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PS2 - Homebrew, Games, Cheats, and More
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ps2_homebrew.md

PS2 - Homebrew, Games, Cheats, and More

Hardware

Expansion Bay (HDD)

Official 3rd-party
Supports SLIM Models*1 ❌ ❌
RJ45 Network Port (Ethernet) ✔️ ❌
Online Play ✔️ ❌
HDD Connection IDE*2 IDE or SATA
Maximum Supported Capacity*3 2TB 2TB
Maximum Supported SSD/HDD Size 3.5" 3.5"

*1 Technically both can support SLIM models, However, you need to solder it directly to the system and it wont fit in the shell.
*2 The Official Expansion Bay Network Adaptor can be updated to a SATA connection using a 3rd-party "SATA Upgrade Kit".
There are two versions of the kit, v1, and the more compact v2.
*3 This is a limitation of the custom file-system Sony used for the PS2. You can technically use a larger HDD, but any bit of capacity past 2TB will not be usable.

Homebrew

The following is a list of common homebrew software for various types of users that most will at least take a look at.
Some of these are up-to-date forks and continuations of previously discontinued or abandoned software. Not all software
listed here is still maintained, but would still be listed due to popularity or lack of alternative.

  • Free Memory Card Boot (FMCB, FreeMCBoot) - Exploit for running homebrew off of a Memory Card.
  • wLaunchELF - PS2 File Manager and Executable Launcher.
  • OPL - Open Source Game and Application loader for the PS2 and PS3, supporting USB, HDD, and, SMB shares.
  • OPL Manager - Manager for OPL configuration, metadata, artwork, cheats, and more.
  • POPStarter - Starter for the Sony Playstation-on-Playstation Emulator.
  • Padtest - Controller tester supporting PlayStation 1 and 2 controllers.

For users with an Internal-HDD

  • Free Hard Drive Boot - Alternative to Free Memory Card Boot for the HDD, freeing up room for more save files.
  • pfsshell - APA-formatted HDD PFS Filesystem Manager.
  • hdl-dump - HDLoader Game Installer for APA-formatted HDDs.
  • HDL Batch Installer - GUI for hdl-dump with Batch Installation capability.
  • PS2 HDD Art Batcher - Combination of scripts to copy files into an APA-formatted HDDs OPL partition.

For reverse-engineering and Cheat Codes

  • PS2 Hacking Toolkit - ELF Extractor, Hex Converter, MIPS Mini Assembler, PCSX2 Breakpoint Tool, and more.
  • Mastercode Finder - Analyzes ELF files and generates raw 90-type master codes.
  • ELF Search Tool - HEX Data search program for ELF files. Supports partial hex patterns, and automatic PNACH generation.
  • PNACH Converter - Converts PNACH files into RAW, Unique HEX search/replace strings, or Modified ELFs.
  • PCSX2 Widescreen Helper - Helps search for potential widescreen cheats, but can also be used as a value searcher.
  • PS2 Patch Engine - Embed both static (ELF) and run-time (memory) patches directly into PS2 disc images.

Cheat Codes

  • Widescreen Patches RAW, PNACH - Widens the field-of-view or aspect ratio of the game from 4:3 to 16:9.
  • Progressive Patches 1 - AKA No-Interlacing Patches, Disables interlaced output for a more favorable progressive scan output.
  • Fatal Frame Patches - Disables extremely blurry cutscenes due to poor upscaling.
  • Visual glitch Patches - Fixes visual ailments that occur in some games, such as black bars or broken textures.
  • Noise/grain filter Patches - Removes noise/grain removing filters.
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