Anything involving soft-modding your PS2 and other things to play PS2/PS1 games, use emulators, use fan-patches/mods on your games and other things.
I just found about SNESticle and, while you have to make an iso with roms instead of using your usb drive, it runs waaaay better than SNES Station, be sure your roms end with the SMC extention if you wanna try it.
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NES and Genesis emulation is OK but that's pretty much the limit for emulators on the PS2. Install OPL and slap an HDD/SSD in there for PS2 games. Ps1 games, use tonyhax or mechapwn.
If you really want to use emulators, get a Wii for cheap and soft mod it.
Wii U is better for Modding
Supposedly the PS2 fat fan mod uses a different voltage fan which can cause issues. Is this true?
Not had any issues with mine
I’m pretty sure it depends on the model
But a 5v fan should be fine I think
Can I play burned DVDs with that tonyhax thing? And it's any good?
Tonyhax is a ps1 mod IIRC. Yes it can play burned discs on ps1 with a loader.
If you want to play burnt games on a PS2 then you'll need a Free MCBoot memory card to do that via ESR, though you'll need to patch the isos using ESR Disc Patcher before burning them. Otherwise you'll need a modchip.
If you're on PS1 and wanting to play burnt CD games on a PS1 then FreePSXBoot is the way to go, it's superior to TonyHax since it loads UniROM purely by opening the memory card menu in the PS1 BIOS.
>If you want to play burnt games on a PS2 then you'll need a Free MCBoot memory card to do that via ESR, though you'll need to patch the isos using ESR Disc Patcher before burning them. Otherwise you'll need a modchip.
There are better ways than that. FreeDVDBoot ESR autopatcher produces self-booting ISOs for slim PS2s, and they're still backwards compatible with FMCB+ESR.
Or you can use mechapwn and masterdiscs for theoretically perfect compatibility, similar to a modchip.
>If you're on PS1 and wanting to play burnt CD games on a PS1 then FreePSXBoot is the way to go, it's superior to TonyHax since it loads UniROM purely by opening the memory card menu in the PS1 BIOS.
An underrepresented way to pirate PS1 games on a PS1 is to use a cheat cartridge with Uniform flashed to it. You don't have to occupy a memory card slot or corrupt a memory card that way. As for using a PS2 to pirate PS1 games, mechapwn is as convenient as a modchip And hopefully we will have better ways even than that for DECKARD PS2s soon.
>An underrepresented way to pirate PS1 games on a PS1 is to use a cheat cartridge with Uniform flashed to it
Very true but obviously doesn't cover every PS1. I prefer to push people to FreePSXBoot for that reason.
or use the swapmagic elf i mentioned above, no messing with patching iso's, its the most straight forward method
Swapmagic is trash, there's no reason to use it any more.
Thanks for the tips. Is it easier to change roms without resetting on it?
Been thinking about getting an image of that one disc with tons of emulators and changing a bit, including a gameboy emulator, maybe some hacks.
L2 and R2 combo brings the menu back (and creates the sram).
You can either burn your SNESticle iso with all the roms or load it with OPL.
Wii is obviously a better choice but the PS2 is slowly doing progress, SNESticle needs some improvements but its already a very promising emulator, it mostly needs .sfc compatibility and reading roms via USB to get better.
I also was looking at gba emulation and the retroarch core of gpSP seems quite good
it really needs a better way to play PS1 games from USB/SMB/HDD to become a decent emulation machine imo
SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A BETTER EMULATOR THAN FRICKING PCSX2 FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IT'S A BIG PIECE OF SHIT, I CAN'T EVEN GET A MODERN PS4 CONTROLLER TO CONNECT TO IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I FRICKING HATE PCSX2 FRICK PCSX2 IT FRICKING SUCKS.
If emulation pisses you off just get real hardware
PS2 looks better on a CRT as well
>Just get real hardware
Yeah... I probably could but I don't really have the money to do any modding or buying any games.
I was considering getting a flatscreen CRT tho, they good for PS2?
Yes they are
PS2’s don’t need to be hardmodded, you just need a memory card with FMCB, a HDD and the network adapter to accept the HDD
it's like your speaking chinese to me man. do you know a good tutorial?
There's many different ways to softmod a PS2.
To get the ball rolling you can either buy a preloaded memory card, insert a HDD in a fat PS2, or burn a disc for a slim PS2.
Then you can play games from burned DVDs, the internal HDD, a network drive or a USB drive (slow, not recommended).
You should pick the method which sounds most convenient to you depending on what you already have. This guide covers most of the methods.
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/tutorial-the-great-ps2-aio-guide.30219/
You could also just burn dvds with freedvdboot. It’s way cheaper and you don’t need a hard drive or anything
Ya most emulators suck
Just get the real hardware (and that also sucks because it takes up too much space ha)
Doesn't take up too much space if you don't coomlect. Just one or two consoles and a flashcart each.
This
Emulators are only good for deciding what games are worth buying
Unless you don't mind glitches, not being able to finish games, low framerate, etc
Third world peasant detected.
I was saying thats why they suck
Derrrrr
And I was technically born in a first world but not sure anymore from how it's going
pcsx2 is good but dependant on game/pc specs.
as for the controller is it connected to the pc? then in pcsx2 did u select ur pad/configure ur buttons then save them?
>I need a fricking 3070 to play games made almost 20 years ago.
troonycoders
>need a GPU to emulate
Wut
troonycoders have no idea what hardware optimization means
>everything is about trannies
sorry for bringing that into this thread.
Emulators are not GPU bound dude
no u dont, i can run FFXII + PoP sands of time, at full speed on x2/x4 resolution depending on game, thats under dx9, with an nvidia 7950gt 512mb, core2duo, 4gb ddr2 ram,
most important thing is u have a dual core at least at 3.2gh, u dont need a powerful gpu unless u want it 4K, i havent tried other games on this setup, but dont i expect every game to work perfectly or at all.
even shadow of the colossus struggles on my 2500K+980Ti. still played thru it
>I can play Melee on my moms laptop.
your point?
my point? i thought that was obvious.
u dont need a 3070 (hi spec pc) to play 20yr old games. most will work on my gpu thats 16yrs old on default settings.
bait
yep, you can play PCSX2 on literally any toaster made in the last 10 years. All you have to do is mess with the settings until you find something that does it for you
My dogshit M1 Macbook Air can run PCSX2 with literally no issues at 2x-4x resolution, maybe you just have a fricking toaster?
Guys, do you think the PS2 will ever be hacked to play PS1 games natively using OPL?
I have read into this topic. The PS2 architecture is very restrictive and doesn't let do that because the chip and yadda yadda. Can't remember correctly but it's something very difficult to achieve.
Will it ever be possible?
It might be possible on newer slim models, but those have glitchy PS1 playback anyway.
For all other consoles there's no abstraction layer where you can patch in disc drive emulation.
No because the PS1 hardware is used to run the HDD so they cannot run at the same time
https://github.com/wisi-w/DKWDRV
Highly unlikely through OPL, but there might be an ODE solution in the future if Xstation/PSIO do not drop in price and if availability remains tight.
At one point everyone of us crazy enough to pay for an ODE'd PS1 for hundreds of € will have one and the market will shrink enough that some modder might simply develop a drive emulator that runs PS1 games without compromising the PS1 CPU.
The biggest limiting factor is that softmodding a PS2 is so cheap and easy that it makes any larger effort seem meaningless.
Bros, what's the best bios to play normal US roms on PCSX2? Where can I find it?
https://archive.org/details/playstation-2-ps2-bios
pick an
thanks bro, already got one from there
I have ordered a T6 screwdriver to take apart my network adapter like 2 weeks ago and it hasn't even been shipped yet. Frick everybody.
Go to the local hardware store and buy a torx key set and be done with it
Just borrowed a set from a bussy.
What files you need for popstarter on OPL?
I have the VCD and the popioxpak file but when I start a game it boots me back to ulaunchelf
isn't there a popstarter elf too?
I bought a PS1 mouse and tried to use it with OPL on my softmodded PS2 but it's not recognized at all. 🙁
Why not use a USB mouse like a normal human being?
Will it work with PS1 games?
I don’t think opl supports mouse or keyboard. It should though because using the rename tool is annoying
ps2 fat....noctua fan mod....mcfreeboot memory card....adapter with SSD....retrotink 5x pro or CRT....kino
I'm trying to copy cover art from OPL Manager to my PS2 2TB HDD using a USB and uLaunchELF, but for some reason, the "ART" folder is not recognised properly on uLaunchELF.
uLE treats the folder like it's empty and I can't even copy it as is. I've managed to copy a different version of an "ART" folder to a 1TB HDD using the method so I don't know what the issue is now. Anyone know how to deal with this?
Try a different USB, I had the same issue before, used a different USB and it worked don't know how but it did
one guy recommended me the Deluxe patch for Guitar Hero 2, if he's lurking here, thanks, I'm having a blast.
Is it safe to delete partitions in ulaunch elf?
Pls reply
all the opl themes available are hideous and no i don't want to make my own
Have you tried OPL 10th edition?
the default one is good enough for me
which is better? mechapawn or tonyhax? I have a fat ps2 i think scph50000
mechapwn is more convenient since you don't have to use a boot disc every time
your console doesn't support tonyhax anyway
Is there any good apps that let you play PS1 games via freemcboot yet?
Without disc? No
is there not a ps2 "gdemu-like" sd card reader yet that can load ps1 games?
what the frick are these tards doing with my time?
The Dreamcast GD-ROM drive is on its own board. You can just swap it out.
The PS2 DVD drive controller is not only integrated onto the motherboard, it's also essential for the boot process where it does its own anti-tamper checks. This was a huge pain in the ass for the development of modchips 20 years ago and it's a pain in the ass for making an ODE now.
frick
No, an ODE for the PS2 would also require soldering like the x station
It’s just probably not going to happen anytime soon, it’s just not going to be that profitable when OPL exists while also allowing you to use discs
The PS2 also has a lot of internal revisions to the disc drive so an ODE either has to become 3x more complicated or it had to give up on supporting half of the consoles out there.
I can solder, so thats not an issue.
I just refuse to use the shitty slow ps1 emulator on ps2. I'll just keep emulating on pc I guess until someone magically figures out how to enable ps1 loading through hdd with a add-on mod or creates an ode for ps2
It's an issue for whoever wants to manufacture the bastard.
Why not just get a ps1 then?
They’re pretty cheap
I'd prefer having the ps2 as the ultimate playstation kino box, but yeah I might end up just buying a ps1 again instead.
What is the best console for playing ps1 games at 240p then?
I would mod mine but it stopped outputting video or some other issue a few years back
I wish there was a way to import data on the Dynasty Warriors Xtreme Legends games on OPL.
What do you mean? How does the import work?
The Xtreme Legends games are basically standalone expansions that add both content and sometimes fix stuff (like Samurai Warrior's stat leveling).
As mentioned, those can be played by themselves, but you'd be limited to only being able to play the expansion's content, which is obviously not what you're supposed to do: instead, you have to import the main game's content.
To do this, you need to boot into the Xtreme Legends disc, select the import feature and after that you will be prompted to swapping to the main game's disc, and then swap again to the Xtreme Legends disc and the data will be loaded and you'll have access to the game's content + the expansion's.
there are some workarounds you can try.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dynastywarriors/comments/s69exl/how_to_create_xl_complete_versions_of_dw4_dw5_and/
Have you tried freedvdboot? Disc swapping worked perfectly for me with monster rancher so it might work for you as well.
Finally got around to upgrading my network adapter with a SATA board. For anyone wondering, because I sort of was in the beginning, the Bitfunx board does indeed fit perfectly inside the PAL version of the network adapter which is only about half as thick as its US counterpart and only has one ethernet port in the back. Main problem here is just the stiffness of the power cable and you have to bend it pretty extremely in what little space there is to get it to connect. I clipped the lowest part of the metal shield under the SATA port for a little extra clearance but it's probably not necessary. Also make sure the plastic stand-offs are included with your delivery. Otherwise you won't be able to screw in the replacement board tightly as it has components on the back colliding with the metal mounting plate.
Yeah it’s clearly not designed for the PAL board, it ends up a little loose
It does the job though
Loose? Mine doesn't move at all. I think the tension from the bent power cable alone is probably enough to keep it from rattling around. Anyway, next up: Buying a hard-drive. I mean... 1TB should be enough, right? I don't have to go all out, do I? I haven't made up my mind yet. But 2TB are 2TB...
I had a spare 1tb HDD laying around so I just used that
More than enough
Yeah, you're right. It's probably more than enough and I kind of don't want to have to deal with worse homebrew compatibility of 2tb drives.
I have a 2TB drive. You'll get around 650/700 games if you install them as is. I was able to get to 900 just because I scraped many games to remove the dummy files. But honestly, don't bother doing that, just get an additional drive if you think 700 games is not enough.
Yeah, the only reason I'm even contemplating it in the first place is because the Japanese catalog is accessible to me and that ups the number of potentially intersting titles - though I must admit I don't know by how many. If the PS1 catalog is anything to go buy however, then it's a lot. But even ~300 games seems ample.
In my opinion yes. I saved space by skipping games that were better on PC or gamecube.
still waiting for opl manager to add that zso converter tool.
Why hasn't OPL itself added an in-app art downloader for people who have ethernet set up? I've been installing games through ethernet using HDLGameInstaller but if I want to grab art I copy it to my USB and transfer it with LaunchELF atm.
opl manager is way easier for downloading and syncing art but you still need to do it from your pc
That's what I've been using.
Is 1tb faster or slower?
what are the best GSM settings for Component cables?
I haven’t had any good results with that. The best thing you can do to make your games look better is enable widescreen cheats
It depends on the game. Many games end up looking somewhat subpar/barely, if at all, improved when “boosting” the resolution using GSM, and others may not function properly at all. Pretty much the only settings I’ve ever used are PAL or NTSC (I have a PAL console, and I sometimes have use GSM as a workaround for some occasional difficulties) or 1080i, as every other resolution typically gives me questionable results, typically in terms of a strangely small or stretched image.
Some outliers I’ve found are Tekken 4 and 5, in conjunction with widescreen patches. With my TV’s aspect ratio settings tweaked appropriately, Tekken 4 and 5 damn near looked like HD remasters in 1080i mode, with a downside being a slight croppage of image, but not severe enough for me to be too upset by it. Other games like MGS2 and 3, again, alongside widescreen patches, don’t look half bad, but T4 and 5 have given me the best looking results by far.
It may be worth experimenting with GSM, particularly with games with widescreen patches, but an improved image will probably be an outlier.
anyone got an idea why my smb setup just stopped working on my raspberry pi?
How well does VMC work? Is there any risk when using it?
haven't found any issues with it.
I've heard it can corrupt your actual MC, which is why I'm wary of it.
been using opl + vmc for years and no issues.
Never heard of it corrupting your real MC, but it can occasionally corrupt itself on smb
Have any of you tried playing any MGS game with a VMC? I've heard those games tend to have problems with it.
No but I am using it for ZOE1 and 2 and those had no issues. I like MGS but playing the games feels daunting, I've only beaten the first one.
not really, i wanted to try MGS3: Substance but iirc it doesn't work with OPL.
From what I played (not much, mind), MGS3: Substance appeared to work perfectly fine on OPL. Maybe there are some settings that you need to tweak? Check an OPL compatibility list.
I'll eventually bump into a game which has problems with it, but I haven't found any yet so I recommend using it until you bump into a problem.
I find it a lot less hassle to play ps1 games of a usb.
It's a lot faster and easier to add or remove games.
>USB stick loaded with old 4:3 shows and anime
>FreeMCBoot memory card with Simple Media System loaded onto it
>PS2 connected to my crappy CRT
yeah, it's comfy time
Watching old monster movies off of a USB stick with SMS on my softmodded PS2 always brings me back to when I was in my 20s and was renting a shitty half unfinished basement and sleeping on a futon with a bunch of blankets and a space heater because it was freezing.
Turning down the TV brightness to the minimum and falling asleep to dim blue CRT light while https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td-Xzg5DDFI was quietly playing while buried under a pile of old blankets is basically my happy place.
In all measurable aspects my life now is objectively better than it was back then (I make decent money, I have a decent apartment, I have way more shit), but there are times when I desperately miss the pure simplicity of purpose that I had back then.
do you guys use any of the modes under game settings on opl?
mode 1 and 2 seem good to have always on based on what they do
I tested around 1000 games and I'd say like 5% require some special mode enabled. Mode 1 enabled slows down the read speed of the HDD to emulate a DVD and it's required in some games to even boot. Having all games with mode 1 enabled is time waster. Why wouldn't you want to have much faster loading times in most games? Those settings shouldn't be touched IMO unless the game has some specific issue.
A bit besides the topic, but what is a better way to play PS1 discs region free: PS2 SCHP-50001 with MechaPwn or NTSC PS1? I've heard in another thread that PS1 games have wrong timings when played on a different region console, is it the case for NTSC consoles too?
>I've heard in another thread that PS1 games have wrong timings when played on a different region console, is it the case for NTSC consoles too?
Yeah, something to do with using a different oscillator in NTSC and PAL. It might not be noticeable in most games but supposedly some rhythm games are sensitive to it.
Import PS1 games will display in the wrong video mode on a PS2 unless you use DKWDRV or PS1VModeNeg or GS Mode Selector. But once you do, it should be accurate.
>DKWDRV
It's a new PS2 backward compatibility driver which has automatic video mode switching among other features.
Is it compatible with tonyhax and freedvdboot?
Sorry, I didn't form my question correctly. Will NTSC-J PS1 have timing problems when playing NTSC-U games?
I think they use the same oscillator. Shouldn't be a problem if so.
Whats the best option for a palcuck? From what I understand GSM can't do 240p
Depends on how much you care about real discs. PAL PS2s have to jump through some hoops for import PS1 games. Otherwise the same advice holds.
> From what I understand GSM can't do 240p
I personally tested PS1VModeNeg on several PAL PS2s and it works fine for NTSC games.
for psx cdr's on my pal ps2 i use action replay v2 psone cheat disc, u have to start game without codes, then swap for ur cd-r usng slide tool for phat or lid open on slim, works for all regions (same way as swap magic for ps2), if ur using an old pal crt that doesnt support ntsc, ntsc games will play in black and white, u will need an RGB scart lead which has a switch on it to switch between AV/RGB which will give u a color picture. whatever u heard about timings sounds like bullshit. the game speed will depend on the game region, pal 50fps, ntsc 60fps, important thing is wether ur tv supports what its putting out.
also u may be able to load this disc from usb using popstarter emu, then boot a cdr, not sure
(i do the same with swap magic elf for ps2 backups. i load swapmagic elf with fmcb with a retail game in the drive, then use the slide tool to swap for a dvdr)
mechapwn seems like a lot of unnecessary bullshit that i wouldnt frick with wen theres a simpler option
for psx consoles i have 2 different model pal consoles that are mod chipped, one plays ntsc games in black and white, the other will play ntsc games in color, i found that it involves lifting one of the pins on the video chip, tho with a modern crt that supports pal/ntsc this shouldnt matter, i think.
also i forot to mention i heard u can straight up load psx cdrs from ulaunch, tho ive never tried it
using this method for psx cdrs and swapmagic elf for ps2 cd/dvdrs, whats the point of all these other loaders like mechapwn/tonyhax etc. its like patching esr ps2 games? ive never needed to do this. its like we r going backwards and things r getting unnessesarily complicated.
swap tricks are dogshit thats why nobody wants to use them
hey bros im trying to get into FCMB and OPL but i was wondering, is it possible to play compatible ps1 games on ps2?
there are a few different ways but you'll mainly be stuck loading discs. other loaders aren't worth it
better snes emulation soon?
I recently did the following to get my disc-dying 50001 PS2 to gain more life.
I bought these two little chinese shits-
https://www.amazon.com/RGEEK-FreeMcBoot-1-953-Memory-Playstation/dp/B07PB2DYTT/
(comes preloaded with OPL Anniversary Edition, works great with my games so far)
https://www.amazon.com/VBESTLIFE-Interface-Network-Adaptor-Playstation-2/dp/B0778HN4KQ
(no networking but easily accepts 1-2TB WD SATA drives, no fuss)
I used that ELF program on the FMCB card to format the HDD, HDL also does that.
I use "PS2 BIN to ISO"(google) to convert CD-PS2 games to ISOs if required(OPL doesn't load BINs).
I put a portable folder version of "hdl_dump_helper_gui_2.3" on an older Win-7 PC I have with Java installed.
Attaching the formatted PS2 hard drive to that PC, the PC itself cannot recognize it but the above program detects it fine when selected.
I then use a USB stick with games I wanna install to transfer to the drive. The program does so in reasonable fashion.
Seems to work as long as you follow the compatibility list here-
https://www.ps2-home.com/forum/page/opl-game-compatibility-list-A
For ease of use.
The thread happens at the right time for me.
I recently bought a second ps2 for SoftMod/HD
I have the following materials
- Original network adapter
- HD 80GB IDE
- Action replay max evo with USB
- empty memory cards
-Ps2 Fat 50004 (probably with HardMod but I have not checked)
But since there are millions of online tutorials on the subject and with a thousand variables, I have no idea which one to follow, do I have everything I need to do it? which tutorial to follow?
I am especially interested in loading ISO on the HD of ps2 games, compatibility with ps1 does not interest me having already several ps1 with HardMod.
Thank you.
Do you have a PC which can read IDE drives?
Do you have any PS1 game?
Yes and Yes
I have saved the link.
So, it is not convenient to install FHDB but FMCB and from FMCB start the games on HD?
Have 6 MC and ARMAX EVO for install FMCB
>Yes and Yes
Write a bootable FreeHDBoot image to your HDD and boot it. Then, run the FreeMCBoot installer to put it on your memory card for convenience and backup. This is all you need to do
You can just install FHDB if you have a way of doing it. From my understanding it's just slower on boot compared to FMCB because the PS2 checks the memory card slots first and the exploint launches sooner. Many choose to have FMCB but still put FHDB on the HDD as a failsafe should the memory card get corrupted. So you don't have to start from scratch and still have a softmodded console. It's good to prepare for a scenario like that. In either case, FMCB and FHDB both allow you to use other homebrew for launching games form your HDD. It comes out to the same thing. Once you have either one set up, the doors are open to mess around with any homebrew to your heart's content. I can't really comment on other entrypoints. I'm not that knowledgable.
>I can't really comment on other entrypoints. I'm not that knowledgable
I started straight with uLaunchElf then OPL, from a disc. My PS2 was a slim. FMCB seems too much of a hassle to me, just for a nicer interface.
>burn dvd with ulaunchelf
>put on ps2
>boot it
>use ulaunchelf to modify mc
>edit the default boot option to prefer mc
>done
if you have a pc, installing FHDB is the easiest method IMO
https://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7132
Your end goal is usually to have Free Mc Boot (FMCB) on a memory card. As long as that's in one of the MC slots, your PS2 is hacked. If you disconnect it, not hacked anymore. There's a variant that loads from HDD (FHDB) but it boots slower than from MC.
As long as you already have at least one memory card (MC), the easiest would be do buy a MC with FMCB already on it from eBay. Usually it's at no additional cost to buying an empty one. Make sure to buy an original 8MB model made by Sony. Out of those 8MB about 3.5MB will be used up by FMCB.
The MC you get from eBay will be a "multi-install" of FMCB in order to get it to work on another console than the one it was originally set up on. But multi-installs aren't recommended for long term use. Just not as stable. You only use it as an entry point for now to set up a more stable install yourself.
So what you do is, you get that MC from eBay with FMCB on it. And you use it on your PS2 together with a USB thumbdrive to set up another MC with FMCB. Basically you launch uLaunchELF (which comes with FMCB) from the homescreen and that app let's you run the FMCB installer from the USB thumb drive.
You set up your other MC that you already own as a normal install that way - choose first normal and then cross-regional as sub option. After that is finished, you test your old MC with the normal install alone. See if it works. If it does, you can take it out, insert the MC from eBay again, run the FMCB installer from USB once more just like before and format the MC.
1 of 2
continued
Or, if the old MC that you made into a normal install isn't an official model, you format the eBay MC and then do a normal FMCB install to it as well and wipe old MC instead. Because it's best to have FMCB on an official model. Most importantly though after you're done, don't write game saves to this MC. Put it in slot 2 and never save to it. Just use it to launch the exploit on boot.
The FMCB installer also lets's you backup your old MC to the USB thumb drive before all this btw, so you can restore it after you're done. Probably only to the MC the update originally was created from but I'm not a 100% on that. Maybe you can write it to a bigger model or whatever as well.
If you don't want to pay ~10 bucks for a MC with FMCB on it, you can also look into these entry points to set up up a MC yourself from scratch. But if you only have 1 MC atm you need to get a second one anyway to seperate exploit from save files and in that case you might as well get one with FMCB already on it, right?
FreeDVDBoot is an easy entry point and you can burn the DVD yourself, but I think it works mostly on slim models and few phats. But if you know someone who has a slim, you can set up a MC with a multi-install of FMCB that way and then do all the stuff I wrote before. That's how I did it with my slim.
AR MAX
AR MAX / Max Drive - PS1 EXPLOIT
CODEBREAKER
GAMESHARK - SHARKPORT
GAMESHARK - PS1 EXPLOIT
SWAPMAGIC
CD BURN GUIDE
MEMOR32 CARD - Original Link | Backup Link (Mirror)
HD LOADER /HD ADVANCE - Original Link | Backup Link (Mirror)
PS2 GAME SWAP TRICK
FREE VOLUNTEER INSTALLERS
A PC with a PS3 Memory Card Adapter - <-- POPULAR METHOD
Unofficial FHDB 1.93 "Noobie Package" OBT - <-- NEW POPULAR METHOD for PHAT Models
FreeDVDBoot - <-- NEWEST METHOD (as long as you have a working disc player on your PS2 console)
Also this is a good tutorial:
Isn’t multi-install required for Mechapwn? Is it really that unstable to be worth giving that up?
The MechaPwn GitHub page claims that a multi-install of FMCB v1.966 is necessary, yes. You know how these things are. People will parrot what they hear online and I'm not different. I have no deep understanding of how this stuff works. All I've heard is that multi-install is generally not recommended as it by design uses data corruption on your memory card as a mechanic to achieve what it does and that this comes at the cost of stability. It's also considered an outdated method iirc. In any case, no one is keeping you from setting up a memory card this way to maintain MechaPwn compatibility. I'd probably use a spare card or load FHDB onto my HDD just to be safe but other than that... go nuts, dude. This stuff is basically plug & play, right? My failsafe if anything goes wrong is a chipped slim.
Multi install is not the same thing as cross-region install.
Multi install corrupts your memory card intentionally. Cross-region install does not and is much safer and more stable in general.
Confusingly, the mechapwn readme mistakenly calls cross-region multi-region or multi-install.
>Multi install is not the same thing as cross-region install.
I was aware of that when I wrote that.
>Confusingly, the mechapwn readme mistakenly calls cross-region multi-region or multi-install.
I was not aware of THAT however. That's quite the slip-up.
Those are great news indeed!
Use Open tuna or any tuna variation for mechapwn
>OpenTuna
Oh wow. I had no idea this even exists. I had heard of Fortuna before but not this. Can this be used as a full-on alternative to FMCB now? How do they compare?
Fortuna and OpenTuna are functionally the same thing.
FMCB is automatic on boot. *tuna has to be activated manually by viewing the memory card contents in the browser.
*tuna opens a homebrew by default when activated. Using Funtuna, you can boot to a patched OSD like with FMCB.
Ah, okay. Thanks. See I don't even really know what Fortuna is. So it seems there's no reason for me to use it when I already have FMCB. I also just saw that they discourage using it with games that display Japanese characters in the MC menu. That's a problem.
Pretty much. It's mainly for the 90k models which don't support FMCB.
Oh, that's right! Some don't support it. I forgot about that. I never wanted to softmod a slim before. I have one but it has a modbo chip inside. Had it for a long-ass time but recently switched to a phat.
I violated every one of your don'ts and never had any problems but you still made a good guide
t. madcats memcard with multi-install and saved games to it too. ten years no issues
oldgay here, dont listen to these zoomies, u have everything u need. i was using this back in 2004/5, until i got swap magic then later i discovered fmcb.
for those that dont know the Action Relpay Max Evo will load ps2 .elf files from usb or cd-r (much like the gamecube version that loads .dol files), it also should have come with a cd called max media creator (if not u can download the program), u drag and drop ur emulators/programs and roms and it will burn a disc thats compatible with the ARmax media player, if u have the official 16mb usb its even simpler.
i dont have the usb with mine, all other usbs i tried were not recognised by the media player, but i did have a 16mb sony ms duo, which i put in my psp and then plugged into ps2 which worked.
so ne way all u need to do is
>download free memory card boot, also ulaunch, put it on ur usb,
>plug usb into ps2, load up ARmax and select media player
>load FMCB installer from usb with the media player
if it doesnt load fmcb installer load up ulaunch first then use ulaunch to load FMCB installer.
also make sure u have a spare memory card plugged in. duh.
Installed today.
>if it doesnt load fmcb installer load up ulaunch first then use ulaunch to load FMCB installer.
Thanks other methods didn't work.
This worked.
___________
What APP should I install?
I currently have installed
HDL game installer and OPL v1.1.0
good job much simpler using ARmax
the first thing u wanna do if u havnt already is create an entry in ur fmcb menu for ulaunch.
load up ulaunch and copy ulaunch to ur fmcb memcard.
then restart go to fmcb configuration create an entry for ulaunch and select the location of the elf file u just copied to ur mem card (dont put it on ur hdd as a lot of things refuse to load)
now when u power on ur ps2 u can boot straight to ulaunch from ur fmcb list.
next do the same for hdloader, the latest version is 0.8c theres a few different versions for different game compatibility (theres a GOW specific one)
also do the same for OPL and whatever other emulators u use.
the other important one to have is swapmagic coder 3.8.elf, there r two .elf files for the 2 discs
a cd version and dvd version, this means any ps2 games that dont work with hdloader/OPL, u will now be able to load from cd/dvdr.
create an entry in fmcb for the swapmagic cd.elf and the swapmagic dvd.elf
now to use them u need to take the front off ur ps2 tray (difficult to remove without breaking it but its worth it) next put in a retail game dvd for the dvd version of swap magic, and retail cdrom for cd swapmagic.
let the ps2 recognise theres a disc in the drive then before it loads start swapmagic, when it loads the disc will stop spinning, then swap ur retail disc for ur dvdr without the console knowing (not using the eject button, but by using a slide tool to unlock the drive and slide the tray out, swap ur disc, push the tray back in and slide tool, to lock the drive)
it s simpler than it sounds
once youve set up ur fmcb menu u should have something that looks like this when u turn ur console on:
Browser
Launch Disc
Ulaunch
HDloader
OPL
Swapmagic 3.8 coder (CD)
Swapmagic 3.8 coder (DVD)
also some games didnt work with swapmagic alone i remember COD2 was one, u had to use gogswap loader, its something to bear in mind, but most of those game prob work fine in HDloader/OPL
1/2
2/2
setting things up this way makes everything much easier, so u can boot straight into it without having to use armax to load ulaunch everytime, i also put my emus on my memcard for sms/md nes/snes, along with ulaunch/hdloader/OPL/, it will take up most of the space on the mc, not leaving much for ps2 saves, but one ur game loads from hdd u can swap out the memory card.
any other programs/app u can stick on ur hdd and load with ulaunch.
hope this helps.
bros ive been using an old 200gb hdd for like 2 years and been deleting adding games. finna get a 1tb i think but too lazy to buy.
I have a modchipped slim 79001 laying around, what can I do to improve it?
is opentuna good for this model?
which one? 9000?
Good news: we may get a free PS1 ODE.
Bad news: it'll only be for slim PS2s with limited PS1 compatibility.
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/odode-open-deckard-optical-drive-emulator-discussion.36461/
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/dkwdrv-unified-ps1drv-for-all-ps2-models.37183/#post-337981
This is good, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for xshitation or that other one
How's the mario 64 port for ps2?
It has some bugs, but I finished it completly
It controls like shit because the stick is not the same. n64 one is better when is not broken
>bugs
in emulation or on hardware?
i know in pcsx2 the alpha channel blending is a bit fricked, and it stutters at times despite the program reporting 60 fps.
Hardware. It freezes for abit when saving
It does save fine
Not sure if the game was fixed later, got it when it was fresh
probably has something to do with the game being recompiled to fetch and store save data from something other than what was supposed to be the game cartridge
I have a HDLoader PS2 in my closet that I haven't used in ages. My modded PS3 made that irrelevant and then getting a half-decent PC that can emulate PS2 games made that irrelevant.
I can't get either the HDD or memory card loader going for some reason, I got my slim to run the dvd exploit to install the loader on the memory card but it always hangs on start, no idea what's wrong.
My slim does have a modchip (a sticker on the back says crystal) but I disabled the one on my fat by unsoldering it, it was a shitty psx modchip anyway, but the memory card loader still won't boot even on the fat
I’ve just added cover art to my 2TB HDD for OPL via uLaunchELF, and for whatever reason, half, or less, of the games’ artwork just doesn’t show up at all. It feels completely arbitrary as for which games have artwork and which ones don’t. There’ll be 4 games in a row with art, and then 10 without. And I’m 100% certain that all of the artwork that I added is on the HDD. Does anyone know what the problem may be and how to fix this?
Try to refresh it
I’ve tried, but nothing changed. The same same games that were missing art still didn’t have them, and the ones that did have art retained them after the refresh.
Are you sure ulaunch elf shows all of the art files on your usb? You might have more than it can display. In that case delete everything in the art file with ulaunch elf then exit and enter back in and the missing files will show.
It turns out you were right. I just assumed everything was detected in uLaunchELF because I wasn’t about the check through 5000 files, but yeah, it was only able to detect a certain number of files at a time. I ended up having to transfer to rest over two more batches. Thanks, man.
1. The ODODE-idea in general is NOT limited to PS1-Discs!
2. No, compatibility can be HIGHER than the official one! We can make those few games which didn't work with DECKARD-PS2s, working with them!!!
3. It uses the DECKARD's "PS1-Mode", which is not a true emulation, but a hardware-hardware-"mapping" with an opcode abstraction.
tl;dr THIS is basically "Nintendont" for DECKARD-PS2s!
The compatibility of it can equal xstation and PSIO *for free* and without any changes to the Hardware!
I hope MVG makes a video about the idea! 🙂
is there a DVD ISO to use with ps2 with modchip to install the FMCB?
FreeDVDBoot ISOs with uLaunchELF can be used on slim PS2s even without a modchip.
But there should be a standard uLaunchELF ISO that runs on anything with a modchip.
Once you run that, you can select the FMCB installer from a USB drive.
Why the frick aren't they working on compatibility? It should be the number one priority. Is Ace Combat 5 still unplayable?
It should work. Are you playing from the hdd or smb?
Because the people who work on it are third worlder hobbyists, anon.
We DO work on compatibility?!! WTF?
You want OPL to be better? Then why don't you join and make it better?
Let me guess... You can't. You can only complain. Crybaby...
Go to sleep, TnA.
>certain games only playable with 5+ years old versions
Cope. Stop adding useless shit and work on compatibility homosexual
>use fan-patches/mods on your games
That's the part that interests me the most, but... I just do not see much potential in modding PS1 games. Whichever game I played seemed pretty much complete nad to the point.
Which, I guess, once again gotta tell us something - I barely can play a modern game without modding it in process.
The only thing I've ever done on PS1 is making aces' paintjobs in Ace Combat 2 useable for the player.
There is a bit more potential in hacks/mods for PS2 games, and I've made some, but I'm not sure they are retro, as those games are post-2001 (Burnout Dominator, GTA LCS, etc).
I'm going for the ESR method. Does anyone know if it works with US versions of the game if i have a PAL console?
Yeah, as long as your TV supports NTSC there are no strings attached.
vimm's lair has mostly USA roms , does anyone have a decent site for PAL versions?
I always wondered about the technical side behind needing to set the OPL modes for some games, otherwise they black screen etc.
Obviously for legit disc versions you never needed to do this so was this information passed from the disc to the console in some way which can't be passed along via some sort of hard drive loading limitation?
It depends on what the mode does.
>mode 1
Limits read speed to mimic that of a disc. Can help with bugs that only appear due to timing.
>mode 2
Instead of loading data in the background, the game is paused until data is loaded. Again, can help with timing bugs.
>mode 3
Some games use multiple executables (007 Agent Under Fire), or restart the executable when loading a new level (Deus Ex). Ordinarily, doing this would clear the ISO loading patches. By default, OpenPS2Loader patches the reset function so it can re-insert itself after resetting.
Mode 3 disables this, as it can save a little bit of memory which the game might otherwise use for itself. But this will only work for games which use a single executable.
>mode 4
Just skips videos. If the game crashes playing videos (often happens with GSM) or is annoyingly slow to play videos, it just skips over them.
>mode 5
Some games are released on dual layer discs but have been recompressed to single layer. This slightly fricks up the iso, so this emulates dual layer.
>mode 6
Disables in game reset. Like with mode 3, sometimes this patch can conflict with the game itself so it can be helpful to turn it off.
Modes 1+6 are unlikely to break anything and can be turned on for all games if you want to spend less time discovering compatibility settings. Modes 2+3 can fix some games, but might break other games. Modes 4+5 have obvious specific uses, so you'll know if you need them.
Ah that's a great explanation, cheers! So basically they were things which were innate to a disc and how the data is read off of it instead of say some metadata passed along to the PS2 to then enact the modes.
They're workarounds for some of the innate differences of not using a disc, yeah.
Very helpful post. Thanks, anon.
is psx-place the best site to download ps2 homebrew?
yeah, it's preferable to ps2-home although some good stuff is uploaded there too
>it's preferable to ps2-home
Whats up with all the virus warning in the stuff there. Lots of stuff there is marked as a virus
Like the program to fragment games for usb loading
Literally the only reason ps2-home exists is because the homosexual who owns it got shunned for stealing code and crediting everything as his own work when he barely even knows how to code. He even made the guy who was working on popstarter quit because of his autism. This shit isn't even worth talking about but I'll make this post anyways.
So ps2 home programs may be compromised?
Possibly, but just use whatever you think is best for you. Do keep in mind that the "Daily Beta" thing isn't real as none of the people who distribute it actually contribute the code they claim they're contributing.
Frick, I use that usb utility program, it may have a virus
While this is a post written by the same person I just mentioned, I'm pretty sure you're fine, anon.
Is there any way to have the default ps2 startup animation with FMCB? I need that startup noise in my life
I’ve been playing Monster Hunter online on the private server and it’s been a riot. I’m emulating on PCSX2 and it handles networking and keyboard interfaces perfectly but I was wondering:
Is there any shader or filter package to make PCSX2 run the game like it’s on a LCD or CRT tv? I’d like to delve balls deep in the nostalgia of how things used to look.
any Linux based tools for the command line that I can use to put games onto my HDD for use with OPL. I have a 1tb disk drive and wanted to create a shell script to extract games from zip files in batches and put them on the disk before removing the iso.
this is your brain on linux. why would you need to create a script for something as simple as that?
because I torrented the complete NA collection of PS2 isos and they're all zipped on my file server so moving them to my desktop to unzip them would be extremely slow especially if I want to fill up a 1tb hard drive. Anyway why the frick do you care? I was just asking if there were any tools, not your gay ass opinions.
>moving them to my desktop to unzip them would be extremely slow
Could've done it by now. Think about that. Don't get angry at me, just think.
seconded, why over complicate a simple task, u just want to automate it cos ur too frickin lazy to do it urself.
>unzip ur iso's
>use windows
>use winhiip
also why did u torrent the whole collection? at least half will be utter shit, that u wont even play, u will waste more time putting them on ur hdd, and it will take longer for ur hdd to list ur games on the ps2, its clear u dont know shit, do ur research and git gud, before askin stupid questions, this isnt google.
> blow a bunch of money on ps2 slim, controllers, memory cards, Retrotink, and load up a half terabyte of games on my home server to network load
> softmod ps4 a week later and realize it's the superior ps2 game player
Goddamnit
when is opl manager gonna add a zso converter?
i don't wanna use usbtil all the time.
A quick Google (/whichever 'privacy-centric' search engine you prefer selling your data along) will show you that 1.2.0 OPL builds have zso support
i said zso converter, not zso compatibility
>i don't wanna use usbtil all the time.
Looks like opl can use exfat now, it is in beta or something
Are 5400 rpm enough for usage in a PS2 or should I go with 7200rpm?
>Are 5400 rpm enough for usage in a PS2 or should I go with 7200rpm?
Yes, man the usual disk are IDE
Somehow I keep seeing people mentioning compatibility issues with Western Digital hdds. Any comment on that? Not that many 1TB 3.5" drives one the market these days anymore.
>Western Digital hdds
>1tb
Last one I bought shitted the bed.
https://ps2drives.x-pec.com/?p=list
Can always check against that list. I went with a Seagate ST1000LM048 purely because it was cheaper than the 5200 RPM at the time but really it's a bit overkill for the PS2.
>is star wars racer revenge still unplayable on OPL?
https://www.ps2-home.com/forum/page/opl-game-compatibility-list-S
You didn't say how you're playing it though it's fine on HDD with Mode 3.
smb and usb
i have a problem with my phat ps2
it used to load ps2 and ps1 games just fine, i decided to leave it (around 4 months) until i get an hdd, recently i wanted to load ps1 but popstarter kicks me back to ulaunch and opl stopped loading games,i noticed that the cmos battery was dead too (it was working back when i was be able to load games)
The new opl with exFat support is nice, just tried gta and it loads a bit faster and the movies run fine
I really hated that fragmentation shit
What's the latest newest version?
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/testers-needed-open-ps2-loader-with-exfat-support-files-above-4gb-on-usb.37455/
I downloaded from here, you can check the opl github too. It should be the latest one
is star wars racer revenge still unplayable on OPL?
So what's the best way to play PS1 games on PS2? I've been using OPL and Popstarter or whatever and it's been okay, but many games just do not work. Hell, I was playing MGS1 and I somehow glitched through the stairs and ended up skipping the Hind D fight, though that could be a blessing depending on how you look at it.
If you're not using Popstarter then is the only option to just use CD-R's with whatever exploit? I don't mind burning discs if necessary.
>If you're not using Popstarter then is the only option to just use CD-R's with whatever exploit? I don't mind burning discs if necessary.
Mechapwn for slims and some fat models, I have it on my slim. My ps2 only read cd based games for some reason, the laser is fricked
Mechapwn is the way to go for sure but I always just stuck with my chipped PSone for PS1 games. Reason being that some legit PS1 games do not work on PS2, a list which gets longer the higher up the PS2 model
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_games_incompatible_with_PlayStation_2
Fair to note that they're not the biggest games - Mortal Kombat Trilogy is probably the biggest one which doesn't work on any model but it goes up to games like Resi 3. But what really put me off bothering is how these are just the known issues, it's reasonable to expect many others go unnoticed. It was enough for me to never bother. Note also that even some PS2 games won't work on later PS2 models.
Mechapwn or disc swapping
Oh and tonyhax works on early PS2 models too
I'll post this here for anyone to answer, was recently testing out a fan translation patch for the game Phantasy Star Generation 1 and while it runs perfectly fine on emulator, when put through my ps2 via opl while the game also runs fine I seem to come across a visual glitch with character models, specifically after every battle their sprites go fricky wucky and shift between broken pixels to normal consistenly. I've tried every mode combination I could think of and this visual glitch isn't isolated to just me according to Google searches. Any ideas if there could be a work around for this? I fully intend to play this on my actual ps2 for comfiness
You're lucky it even works at all.
Anyone knows a good router that can do smb share for opl?
I have router with usb port but it doesn't work
Installed MechaPwn (without Force Unlock.
>Can read my Japanese games flawlessly.
>Can read original PS1 & PS2 games flawlessly.
>Can't fricking read PS1 backups as advertised.
Goddammit, that's the only reason I installed in the first place. I did check multiple forums and nobody seems to be having exactly my problem. Changed my 90010 PS2's region to 90001 because I read that worked out for some Yuro, didn't change anything. Backup PS1 discs don't even get recognized as music CDs, the machine outright states "the disc could not be read" and that's the end of it. Tried pretty much all variety of burned CDs I have in my possession and none worked. At this point, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with my console being originally a 90010 Mexican't model that will simply not work until I try out that RC3 pre-release. Have you gringos had any luck?
>>Can't fricking read PS1 backups as advertised.
The readme explicitly states that this won't work. Don't use force unlock if PS1 backups are your objective.
I didn't and I clearly stated so. I don't know what to tell you.
shit my bad
Don't worry about it.
Just buy a PS1 with an MM3 and be done with it
Imbecile.
That's what I did at first and it wouldn't work, hence why I changed regions thinking that would be the solution. Gotta try with another PS2, see what happens.
Does your model have ??? symbols too
Maybe mine is mexican too, considering it ends in 10 and I can't find info about my model online
That's right. It's the first in the list to have "???", iirc. Dunno if xxx10 is for Mexico or Latin America in general though, most likely the latter.
Well maybe I was lucky then. Mine reads jap games fine. But it doesn't read dvd. The laser part for dvd is not working
The developer is sketchy too, he changed the readme and doesn't reply to issues on his github
Seems like he is still making changes to the program
>Changed my 90010 PS2's region to 90001
You usually change it to the same model number but the developer one
My model is 70010 and has ??? Symbols for region, just selected the same number from the menu
And it works for me
Most PS2 games are hardcoded interlaced and I don't have a CRT anymore so I sold my PS2. Emulation is good enough, and for the buggy rest I just use PS2 Classic releases for PS3 on RPCS3.
usb snesticle when
i forgot /vr/ has that dumb autosage thing
Why is it even a thing
I've got a buddy that wants to play Monster Hunter online with me (requires a patched japanese .iso) and he has one of those slim series 9xxxx PS2s so apparently FreeMCBoot won't work for running burned isos.
Is there any other softmodding methods to run burnt dvds so he can get his games online?
Sorry if I sound like a moron, I've never fiddled with PS2s before.
Fortuna, funtuna and opentuna work in that model
Some 90k models actually do support FMCB. Check the date code - if it's 8B or earlier, it'll support FMCB.
Even if it doesn't, Fortuna will be supported. That's a similar memory card based exploit.
You can use FreeDVDBoot to install either permanent exploit. Or you can even use FreeDVDBoot to burn self-booting discs and not install anything.