HDLoader Review

[lufcfan]

This is a thread I have created especially to let you all know what I think of the newest and most sought after piece of software for PS2 at the moment - HDLoader. In it I shall include my findings and my views of this software, in order to help you make your decisions about buying this new piece of software. Afterall, buying this and a new HDD is a fairly expensive thing, and if it doesn't work too well, I guess it would be fairly annoying, but fear not, and just read on...

So, I've had my HDLoader for a few hours now, and I had a spare IBM 40GB drive laying around doing nothing, so I placed it onto my Network Adapter, slotted it into the PS2 expansion port (The instructions for this are in the manual), took the shiny new disc out of its equally shiny box and placed it into the DVD tray of my PS2. It booted perfectly - always a good start. From there, I was met by a disclaimer screen (which only appears once by the way), and you either select Yes, or No. Picking Yes sends you into the software, and No, back to the browser window. So, once your in, what happens next. Well, there is a slight pause whilst your drive is formatted and partitioned and then you are let free to do your worst. The first thing that hit me was the quality of the GUI. It is really nicely laid out and looks great. You have a few options available to you at this point: Play, Install (This'll be the first thing you'll want to do), Remove and Rename - (All fairly self-explanitory I think). Next door, is a large Game Menu. This is a list of all the games you have installed. There is also a little status bar which tells you how much Data Storage space is left on the drive and how big the overall drive is. Very useful when you've got a fair few titles on there.

So, pushing the left and right directional keys switches between the Game Menu and the Toolbar. Up and down then lets you switch between functions on either part of the screen you happen to be on. X Selects the option you want and Triangle goes back a step, so fairly standard stuff there then. So, now we want to go on and get this thing rolling. How do we do that? Well, it's very simple. Simply press the left directional button to hop onto the Toolbar, go down a step to Install and hit X. Here, we are prompted to insert a disc we want to install to HDD. So, eject your DVD-ROM and switch the HDLoader disc with your original PS2 disc (or backup if you have a mod fitted) and select Continue by pushing X. We are now taken to a new screen where we are told that the disc is being checked (to make sure its a PS2 disc). If it is, we are now prompted with a new screen where we are asked to type in a name for our game using the on-screen keypad. Once we do this, we select the End option to accept the name we've given. Then comes the business part, and we are prompted by a screen telling us that installation is in progress, and a little installation bar appears at the bottom. Down the right hand side, we are told some useful info such as Disc Read Speed, Time Left, Disc Size and Read Errors. If you encounter a read error, you are prompted on screen to see if you want to cancel or try again and continue. So, when your install is complete, you are prompted and you need to select OK to go back to the main menu, where you have access to the Game List and Toolbar. To boot a game now, you can remove the disc you installed (or keep it in, it's your choice, either way, we'll be going from the HDD now. By the way, you can leave the HDLoader disc in when booting a disc, you don't have to remove it, so if you can get all your collection on one HDD, then you don't even have to touch your eject button again )

Now, scroll down to the game you want to play, press the right directional button, hi-light play (already selected) and hit X. The screen will go black, and up will come your game - very quickly might I add too. So, enjoy your extra quick loading times and ultra smooth game play. For instance, GTA splash screens only show for a second between islands instead of 5-6 seconds as usual and other games are immediate. Some load straight up without so much as even seeing the loading splash!

So, I did try 5 games from my collection, so how did they perform???

1.Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Unbelieveable! Took 1/2 hour to install and the little loading screens you get between islands only come up for about 1/2-1 second instead of about 5-6 seconds! . It's certainly a good start for the HDLoader. Also, there is no slow down or FMV problems when things get hectic...

2. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec - Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Well, as before, loading times are non-existant! Everything is straight up and there is no FMV problems or anything! Brilliant...

3. True Crime: Streets of LA: Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Long loading times are diminished and there is no slow down between regions on the map! FMV Loading is greatly improved. I found the menus to be a little slow on disc but now, it's immediate and working properly. Level loading is a matter of milliseconds!

4. Manhunt: Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Now this baby was fantastic to play anyway, but everything is now immediate. The little reel of tape for the loading bar fills straight up and you're playing in around 1 second... I think I've found my new best friend...

5. Gran Turismo: Concept 2002 Tokyo/Geneva: Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Same as Gran Turismo: A-Spec. Fantastic!

Quite superb, I think you'll agree. In fact, I bet you'll have quite a smile on your face, don't you. Go on, smash the piggy bank open, you know you want to, lol!

But seriously, it's hard not to be impressed, but you really do have to see it to believe it, so using my EyeToy, I made a little video of this beast in action. If you want to see it (700KB) click this link: See HDLoader in Action! . Don't be alarmed by the speed of the video - It isn't how the game runs, it's the frame rate I used on the camera to make the video small enough for convenient viewing over the net...

So, you can't argue with that can you? Well, i'm sure some of you will have some real burning questions you want to ask, so in anticipation, I've prepped a little Q&A below. If your question isn't there, PM me - I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have:

1. Does HDLoader require a Modchip to work?
A. Absolutely not! , but you must use original discs in this case...

2. Can I use backups without a chip with HDLoader?
A. No, the disc will not even recognise at the checking stage of the install...

3. Is it fast?
A. Do Ferrari make fast cars? This might give you some clue as to how fast this thing is. But seriously, games are sped up by about 5x at least...

4. What percentage of games work?
A. There are only around 8 titles which don't work, and most are smaller titles anyway.

5. Do backups work with this thing?
A. Absolutely, providing you have a modchip.

6. Does this software work with the official Sony HDD?
A. Yes, it works perfectly with the official Sony HDD.

7. ...And what about 3rd party drives?
A. That's exactly what I'm using, so I guess the answer's yes...

Now, for the techie stuff: HDLoader supports any size drive from 40GB upwards, but if you install a 200GB HDD, only 137GB will be valid for use. So whilst it works, it's a waste of disc and money to get anything bigger than 120GB. So, to clarify, 40GB-120GB is supported. You need a Network Adapter (Either Ethernet/Modem or just Ethernet variety), and the drives which seem to work best are Seagate/Maxtor/IBM - All with ultra high success rate. Western Digital have the worst track record - either not fitting or not working when fitted, so it's best to stay away. Either way, the HDD sticky has a link to a site with compatible HDD's so look there. Also, your HDD needs its jumpers set to Master to work properly. A full 4 GIG disc takes around 28 minutes to install.

So, I hope you have found all that super useful! Oh, hang on a minute, my EyeToy: Play disc just finished installing so how does this work?:

6. EyeToy: Play: Installed: Yes, Plays: Yes
Comment: Hmm. This is SO GOOD. The little monkey loading screen barely makes an appearance and it's so quick. I love this thing - it handles everything I throw at it!!!

Anyway, as I was saying, I hope you found this review super useful and remember to check out these links below for more info. So, I have a feeling Seagate, Maxtor and IBM are going to be making record profits on HDD's this year, lol!

So, check out these useful links below, and my for my final comments: BUY THIS THING NOW!!! ...and remember, I'll answer any PM's on this subject if you have any questions, thanks again... LUFCfan

HDLoader Links:
======================
HDLoader's Website: www.hdloader.com

Official Reseller: www.divineo.com/www.divineo.co.uk

Other Recommended sellers: www.consolesource.com

HDLoader in action (Windows Media Video, made by yours truly: 700KB): http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/playstati...e/HDLoader.wmv

HDD Compatibility List: http://ps2drives.x-pec.com

So, enjoy your new HDLoader and I hope you enjoyed this review, or at least didn't fall asleep and found it useful. Thanks a lot guys, and thanks to Tyler...
Happy gaming.