forums.ps2dev.org

Hi everyone!

I'm absolutely new to ps2 homebrew development, right now I'm working myself through the tutorials and am trying to get the toolchain working.

Do I understand it right that there are only two approaches for loading a self-written program into the ps2? I understand that you either a) have to have a modchip or b) do it by the knife method. Is that true?

But what I would love to do is code a funny, tiny game (like space invaders or something), burn it on a CD and give it to my friends (who have no modchip and won't use the knife method). So that they can start it up like any other,"original" ps2 game. Is that possible? If not, why?

Greetings,
Anton

Seems like the situation is even worse - on new PS2s the Demo Disk is a DVD-ROM - so even the knife method doesn't work.

Am I wrong?

No, it is not possible to burn a cd and have it boot like a normal game.

There is however, a third way of booting homebrew code that might interest you.

You've mentioned the modchip, and the knife swap, but there is also the ps2-independence exploit.

The ps2-independence exploit is used by putting a specially crafted save file onto your memory card, and then when you put in a ps1 game that is listed in the save file the exploit will load and run a homebrew program from the memory card instead of the ps1 game running.

You do need some way of getting the files to the memory card to start with, such as a modchip, knife swap, or commercial device such as an xport.

I've been using the exploit to boot ps2link for all my testing needs, it works quite nicely :)

mrbrown's site is having dns problems and I can't think of the mirror, so the best I can do for a link is http://www.ps2savetools.com which should at least have the files needed for the exploit.

p.s. If my post seems confusing, or hard to read at all, it's because I just woke up.

Corwin wrote:Seems like the situation is even worse - on new PS2s the Demo Disk is a DVD-ROM - so even the knife method doesn't work.

Am I wrong?

Some PS2's (mine at least) don't come with demo discs at all.

Drakonite wrote:No, it is not possible to burn a cd and have it boot like a normal game.

But why?
I mean, has it something to do with copy protection? Or how does the ps2 recognize wether the cd in it's drive is a commercial one or homebrew?

ant0n wrote:But why?
I mean, has it something to do with copy protection? Or how does the ps2 recognize wether the cd in it's drive is a commercial one or homebrew?

Of course the PS2 can make no difference. So, yeah, it has something to do with copy protection. The PS2 would be able to boot your homebrew CD, if it wasn't thinking you're trying to boot a copied PS2 game.

pixel wrote:Of course the PS2 can make no difference. So, yeah, it has something to do with copy protection. The PS2 would be able to boot your homebrew CD, if it wasn't thinking you're trying to boot a copied PS2 game.

Okay. What would one have to do to fool a ps2 into thinking that the burned cd with the homebrew code on it is actually a commercial, copy-protected one?
How do we create a proper copy protection for it? I mean, it *must* be possible to do this somehow, of course. Else there wouldn't exist any self-booting cd's for the ps2 at all.

I believe it requires pressing a disc rather than burning it.

But regardless, this topic is probably drifting a bit too close to piracy. If you want to know more you should talk to ps2newz or ps2ownz, I forget which. We tend to focus more on creating new code on the PS2 and not so much on the ways of getting around protections.

That said, I'm sure someone here could help you out with installing the exploit onto a memory card if you mail it to them, then you could share that with your friends easily enough.

ooPo wrote:I believe it requires pressing a disc rather than burning it.

But regardless, this topic is probably drifting a bit too close to piracy.
[...]
We tend to focus more on creating new code on the PS2 and not so much on the ways of getting around protections.

I didn't want to know how to "crack" and/or copy games; and I agree with you that the whole idea of ps2 development is about creating new code. I just wanted to find a way to create cd's with my *own, original* code on it. Cd's which don't rely on a modchip/knifemethod/ps1-exploit workaround. Because I think that these three methods of loading own code are somewhat inconvenient and have quite a few disadvantages. (I admit that I am apparently the only one who thinks so.)
So if I want to burn my own code on a cd and let it boot, I have to fool the ps2 into thinking that it's an "original" program/cd. But that doesn't mean that I'm into software piracy.
Anyway, you seem to be right about the pressed cd's. And that's why it's not possible.
The topic seems to be killed now; thanks all for your answers!

ant0n wrote:I just wanted to find a way to create cd's with my *own, original* code on it. Cd's which don't rely on a modchip/knifemethod/ps1-exploit workaround. Because I think that these three methods of loading own code are somewhat inconvenient and have quite a few disadvantages. (I admit that I am apparently the only one who thinks so.)

Don't look at us, look at sony. I'm sure all of us here wish we could just burn our programs to a cd and have it work on a ps2, but we can't because sony has designed the ps2 to prevent it.

Sorry if I seem out of line... You just seem to be blaming us for not being able to burn cds and have them just work ;)

I think the exploit will boot any program you can fit on the memorycard. All you'd have to do is put it on the memorycard for your friends and tell them to boot it with a psx game.

It doesn't really get any easier than that at the moment. Sorry. :)

Drakonite wrote:Don't look at us, look at sony.
[...]
Sorry if I seem out of line... You just seem to be blaming us for not being able to burn cds and have them just work ;)

I am sorry, I didn't want to sound offensive, and I'm blaming nobody. When I said "thanks all for your answers" there was no irony intended. I am indeed thankful, because I really didn't know about the ps2-independece exploit, and I hadn't had the idea that the ps2 can distinguish between burned and pressed cd's. So, I really learned something in this thread!
English is not my first language, so it might have been that I sounded offensive, but believe me: I didn't want to blame anyone here for the fact that I can't boot my ps2 with a a burned cd.
Anyway, for now I'll try to go with the ps2-independece exploit, until we find a way to fake copy protection.

You just can't fake copy protection at all. The "protection" lies inside the inner sectors of the CD/DVD, where you just can't write to using any CD/DVD burner around. Only "Sony" can, or anybody which has an hold of big CD/DVD pressing machines, and know how to actually press the protection.

So, your next question would be: how official developpers do? As far as I know, they don't. Well, I've heard of a special "debug" PS2 which would actually not take care of the copy protection. But that's only a rumor I heard.

So, the official way of developping a game or whatever never (or really not often at all) imply CD or DVD burning. That's only when you'll press the final release of the game/software, and publish it, that you'll also press the copy protection. But you just can't using any standard CD/DVD burner.


What you don't seem to understand is that the protection has no link at all with the actual code which is run. Even if it's your code, and that you worked hard for it, it still has to get pressed with these special headers on. No way to turn around that.

Furthermore: if you want to officially develop for the PS2, you should get a developper license from Sony. Then you'll get whatever you want in order to be able to produce your own CDs. The "copy protection" is also here to disallow "foreign, non authorized code" to run.