Tutorial PS2 Classics in 2018, The Easy Way!

[kehkou]

For HAN Users, there is an easier method (Link) by @Ominous66521.

This is a guide for PS3 CFW users inject your own PS2 games into pkg format for those who only get black screen and unsynced controllers following all other 'ancient' guides, aimed mostly at noobs. This technique was honed using out-of-date instructions that either are obsolete and missing tools, or require you to use that ugly "placeholder" pkg, and also sweat, tears and sleepless nights. For those that are familiar with PS2 classics injection and package install, I simply delegate the encryption to the console with MultiMan. For the noobs, I will try to be as thorough as I can, but you still have to acquire all the files yourself; easy (unless you can't use google)!

Prerequisites

• PS3 with non-DEX CFW (I have Ferrox 4.82, no Cobra)
• Computer (I use Win 7)
• USB Mass Storage Device
• Internet Access (Hi!)
  
• Knowledge of PKG install on PS3
• Knowledge of basic image editing
• A Brain

What You Need

• Google
• A backup of your favorite PS2 game, ISO format
• The latest release of MultiMan for PS3, pkg base version is sufficient
• TrueAncestor_PKG_Repacker_v2.45, or your favorite pkg packer, PS2 compatible
• PS2 Classics game in pkg format, with RAP file or preactivated, smaller is better, faster.
• PS2 Classics Placeholder r2 (r3 might work, untested)(Only temporary, we will be making pkg games)
• Paint.NET or your favorite image editor w/ transparency support, PNG 32-bit support
• Font SCE_PS3 Rodin
• PSNPatch

What to Do

Spoiler: Step 1 - Setup

1. Gather the tools and supplies listed above using Google. You can download the placeholder from inside Multiman
2. Extraxt the pkg PS2 game and TrueAncestor to a "working folder".
3. On PS3, install Mulitiman, PSNPatch, and the placeholder, (download placeholder in Multiman, all the way to the right)
4. Install PS2 Classics pkg game
5. If NOT preactivated, i.e. it has a RAP file, put RAP in folder EXDATA on the USB root, run PSNPatch and press L1 to activate the game. This activates the EDAT file we need to craft games with. You can uninstall the PKG game from the console now, or keep it if you wish.

Spoiler: Step 2 - The Base Template

1. Back on PC, put the PKG game we had installed, then uninstalled, in the pkg folder in "TrueAncestor_PKG_Repacker_v2.45\pkg" folder.
2. Run TrueAncestor and unpack PKG.
3. Go to "TrueAncestor_PKG_Repacker_v2.45\game" folder, there is our base template. open it, open USRDIR folder and delete ISO.BIN.ENC, and CONTENT and SAVEDATA folders, we don't need them. We DO need ISO.BIN.EDAT, so DO NOT DELETE IT!!
4. Get the Title ID (SLUS2XXXX), a very short summary of the game, and box art for the game we are injecting from Google, save this info.
5. 'Edit' PIC0 and ICON0 png's in Paint.NET
6. ICON0: Use Box Select tool to select the picture PS2 box only not the border, make note of the bounding box size in pixels. Resize your new box art to this size, then type CTRL+A and CTRL+V to copy it, go back to the ICON0 tab and tpe CTRL+V to past it. Line it up to the border and save as PNG 32-bit.
7. PIC0: You will notice there is a gradient top to bottom (two, actually) To delete the words (either the summery or the title, one at a time), select a skinny column of gradient with the Box Select tool that looks like the following character: | next the body of text to delete, and a little taller than the text. Use move tool to stretch it over the text body. Viola!. Repeat for other text body i.e. the game title. Type your info in, use bold with the font "SCE_PS3 RODIN". Use your judgment for size of summary font. Title font should be 34 points large. Type black first, then repeat with white, slightly up and to the left of black text, to create text shadow effect. If you desire, paste over a correct ESRB label. Save as PNG 32-bit.
8. Launch TrueAncestor and go to edit PARAM.SFO, choose template folder. Edit in the game name, and type in the title id. Make sure it says is a "2P PS2" game (it doesn't mean "2 player"). Save system file, and hit OK on the warning pop up. Exit the editor. Rename the template folder to the title id of the new ps2 game (SLUS2XXXX-like format) This is our template.

You can copy contents to a folder with a different ID for a different game and repeat!

Spoiler: Step 3 - Encrypting the PS2 ISO - The Easy Way

1. Put your PS2 ISO backup on the USB device in the folder PS2ISO
2. Insert into the rightmost USB Port on PS3
3. Launch MultiMan, go over to "Retro" icon and select your PS2 game with (X), "Install game as package?", select yes.
4. Wait for encryption.
5. Load the new game that pops up with [PS2 Classics] bracket. You can delete the other one from USB now.
6. Back in XMB, launch PS2 Classics Placeholder (now loaded with your game). This will encrypt the Memory card files. Exit after it gets to the main game menu.
7. Launch MultiMan
8. Press SEL+START to get to the mmOS desktop.
9. Open: Root\HDD_000:\PS2ISO and copy the game folder within, (O) then (X).
10. Open: Root\USB_000:\ and paste game folder to the USB Device. You can now go back to mmXMB and delete the game completely from "Retro" icon.
11. Exit MultiMan.

Repeat for each game you wish to inject.

Spoiler: Step 4 - Packaging Game

1. Plug USB device into PC and copy the contents of the your game's folder (ISO.BIN.ENC and folder SAVEDATA) into the template folder in TrueAncestor_PKG_Repacker_v2.45\game\[TitleID]\USRDIR\
2. Launch TrueAncestor
3. Type 2 (custom package), 9 (PS2 Classic), and select your game folder Title ID.
4. When it asks, type the ID in the following format where "A" can be any letter, "5" can be any number, and "X" is any number or letter, but AAAA55555 should be the Title ID of the PS2 game: 2P0001_AAAA55555_00-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . For X I like to use _00-0000000000000001. So for example, I made Mega Man X8 as : 2P0001_SLES-52988_00-0000000000000001.
5. Hit enter and let it do its thing.

The PKG file is in the TrueAncestor_PKG_Repacker_v2.45\pkg folder. Put it on USB and install. Repeat for each game folder. After you are done making PS2 games, you can delete the PS2 Classics Placeholder from the PS3 forever!

That's all there is to it, just using the PS3 to encrypt the ISO. Enjoy your new PS2 classics!

 

[bootmonster]

Webman is a whole lot easier than this btw

 

[mikey420]

Yeah um why not just use a cobra enable CFW and load it via ISO using either Multiman or webman? I mean the pkg method is really outdated and much more complicated.

 

[cots]

Nice guide for users who wish to have PKG installed on their system.

 

[kehkou]

Yeah um why not just use a cobra enable CFW and load it via ISO using either Multiman or webman? I mean the pkg method is really outdated and much more complicated.

Same reason I use WUP instead of RetroArch. I'm one of those souls who likes having everything look official (OEM-like). This guide is for others like me who have exhausted every other method to run PS2 (except obviously mm and that dreadful placeholder). Webman errored out on me, and this guide actually uses and abuses the Multiman ISO loading system.

 

[spotanjo3]

Sorry but WebMan MOD is the easy way. However, it is other way, good one.

 

[SG854]

I have to ask my mommy if I can use the playstation so I can try this guide out. Right now I'm grounded. I want ps2 because it looks fun.

 

[Yepi69]

Does this method work with the original PS2 emu or just the COBRA one? I know the Webman method only works with the COBRA emu.

I have to ask my mommy if I can use the playstation so I can try this guide out. Right now I'm grounded. I want ps2 because it looks fun.

Christ...

 

[Leobgood]

Thanks! This greatly appreciated. BTW what is WUP?

 

[SG854]

Mom got very angry. I can't play ps2 and I want to soooo... badly. Its not fair. I have the worst life.

Does this method work with the original PS2 emu or just the COBRA one? I know the Webman method only works with the COBRA emu.

Christ...

He says in prerequisite he is not using cobra.

• PS3 with non-DEX CFW (I have Ferrox 4.82, no Cobra)

 

[Yepi69]

Mom got very angry. I can't play ps2 and I want to soooo... badly. Its not fair. I have the worst life.


He says in prerequisite he is not using cobra.

• PS3 with non-DEX CFW (I have Ferrox 4.82, no Cobra)

It doesn't work like that and there needs to be an emulator behind it.
The original PS2 emu didn't worked for me, with or without COBRA.
With or without .pkg installation. However toggling the COBRA emulator on worked but choppy as hell.

 

[Ryccardo]

Does this method work with the original PS2 emu or just the COBRA one? I know the Webman method only works with the COBRA emu.

The "Cobra" PS2 emulator is "just" an on the fly patch of the official ones, to use isos instead of real discs or iso.edat respectively: that's why it's required for PS2 loading in the *man programs

AFAIK "PS2 classics" always use ps2_netemu, which never uses hardware...



(OP seems the type to be going to publish a guide on making (the considerably harder to make) PS1 classics in the future. I'll keep dreaming...)

 

[kehkou]

Does this method work with the original PS2 emu or just the COBRA one? I know the Webman method only works with the COBRA emu.

Original, just like if you installed it from PSN store.
That's probably why Webman didn't work for me, but Multiman does!

Thanks! This greatly appreciated. BTW what is WUP?

No problemo! WUP is for Wii U, but is several encrypted files in a folder (.app, etc.) rather than a container like PS3's .pkg, Wii's .wad, or 3DS .cia files.

(OP seems the type to be going to publish a guide on making (the considerably harder to make) PS1 classics in the future. I'll keep dreaming...)

I'll be sure to wake you up soon...

EDIT: Rather than publish a PSX tutorial, I'll link to the instructions from the developer themselves: aldostools
It is as simple as:
1. Create EBOOT.PBP from iso with PSX2PSP (Compression:0-None)
2. Place EBOOT.PBP in workbench directory
3. Run _Fix_EBOOT.PBP_.exe (wait until EBOOT.PBP is moved to PKG directory)
4. Make PKG.

You can make the PKG with TrueAncestor; it has a PSOne Classics option. You can reuse part of my guide here to make a base using an extracted PSOne Classics pkg or online templates (tool might come with templates). No activation (other than of the console) is required. That page also has instructions by another poster to make multi-disc games.

Link; scroll down to post #19 by aldostools

 

[MiiJack]

So, is there a compatibility list of all the ps2 games so far? I want to play Dark cloud 2 in the future.

 

[kehkou]

So, is there a compatibility list of all the ps2 games so far? I want to play Dark cloud 2 in the future.

There's one here, though I'm not sure how up to date it is.

 

[skydancer93]

If I'm using Ferrox Cobra on my Slim, can't I just run an ISO?

 

[kehkou]

If I'm using Ferrox Cobra on my Slim, can't I just run an ISO?

You can, even without cobra, but this guide is not for that. It is for making your own PS2 packages for those who wish to have it on their XMB permanently, like an official PS2 classic from the PSN store.

 

[tbb043]

As far as I know, I have no use for this at the moment, but it's always good to have more ways to do stuff available.

 

[kehkou]

As far as I know, I have no use for this at the moment, but it's always good to have more ways to do stuff available.

Yes, especially when the traditional methods didn't work for you.

 

[kingtut]

Does this improve compatibility maybe? like with crash twinsanity?