PS3 Cobra improvement for PSX/PS2 emulation

The XOR operation has to be made on non recalculated CRC iirc, the emulators probably have some kinda plugin that calculates the presumed CRC on not modified sector. If the CRC is recalculated in a libcrypt sector then you lose the protection, am I right? If you want to implment sbi support you have to project a trick of this kind aldo, but let's wait additional info from @Agrippa.
 
Agrippa said:
Yes, when the Libcrypt is not passed, there is no controller input on the title
screen.
Click to expand...

Does one of the previous MAMBA payloads work for you?

I tested with a new build of MAMBA that passes the full subchannel in LSD including the CRC, but still have the same issue.
For the non LibCrypt I'm also calculating the CRC as in the original code.

EDIT:
Same issue also with Ape Escape (SCES-01564). Tested SBI and LSD (including CRC16).
 
Last edited:
I have tested the first LSD supported MAMBA test version, internally called v5, and it does not work too. At least until I corrupt myself one byte of the data part of the subchannel Q. So there is a problem while passing the CRC-16 values to the SCSI driver, it seems. They are discarded and recalculated on their own.
 
Agrippa said:
I have tested the first LSD supported MAMBA test version, internally called v5, and it does not work too. At least until I corrupt myself one byte of the data part of the subchannel Q. So there is a problem while passing the CRC-16 values to the SCSI driver, it seems. They are discarded and recalculated on their own.
Click to expand...

That is what I think too. The CRC-16 looks like it's recalculated internally. That explains why the games work even if the CRC-16 is passed as zeroes.
 
Here is a quick summary of the work done so far, @Evilnat:
Agrippa said:
1. Improper PSX region patching:
As described here: https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS1_Emulation#PS1_BIOS_Cobra_Patch
Cracktros are affected mostly (they are determining the video mode using the BIOS). Apart from that, it does affect the PSX logo startup sound, as it does look like the ps1_netemu has got some kind of pitch correction when the playback sample rates are different (the PAL startup sound is pitched down).
Click to expand...

Issue has been fixed by the one and only @aldostools. A contribution has been already made to the Cobra source code on github.
Agrippa said:
2. Support for the external subchannel data:
Used for playing uncracked Libcrypt PAL protected titles.
Click to expand...

Support for the partial subchannel data (.SBI and .LSD files) has been added by @aldostools and the changes to the source code have been already contributed. Few games still need to be cracked anyway. These titles do not work even from the original discs.
Agrippa said:
3. PS2 demo disc check:
Currently the webMAN MOD does fix this by modifying the image file on the first mount. The proper patch is available here:
https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/Talk:PS2_Emulation#Skip_demo_disc_check
Click to expand...

It still waits for the implementation in the payload.
Agrippa said:
4. ps2bootparam.dat is completely broken
ps2bootparam.dat file generated by the Cobra does contain the junk data and it does not resemble the correct one which is made, when the PS2 Classics (2P) content is loaded. It is probably causing the few HDD whitelisted games to crash after the LV2 reset (webMAN MOD does patch it similarly like the demo discs):
https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PS2bootparam.dat
Click to expand...

It turned out the ps2bootparam.dat seems to be not an issue (although it does not resemble the pattern posted on the wiki). The problem lies in the game_ext_plugin itself. Here is my patch to implement when mounting a game through the ps2_netemu emulator:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/cobra-improvement-for-psx-ps2-emulation.37354/page-5#post-336616
Agrippa said:
5. Support for multi-disc PS2 ISOs.
It does need more research, as few games were released this way. The ps2_netemu has got a hidden "disc change" entry in the menu to perform a disc swap. Probably needs a proper CONFIG+CONFIG2+ISO.BIN.EDAT triad to work correctly.
Click to expand...

No work done so far on this subject. I am not interested enough on it personally, as you can count the affected games on the fingers of one hand.
Agrippa said:
6. Redirect /CONTENT/Others.dxt
Just like the save data and configs are redirected by the Cobra, this file serves as a LV1 dump placeholder unofficially. Currently, the PKG with an encrypted ISO has to be prepared for making LV1 memory dumps. Making this one supported in the payload would avoid the hassle with extra steps.
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/p...-hvcall-support-lv1-dumper-by-3141card.13912/
Click to expand...

The package has been made by, you guess who, @aldostools to install the netemu dumper mod and dump placeholder. It is enough to to mount an encrypted ISO by the Cobra and load it through the PS2 Classics Placeholder package (I totally forgot about this feature).
 
@aldotools hi for try your mamba?
1 unload cobra via cfw tools
2 start mamba like other plug-ins?
3 webman mod recognize automatically cobra/mamba?

ps= now I see the mamba file is source unfortunately I haven't a PC with the right environment (primary I need a pc). any chance for try mamba already compiled?
 
Naxil said:
@aldotools hi for try your mamba?
1 unload cobra via cfw tools
2 start mamba like other plug-ins?
3 webman mod recognize automatically cobra/mamba?

ps= now I see the mamba file is source unfortunately I haven't a PC with the right environment (primary I need a pc). any chance for try mamba already compiled?
Click to expand...

MAMBA is an alternative payload to Cobra.
Therefore you first need to disable Cobra in CFW Tools menu of Evilnat or in Rebug Toolbox.

MAMBA is not a VSH plugin. It is a LV2 Kernel plugin.
That means that the payload is loaded through /dev_hdd0/boot_plugins_kernel_nocobra.txt

The VSH plugins in MAMBA are loaded through /dev_hdd0/boot_plugins_nocobra.txt
Or through /dev_hdd0/mamba_plugins.txt

As MAMBA is a replacement of Cobra, you shouldn't use the nonCobra edition of webMAN MOD. I recommend to use the FULL edition.

All that configuration is automated if you install boot_mamba.pkg from:
https://github.com/aldostools/resources/releases/Addons

After installation of boot_mamba.pkg, all you have to do is disable Cobra and your console will reboot in MAMBA mode.

webMAN MOD will show that you're in MAMBA 8.4 when you press SELECT+START.

The source code with the latest changes is available here:
https://github.com/aldostools/MAMBA
 
Last edited:
aldostools said:
MAMBA is an alternative payload to Cobra.
Therefore you first need to disable Cobra in CFW Tools menu of Evilnat or in Rebug Toolbox.

MAMBA is not a VSH plugin. It is a LV2 Kernel plugin.
That means that the payload is loaded through /dev_hdd0/boot_plugins_kernel_nocobra.txt

The VSH plugins in MAMBA are loaded through /dev_hdd0/boot_plugins_nocobra.txt
Or through /dev_hdd0/mamba_plugins.txt

As MAMBA is a replacement of Cobra, you shouldn't use the nonCobra edition of webMAN MOD. I recommend to use the FULL edition.

All that configuration is automated if you install boot_mamba.pkg from:
https://github.com/aldostools/resources/releases/Addons

After installation of boot_mamba.pkg, all you have to do is disable Cobra and your console will reboot in MAMBA mode.

webMAN MOD will show that you're in MAMBA 8.4 when you press SELECT+START.

The source code with the latest changes is available here:
https://github.com/aldostools/MAMBA
Click to expand...
yes all works!

ps1 iso test ok
jb folder mounted via webman mod ok!

good is the possibility to select/force video mode with ps1 and ps2 emu. some games (but very rare) have internal progressive options (like fatal frame 3).
idk if ps2 emu use the iso/pkg zone , but here lot of pal ps2 games start on 60hz (health disclaimer) and switch immediately to 50hz. resolution here for ps2 is 720p 50 or 60.
ps2 software emu on ps3 for my opinion is a little miracle. ok Sony make the ps2 and have all info (zero RE). but where a ps2 emu on PC or other platform can work with 256mb+256mb of ram?(I need to understand why gpu and cpu on ps3 cant share memory). athersx2 on android works only on powerfull phone (4gb ram) cpu and gpu more powerful etc. I'm curious on how that emu works (ps2 netemu) probably can use the hidden power of cell? and why other ps2 emu dev not take info from ps2 net emu?


update = ps2 iso (ico 5lang ver) mount the iso with mamba but say "your ps3 isn't compatible with ps2 software" (with Cobra game start but with long black screen) I remember I play it with old rebug cfw probably I need the right cfg.
ps=yes with the cfg the game works under cobra but can't be mount under mamba
 
Last edited:
Hi @aldostools , thank you for all your work on getting mamba 8.4 working with libcrypt protected titles , I've been trying to test it out but do not have the knowledge or tools to compile the latest mamba 8.4 v7 , I've been trying for two weeks already , I wanted to ask if you could upload a precompiled pkg like boot_mamba_pkg that already has the fixes of mamba 8.4 v7 incorporated in it . I would greatly appreciate it .
 
Last edited:
L2000 said:
Hi @aldostools , thank you for all your work on getting mamba 8.3 working with libcrypt protected titles , I've been trying to test it out but do not have the knowledge or tools to compile the latest mamba 8.3 v7 , I've been trying for two weeks already , I wanted to ask if you could upload a precompiled pkg like boot_mamba_pkg that already has the fixes of mamba 8.3 v7 incorporated in it . I would greatly appreciate it .
Click to expand...
look at aldo's last post above for mamba 8.4
 
Thanks for the reply Coro , I've already done the regular installations using the provided pkg , everything works except psx libcrypt games , security is triggered , everything else works out , I've tried just copying certain files over from the source but as said I'm not a developer and I lack the tools to create what I'm guessing would be the mamba 8.4 v7 boot_mamba_pkg
 
A little update , firstly thank you for the amazing work Aldo and Agrippa .I have replaced the internal hard drive of the PS3 as a was getting audio and video stuttering , re-installed boot_mamba_pkg , then changed the mamba_489C with the v7 while in cobra mode , the one downloaded on a PC gave me false positives in Defender and I'm thinking that this had something to do with it not initially working , I then went through Webman setup and opened the browser with the links to Aldo's GitHub, from there I searched projects and for latest V7 mamba 8.4 mamba_489C , downloaded through PS3 browser to flash drive and used file copier in Cobra mode to copy the files to the correct directory , rebooted into Mamba and all previous libcrypt titles work with one exception , the exception is SCES-01909 Wip3out , the game boots fine from disc in both Cobra and Mamba modes , BIN /CUE + LSD/SBI lock up at first LC trigger point , there is missing audio when starting up the game in ps1netemu , ps1emu has the correct audio but both fail the LC protection challenge response , I don't have another PS3 to test this on so I just wanted to report my findings as I had initially said maybe someone else can recreate the issue or report if the game works for them from BIN/CUE format , a Paradox Patched backup works in BIN/CUE format as expected but I've had no joy with the unpatched version with LSD or SBI. I have have tested the same with an external drive and exact same issue persists .
 
Last edited:
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/cobra-improvement-for-psx-ps2-emulation.37354/page-6#post-336977

Use the crack, this one will not work even when played back from the original disc.

Code: 
14231 03:09:56 41 01 01 03 07 56 00 03 09 56 5f 5f 0080 0080 LC2 sector, no errors in dumped data & CRC-16, changes in CRC-16
15135 03:21:60 41 01 01 03 19 60 00 03 21 60 dd c9 0080 0080 LC2 sector, no errors in dumped data & CRC-16, changes in CRC-16
15247 03:23:22 41 01 01 03 21 22 00 03 23 22 a4 08 0080 0080 LC2 sector, no errors in dumped data & CRC-16, changes in CRC-16
15919 03:32:19 41 01 01 03 30 19 00 03 32 19 ac 47 0080 0080 LC2 sector, no errors in dumped data & CRC-16, changes in CRC-16
 
Thanks for the reply and patch info , here's the thing though the disc and clonecd backups of the disc work perfectly fine on PS3 , I've even tried writing to cd-rw from img/sub/cue file generated and they all work in cobra and mamba mode and pass the LC challenge responses , I understand the need to patch out the LC security check for a non working game that fails LC challenge response from cd and from CUE/BIN+lsd , just wondering why would the disc not trigger the protection but the image with sub channel data does .
 
No, the SCES-01909 version is not working fine (unless cracked) on the PS3. It is proven by the dozens of reports found in the web (google the "SCES-01909 ps3" phrase). The SCES-02845 Special Edition does work (because of no protection), but the regular one does not.

So, your statement is, the original disc does work with the Cobra mode enabled, but it does not when it is turned off, right?
 
Last edited:
Hi Agrippa , thanks for the reply , everything works in Mamba and Cobra as expected , it's the SCES-01909 version , backups are made in CloneCD and they work in Cobra and Mamba mode and with all Managers , Cobra and Mamba disabled work as well with original but backups are detected as mixed media audio discs and must be launched through manager ( I've only had a chance to test mmCM as I get Cobra compatible firmware not detected when trying regular multiMan mode ) , cd-r and cd-rw work when mounted this way and don't trigger LC protection , I'm not disputing that it doesn't work for others , these are just my findings , I've also tried an external verified clean Bin/Cue renamed Bin to .Img extension as it's only a container so I can use my ccd /cue/sub generated to burn and test and this too passes LC protection , I'd be happy to share ccd/cue/sub with you and you can test it if you can find the verified Bin/Cue to use , but to answer your question Webman launching Disc works in Mamba and Cobra mode , Bin/Cue from same disc with external LSD or SBI fails first LC challenge response always , even triggers the LC in demo mode, discs do not , tested with PS1 emu and PS1 netemu , I've yet to patch out the LC protection challenge as you've recommended , but this wouldn't help with researching the project . If you do decide to try a disc use CloneCD and try burning at the slowest speed possible , mines 4x but choosing 2x seems to get the drive to 3.56x , your drive must support sub channel writing but I'm sure you are well aware of that already .
 
aldostools said:
Thank you for the patch. It would be great if users with BC consoles report their results.

Here are various installers. They install the patch in /dev_hdd0/tmp/gameboot
webMAN MOD already remaps game_ext_plugin.sprx if it is found in that path.

I don't have that game, so I haven't tested the patches. It should be safe to use, since it isn't touching dev_flash.
But as it is a system file, I warn that install them at your own risk.
Click to expand...
I was asked to test this out on my CECHA, so here's my setup and results:

Freshly installed 4.89.1 Evilnat and WebMAN Mod 1.47.42, used 489_game_plugin_patched.pkg to install the patch and copied over an ISO of Final Fantasy XI for the HDD requirement. Mounted the ISO and ran it using the disc icon, got the PS2 gameboot screen and sat at a black screen with the HDD light blinking away for a good 1-2 minutes, then the power LED flashed alternating green and yellow before I got booted back to the XMB with error code 80028F17.

If there's any specific tests you'd like me to do on a CECHA or if I did this one wrong in some way, just let me know.

Edit:
It looks like new users aren't allowed to edit their posts, so here's a second with more info. I ended up testing 2 more HDD required games on my CECHA, Front Mission Online and Nobunaga Online. Front Mission boots, but only to a screen of text saying the PlayStation BB Unit isn't detected and to turn off the PS2. Nobunaga prompts for a game partition on first launch and requires "PS2 System Data" to be installed in order to create it, which happens successfully and allows the game to boot into an error screen complaining about not finding the PlayStation BB Unit.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Back
Top