slim ps2s have a different board layout, and there's less room inside to work with.

I'd havce to check on the PAL Dancing Stage games, but most of the PAL games I've played have the ability to select PAL or NTSC as output. The difficulty comes in when they default to PAL and you've got to guess what's on the screen.

[Wadely]

So then I will either have to have a flip top and swap discs or a mod chip no matter what.... and I still might (probably?) need an external PAL->NTSC converter?


You sort of touched on this, but how were you able to select NTSC output from a PAL game when you wouldn't be able to read the screen in order to select it? Or do you have a converter? Can you tell me which PAL games you have played that didn't require a converter?

[abrannan]

Most of the PAL stuff I've played was on the Dreamcast. Basically, since PAL is 50Hz and NTSC is just a hair under 60Hz, you get tearing on the screen, but you can still make out most of what's on the screen if you stare at it a bit. Usually you can tell there's a select screen, and you jsut have to play around a bit with the directions and x button to figure out which one will click it over to 60Hz. It may take a few retries to get it right the first time.

[abrannan]

Just confirmed none of the Dancing Stage games for the PS2 have an NTSC option.

[ddr guest freak]

i've tried Dancing Stage Fusion on my modded slim ps2, which can force pal games to play in ntsc mode. it played, BUT the songs/beat and the arrows totally DO NOT sync up. I guess because of the forced 50/60hz conversion, it messes up the timing between the music and the arrows.

too bad cuz i really like the songs in the uk ddr games better!!

(one other thing with playing pal games on modded ntsc system: the screen is shifted down and right quite a bit, so unless the game has screen centering option, it can be difficult to see everything....even WITH the screen centering option jacked all the way to the top left, the screen is still off a bit down and right...)

[Kwame]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to chip in my 2 cents. I got a copy of "Dance Stage: Disney Mix" and had it converted from PAL to NTSC but like someone else said, the arrows do not sync up...I was wondering why ALL the beats were off beat....it is kind of a mess to play. I may have to ante up and get the real ddr: disney mix.

What is really the difference between PAL and NTSC anyway? Someone fill me in.


Kwame

[abrannan]

PAL and NTSC are two different formats for displaying video, used in different regions of the world. The have different resolutions, and more importantly, different refresh rates (which is reall hard for a converter to handle accurately enough to let arrows line up). One isn't better than another, it's just a historical convention that's too deeply rooted to bother changing (like having 110V electricity vs 220V).