There are many different revisions of the DVD player software, requiring specific offsets for each exploit. The SPRs (system parameter registers) exposed in DVD player scripting do not expose enough information to be able to merge the exploits onto one disc.

FreeMCBoot continues to work, but is no longer updated. I would recommend https://ps2homebrewstore.com/ to check out the latest exploits and devices available, such as sd2psx, an open source reimplementation of a memory card that can also expose the filesystem on its inserted SD card.

Which DVD player exploit? The FreeDVDBoot method that lets you burn discs from an .iso is awesome... but only works on the slim PS2 models :(

There already exists a modern Linux kernel port supporting Gentoo to the PS2. https://github.com/frno7/linux The SPC970 MechaCon dumps don't add anything additional, as previous memory card/hard disk drive/disc based exploits will work with the above port.

In addition, PS2 Linux based on Linux 2.2 and PSBBN based on Linux 2.2.19/heavily patched MontaVista/Hard Hat Linux 2.4.17 exist. Additionally unofficial ports for Linux 2.6 and 3.8 also exist: https://gitlab.com/ps2max/linux

Doesn’t decapping chips require hydrofluoric acid ? If so I cannot express enough respect, the one person I’ve interacted with that regularly worked with it put the fear of god with by showing what one insignificant miss for anything else did to his finger

This book may also be of interest:

https://nostarch.com/microcontroller-exploits

I am aware of their collaboration, but where can I find these write-ups?

I think what’s worse is flash lifespan. You can recap, but can you find replacements for failed flash? Can you reimage it with the correct data? Can you even access the flash, which may be buried inside a chip somewhere?

Plastic may get brittle but I think modern plastics do this less than 90s plastics.

>ribbon connector pieces

ribbon connector like ribbon cables used in IDE/PATA drives? Wild, are they known for breaking down like that?

The problem with game discs is that they rot. Some of them rot faster than others, but all of them shall eventually rot.

The problem with hardware is that it is scarce, and ultimately dies.

The problem with emulators is that they emulate. We can work to make it the same, but it is never going to be the same.

Even if the math all maths just like they did (bugs and all), and it takes precisely as long, and it shows up precisely at the same time in the same places as it did on the original hardware...and even when things like input latency are nailed down to nanosecond accuracy and the clocks are all just dead-nuts on: The code may run the same way, but the system is still not the same.

Part of the reason it's not the same is we haven't even touched the analog components yet and all and all of the things they do, whether amazing or ugly. (And no, improving the analog bits through simplification is not necessarily the sane goal at all. Improvement and emulation are different targets.)

Emulation is useful. It's great, actually. Right now, a person can think about that old PS2 they used to have and get started with playing some of their favorite games yet this afternoon. That's awesome.

But preservation, as an effort to keep old hardware to keep working as time marches on? That's a wonderful thing in its own right. The better we understand the old hardware, the more-able we are to preserve it and keep it running.

Getting past the layers of deliberate fuckery helps us to better understand what goes on behind the curtain, and that has now been achieved.

PS2 emulation leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy and authenticity, and current original hardware backup solutions are not ideal or extremely cumbersome, including caveats like relying on homebrew software which alters the memory layout of games as they run, leading to inaccuracies and broken games, and needing to have multiple copies of backup loading software on your console, as some loaders will work with some games, but not with others. It's a right mess. Some solutions, such as MechaPwn, are more transparent, allowing you to burn so-called "master discs" of your game backups to DVD-R. As far as I can tell, compatibility is 100%, but if I recall correctly, this only works on specific models of console, and the process of burning a master disc can be unintuitive and relies on specific, deprecated, commercial DVD burning software.

From what I can tell, this opens the door to things like optical drive emulators, which replace the disc laser with an SD card slot, allowing the console to read game disc images no differently than the console would read a retail game.

My guess (not involved with PS2 emulation specifically at all) is that this will improve low-level emulation.

So things like making a clone of the hardware with an FPGA, making emulators cycle-accurate, removing game-specific hacks that are no longer needed due to more accurate emulation, and achieving 100% bug-for-bug compatibility with original hardware.

> My impression was that PS2 emulation was already solved,

Far from it. PCSX2 is extremely solid for casual playing, but it takes a lot of shortcuts (especially when enabling upscaling and other enhancements) that differences both in gameplay and visuals in games like Gran Turismo and Ace Combat are extremely evident, more so when framebuffer and/or shader-like effects are applied.

Mind you it's not a game-breaking experience, but I feel it's differently enough to be considered closer to playing a port rather than an emulated version of the game.

The PS2 is unfortunately too alien of an architecture to expect BSNES-style accuracy AND an acceptable framerate.

I think this might allow doing more things with the disc drive on all(?) ps2 models like running copied/homebrew ps1 discs (currently requires a modchip afaik), or potentially developing replacement optical drives/hardware emulators

Do you know of any good recent-ish resources for learning about jailbreaking and sideloading titles on the ps3? Last time I was trying to figure out how to load my game backups I gave up as it seemed way complex compared to the xbox 360.

Games from the 2010s are still "new". There are several major game series where the most current entry came from the 2010s. Think Skyrim & GTA5.

Game companies still have the source code an tooling sitting around. With some minor texture brushups, they can release a "remastered" version and get $20 out of people again.

Nintendo games are the odd ones here, because their love of novel gameplay means that a lot of first party games need to run on OG hardware for the full experience. Think Wii, DS/3DS.

You don't care about newer games because you've gotten older. Kids younger than us are forming core memories with today's games, and are depending on those more capable to preserve their childhood memories.

Also, there has been an indie Renaissance since 2010, I could name dozens of games that are already widely regarded classics. Happy to make some recommendations if you are into any particular genres.

> most games will run on future hardware.

I'm starting to get uncertain about how much longer there will even exist future Playstation hardware. Apple and Google phones have devoured the casual/mobile gaming market and as that market hits saturation they'll be eyeing the prestige AAA gaming market. It's not hard to imagine that a modern iPhone or flagship Android has the hardware chops to run something like GTA 6 at an acceptable level of quality. Continuing the GTA 6 example, it's not hard to imagine Rockstar taking one look at the TAM of current-gen console owners vs. the TAM of high-end phone owners and realizing how much more money they could be making by porting it to the majority platform. With the right games signed on (GTA, FIFA, Madden, COD), all it would take is either Apple or Google releasing a $100 dock-plus-controller to absolutely blow the traditional console makers out of the water; everyone either needs or already has a phone, and nobody needs a dedicated game console.

The point being, it's not much comfort to preservationists to consider the longevity of a proprietary platform that might realistically be defunct in a decade. I don't know if there will be a PS7, but I tend to doubt there will ever be a PS8.

> most games will run on future hardware.

Until Sony decides you no longer own them.

Do you honestly believe that most of the thousands of PS2, PS3 and PS4 games will get vibe-coded backend clones?

IIRC, the PS2 did not download game updates or patches from the internet. The game on the disk was what you played. As long as you had a PS2 and the disk, you could play the exact game you played so many years ago.

With the PS5, the disk is more or less a key that lets the console download the game. Having the console and the disk is a guarantee of nothing in the future other than you can probably play the buggy mess that they packaged up way before the game was done.

I remember downloading ISOs at like 4-8 KB/s from FTPs. It was an achievement to even get one successfully downloaded and ready to burn.

eDonkey times, nice times.

we/they don't play much CO-OP games, mostly split screen against each other, almost all platformers would be co-op

What we/they play:

my favorite game (but they are sick of it, not appreciating it, most of the time I win) is Worms Armageddon (part of Worms Revolution collection)

Blur - racing with fun for me and son

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing or Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed - all of us including dauther

Little Big Planet - co-op platformer, all of us liked it until it got really difficult

NHL Legacy edition - all of us ocassionally

MotorStorm - Pacific Rift - racing, seems only son, but I can bear it for while

Children like (but without me):

Minecraft - PlayStation 3 Edition - they play it offline like all games we have, I guess it is co-op

Rayman Legends - co-op platformer

The Simpsons Game - co-op platformer, but needs to think, can get stuck in places

and since we watch together MotoGP and F1 they recently started to play F1 2013 - Complete Edition, but seems too difficult, for racing the best fun is first Sonic all star racing or Blur

on PS2:

LEGO Batman - co-op platformer, but requires lot of thinking

Shrek 2 - same as above

we liked from PS1:

Crash team racing, but now it is replaced with sonic with better graphics on PS3

Circuit Breakers (USA) - racing, all of us

FoxKids.com - Micro Maniacs Racing - racing, but with running characters

Tom and Jerry in House Trap - they like