By now, you should all be well aware that we don’t really like piracy. So we don’t tend to cover much of the custom firmware scene because, although not universally used for piracy, it’s difficult to separate the enthusiast homebrewers and hackers (who often breathe great innovation into the industry) from those who want the fruits of their labours for nefarious means.
But this one is quite interesting, if true.
A user on GAF claims that the PlayStation 2 software emulation used to power PS2 Classics on the PSN Store has been completely reverse engineered. It’s apparently possible to manually replace the disc image of a PS2 Classic bought through the store with any other PS2 disc image you’ve hacked and encrypted with the newly released tools. Then you can install that new disc image and run it on a hacked PS3 running custom firmware.
The GAF user in question, who shows off screen photos of Persona 4 running on his PS3 Slim, is predicting that within a week it should be possible to automate the patching and encryption process and easily switch between games. He also postulates that it shouldn’t take too much to get them running from an external drive.
There is plenty of discussion around some of the PS3 hacking sites that would seem to back up this claim. So, if it’s possible to emulate all PS2 games in software, it begs the question: why doesn’t Sony just unlock this feature and allow backward compatibility again?
It’s easiest to jump to the conclusion that this is a purely mean-spirited business decision on Sony’s part. Basically, that they don’t allow it because they want to re-sell popular PS2 Classics on the store or as HD remakes. But perhaps there are licensing issues at stake? Perhaps it requires users to rip their PS2 discs to the PS3 hard disk and that presents potential security risks?
With the PS4 release on the horizon, is there still enough interest in PS2 games to warrant widespread backwards compatibility?
Source: NeoGAF
Tuffcub
I have a massive pile of PS3 games I have yet to play, a hard drive full od games from PS+ I have yet to play and a wodge of Vita titles still to finish. I dont need any shitty old PS2 games to play thanks.
(Apart from R-Type and Transformers, the two PS2 games I have kept)
ron_mcphatty
Transformers is incredible, it impressed me more than any other PS2 game for scale and prettiness, standing on the mountain looking over the jungle was a huge wow moment. I kept that, Ico, SSX3 and Rez, it’d be awesome to be able to play them again.
Roynaldo
Seems some people forget we had BC at the start but Sony took it away. Why? To profit. Hated it when my fatty broke as to play my extensive PS2 collection I had to break out my actual PS2 and memory cards instead of having it one neat package.
It’s all about money and nothing else.
Bilbo_bobbins
traded in my ps3 for my ps3. I really don’t see the point in bothering to even crack this, even more using it
Bilbo_bobbins
meant to say “traded in my ps2 for my ps3”
Broonba
Even though I’d love to be able to play my old PS2 games (GTA III, GTA Vice City, Red Dead Revolver, Tomb Raider Legend etc…) on my PS3, I certainly wouldn’t be going down the Hacking route to accomplish this. Each to their own though.
Sheepdip
Quite clearly non-news.
Games are not released for one of three reasons.
1/ They are buggy and don’t work too well with the current state of the software emulator.
2/ There are licensing issues preventing them.
3/ They aren’t translated into the 14 languages that SCEE support here in Europe.
Whilst this MAY allow 2 and 3 to be worked around (with it seems alot of effort), 1 is never going to change…
Peter Chapman
so, er, that “1/” that you said is “never going to change”… If that changed, as has been claimed, that wouldn’t be news?
bowie
Unfortunately that is not what is being claimed but merely that you can try any ps2 gam with the emulator.
E8_BALL_
4.40 just gone live for ps3, with no patch notes(that i can find.) Wonder if the two are connected.
psychobudgie
It’s all about the money. It is always about the money.
TSBonyman
I wonder if they’ll remove all the ps2 ‘classics’ from the store like they’ve done with other games that have been exploited before.
Kaminari
“With the PS4 release on the horizon, is there still enough interest in PS2 games to warrant widespread backwards compatibility?”
With the release of new colour movies on the horizon, is there still enough interest in transfering black and white films from the 1920s onto Blu-ray?
See how your question is a bit daft, Peter?
Peter Chapman
transferring films from the 1920s onto Blu-ray is pointless, they’re nowhere near the fidelity to benefit from a new medium.
I see the rough point you’re trying to make (which is why I asked the question, to see if there was a counter point to be made) but that’s a silly analogy. Or “daft”, if you prefer.