PS2DEV

[Kelly]

Okay, I realize that I have been posting a lot of messages and so, in order to keep the forums a tad-bit cleaner, I'm going to ask all of my questions inside of this single thread. First of all, what I'm using...

I have an NTSC PS2 that is not modded in any way. It's a completely regular PS2. I wish it keep it that way, but, if all else fails and I have no other choice but to buy and install a mod-chip, I will.

I would like to begin developing a game on the PS2 that we (my friends and I) have been planning for many months now. We're ready to begin developing.

What I need...

I need a method to load up my PS2 with the program that is quick and easy and does not require swapping discs. I've heard the 'PS2 Independance' exploit is rather good yet I have had some other problems (like getting the PS2 to read a CD-R).

I would prefer not to use a Windows environment but I will if need be.

I don't mean to sound blunt but I have given you my specific needs and I reckon that if I ask straight-forward questions, determining what I need will be easier for myself and everyone else.

Thanks.

[mharris]

I have an NTSC PS2 that is not modded in any way. It's a completely regular PS2. I wish it keep it that way, but, if all else fails and I have no other choice but to buy and install a mod-chip, I will.

A mod chip is unnecessary, and is frowned upon my many members here. Some other members do have chipped systems, but the bottom line is that to do ps2dev you don't need one.

I need a method to load up my PS2 with the program that is quick and easy and does not require swapping discs. I've heard the 'PS2 Independance' exploit is rather good yet I have had some other problems (like getting the PS2 to read a CD-R).

The PS2 Independence Day is probably the preferred method, and you'll find the most support here for that. It is convenient, flexible, and requires no modchip.

But, as you mentioned, the big issue is the bootstrap problem: you must have a way to install the exploit onto a memory card. As you've no doubt noticed, the PS2 will not boot from a CD-R, for obvious reasons. Really, there are a limited number of ways to install the exploit that I'm aware of:

• burn the installer to a CD-R and use a chipped system
• use a gray-market tool like Swap Magic in conjunction with the knife trick
• have a friend with the exploit already installed copy the memorycard image for you (or write a program to create one...)

I've also heard around here that tools like Xport can be used but I don't know anything about that.

I've joked around that I'm gonna start a mail order business selling pre-installed memory cards, because this problem comes up again and again. But I'd probably be jailed under the DMCA and/or the Patriot Act.

I would prefer not to use a Windows environment but I will if need be.

The ps2dev environment -- GNU cross-compilers, linkers, binutils, etc. -- are very platform independent. I use Linux; the majority here seem to use Cygwin (GNU environment for Win32), others use OSX and *BSD.

In the unlikely event that your system of choice isn't one of the above, odds are gcc already supports it, so building the toolchain from source should be as simple as providing the appropriate "--host=vax-vms" (or whatever) param to the ./configure script.

I don't mean to sound blunt but I have given you my specific needs and I reckon that if I ask straight-forward questions, determining what I need will be easier for myself and everyone else.

Hope this helps. Getting started is a huge obstacle; once you're past that, it's just programming ;-)

[Oobles]

Nice post mharris. To clarify, I am positive that an Xport or similar tool can be used to upload the exploit. www.ps2savetools.com has many of the tools required to set this up.

I just went to the site to check and they have this link. http://nachbrenner.pcsx2.net/xploit/index.html to prepackaged xPort files ready to go.

[Kelly]

Hmm, that was a very good post. I have my entire tool-chain built and ready to use. I suppose all I need now is just a way to load the pogram on to my PS2 but I still have a few questions...

I know that I need to edit the TITLE.DB file on the memory card and add the disc of choice to the list. I was wondering exactly how this loading thing works.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but so far I think that I have to add the discs title to TITLE.DB then I have to load a program such as ps2link onto the memory card. Then, when I insert that disc, the PS2 will load the program off of the memory card.

I've also read about a file called BOOT.ELF. Do I need to do anything with this? My last trouble is getting the program loaded onto my memory card but I don't really know of a way to access the memory card.

Again, that was a really good post mharris but I have a question for you. How did you get access to your memory card?

Edit: I just realized that oobles updated one of my older messages directing me towards Xport. From what I can tell, it looks simple enough so I think that I will just go ahead and buy it. If it doesn't work out, I'll be back here finding another way. Thanks again!

[cheriff]

I started sort of recently too and I did find it tricky to actually get the suff on the memory card in the first place too.
If you feel that you have uses for an xport then by all means do.
But if its only to load the exploit, there are other ways that don't require
a modchip (illegal here in Australia now) or an xport or the like.

I was going to write a little howto here, but it quickly got not so little.
find it at www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~dmir396/ps2dev.txt

Note that the installer by sjeep mentioned therein is linked to from mrbrowns site

http://www.0xd6.org/

however this link seems to be broken. I've still got the file so if you email me I'll send you the non-sony stuff (the rest is on your demo disk)

UNLESS the link's broken for a reason, i dont see why but if so someone just tell me and i'll stop..

Good luck!

[mrbrown]

That's because the link is to a ps2newz forum thread and ps2newz doesn't exist anymore. You could try searching the forums on consolenewz.org or ps2-scene.org or whatever they're calling themselves this week.