by scootergirl 7 Replies latest social entertainment
My kids are getting a playstation 2 for xmas and I have been looking at some games. I found a great auction for one that says :
This is a PAL game and will NOT work on an NTSC system! Please bid only if you are sure PAL games run on your Playstation 2!
What does this mean? What is PAL game? Help....and hurry!
Never mind......I just figured it out.
What's the difference between PAL and NTSC?There are two television display systems in commercial use: PAL (common in Europe and parts of Asia) delivers a scanning/frame rate of 25 fps (frames per second) with 625 lines, while NTSC (used in the U.S. and Canada) delivers a scanning/frame rate of 29.97 fps using 525 lines. A TV signal is made from interlaced half-frames, hence the 25 fps in 50 Hz countries, and 30 fps in 60 Hz countries. The color information of the signal is also encoded differently. Although most TVs have the ability to display both 50 and 60 Hz signals, without proper decoding of the PAL or NTSC signal the color information will be lost and the picture appears black and white. These technical differences are the reason for an intrinsic incompatibility of PAL and NTSC video game consoles, respectively.
All console games sold by UK retailers are designed for a PAL console (incl. Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube) and will not work with NTSC systems (unless you have a PAL converter). Please check our PAL country list to ensure that the game you have ordered will work on your console. American video game consoles use the NTSC standard.
Actually that information is correct, however it is inaccurate in places. The scan rate is actually 60 Fields per second, for NTSC, and 50 Fields per second for PAL. TV broadcasts do not transfer by frames, they turn every other line on the TV on, this is called interlaced video. Also this is software, it is not a hardware related problem. If you have a mod chip for your PS2, you can play these PAL games on your American PS2.
Hi Scootergirl!
Evan's team just released a PS2 game called "Dirt to Daytona" - a NASCAR racing game. It's a riot - There are all kinds of hidden levels and "award" spots in it - like one where a pit-crew guy becomes a giant godzilla-type thing and stomps all over the track (we rolled on floor cracking up).
Spyro is a fun game too - lots of cute dragon antics
I'm impressed with your technical grasp of the consoles. I sure don't get that stuff....
Hope you're staying warm up there..... brrrrrr
love, laura
Thanks guys (and Laura......that was a copy and paste job from the internet.......I actually have no idea really! )
Thanks Trauma for the post. You know, we never had all this confusion when the Pong game came out years ago! LOL
Scootergirl
I've never purchased anything from e-bay, so I can't advise you in that regard. My kids are also getting PS2 for Christmas, and while the system came with a game, I've been scouting around at consignment and second-hand stores for PS games. They're about 1/3 the price of new games, and often if the system and the games are in the store from the same consignor, it's because they've replaced their system with X-Box or something else.
PS2 will also play regular PS games, so don't overlook that possibility too. Blockbuster sometimes will have the games that they've rented a few times on sale. I've purchased games for the kids' Gameboys for $5 each as opposed to $30+ new, and they work perfectly.
Love, Scully
Thanks Scully. We do have a PS1 already w/lots of games, but knowing the kids, they want new PS2 games ("better graphics" they keep telling me). I have been checking online for games but never thought of a video store. I know that we have a store that sells used games, but they are priced really high. I just went online this morning and purchased two thru Bestbuy (free shipping right now) that were reasonably priced.
How come it is the older the kids get the more expensive their gifts get? LOL
If you have an Electronics Botique nearby, it's a great place to buy games, because you can return opened games, I think it's within 7 days of purchace, that includes used games. They also are online at http://www.ebworld.com
