PlayStation 2 Homebrew and Hacking Thread

[Anonymous No.9055683]

Continuing from last thread
Discuss everything involving modding your PS2 to use OPL, emulators and other things.

[Anonymous No.9055817]

>>9055683
Is snes emulation good?

[Anonymous No.9055826]

>>9055817
Not really in my experience.

OPL is so great. I learned not too long ago that my model of PS2 works with tonyhax too, so I've been having fun playing PS1 backups on there. Never did get POPStarter to work but I probably just didn't try hard enough.

[Anonymous No.9055828]

>>9055817
SNESticle is very promising and runs much better than SNES Station, only downside is that you have to create the ISO with the emulator and the roms since it lacks USB compatibility, also only reads .smc roms as of now.

[Anonymous No.9055835]

Fortuna is extremely finicky. I was turning off and turning on the console and activating Fortuna 100% of the time and now it refuses to start (black screen). What is the best Tuna alternative?

[Anonymous No.9055869]

>>9055835
opentuna

[Anonymous No.9056125]

>>9055683
PS2's homebrew scene was surprisingly small for how popular it was. It mostly focused on piracy. Retroarch has good NES/FDS and Genesis emulation, and as mentioned already SNESticle is a big improvement over SNES Station. Popstarter is interesting as well.

Gamecube also had a slow homebrew scene, but even it eventually got healthy support after the Wii came out and the only way to run homebrew on it was in GC mode. For PS2, Freemcboot and more recently microSD memory card adapters have done a lot to grow its homebrew scene.

[Anonymous No.9056136]

>>9056125
PS2 was a pain in the ass to program for, and the CPU wasn't any good for emulators (which is half of the interesting homebrew that ever gets made).
Wii/GC and Xbox were a breeze by comparison.

[Anonymous No.9056163]

Any news about the PS ODE for PS2, seems like a method to play PS games from usb was discovered, not emulated

[Anonymous No.9056165]

>>9056136
All true. I find it interesting that PS2 outsold the rest of the generation almost 3:1 combined (Xbox, GC, DC) and yet every other system and handheld of its generation had a bigger homebrew scene.
The epicenter of homebrew went something like Dreamcast -> Xbox -> PSP/NDS -> Wii

[Anonymous No.9056176]

>>9056165
ps2 sold well for its library, homebrewers prefer easier to work on systems with more potential. DC has its niche, Xbox is simple and powerful and familiar, GC didn't really get much homebrew at all until very recently where it got some very redundant and questionable mods.

[Anonymous No.9056184]

>>9056125
GBA is also looking good
https://youtu.be/m8x_3x3730E
imo it needs better PS1 emulation and it will be a decent emubox

[Anonymous No.9057863]

https://youtu.be/jWCUA6ekpL0
reminder to get this if you wanna play GH2

[Anonymous No.9059204]

Does OPL work on the launch Japanese PS2s? Reason being I want to try using one of these early external HDDs that used a PCMIA port instead of the regular Network adapter setup that the US models got.

I'm a sucker for accessories that match the console.

[Goes in all field No.9060580]

>>9055683
I just bought a slim PS2 from Goodwill (inb4 I got scammed, it was like 30 dollars for the controller, the console and Hitman 2. Plus, I wanted a larger one initially and they did have one but it had issues reading discs) and I'm looking to burn isos of games I have on my SSD to a DVD (R or RW) in order to play them on my recently acquired slimboi. Are there any guides to do this online and will this require softmodding? If it requires softmodding, how easy is the process.

[Anonymous No.9060586]

Does FreeHDDboot give me any benefits if my old PS2 still has a Matrix Infinity chip in it from years ago?

[Anonymous No.9060589]

>>9060586
I mean, you can pirate games with OPL instead of burning discs. That's a good thing.

[Anonymous No.9060594]

>>9060580
If you want the quick n easy way, just patch your ISOs with this tool and burn them.
https://www.ps2-home.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9778
There's other stuff you can do with a comprehensive softmod but it probably isn't important to you.
Please don't use DVD-RW, it's bad for the laser.

[Anonymous No.9060640]

>>9060589
I can already do that though, I set the modchip to auto-load uLaunchElf which had an option to boot HDLoader years ago.

I meant does installing FreeHDboot give me any additional benefits my ancient modchip does not give me?

[Goes in all field No.9060654]

>>9060594
Noted. Thanks for the quick reply mate.

[Anonymous No.9060661]

It would just be easier to recompile PS2 games from the source code (assuming it was available) than emulate them

[Anonymous No.9060806]

>>9060640
Unless you really like the patched OSD, nothing I can think of.

[Anonymous No.9060868]

>>9059204
It's more of a hassle but people have confirmed they got it working. SCPH-10000/15000/18000 attracts autists, autists attract workarounds.

[Anonymous No.9061318]

>>9055826
How big of a difference visually is playing ps1 games on a ps2 compared to playing on a ps3? I know that ps3 cant output 240p but does that matter much? my ps1 broke ages ago so I cannot compare.

[Anonymous No.9061326]

Does 1440p/4k upscaling look better than 1080p upscaling with the retrotink 5x? I dont really see the point in getting anything bigger than 1080p otherwise.

[Anonymous No.9061343]

>>9061318
Most PS2s have hardware backwards compatibility with PS1 and run games natively. PS2 has a few extra features (smoothing, faster disc speed) for PS1 games. Some particular models have issues with certain games, and later revision Slims were stripped down and have the worst BC of them all. I believe you can play PS1 games in 240p over component with a PS2 without any modifications.
PS3 emulates PS1. It only does 480i, games tend to look a bit blurrier, some sfx are messed up, and there is a fair bit of input lag through HDMI (i.e. Parappa is basically impossible). I'm not sure if the lag is alleviated through composite/component and a CRT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATsAX_joK7A
The biggest advantage PS3 has is that, if modded with CFW, you can run games directly off the HDD or a flash drive with Multiman Cobra.
Alternatively, if you have a PSP, it outputs PS1 games in 240p, its PS1 emulation is rather good and you can play most of the PS1 library (excluding games that require the Dualshock like Ape Escape) off a memory stick on a CRT with the composite TV out cable (which itself was useless for playing PSP games).

[Anonymous No.9061403]

>>9061318
If you ONLY have a PS3 then it's a fine PS1 machine but it has its quirks and bugs and outright incompatibilities -- Silent Hill is a very popular title that had to be delisted once from the PSN store for bugfixes and still isn't close to work 100%. It also adds noticeable input lag. But really, you should be able to play lots of games fine, I lost count of how many PS1 games I've beaten on it.
A PS2 is a much better alternative however, early models only emulate the GPU so 99.9% of games will work, you can speed up the disc drive, improve texture rendering AND you can play on component video out natively. It's great stuff.

[Anonymous No.9062706]

I don't understand the point of using emulators on older consoles like in OP's image. I certainly loaded up my Xbox with emulators when it was new, and back then it was THE homebrew system. The most powerful console hardware to date, a familiar CPU based on x86 architecture that made it far easier to port and code for than the PS2/GameCube/anything before it, the most RAM out of all the systems, and a built in HDD that you could easily upgrade. Not to mention it made an amazing media center with XMBC.

But that was 20 years ago, nowadays a $30 Pi runs circles around the Xbox in terms of emulation, being a media center, and pretty much anything the Xbox could do, to say nothing of weaker systems like the PS2.

So I get hacking older consoles to play their own games natively vs emulation, but what I don't understand is why bother loading emulators on older consoles anymore whose specs make a modern Pi look like a supercomputer.

[Anonymous No.9062716]

>>9062706
because why not

[Anonymous No.9062987]

>>9062706
>pi tranny missing the point
Though you fags went extinct

[Anonymous No.9063024]

>>9062987
That's because there is no point consolefag, retro consoles are useless for emulating on, their main purpose now is to play their own games, not running ancient outdated crappy ports of emulators that at the time were impressive but are a joke now.

Why the fuck would I want to run an ancient version of Snes9X on a PS2 in 2022 instead modern versions of SNES emulators on a PC or Pi?

The only valid excuse is devices like the Super Gameboy or GBA Player, but that's more because those weren't emulation, they had the actual guts of a GB/GBA inside them.

[Anonymous No.9063057]

>>9062706
I sell softmodded usb sevice to a guy that sells them at a flea market
I install ps2 games to a usb, and some emulators with games
He asks me to put that shit and I will do it, mostly because that is what people want
I personally think emulating in ps2 is shit

[Anonymous No.9063089]

>>9062706
ps2 and mini pc for snes games=2 boxes
ps2 with snes=1 box
it saves space

[Anonymous No.9063228]

>>9055826
am I the only anon on this board who could use POPstarter

[Anonymous No.9063245]

Man, I love that menu song

[Anonymous No.9063251]

>>9063228
I use it. I haven't tried the other exploits or whatever. I have a 2TB HDD so I figured I might as well use it.

Compatibility seems to be an issue though. Some games just don't work and I ended up clipping through the stairs in MGS1 and skipping the Hind D fight.

[Anonymous No.9063252]

What homebrew do I need to play games off my HDD? I literally have a phat with a FMCB memory card and a SATA upgraded network adapter ready to go. Do I only need to install OPL now and that's it? Which version is best?

[Anonymous No.9063262]

>>9063252
>Which version is best?
I think newer ones break something for hdd, check the changelog

[Anonymous No.9063291]

>>9063262
Newer versions of OPL? Wait, how is it useful at all then if a homebrew designed to load games off a HDD breaks HDDs?

[Anonymous No.9063394]

>>9056136
>>9056165
Welp the Wii and the Cube cant emulate neither CPS3 nor PS1 at full speed, and compatibility list on the latter is dreadful even after 2 hacks of an emulator done already,

>>9056184
My favorite emulator is mgba because it runs at full speed on Wii even on later games, but i wish the standalone app had the color correction or even customizable image adjustments like the Retroarch shaders allow you to adjust the picture per games, the RA core has it.

also i prefer playing it on a custom letterboxed format because all the other settings don't scale the pixels well, even on 240p.

[Anonymous No.9064975]

>>9063252
don't you need freehddboot or something?

[Anonymous No.9064979]

>>9064975
Nope. FMCB is enough, and desu it's better. IMO FHDB should only be used for setup, and you should switch to FMCB after.

[Anonymous No.9064981]

>>9064979
How is it better to need to have a memorycard with the hack installed on it instead of having the hack installed on an internal HDD?

[Anonymous No.9064989]

>>9064981
The HDD doesn't have to boot up if you don't use it, which reduces wear, decreases boot time, and means the PS2 doesn't have to wait for the HDD on poweroff.

[Anonymous No.9065000]

>>9064989
My PS2 takes like 2 seconds to boot from the HDD, and the HDD still powers on and spins when the PS2 turns on, you aren't reducing any wear.

Plus, if you have a HDD, I assume that means you are booting games off of it, so you would be using the HDD if you turn on your PS2 anyway, unless for some reason you are still using it as a 20 year old DVD player in 2022.

[Anonymous No.9065008]

>>9065000
You can specifically prevent the HDD from spinning up at boot in the FMCB configurator.
There are still some PS2 games with compatibility issues in OPL, and POPS sucks balls. So there aregood reasons to not need the HDD every time.

[Anonymous No.9065063]

>>9064981
Personally I found the hack to have some compatibility issues with the Modbo chip I have installed in my PS2. Some games just won't boot if you play them off a disc (legit imports) with the FMCB memory card inserted. Easier to remove the memory card than to disconnect the HDD to prevent the hack from loading.

[Anonymous No.9065192]

>>9065063
If you have a modchip why do you even need the hack?

[Anonymous No.9065443]

>>9065192
I'm using OPL to run ISOs via SMB. I have a stack of legit PAL games and some NTSC-J imports and I'm still getting new ones now and then (mostly imports). I can't be bothered to burn discs for whatever I don't have in my collection yet.

[Anonymous No.9067209]

>>9063245
https://youtu.be/99TjczXQB-g

[Anonymous No.9068835]

I remember playing a SNES emulator on PS2 in the 2000s and it was very poor. Did they got better?

[Anonymous No.9068936]

>>9068835
snes station? not much outside of usb reading
snesticle looks great but it still has room for improvement

[Anonymous No.9068951]

Microsoft scumbags keep breaking my OPL setup with their forced Windows 10 updates

[Anonymous No.9070027]

>>9068951
i got tired of that and bought a usb thumbstick.

[Anonymous No.9070078]

>>9061403
>>9061318
Interesting thing to note on ps3 is spyro 2 and 3 when played from psn has actual emulation slow down playing from the disc doesn't have. I think the psn versions have smoothing done to the polygons ala msaa or something like that but either way avoid the psn versions of the spyro games if you can.

[Anonymous No.9070647]

>>9062706
Because people LOVE trying this kind of stuff just for the sake of doing it. Yeah running an emulator off a PC is a thing, off a PSP is another, but on a console that is not much explored such as the PS2? That's outright incredible. It's the same reason of why people ported Super Mario 64, which is a very easy game to emulate, to almost every single system that was 5% more powerful than the Nintendo64. It's mainly for the sake of doing it.

[Anonymous No.9070676]

>>9070647
Don't bother explaining anything to those kinds of people. He's one of those mouth-breathing retards that go into threads shitting on the subject matter while shilling for their much superior solution. They're completely unable to understand people might just enjoy homebrewing old, arcane hardware simply for the fun of it. They lack a concept of fun because they're after validation from their equally mentally stunted peers and the feeling of superiority they get from being smug cunts. Your attempt is noble, but it's no use.

[Anonymous No.9070852]

>>9070647
How was the PS2 not explored? Yes, the Xbox was far more popular for homebrew but the PS2 still had boatloads of homebrew due to being the most popular console in history.

Also I would say porting a game is quite different, this allows the game to run natively and not only then can it run on all sorts of hardware that would not be powerful enough to emulate it (Even saw DOS ports with Voodoo card support) but you can add all sorts of additional content and features that would be difficult to impossible to do for an emulated version, such as dual-analog.

>>9070676
Nice autism.

[Anonymous No.9070893]

I have a modchipped SCPH-7000x that plays ps2 backups fine but not ps1, what's the most hassle-free way to do it?

[Anonymous No.9070932]

>>9070893
I'd usually recommend mechapwn but I don't know if that would confuse the modchip.

[Anonymous No.9070965]

>>9063245
>>9067209
Only reason I'm here.

And the only thing good about SNEStation.

[Anonymous No.9070994]

>>9063228
i tried it out with mgs and it had pretty bad performance. that was enough for to just eventually get a ps1 at some point

[Anonymous No.9071001]

>>9070932
It does

[Anonymous No.9071214]

>>9070676
Quite silly for a place such as 4Chan to think this way but sometimes explaining the true reasons may make them see a different point of view of why people do ""meaningless things""
>>9070852
Because the PS2 was a chore to program for compared to OG Xbox or even GC (which got its homebrew scene going thanks to Wii which started homebrews in GC mode). Porting a game is different but the concept is still there. Following your logic, why bother porting Super Mario 64 natively on the Wii, for example, if it can run the VC one, or even a Nintendo 64 emulator and so on? That's down to "for the sake of doing it". Answering your other question (which I forgot), a Raspberry Pi is not easy to obtain nowadays. It become extremely expensive. If you want something as close as the Pi just get a Xbox One, a PS3 or a WiiU depending on the library you want to play. Those are the prime choices if you're after "Pi tier emulation"

[Anonymous No.9071462]

I have asked about this in a previous thread but how do I add elf files to opls start up screen? my memory card came with a newer version of opl but I want to use 10th edition because I like the look and controls better.

[Anonymous No.9072009]

>>9071214
>Following your logic, why bother porting Super Mario 64 natively on the Wii, for example, if it can run the VC one, or even a Nintendo 64 emulator and so on?

I explained that, you can not only make it run far better but also with enhancements that simply emulating a rom would not be capable of.

And a Pi was just an example. Using a modern console, or at least a slightly older one that is still significantly more powerful than a PS2 and easy to mod like you mentioned would be another. My point was that you can easily obtain something cheap (and in the case of something like a Pi or Wii also much smaller) that can perform much better for emulation than a 20 year old console whose emulators haven't been updated in forever.