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Playstation PAL NTSC Conversion Guide

A guide on playing PAL and NTSC games in another region

I am maintaining a list of games with the screen adjustment settings used.
Anyone who has converted a game, please post what setting you used.

PS1 PAL to NTSC Little Big Adventure 46 and 16 Y position
PS1 PAL to NTSC Net Yaroze Demo Games 46 and 16 Y position

PS2 PAL to NTSC Alien Hominid 56 Y position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Beats of Rage 48 Default Y position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Bomberman Hardball 56 Y Position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Global Defence Force 48 Y Position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Lemmings ADR Patcher no Y Fix
PS2 PAL to NTSC Runabout 3 Neo Age 48 Y Position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Silent Hill 2 56 Y Position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Silent Hill Making Of DVD - DVD Decryptor
PS2 PAL to NTSC They Came From The Skies 56 Y Position
PS2 PAL to NTSC Who Wants to be a Millionaire 56 Y position

PS2 PAL to NTSC ICO 60hz Option
PS2 PAL to NTSC Maxxed Out Racing (Midas) 60hz Option
PS2 PAL to NTSC Michigan Report 60hz Option
PS2 PAL to NTSC Test Drive unlimited 60hz Option
PS2 PAL to NTSC Ultimate Mind Games (Midas) 60hz Option

GRAPHIC SYNTEHSIZER MODE SELECTOR (PAL PS2 / TV Has 60hz capability)
PS2 NTSC to PAL Final Fantasy X International
GSM: Video Mode: NTSC, X-Axis: -36, Y-Axis: +12, Exit type: PS2 browser

The Japanese and U.S markets both support NTSC so both systems are compatible in a 60hz signal. However going from PAL to NTSC or the reverse presents problems because of the different scan line rate. I'll post both the PS1 and PS2 conversion techniques. Keep in mind a 50hz game runs slightly slower then 60hz, but the frame rate slowdown is hardly noticeable. PAL 625 line resolution cannot be entirely squeezed into a NTSC 525 line screen. But there are workable solutions.

Matthew Keller wrote:http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/playstation2_60hz.txt

Q: What does PAL mean?
A: PAL stands for Phased Alternation Line. It's the color television standard used throughout the British Commonwealth and the majority of the world. It has a 625 line resolution, and a refresh rate of 50 Hz.

Q: What is NTSC?
A: NTSC stands for National Television System Committee. The NTSC color standard was developed by the Americans, and is used in North America and Japan, primarily. It has a resolution of 525 lines and refresh rate of 60Hz.

Note that to play a game in a different region, a Mod Chip or Boot Disc is needed. Going the Boot Disc route, the PSX requires a door spring and the PSOne needs a door switch Tab. For the PS2 there is a Slide Tool or Flip Top to work with the Boot Disc. The PS2 also has a great alternate method of a Hard Drive Install.

The Hard Drive method: PS2 HARD DRIVE HDAdvance/HDLoader Guide

After Dawn wrote:http://m.afterdawn.com/forums/t/f-62/121718/1

Can I tell what region the disc is before burning the backup?
Yes. Put your original into your PC drive. Locate the elf file. If it is named SLUS or SCUS, it will be the USA release. If it is named SLES or SCES, it will be the PAL release.

PS2 PAL ICO TO NTSC CONVERSION



Okay nothing special here, since this particular game supports PAL 50hz and NTSC 60hz. I bring this up to show there are some games that allow this, though the region boot code itself still needs to be bypassed. The PAL game defaults to 50hz and prompts to choose a resolution in the opening screen. On a NTSC screen the 50hz default is distorted, simply press Down and then X. Be sure there is a memory card plugged in to save your settings so next time the game is booted, 60hz will default. There are other PS2 games listed at the Reference at the end of this OP.

ICO is a great game made by Team Ico

PS2 PAL 50hz / 60hz Game List

GameFaqs wrote:http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/915821-playstation-2/wiki/3-1-ps2-pal-game-50-60-hz-display-list

PS2 PAL game 50 / 60 Hz display list

Games without a US release
10,000 Bullets - 60hz - DVD
AFL Premiership 2007
All Star Fighters
Altered Beast - 60hz - DVD
Buccaneer
Bust-A-Bloc - 60hz
Cel Damage Overdrive - 50hz - CD
Code of the Samurai - 50hz - DVD
Colin McRae Rally 04 - 50 - DVD
Covert Command
Deep Water
Demolition Girl - 60hz - CD
Detonator - 60hz
Dragon Blaze - 60 - CD
Dragon Sisters
Energy Airforce
Energy Airforce aimStrike!
Eternal Quest
Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles - 50hz - DVD
Ex Zeus
Fighting Angels
Fighting Fury
Final Fantasy X (PAL is enhanced) - 50hz - DVD
Fire Heroes
Forbidden Siren 2 50 - DVD
Free Running
Gaelic Games: Hurling
Gift
Gigawing Generations - 60hz - CD
Glass Rose
Global Defence Force - 50hz - CD
Global Defence Force: Tactics - 50hz - CD
Gregory Horror Show - 60hz - DVD
Gumball 3000 - 50hz - DVD
Gunbird Special Edition - 60hz - CD
Guncom 2 - 50hz - CD
Hard Knock High
Homura - 60hz - CD
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition - 60hz - DVD
Ico (PAL is enhanced) - 60hz - DVD
Iron Sea
Jet Ion Grand Prix
Kung Fu
Maken Shao: Demon Sword
Master Rallye - 50hz - DVD
Maxxed Out Racing: Nitro
Michigan: Report from Hell - 60hz
Monster Attack
One Piece: Round the Land
Paparazzi
Party Girls
Pink Pong
Power Fighters
Psyvariar: Complete Edition - 60hz - CD
Puyo Pop Fever
Realm of the Dead
Resident Evil Survivor 2: Code: Veronica - 50hz - DVD
Richard Burns Rally - 50hz - DVD
Runabout 3: Neo Age
Samurai Aces - 60hz - CD
Shinobido: Way of the Ninja - 50 - DVD
Shogun's Blade
Singstar '80s - 50hz - DVD
SingStar Bollywood - 50hz - DVD
Skyscraper
Sol Divide - 50hz - CD
Space Invaders Anniversary - CD
Space Invaders: Invasion Day - 50 - CD
Special Forces
Splatter Master
Spy vs. Spy - 60hz - DVD
Steel Dragon EX - 50hz -CD
Street Boyz - 60hz - CD
Strikers 1945 I&II The Arcade Games - 50hz - CD
SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom - 60 - CD
Syberia II - 60 - DVD
Tengai - 60hz - CD
The King of Fighters NeoWave - 60hz - DVD
The Sword of Etheria - 60hz - DVD
Tian Xing: Swords of Destiny - 50hz - DVD
Viewtiful Joe - 60hz - DVD
Virtua Cop: Elite Edition - 50hz - CD
Wipeout Pulse - 60hz - DVD
World Rally Championship 4 - 50hz - DVD
World Rally Championship II Extreme - 50hz - DVD
World War Zero: IronStorm - 50hz - DVD
WRC 3 - 50hz - DVD
WRC: Rally Evolution - 50hz - DVD
WWII: Soldier
WWII: Tank Battles
XII Stag - 60hz - CD
Xyanide Ressurection - 50hz - DVD
Yakuza Fury
Zombie Attack
Zombie Hunters - 60hz - CD
Zombie Hunters 2
Zombie Virus - 60hz - CD
Zombie Zone - 60hz - CD
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner Special Edition (PAL is enhanced) - 50hz DVD

This is currently only a partial list of PAL exclusive titles. Will add more when time permits.

Games with a US release
Killer7 - 60hz - DVD
Okami - 60hz - DVD
Resident Evil 4 - 60hz - DVD
REZ - 60hz - CD
Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (AKA Nocturne) - 60hz - DVD
Super Dragon Ball Z - 60hz - DVD

Graphic Synthesizer Mode Selector
A freeware ELF utility to convert PAL to NTSC and optional 720p and 1080i. Mixed results depending on the game.

d123456 made a Thread here: viewtopic.php?p=417571#p417571



PS2 SWAP MAGIC



This disc will automatically convert the PAL and NTSC signal to work in the other regions. Just the display, the region check still needs to be bypassed. Used Swap magic in conjunction with a Slide Tool or a Flip Top.



A PAL to NTSC converted screen will have a few scanlines missing, which might be a problem if the important part of the game is all the way at the top or bottom. Swap Magic will display a PAL game in NTSC with the screen too low and not centered. The top portion of the screen is not even utilized, the bottom of the game screen disappears below.



PS1 PAL NTSC CONVERSION

PS1 PAL NTSC PROGRAM LIST
Image Burning Software
PAL4U2K.EXE
P4UPATCH.EXE
ZAPPER2K.EXE

First make an ISO Image of the PS1 game using your favorite image burning copy program. Make a backup to do the PAL NTSC fix. This is very important in case a readjustment of the screen Y position is needed.



Part 1 - Find the sequences
1. Run PAL4U2K.EXE and click the green arrow PAL NTSC selection.
2. Click Choose a file and open the backed up PS1 Game IMG.
3. Click Find SEQs and wait.
4. When the End of Track. Scan Terminated appears click OK.
5. A Game Name will appear, followed by the Game Country select box. Be sure this is set to the country region you want to burn in. Click Create PF4U File.



Part 2 - Patch the sequences
1. Run P4UPATCH.EXE and choose the PFU you just created.
2. Select the backed up PS1 Game IMG with the Choose BIN/EXE box.
3. Click GO FOR PATCH box on the bottom right and wait.



Part 3 - Fix the screen position
1. Run ZAPPER2K.EXE and select the Region at the top.
3 Go with the default Y Screen settings or change the numbers to adjust the screen.
2. Click Search and once again select the backed up PS1 Game IMG and wait.
3. When the End of scan ! , Create ZAP File? appears Click Yes and give it a Name.ZAP
4. Click Apply ZAP and choose the Name.ZAP you just created.
5. Choose the same backed up PS1 Game IMG one last time.
6. You have an option to create a backup, no need since this is the backup. Apply the ZAP patch.
7. The patch is a quick fix, you can now burn the CDR.

Note that a PAL screen is slightly larger then an NTSC image. The converted image's top and bottom will be cut off a few scan lines each. If an important part of the game is cutoff you can raise or lower the screen with ZAPPER2K.EXE Y Screen adjustments but at a compromise of losing the other end of the screen scan lines image.

Every time a Screen adjust Y Fix must be made, work off a new unconverted backup.



I have tried this conversion with an obscure PAL released game called LBA Little Big Adventure. This game is special, it is also a PC game. The game works beautiful and is very playable even with part of the screen cutoff at the top and bottom. The players items are just visible at the top, a compromise of losing the very bottom line of text that pops up. Not an issue since this game also has a voice over describing the text.

This game is fixed at the default 46 and 16 Y settings.
PS1 PAL to NTSC Little Big Adventure 46 and 16 Y position.



More Information on the Little Big Adventure game:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Big_Adventure
http://www.magicball.net/games/lba1/lit ... d55ad52ce3


PS2 PAL NTSC CONVERSION

PS2 DISC READERS BURNERS
DVD Decrypter - http://sksapps.com/mis/DVDDecrypter_3.5.4.0.exe
IMG Burn -
Burn At Once http://sksapps.com/mis/bao0995.exe

PS2 PAL NTSC PROGRAM LIST
PS2_PAL2NTSC_YFIX.EXE - http://sksapps.com/mis/ps2_pal2ntsc_yfix.rar
ADR Patcher - http://sksapps.com/mis/adrpatcher059ap.zip

Either YFix or ADR patcher can be used, some games might work on one or the other. Most of the games work fine with YFisx. PS2 games are easier to convert then the PS1 games. First make an ISO Image of the PS2 game using your favorite image burning copy program such as DVD Decrypter or IMG Burn.

Make a backup to do the PAL to NTSC fix
This is very important since only a one time screen Y position can be done. Unlike the PS1 conversion the PS2 discs can be Y converted once only. There are two methods, try YFix first since it has a screen adjustment capability. Use ADR patch if YFix does not work.



PS2 PAL2NTSC YFIX
1. Run PS2_PAL2NTSC_YFIX.EXE.
2. Click Browse and choose the backed up PS2 Game ISO.
3. Default is 48 Y-Fix offset, to raise the screen choose a higher number such as 56.
Most PS2 PAL games seem to work better at the 56 Y-Fix offset.
4. Click PATCH FILE.
5. An older backup of the ELF file will be saved, no worries since this is a backup anyways.
6. Burn the IMG to a DVDR or transfer directly to the PS2 hard drive.



PS2 ADR PATCHER
1. Run ADR Patcher.
2. Click Browse and choose the backed up PS2 Game ISO.
3. Select from the Patch drop down bar .PS2 PAL -> NTSC PATCH ROUTINE (NO Y POS)
4. Select Begin Search.
5. After the search and patches are found, click Proceed.
6. Burn the patched ISO file.

Note that a PAL screen is slightly larger then an NTSC image. The converted image's top and bottom will be cut off a few scan lines each. If an important part of the game is cutoff you can raise or lower the screen with PS2_PAL2NTSC_YFIX.EXE Y Screen adjustments but at a compromise of losing the other end of the screen scan lines image.

Every time a Screen adjust Y Fix must be made, a new unconverted backup is required.

This conversion worked great on the PAL game Who Wants to be a Millionaire, exclusive to the UK to work with Buzz party controllers. Amazon.uk won't ship to another country, so I got help from a member who lives in the same region.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=347451#p347451

At the attached pictures below I had to raise the screen up one notch to Screen Y position of 56. This allowed the bottom of the PAL game screen to be visible on a NTSC HDTV.

This game is fixed at the 56 Y setting.
PS2 PAL to NTSC Who Wants to be a Millionaire 56 Y position.

PAL original disc booted NTSC mode with Swap Magic in the left pic. The fixed PAL converted to NTSC at Y Position 56 in the right pic installed with HDAdvance. Note the question prompts in each pic, left screen is cutoff.


References
Ziggy587 Burning Guide
PAL Region Information

PS1
Pal4U with Game Compatibilty
How to convert PSX ISO from PAL to NTSC
How to patch PAL to NTSC. Vice-versa and fix screen position

PS2
Swap Magic
GSM Graphic Sythesizer Mode Selector
SKS NTSC to PAL Guide
Afterdawn PAL NTSC Forum
PAL Game List Conversion Reference
Playstation 2 60Hz Compatibility List

thanks dude!

I find it odd that ICO has NTSC 60Hz and not PAL 60 60hz mode. I assume Shadow of the Colossus is the same?

so time to start making a list of PAL PS1 games that weren't released in the US...

I just updated the OP with more information and pics including a screen shot of the PS1 PAL game I converted. The game is called Little Big Adventure or LBA. It came out in Europe and Japan but only got a PC release in the U.S. Great PAL console games like this one makes the conversion worth the trouble.

If anyone converts a game, please post the Y position you use, along with maybe a screenshot. This will help others in knowing what a good Y position would be for a converted game.

Examples:

PS1 PAL to NTSC Little Big Adventure 46 and 16 Y position.

PS2 PAL to NTSC Who Wants to be a Millionaire 56 Y position.

The examples will make sense once you convert a game.

there's an excellent bootleg disc out there of pretty much all known Net Yaroze games. Scezch from HG101 did a wonderful post about it here: http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/ ... d-you.html , and it exists in various shapes. The copy I downloaded is (I believe) the most complete one at 70+ games/demos. At any rate, since MOST of the NY games were sourced from official demo discs from the UK Playstation magazine, that meant that MOST of the games on this bootleg were pretty much unplayable to me.

Until now. I just used this patching tutorial and it worked like a charm. Thanks CRT!

noiseredux wrote:there's an excellent bootleg disc out there of pretty much all known Net Yaroze games. Scezch from HG101 did a wonderful post about it here: http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/ ... d-you.html , and it exists in various shapes. The copy I downloaded is (I believe) the most complete one at 70+ games/demos. At any rate, since MOST of the NY games were sourced from official demo discs from the UK Playstation magazine, that meant that MOST of the games on this bootleg were pretty much unplayable to me.

Until now. I just used this patching tutorial and it worked like a charm. Thanks CRT!

Glad you got the conversion to work. This is the fun of it, discovering new games to try out that normally can't be accessed.

EDIT
Forgot to ask what did you use for the Y position? The default is 46 and 16.
I'm keeping a list in the OP for other members who would like to try converting a game.

Example:
PS1 PAL to NTSC Little Big Adventure 46 and 16 Y position.

I received a PM from noise.

noise wrote:I left em default.

Updated the OP.
PS1 PAL to NTSC Net Yaroze Demo Games 46 and 16 Y position.

PAL TO NTSC Alien Hominid works!
Before and After Pics below.

noiseredux wrote:

elmagicochrisg wrote:

CRTGAMER wrote:Maybe snag Alien Hominid, had a low print run as in GBC Shantae. Its one of those games inexpensive priced at ten bucks brand new at the end, now no longer made. But I think will shoot up in value as demand for it grows. The PAL extra level version is especially rare for me due to the fact I live in another region. I just think its an outstanding "Flash Metal Slug" game that can be played on the PS2.

If anybody wants it, I'm willing to have a look and pick it up.

Just ask...

If it's complete, I'd probably be interested. (CRT, will I be able to play it with Swap Magic or will I end up having to patch it to NTSC?)

I forgot about this one
I purchased a Euro PAL version of Alien Hominid, a rare lucky "Video Game Find" at a Gamestop in the U.S. NTSC Region. The PAL version is special, has extra mini games including a level from Castle Crashers. So many visits to Gamestop, never got around posting this.



I converted the PAL version of Alien Hominid! When converting PAL games, the 50hz image is a little taller then the NTSC image. A compromise of a few scan lines cutoff screen on top and bottom. The conversion fixes what Swap Magic can't do, a centered image. Refer to the OP on how to convert PAL to NTSC games.

This game is HDAdvance compatible, converted PAL to NTSC plays beautiful!

The 50hz PAL image on a 60hz NTSC screen, unplayable rolling image.


PAL disc booted with Swap Magic. Note the Black bar at the top, bottom of pic cut off screen.


PAL to NTSC Y-Fix converted with correct screen orientation.


This game is fixed at the 56 Y setting.
PS2 PAL to NTSC Alien Hominid 56 Y position.

Just out of interest, would you happen to know how to do the reverse: NTSC to PAL? For instance, PAL versions of games like Persona 3/4, Metal Gear Solid 2/3 and Final Fantasy X/XII are all locked to 50hz, and I want to play the NTSC versions on my PAL PS2 via HDLoader. However, when I play them, I usually get the picture lower down the screen (like your 2nd Alien Hominid picture). I wondered if this was because I was using component cables, as it would play fine with my composite cables, but playing that way would be no fun on an HD screen!