Hacking PS1/2 Tonyhax International: Backup Loader For All Japanese, USA, and PAL PS1 Consoles/Early PS2 Consoles + GameShark/Cheat Cart Flasher

[alexfree]

Version 1.5.3 (9/2/2024)​

https://github.com/alex-free/tonyhax/releases/download/v1.5.3i/tonyhax-international-v1.5.3.zip

Changes:

• GameID support for MemCardPro/SD2PSX. Additionally, Tonyhax International is the first to support early Japanese games (with 'PSX.EXE' bootfile) with GameID. Big thanks to the testers @lzibeti and @kimbapslice!
• Modified RAM layout to handle a larger decompression by PS1 packer
• Implemented a fix to work-around a 29 year old bug in the game Kileak, The Blood (Japan) which caused previous versions of Tonyhax International and all versions of the original Tonyhax to not boot it successfully.
• Implemented the same functions that the original Tonyhax now uses to handle ignoring the garbage SP values in the PS-X executable header.
• Integrated psn00bsdk-builder into the build system. You can now run make toolchain or make toolchain deps to build and or install the complete Tonyhax International dev environment on many Linux systems.
• Loader bug fix: closes memory card/controller input pulling for all consoles (not just Japanese ones) after reading the target boot disc.
• Removed my '80 Minute CD-R PS2 hardware bug software-fix' from the loader. I have done this because while my '80 Minute CD-R PS2 hardware bug software-fix' ensures correct reading of 80 minute CD-Rs while inside Tonyhax International, it can not do anything about what happens in-game after being booted. At least one game (Street Fighter Alpha 3 (USA)) crashes in-game due to the PS2 hardware bug with 80 minute/700MB CD-Rs, and that can not be fixed by my software-fix. Please instead use my PSX80MP to patch games that will be burned on 80 minute/700MB CD-Rs and played on PS2s. This is not required for using 80 minute/700MB CD-Rs on PS1 consoles.
• Documentation clean up and improvements.

 

[alexfree]

Version 1.5.4 (9/16/2024)​

• tonyhax-international-v1.5.4

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Changes:

• Improved GameID support. More (nearly all) PSX.EXE games are now supported for GameID by my new library (please use it Unirom people!). MemCardPro 2 now works, fixed all timing issues related to talking with GameID. Big thanks to everyone who reports issues and helped with testing.
• Due to user request, I have re-introduced a new and improved PS2 hardware bug software fix for 80 minute CD-Rs with additional info.
• Modified RAM layout to handle a larger EXE decompressed by Nicholas Noble's brilliant PS1 packer.
• Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu '95 (Japan) (Rev 0) now works again, as it did in v1.5.2 and below.
• Added better debug variables/settings for use by myself during testing.

 

[alexfree]

Version 1.5.5 (9/27/2024)​

• tonyhax-international-v1.5.5

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Changes:

• Fixed GameID support for Eisei Meijin (Japan) (Rev 1) (thanks to the bug report by @sh06un). Added support for a few more PSX.EXE titles as well, and updated my library with more documentation.
• GameID detection happens quicker now then before.

 

[alexfree]

Version 1.5.6 (10/6/2024)​

• tonyhax-international-v1.5.6

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Changes:

• Now that I actually have a GameID compatible device (Bitfunx PSXMemCard), I was able to further test GameID support (which was originally developed and then tested by others before implementing it into the official releases). I noticed that for some games which do not have the boot file in the root directory (i.e. TEKKEN3\SLUS_004.02;1) the extremely long filename causes some invalid characters in the index.txt of the GameID device. This is just a visual thing, and didn't impact any functionality of GameID or the save files themselves. This was fixed so that Tonyhax International now strips any parent directories and only sends the boot file name itself (i.e.SLUS_004.02;1) instead during GameID transmission.
• Similar to above, I also noticed that early Japanese PSX.EXE titles were sending only the serial product code and ending (i.e 000.01;1 for Ridge Racer (Japan)) as the GameID, and that is what was written in the index.txt. Again, while this doesn't impact any functionality of GameID or the saves, it's not correct so now Tonyhax International sends the fully reconstructed boot file properly (i.e. SLPS_000.01;1).
• Please note that due to the above 2 changes, you may need to edit your index.txt file on your GameID device if you used a game that was affected, to point to the game's memory card image generated by a previous version of Tonyhax International. You will not need to do this again for future Tonyhax International updates.
• GameID devices are now detected earlier in the Tonyhax International loader. The reason for this is if you use the FreePSXBoot exploit on a GameID device, you don't need to remove the GameID device from the console before booting a game (since GameID switches the memory card image), unlike normal FreePSXBoot memory cards. The REMOVE THE FREEPSXBOOT MEMORY CARD FROM YOUR CONSOLE... BEFORE BOOTING ANY GAME! now does not show if you have a GameID device in slot 1 of the console for the FreePSXBoot method.
• Updated FreePSXBoot documentation with info on how to use it with GameID compatible memory cards.
• Updated GameID documentation with instructions on how to use a Bitfunx PSXMemCard with GameID.
• Improved the PS2 Hardware bug software-based fix documentation.
• Cleaned up the Tonyhax vs Tonyhax International diff to be more clear about code changes in comparison to the original Tonyhax loader.

Post automatically merged: Oct 7, 2024

Version 1.5.7 (10/7/2024)​

• tonyhax-international-v1.5.7

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Changes:

• Bug fix: v1.5.6 introduced a regression that caused some games to send an empty GameID string. This has been addressed with better boot file parsing for GameID.

 

[alexfree]

Version 1.5.8 (10/10/2024)​

• tonyhax-international-v1.5.8

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Changes:

• The loader now resets memory card/controller polling to a clean state during initial start up. This fixes a bug that caused the ROM entrypoint to not detect GameID devices, since the BIOS is initializing the memory cards and controllers so close to the loader taking over execution from the BIOS. Thank you @kimbapslice for bringing this bug to my attention and testing the fixes.

 

[greator]

Cool hax but I don't know why we are still stuck with using cd backups. I hope someone would continue the pico ode to compete with the expensive xstation.

 

[SylverReZ]

Cool hax but I don't know why we are still stuck with using cd backups. I hope someone would continue the pico ode to compete with the expensive xstation.

Hope they can update the Pico variant to support later models in the future.

 

[alexfree]

Cool hax but I don't know why we are still stuck with using cd backups. I hope someone would continue the pico ode to compete with the expensive xstation.

Not everyone wants to modify console hardware. Taking the original hardware as far as it can go can be part of the fun.

 

[SylverReZ]

Not everyone wants to modify console hardware. Taking the original hardware as far as it can go can be part of the fun.

Exactly. I still like using my optical disc drive as is, and getting an ODE is too expensive.

 

[alexfree]

Exactly. I still like using my optical disc drive as is, and getting an ODE is too expensive.

Right. ODEs are very cool from a technical accomplishment prospective, and have their place in the scene. But I like making my own game discs, having a physical collection of CD-Rs with nice cases, and I like that we can make the console do things it was never supposed to allow.

 

[SylverReZ]

Right. ODEs are very cool from a technical accomplishment prospective, and have their place in the scene. But I like making my own game discs, having a physical collection of CD-Rs with nice cases, and I like that we can make the console do things it was never supposed to allow.

About all of my games are burned on CD-Rs and having a physical collection is great.