PS1/2 How to softmod ps2 fat??

[Skullbash2000]

I'm trying to hack the ps2 fat to play games on itwhere should we start?

 

[psvpwner]

Your best bet is to somehow aquire an installation of Free McBoot on your memory card. There are many ways to achieve this, some of them are listed on this website: http://bootleg.sksapps.com/tutorials/fmcb/

If you have access to another PS2 console with a modchip installed you could use that to easily install Free McBoot on a memory card that you would use in your unmodded console.

 

[G0R3Z]

Free MCboot using an official PS2 memory card (make sure it has Magicgate on it) and use either AR max or a compatible exploitable game. There is a bit fiddling around, you need the files on a usb drive, you need to edit and burn an iso of that exploitable game to a disk and do a disk swap trick to make the uloader work. After that it's pretty easy.

Looking for a good tutorial on Youtube is a good start.

Words of advice though before you start, all fats and some slims (lower than 9xxxxx) models of slims will be compatible. USe high quality media for backup disks (I use sony media, almost 100% compatibility, if something goes wrong it's my fault not the media) and use an official memory card. Some people have had very bad experiences using third party cards, nowhere close to bricking the console, but corruption and things like that. A good rule of thumb is to install FMCB on an official card and use a large capacity card for saves.

After you're done, you can use ESR to make backup (obviously not pirated ) disks and OpenPS2loader to load games using internal HDD for a fat console and over network or external hard drives. There are a few emulators, but they're not really worth it.

 

[emmanu888]

Of course if you have a HDD in your PS2, then you can easily softmod the console with a hard drive image which includes everything to install FreeHDBoot which is the HDD variant of FreeMCBoot.

Not giving links to the hard drive image since i don't think i can link to it.

 

[Alacres]

I was thinking about tackling this myself now that I have just about everything I need to do it (I think...). I was planning on using this guide here. In the description he says that "any size" HDD will do, but I could have sworn that I read the PS2 had a size limit or something. Is that true? Or could I actually get one of the bigger IDE drives out there for this? Also, does the method shown in this video seem legit? I'm totally new to the PS2 modding scene.

 

[G0R3Z]

I was thinking about tackling this myself now that I have just about everything I need to do it (I think...). I was planning on using this guide here. In the description he says that "any size" HDD will do, but I could have sworn that I read the PS2 had a size limit or something. Is that true? Or could I actually get one of the bigger IDE drives out there for this? Also, does the method shown in this video seem legit? I'm totally new to the PS2 modding scene.

Nah, FreeHDboot has no size limit now. Some people are using 2TB SATA drives with an IDE converter. Hundreds of games, emulators, roms, apps etc. Plus room for Online gaming on private servers. Some people say 160GB max for compatibility, but there's no real problem with the development the way it is.

 

[Alacres]

Nah, FreeHDboot has no size limit now. Some people are using 2TB SATA drives with an IDE converter. Hundreds of games, emulators, roms, apps etc. Plus room for Online gaming on private servers. Some people say 160GB max for compatibility, but there's no real problem with the development the way it is.

Nice, that's good to know. Don't suppose there are any recommended HDDs for this? I noticed on one guide that you have to take the network adapter shielding off in order to use Western Digital drives, and since most of the IDE drives I can find are WD, I'm afraid I'll have to do that. Is the shielding important at all?

Thanks for the info, btw .

 

[geishroy]

I'm trying to hack the ps2 fat to play games on itwhere should we start?

If you can't find AR MAX you can do the Agent Under Fire swap but it would require disassembly of the machine and some timing I guess (and a legit and burned copy of AUF). It is sometimes easier to find this game then it is to find the AR MAX, I think it goes for like $5 at most shops, at least when I bought it a year ago.

 

[zfreeman]

 

[G0R3Z]

I used Agent under fire (any version will work, don't accept people who say platinum versions don't count, mine is platinum) with a modded agent under fire iso on a separate disk and used a disk swap. There's lots of tutorials on youtube. It's very easy, but if you have a Hard drive for your PS2, the HDboot way is apparently better, since you free up memory card space.

Use the noobie package, then get OPL (the most recent release on PSXscene) and you're set. Learn how to install menu shortcuts and such, it'll save you time.

 

[easycrashing]

i used the free mcboot thing with metal gear solid game on official memory card to do it

 

[zfreeman]

For those with a SATA HDD: http://gbatemp.net/threads/fat-ps2-sata-to-ide-hdd-adapter-setup.387164/