I haven’t personally seen it connected to Digimon World 2, though I did watch a Japanese streamer play through the game. They know about the PocketStation and Pocket Digimon World but apparently they’re rare and expensive, if they even still work. Guessing the battery will need replacing, as it’s about that age.

PocketStations aren’t actually that rare or expensive. A quick look on eBay has them going for around $30 (unless you want a black one). The battery will definitely need replacing, but it’s just a CR2032 (the same as a Dreamcast’s VMU) and a pack of 10 of those is under $10. The Pocket Digimon World games aren’t too expensive either with the original going for around $20 and the other two being around $30 each. All together that does add up to quite a bit, but it isn’t that bad when there are some games out there that go for hundreds.

If I recall correctly the PS1/PSX has a region lock chip, so to use it you’d need a Japanese PlayStation, a Japanese copy or burn of Digimon World 2 and one of these. Sounds expensive.

It is possible to bypass the region lock with a mod chip (requires soldering) or an exploit like Tonyhax International (requires a memory card, a way to install the exploit, and possibly one of several specific games).

Edit: Typo

This is correct, however SNES Virtual Console games were also exclusive and a number of games were enhanced on New consoles.

If you’re looking to save a bit of money, you might want to consider a Japanese console and modding it. 3DS prices are pretty crazy at the moment and no one knows if they’ll ever come down.

It’s recommended that you use a dedicated card for FreeMCBoot.