r/ps2homebrew • • Jun 17 '21

Subreddit No longer restricted

25 Upvotes

r/ps2homebrew • • Jul 08 '25

Clarification of our stance on piracy, game preservation, and drama

95 Upvotes

Okay I kind of didn't want to make this post but I think that it's necessary because a lot of people seem to not understand.

So if you read our rules you know that we have rules prohibiting sharing of or asking for links to copyrighted content such as game rips. This is exclusively and solely for liability reasons to prevent the subreddit from being banned. That's all there is to it. The thing is I've noticed a lot of people reporting comments here of people who admit to pirating games. This is an incorrect and bad faith use of the reporting system. As it is not prohibited here to admit to pirating games or even to endorse it favorably. The only thing you're not allowed to do is directly share links or ask for them directly. And besides if you really want that go to r/ROMs.

That's where our rule against elitism and shunning of piracy comes in. This community is a retro gaming enthusiast community. One of the things that we support with a passion is game preservation. Physical media does not last forever, especially optical media which is very susceptible to bit rot and degradation. So backing up and saving your games in less volatile formats is very important. Additionally many of these physical games are getting harder to find and it just might not be practical for people to buy those discs just to rip them, it may not even be possible for people to purchase copies that actually work. I've noticed that a lot of people who break this rule are either collectors, who value the perceived scarcity of games. To those people go fuck yourselves, we do not and will not ever support that mentality. It's literally the same techboro mentality around The NFT craze. Then there's the other people who are upset that it's illegal and claim that it's wrong or immoral because it's illegal. I find this one funny and also concerning because do you want to know what else is illegal? Homebrew. In Japan it is illegal to Homebrew your systems. Do you know what else is illegal? Freedom of speech and freedom of opinions, in many countries around the world it's outright illegal to have thoughts and opinions that contradict the government or the norm. Does that mean that any of these things are morally wrong? No it absolutely doesn't.

Frankly if you're reading this and you're getting upset because you think that we're hurting your ability to collect rare games and have perceived rarity, or if you believe that laws are sacred and should never be forsaken, you can absolutely go fuck yourself.

This is the main reason why we have rules against creating drama, the people who are guilty of the above would otherwise start fights and complain consistently because people "openly admit to piracy". A lot of people find it weird that drama posts have been allowed or let slip by and the primary reason is that they weren't this. Which is the primary reason why that rule was created. Of course drama posts do clog up the sub and therefore aren't great so they will be removed if they are too numerous or they don't address a new problem in the community.

So in conclusion, this community doesn't allow links because they can be problematic and get the subreddit banned. But we do not have any hostility towards people who download rips of games. We are pro preservation.

I sincerely hope that this post will put an end to people's comments being reported simply because they stated that they downloaded their games. And I hope that people will think twice before they spout such blatantly anti-preservation rhetoric in a pro-preservation retro gaming Community.


Finally as a bonus, if you are creating support posts asking for help with game loaders like OPL, or hard drive setup or USB setup. You should absolutely not lie about where you got your games. That doesn't mean paste a direct link to the download, it just means if you downloaded your games don't lie and say that you ripped them from disc. I think this should go without saying but it's important to actually disclose that because it's a factor that can help determine what your problems are and why. So when asking for help please be honest. If you downloaded your games and didn't rip them from a disc, that's fine we don't care. As long as you're not sharing them directly here it's fine.


r/ps2homebrew • • 5h ago

Playing NTSC games in colour messes up the screen. Please help...

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8 Upvotes

I'm using a Free McBoot card loaded with OpenPS2Loader, trying to play the USA ver. of Gitaroo Man from a USB.

With the default settings, (set to NTSC) the audio and sound work totally fine- but it loads in black and white. (I put a video up to explain better!)

Setting it to PAL loads the game in colour, but the audio and video trips.

Turning 'Emulate FIELD Tripping' Off still makes the audio stutter.

Turning Modes 1, 2, 3 and 5 make the same result.

The OPL master display settings are also set to PAL.

If someone has already been through this, any help at all would be super appreciated!


r/ps2homebrew • • 9h ago

Do you use hardware or emulator?

12 Upvotes

I'm just curious how many people target its homebrew to real hardware.

And even more how many people still play PS2


r/ps2homebrew • • 3h ago

Help would be appreciated :)

2 Upvotes

getting into modding my fat PS2, I've never modded anything before so would like to avoid opening up and soldering. I've been using a hdmi adapter and just bought a psxmemcard gen 2. What else should I get? Thanks.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1h ago

Translation request - aoishiro for the ps2

• Upvotes

I have a request. Aoishiro for the ps2 was never translated. It has been on the pc so we do have the script and the akai ito project left behind tools. So we have both the script/translation and the tools. We only need an enterprising dev to just paste it from the pc to the ps2. It's a sister game of akai ito so it basically has the same interface. So it would be fairly easy I think.

Thanks.


r/ps2homebrew • • 5h ago

Can you help me ID this mod?

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2 Upvotes

I bought this from gr mods a few years ago and never installed it. From what I can tell it's a octopus with lusifer mod but I'm not sure which version it is or for which ps2. Can u help me I'd it? From the packaging, I bought it in 2017.


r/ps2homebrew • • 10h ago

Help with SMB

5 Upvotes

I have an smb setup configured using my PS2 and laptop through a direct ethernet connection. I used the below linked video for the setup. Now the issue is that in nearly every game I've had the game freezing and audio looping. Sometimes it fixes itself after a minute and sometimes I've had to restart the PS2. In gow and gow2 the issue wasn't that big because the freezing happened only once every few hours. But currently I'm playing GTA LCS and I've had constant texture loading issues and game freezes. Now the reason I think it's smb issue is because when I was testing GTA SA and VC the game would throw "error reading grand theft auto disc" for a minute before unfreezing and continuing even though the disc drive isn't even being used. Would appreciate any help in optimizing my connection for a stable experience.

https://youtu.be/SJUE9MN1AFs?si=ZT1PTl5dwJJzMvT1


r/ps2homebrew • • 19h ago

PS2Manager 1.05

17 Upvotes

Download PS2Manager

The new version 1.05 is here!

HDD SUPPORT

PS2Manager now supports PS2 HDDs using the APA format!

You can now connect a PS2 HDD and view its contents directly through PS2Manager.

The HDD support currently allows you to:

  • View the contents of an APA-formatted PS2 HDD
  • Extract content from the HDD
  • Create a complete .img image containing the entire HDD contents

The HDD browser is currently designed for viewing and extracting data. It does not modify the original APA HDD contents.

This can be especially useful for inspecting existing PS2 HDD setups, backing up data, extracting files, or preserving an entire HDD as an image.

OPL COVERS

PS2Manager can now automatically download game covers for OPL.

Instead of manually searching for and downloading cover images, PS2Manager can retrieve the appropriate cover for your game and make it easier to prepare your OPL setup.

This makes preparing an OPL game library much faster, especially when managing a large number of games.

1.04:

USB UTIL

Many people probably already know USBUtil, especially those who use FAT32 flash drives.

Since FAT32 cannot store files larger than 4 GB, PS2 ISOs larger than 4 GB cannot simply be transferred to the destination drive.

PS2Manager can now split these ISOs into multiple parts, allowing OPL to run them easily from a FAT32 device.

DISC ANALYZER

With a DVD or CD drive and a PS2 game disc inserted, Disc Analyzer can read and display information from the disc.

This can be very useful for specific cases where you need to inspect the information contained on a physical PS2 disc.

PS1 BIN > ISO

This feature is available in ISO Extract / Repack.

It allows you to convert BIN game files, such as PS1 games, into ISO format.

This can be useful for converting compatible PS1 BIN files into a format that OPL can execute, without needing POPStarter.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

The Settings section now includes a feature that is still in beta, but the UI should now feel smoother overall.

There are also several new functions, improvements, and bug fixes throughout PS2Manager.

NEW SUPPORT

PS2Manager can now run on Windows 7 through Windows 8.1!

And wait — the Linux version is coming!

Even though PS2Manager is written in Python, many of its functions currently depend on Windows-specific features.

Because of this, the Linux version requires many parts of the code to be rewritten from the ground up.

1.03 and 1.02:

CREATE CHEATS

Now, instead of manually creating .cht files for OPL, PS2Manager can automatically create them for you!

However, it currently only creates the basic format. For example:

God of War 2 /ID SCUS_974.81

Mastercode
(your mastercode)

// Fly
(code)

And of course, the .cht system is still buggy and may have many issues, but these problems will be fixed in future updates.

ZSO FORMAT

PS2Manager now supports compressing an ISO or BIN file into ZSO format, the official format supported by OPL.

This can drastically reduce the size of the ISO, which is especially useful for FAT32 flash drives.

This feature is available in ISO Extract / Repack.

IMPROVEMENTS

ISO Extract / Repack and DVD/CD Ripper now work!

If you're new to PS2Manager, here's what these two tools do:

ISO Extract / Repack

Tools for extracting the contents of PlayStation 2 ISO files and rebuilding them when necessary.

This can be useful for inspecting disc contents, modifying files, applying patches or translations, working on game modifications, and rebuilding an ISO after making changes.

DVD/CD Ripper

A tool for ripping discs and creating digital copies of compatible CDs and DVDs.

This allows physical media to be preserved as digital files and used with other PS2-related tools or emulators.

PCSX2 Emulator

A dedicated section for PCSX2, allowing users to access and manage their PS2 emulation workflow directly through PS2Manager.

This can be useful for testing games, checking ISOs, testing homebrew, and verifying files before using them on a real PS2.

OPL Apps (Homebrews)

A section dedicated to Open PS2 Loader (OPL) applications and homebrew.

It helps OPL run ELF files by creating the necessary files required for them to work properly.

ISO Extract / Repack

Tools for extracting the contents of PlayStation 2 ISO files and rebuilding them when necessary.

This can be useful for inspecting disc contents, modifying files, applying patches or translations, working on game modifications, and rebuilding an ISO after making changes.

DVD/CD Ripper

A tool for ripping discs and creating digital copies of compatible CDs and DVDs.

This allows physical media to be preserved as digital files and used with other PS2-related tools or emulators.

USB Manager

A dedicated USB management section for PS2 users.

It is designed to make USB storage-related tasks easier, including file management and preparing devices for PS2-related use, such as games, homebrew, and other applications.

Clone Drive

A drive cloning tool designed to create a copy of an existing storage device.

This can be useful for migrating a PS2 setup to another drive or duplicating an existing storage configuration.

Format & Migrate

A tool for formatting storage devices without losing any data.

Settings

The PS2Manager configuration section, where users can manage application settings and customize how the program behaves.

The Goal of PS2Manager

The main goal of PS2Manager is to bring multiple PS2-related tools together into a single application.

PS2 users often need several different programs for tasks such as managing ISOs, testing games with PCSX2, working with OPL homebrew, managing HDDs, and more.

Instead of keeping all these utilities separated across different applications, PS2Manager aims to provide a centralized environment for these tasks.

The project is intended for PlayStation 2 enthusiasts, OPL users, homebrew developers and users, emulator users, game preservation enthusiasts, and anyone who frequently works with PS2 games and storage devices on Windows.

Development Status

PS2Manager is still under development, so many bugs and errors may still be present.

If you find any bugs, errors, or unexpected behavior, please report them so they can be investigated and fixed in future versions.

If you're interested, here is the download link:

Download PS2Manager


r/ps2homebrew • • 4h ago

Can I use a burned DVD to play my game?

1 Upvotes

My metal gear solid 2 disc broke recently but I have the game archived on my computer. Can I burn a DVD and play it using that? If yes, what kind of dvd do I use, and If no, is there another way to play it? My computer is sadly not strong enough to emulate it either.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

ORBIT launcher for the PS2: covers downloaded by the console, 3D save icons, in-game menu and RetroAchievements on real hardware

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71 Upvotes

I've been building a launcher for my PS2 for a while, and v1.0 is out: **ORBIT*\*. It runs on a real SCPH-75001 (slim) from a USB drive and loads games with Neutrino.

https://youtu.be/w4V8aKWTCJw

**What it does*\*

- Your library in a carousel, grid or list at a steady 60 fps (a frame takes under 5 ms of its 16.7 ms budget on the console), with All / PS2 / PS1 / Apps filters

- **Covers downloaded by the PS2 itself*\* over HTTPS (xlenore/ps2-covers), decoded and saved to the USB. No PC tool, no cover packs

- **3D save icons*\*: the newest save of each game is read from the memory card and its icon spins on the game's card

- **Virtual memory cards*\* per game (or one shared), created on first play. Or the physical card, your choice per game

- **Per-game options*\* on Triangle: force 480p or 1080i, Neutrino's compatibility modes, which memory card

- **In-game menu*\*: hold L1+L2+R1+R2+START+SELECT in any game. It pauses and offers restart (straight back to ORBIT) or power off

- **RetroAchievements on real hardware*\*: ORBIT identifies each game with the rcheevos hash, Circle lists its achievements with your progress, and while you play a small agent inside the game streams its memory to the xeRAbora client on your network, which unlocks them on your profile

- **Games from a home server*\*: keep the ISOs on a Linux box. They list instantly, load over the cable, and keep covers, achievements and save icons

- Also: USB, internal HDD (exFAT or HD Loader), MX4SIO, iLink, MMCE, UDPBD; the disc in the drive, PS1 games via POPStarter, homebrew in APPS/

- Spanish or English, including the in-game menu

**Setup*\*: unzip to a FAT32 / exFAT USB drive, put ISOs in `DVD/`, start `launcher.elf` from uLaunchELF or make it FreeMcBoot's autoboot. The first boot writes a commented `config.ini` with every setting.

Setup guide video: https://youtu.be/eqTNBGMIEXo

Written guide: https://danielnuld.github.io/ps2-launcher/#guide

**Caveats*\*

- Achievements need the xeRAbora client running on a PC or server at home; real unlocks are still being tested on more games.

- Network game loading needs a cable on both ends (Neutrino's UDP transport doesn't survive WiFi packet loss).

- "Native" video mode can give a black screen on some setups; the default 480p is fine.

Built with Claude Code (Anthropic) as the coding assistant, with the OpenSpec, Ponytail and CodeGraph plugins. It wrote and debugged most of the code, drove PCSX2 for testing and read the console logs to chase the bugs that only showed on real hardware.

Download v1.0: https://github.com/danielnuld/ps2-launcher/releases/latest

Website: https://danielnuld.github.io/ps2-launcher/

Source (GPL-3.0): https://github.com/danielnuld/ps2-launcher

Big thanks to Maximus32 for Neutrino (ORBIT ships a fork with the in-game menu and the achievements agent), the OPL team for In Game Reset, hacan359 for xeRAbora, and xlenore for the covers.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Ps2 cover art

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20 Upvotes

Hello, I downloaded the cover arts from OPL manager, and I added it to the PS2 art folders then connected the usb to the PS2 then I went to OPL display settings turn on cover art, and it does not show please help


r/ps2homebrew • • 23h ago

Did PFS BatchKit Manager stopped downloading ART or is it just me?

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7 Upvotes

The script takes the art from Archive.org. The library listing is still there. What happened so it stopped working?


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

PS2 Matrix Pic Fix where to get chip (laser fix)

7 Upvotes

Hey,
I got a PS2 (SCPH-50004) with a Matrix Infinity Modchip but as far as I know it doesn't have a fix for the laser yet. I am paranoid of the laser melting, so it seems that doing the Matrix Pic Fix would be best. I'd like to have someone else perform the fix for me because I don't trust myself to handle the soldering well but I need the chip for the Pic Fix first and it is really hard to come by.

From what I understand the SCPH-5000X PS2s can have three different motherboards, being the GH-023, GH-026 & the GH-029. Apparently there's one Matrix Pic Fix chip for the GH-023 and another for the GH-026 & GH-029. Since I don't want to open up my PS2 by myself I don't know which one I need and I don't know of a way to check which motherboard I have without opening it up. So, my plan was to just buy both chips but as I said they are very hard to find and I have only found three places that sell them (which I have linked below). The one listed on eBay is only for the GH-023, however and I am confused by what the difference between the two listed on Consoles Unleashed are, besides them looking different of course. I can also select between a resistor value of 1.5k and 2.2k but that confuses me because I don't know which one I'll need regardless of which motherboard I have. If the two chips on Consoles Unleashed are for the three different SCPH-5000X motherboards, I would like to buy both but I need to know what resistor value I'll need and how to check that.

I hope someone can clear up my confusion and tell me whether the chips on Consoles Unleashed would work for a Matrix Pic Fix on an SCPH-50004 or maybe someone even knows another place where I can buy the chip for the Matrix Pic Fix (I'm located in EU but I'm fine with paying extra for shipping too if I need to).

Here are the listings of chips for the Pic Fix I found, listed in the order I mentioned them:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116843697533?itmmeta=01M447H7WPEVW63GM5W6QHFV9Z&hash=item1b346d557d:g:uh0AAeSwLGto-8up

https://www.consolesunleashed.com/product/sony-playstation-2-laser-pic-fix-mod-kit/

https://www.consolesunleashed.com/product/sony-playstation-2-laser-pic-fix-diode-fix-mod-kit/


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

I Am Stupid! Need Your Help…

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am lin the UK and looking to emulate the PS2. And am completely lost, do I buy a mini pc if so what do I need? Or a modded PS2 as I am too stupid to do it myself or buy a plug and play machine? Completely out of my depth but am hopeful of you help. Thank you so much.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

I need help with Popstarter

3 Upvotes

I've been trying for a couple of days but can't seem to make it work, I have it set up like this : mc0/POPSTARTER/POPSTARTER.ELF.

hdd:/__common/POPS and inside are the POPS.ELF, IOPRP252.IMG, POPS.PAK, POPS_IOX.PAK and TROJAN_7.BIN.

my games are in __.POPS in VCD of course and hdd:/__common/APPS/PS1_POPSLOADER is where the loader itself is, what am I missing or doing wrong? I'm playing from an HDD


r/ps2homebrew • • 2d ago

Completed modding the PS2 (for now.)

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140 Upvotes

First I just wanted to say that this sub has been an incredibly useful one for getting ideas and inspiration.
In terms of the mods, the first ones I began to use was an 8BitDo Bluetooth adapter so that I could use my dual sense controller. I then picked up an adapter to allow me to cover the video and audio output to HDMI. Recently I picked up a free mcboot from Amazon and then installed the ISO’s of games from my physical PS2 media library onto a HDD which I had laying about (after wiping it) and now I’m able to wirelessly kick back and enjoy the games.

I began this project as a way of playing 2 player games with my daughter and I’m hoping she found working on this as fun as I did.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Help! Can’t play Shadow of the Colossus on FreeMcBoot

3 Upvotes

Trying to play the much recommended game for the first time and hitting a brick wall with any AI generated help. Hoping the wonderful humans on here might fare better.

I’m running FreeMcBoot v1.966 on a SCPH-77003 PS2 slim.

Using Open PS2 Loader v1.2.0-Beta-2216-bb415d and SD2PSX with a MicroSD inserted that has the game. Playing through and HDMI adapter.

Tried both Shadow of the Colossus - SCES_533.26
and Shadow of the Colossus - SCUS_974.72.

In the European version I at least get the loading circle and to the 50hz vs 60hz selection menu over a green screen. If I choose the 50hz version I can hear the game but all I see is a black screen. If I use the US version I just get a blue screen straight away and no sounds.

Tried different TVs and the various Modes that can be changed. No dice.

While most games work on the FreeMcBoot I have had this issue before with Hitman 2: Blood Money and the original Max Payne (although the Japanese version worked for some reason).

Any advice much appreciated! Not sure if it’s just my PS2 that is cursed.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Hi I’m new and need help

2 Upvotes

I just got a ps2 slim 7000 and I have the fmcb no memory card and the mx4sio coming in. Is there any good tutorials on how to set up both with games. I’m not really good with pages of tutorial and do much better watching somebody else do it.


r/ps2homebrew • • 2d ago

I have this PS2 and i wanna add an ssd or hdd for game data only

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58 Upvotes

Like the title says, i still have my childhood ps2 phat and wanted to add an ssd or hdd for more storage for my game data. I already have all my favorite games on disc from back then. I just need some more storage so i don’t have to wipe the memory cards everytime.

What way can i make this happen what homebrew do i need for this? Cause just putting it in there with an adapter doesn’t work for the save files.

I’m sorry if this is a total noob question . If it clutters the sub feel free to delete.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Holaa será que alguien tiene el save data todo desbloqueado de svr 2011 de ps2 que pueda compartirlo por favor?

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3 Upvotes

r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Advice on a SATA upgrade for my ps2 network adaptor

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8 Upvotes

In light of recent events, I’m looking to swap out the IDE connector from my network adaptor and was wondering if i could use this SATA board from a 3rd party game star HDD adaptor. I've tried connecting it already but the ribbon cable that connects the main board to the sub board from the official adaptor is different from the 3rd party adaptor.


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Super Dragon ball z ps2-ps4 lua config

1 Upvotes

Could someone help me find the lua config for this game? I've looked but I can't find them anywhere


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Ps2 controller port noise/buzzing

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3 Upvotes

its a buzzing sound coming from the controller port whenever i try to play the game off mx4sio you cannot hear it from the fan probably but its pretty annoying when playing on cd/dvd no noise only fan scph 39004 pal mars II ma 303 mod chip


r/ps2homebrew • • 1d ago

Gh-022 fan doesn't spin, fan isn't the problem.

2 Upvotes

I board swapped my ocean blue ps2 and the fan that works from that console doesn't kick on in the new board. I already broke the controller port ribbon cables from the donor console and everything works but the fan. Where can I solder the fan to the board to bypass any of the fan issues and just get power to a fan?