u/xNotMADx

I've got quite a few Japanese ps1 games because they're fun to collect and dirt cheap where I live, unfortunately I don't have any way to play them.

I have a region unlocked ps2 that plays my Japanese ps2 games great but it won't do ps1 games unless I hard mod it, at least from what I understand. So the question I raise is; Hard-mod my ps2, buy a regional ps1 and region unlock that or straight up import a Japanese ps1.

I would love to finally own a real ps1 from a collection standpoint alone, but retro consoles have always been a pain in the ass and it might not be worth it to trouble shoot and mod a cheap pal one when its only really a couple dollars more for a proper ntsc model - however this of course wouldn't play my pal ps1 games and that’s kinda lame, completely unnecessary and irrelevant but still kinda lame.

I know this might be a bit of an unpopular opinion on r/psx but would a Japanese ps2 perhaps be the play for my current situation? Then I could just have 2 stock playstations that play my whole library (being pal ps2, ps1 and ntsc ps2, ps1).

I guess I'm just looking for advice or wisdom on what would be the most efficient price/pain route to take. Again, I'm not against modchips and I'd love to give it a go but there is the full possibility as a first time ps1 owner I will destroy something. Or maybe there's some secret other option I'm unaware of please share.

Sorry if I sound amateur, I am. My ps2 90002 is having trouble reading discs, unfortunately I struggle to find consistency, just days ago it read a blue back cd game just fine but today its just stuck on a black screen, no disc read error or any obvious issues. It will read music cd's and my swapmagic cd disc just fine (I dont have any burnt games to test though) and strangely it will read my max payne dvd although it jutters and skips until it reaching the end of the intro where it stops. Even weirder it reads my swapmagic dvd just fine.

I have opened it up and cleaned the laser rails and that stopped the choking noise but didnt seem to improve reading. I fear the worst but before I buy a new laser altogether is it worth trying a calibration method or would that be fruitless?

I apologise for my ignorance as I am new to ps2 modding, but I would like to know if it is possible to play Japanese discs on my pal ps2.

For more information it is a stock 90002 model and I would like to play both Japanese ps1 and ps2 games off original discs but from what I understand that might be impossible? Once again I recognise the answer is probably right in front of me and I'm just a huge moron who needs it spelt out but please I'm so clueless.

I am okay with hard modding and soldering if that helps and even if I can only get one or the other (ps1/ps2) working that would be great too, preferably with the ability to still play pal discs after.