PS2 How to hack PlayStation 2 in 2025? [ROADMAP]

OPL run games from any region from disc images (*.iso, *.zso).

Reason to use MechaPwn is to make able run games from CD/DVD-/+R discs which normally would be rejected (and with 100% compatibility instead to ESR/FDVDB, including PSX games and PS2 CD games). If You don't have in plans to use optical discs, that's not necessary step for You.
 
Thank you for this excellent guide. As an entirely new PS2 modder I was able to completely FreeDvdBoot into MCBoot install and grimdoomers OPL, then did the 7900 super slim mod and MX4SIO Microsdcard.
 
Berion said:
@ajthenoob Not much has changed in 2023. Only DESR models get some alternatives but both exploits which I have in mind are in the work and not public available yet. Instead of FMCB, soon will be better XEB+. Eventually there is PS2BBL which supports exFAT.

Fortuna, OpenTuna and mixup with FMCB called FunTuna and FunTuna Fork are only for cards without Magic Gate support or fw 2.30 and newer. On MG cards and fw v2.20 and all older, just use FMCB.

There is no such thing as "OPL with SDcard support". You have in mind OPL with MX4SIO support. Currently MX4SIO are only variants with SDXC and microSDXC reader but any card can be used if someone construct it. What I want to say, it is not limited to SD cards family. If You have in mind SD card reader on IDE, all OPLs supports it because they don't know SD card is used (controller between, translating communication between PATA and SD on the fly so from PS2 environment perspective, it is internal HDD).
Click to expand...

Hi . I HAVE a Fat Ps2 the console is SCPH-50004 and the DVD player is 3.00E . am i still able to hack my ps2 ??
 
Berion said:
All PS2 are hackable in one way or another. In first post You have list of all kinds of entry points. Choose Your poison. ;)
Click to expand...
so i can install freemcboot on my playstation 2 even though my dvd player doesn't have the version that's gonna let me instaal freemcboot .
if you know some alternative solution please tell me bro.
can you tell what i'm going to need to hack my ps2
 
At the end of list, there is "health track" for each model where I chose currently best, easy and cheapest way. Subjectively. Nothing has changed since 2022 year from which this roadmap came.
 
Hi! I'm kinda confused with the HDD info. I've had a couple slims with FMCB + ESR for a while, and just got a FAT to go the hard drive way. I've been finding tutorials on "OPL" but it's only mentioned with the Basic Bootloader on this topic.

So if I'm getting it right, I only need to install FreeHDBoot to run PS2 backups from the HDD, with MechaPwn to run PS1 backups natively from CDs. Am I correct?

Thank you in advance! Awesome thread.
 
@Armori Hacking console means making possible to run any application - and I listed nearly all solutions (last time appears network exploit made by Grimdoomer). And the are many applications, for different purposes, one of them is OPL, which you run by any of the ways. ;)

Thanks.

BTW: Soon will be a little update for Health Track section which will extract MMCE info to separated paragraphe, clarifying that MX4SIO cannot replace it, and cover up of SCPH-9xxxx and FMCB/PS2BBL because plenty nonsens circling abut that on the internet.
 
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2025-02 update :)
  • added Network exploit (Tony Hawk's Pro Strcpy)
  • restored old health track because info about MMCEs has been moved to its own category
  • added Additional Informations section with: "MMCE vs MX4SIO", "SCPH-9K & FMCB/PS2BBL" and "Disk Images"
Special thanks for SCPH-9K photo for Florin9doi.
 
Will Fortuna / OpenTuna install on the PS3 via netemu given the browser is missing? it says the rom0:ver is 2.30, if I make a iso of the Fortuna / OpenTuna installer an run it via cdfs instead of usb in uLE using a blank decrypted osdsys or osdmain elf as a replacement for the missing browser?, once the installer is complete would uLE boot the full browser via OSDSYS as it's replacement?
 
You don't need to make any disc image with any installer. You can make VM2/VME with stuff on PC and test it on console after file placement and rebuilding database. Also you don't need FMCB (FunTuna is OpenTuna which starting decrypted FMCB) and OSDSYS because you can use just PS2BBL instead of FMCB.

If you are interested, I can make that for you if you willing to test. I'm interested to expand PSUja packages to covering up PS3 emulators. High probably, Open Tuna will not work due to its targeting OSDSYS. ;] Firmware replacement in target emulator could be a requiement.
 
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Berion said:
You don't need to make any disc image with any installer. You can make VM2/VME with stuff on PC and test it on console after file placement and rebuilding database. Also you don't need FMCB (FunTuna is OpenTuna which starting decrypted FMCB) and OSDSYS because you can use just PS2BBL instead of FMCB.

If you are interested, I can make that for you if you willing to test. I'm interested to expand PSUja packages to covering up PS3 emulators. High probably, Open Tuna will not work due to its targeting OSDSYS. ;] Firmware replacement in target emulator could be a requiement.
Click to expand...

Yes i'm looking at replacing files within the firmware, unpacking & repackaging the bios, from what I can tell it's either region free unsigned or region usa or oceanaria.
I tried running a full OSDSYS ELF that boots in pcsx2 but it crashed on uLE on the PS3 maybe because of other missing files or the memory card was corrupted with OPL, when the card corrupts launching any ELF from the memory card crashes it.
Reason i'm using iso images is netemu doesn't support usb, I guess the ps2 bios dumpers also could be changed to dump using mcman instead of usb or extracting the ps3 firmware, so you can dump the ps2 bios on ps3.
 
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On second thought: that's impossible. OSDSYS isn't portable, it seeking resources on rom0. So your best approach be "just" replacing embedded PS2 firmware into emulator to fully one and use prepared VMC with eg. FMCB on PC.

OPL corrupting MCFS? Since when?

All those strip firmwares (they are not BIOS, BIOS had only Xbox and PC :P) has been extracted long time ago. Directly from emulator ELFs on PC.
 
Berion said:
On second thought: that's impossible. OSDSYS isn't portable, it seeking resources on rom0. So your best approach be "just" replacing embedded PS2 firmware into emulator to fully one and use prepared VMC with eg. FMCB on PC.

OPL corrupting MCFS? Since when?

All those strip firmwares (they are not BIOS, BIOS had only Xbox and PC :P) has been extracted long time ago. Directly from emulator ELFs on PC.
Click to expand...

Not sure but it seems to happen on the OPL build I have when saving the settings, I delete everything from the card but it still has a hidden piece of 3kb data left on it, I uploaded the .VM2 in another thread previously.

Anyway uLE still isn't booting ELFs from memory card it crashes, cdfs works fine.
It maybe a compatibilty problem, I know OPL doesn't boot unless you use the extra modules from that modified OPL save.

ELFs are loading fine from PS2CheatDevice via memory card, I can edit the paths an boot other ELFs but it doesn't save the config or cheat database.

uLE shows the rom0:ROMVER as 0220AD not 230 sorry,
if I use the Misc menu to load OSDSYS it says osdmain.elf is missing from the mc:/BAEXEC-SYSTEM path, PS2CheatDevice loads rom:OSDSYS an just does the standard disc boot the same as uLE Disc.
 
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None data can be hide on PS2MC in any way.
Link to it please.

Compatibility with modules or further emulation issues. Hard to judge. Try different version/fork.

I can make for you some experiments (disc images and vmcs) if You will to test.
 
Berion said:
None data can be hide on PS2MC in any way.
Link to it please.

Compatibility with modules or further emulation issues. Hard to judge. Try different version/fork.

I can make for you some experiments (disc images and vmcs) if You will to test.
Click to expand...

https://www.mediafire.com/file/6b1vtjip9r17guw/OPL.VM2/file
The superblock will extract with pcsx2 but not the remaining junk/corrupted data which I can't identify.

Formatting cards on a real ps2 gives you a 5kb
Your System Configuration folder on slot1 memory card as BADATA-SYSTEM
history & icon.sys, memory card on slot2 is left blank.
 
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I made a .psu an imported it on virtual memory card 2 with Apollo, the installer seemed to go fine ran with PS2CheatDevice, uLE still crashes trying to boot any ELF, not sure what to do now?

Swapping the card over to memory card 1 loads uLE with the following config if I boot uLE from a iso image.

PS2CheatDevice will load PS2BBL but stalls after showing the splash screen, uLE again refuses to run any ELF from memory card only cdfs.

What is BOOT2.ELF?
 

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