PS2 Double Dragons - 12/22/2022

I actually have pretty deep roots with the PS2 and modchips for it. It was the first console I ever installed a modchip on and it happened during the original launch years of the PS2. The Messiah 2 was one of the best options at the time and while I'd like to say it was a piece of cake, the reality is that for a ~18yo without any real micro soldering experience, it was a very tall order. I remember breaking down the console 20x times to check my problematic installation. My fire stick was the most basic Weller you could get and  didn't even know what flux was back then, so you can imagine the mess I made.
Eventually I got it working. I may have even doubled my pain and done a second install for a neighbor. I honestly can't be 100% certain.

20+ years later and loads of experience under my belt, I found myself remembering the PS2 challenge and wondering how it would stack up these days. Fast forward to December of 2022 and I've managed to add a V4 and a V6 PS2 to my backlog. One for me and one earmarked as a Christmas present for a good friend. This time around I'm installing Matrix Infinity clones called Modbo 5s. Hard modding PS2s in 2022 is understandably out of style, but I was looking for a chance at redemption. 

The installation was much more straight forward this time around. The hardest part of the job for me was the post-installation software configuration which made me remember why I'm team xbox. Both PS2s boot straight to their internal HDDs to fire up OPL.