Swap Magic

Swap Magic (abbreviated 'SMD') is a disc (available in CD and DVD formats) which allows users to play backed-up, copied, or foreign PlayStation 2 games on their PlayStation 2. Swap Magic may be illegal in the United States under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Methods of Swapping

There are many ways of enabling swapping. In original PlayStation 2 models, a "Slide Card" is available. The slide card is used to eject the disc without the console knowing. A fliptop method is also available for original PlayStation 2 models ranging from v4 to v10, where the cover of PlayStation 2 is replaced with a "fliptop" cover, which allows you to open the top of the PlayStation 2 (much like a Slim model PlayStation 2) and swap discs. The fliptop method is generally deemed a safer method of swapping compared to the slide card method.

For the newer, Slim PlayStation 2, there are different options, the fliptop option is still available for Slim models along with installation of a "Magic Switch" which allows the original lid to be opened without the system realizing it. More information about "Magic Switch" can be found on the [http://www.swapmagic3.com/Swap_Magic_Feature.htm SwapMagic3 Official Web Site] .

Magic Switch

There have been many different versions of Magic Switch ranging from version 1 to 3. Version 1 is only compatible with the v12 slim ps2. Version 1 was no longer compatible with later PS2's [v13-15] as Sony had slightly changed the design of their console. To combat this, Magic Switch released version 2. This version was widely criticised as it required the user to open the console and, therefore, voided the warranty. Magic Switch responded to this criticism by releasing version 3. V3 did not require opening of the console.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Magic Switch and similar tools is most do not void the PS2 warranty as an interior mod would.

Many other versions of the slimtool have subsequently been released, and Swap Magic is still a very popular method of playing back-ups.Swap Magic discs cannot be backed up as they are pressed using the same copy protection used in Playstation 2 game discs. Also, these discs cannot be used to boot PlayStation games due to the fact that the PSX emulator has to be started by the firmware in advance. For booting PSX games, a similar swap disc called Breaker Pro is used (see below).

How the disc works

The Swap Magic and most other non-Sony made PlayStation 2 bootable discs use a method of "growing" and "splicing" stampers from original PlayStation 2 discs (a method of growing a stamper from an original PS2 CD and joining a new stamper with the program data on to it; in essence, the resulting discs contain a portion of an original disc).

Datel, the first company outside Sony to make a bootable PlayStation 2 CD, actually researched the protection and produced their own discs with protection in their on-site mastering facility.

Burst Cutting Area (BCA)

A BCA mark is visible to the naked eye, though it should not be confused with the IFPI mark that is on all discs. BCA is described in Annex K of the DVD physical specification. It can be seen between radius 22.3mm (+0.0/-0.4mm) and 23.5mm (+/-0.5mm). Examples of BCA discs include the failed DIVX format (not to be confused with DivX) and Nintendo GameCube game discs.

IFPI

The IFPI on a DVD disc can be found on the inner ring on the underside (data side) of the disc, before the start of data in the mirror part of the disc's hub. Most contain text specified at the time of mastering; this usually consists of the string "IFPI" followed by a code describing the mastering system used, then followed by a text product description, then a bar code.

CODER

Recently, the makers of Swap Magic have released Swap Magic v3.8, also known as CODER, which adds the ability of loading Action Replay cheats to the booted game. However, some users have complained that CODER has some compatibility issues as well as known bugs. For example, some games that work on v3.6 do not work with CODER. Consequently, v3.6 remains the most popular version of Swap Magic.

External links

* [http://www.swapmagic3.com/ Manufacturer's site]