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PS2 Exploit Allows Running of Unsigned Code
DrEldarion writes "This man has figured out a way to make the PS2 run unsigned code without a modchip. "To make a long story short, the exploit allows anyone with a memory card and
a valid, legal PS1 disc to hijack the boot process and run any piece of code.""
"SharkPort or one of the other memcard adapters"
:-)
Third paragraph of the article... but I can't blame you for not reading it in full, as you probably wanted to be one of the first to comment
I believe you can use interact's SharkPort disc, and connect a USB cable between your computer and the PS2, or something like that. I think Datel makes a similar accessory, but I'm not sure. In addition to this, various manufacturers, such as EMS, make USB-compatible memory cards, or "Memory Adapters" where you plug in a memory card and have the ability to connect it to a PC using a parallel cable.
Interact, I believe, made a thing called a dexdrive that let you put save games from the internet onto a memory card. I'd bet that it would work. I'm sure there are other similar devices that would also work.
11 was a racehorse
12 was 12
1111 Race
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Lik-Sang sells them for around $30, I believe.
-- Dr. Eldarion --
It's not an x86, so Windows won't run natively. Might as well try to run Windows on a Mac. With Linux, we have the source code, so we can make the necessary modifications for the PS2 system, recompile, and run. If Microsoft wanted, they could probably produce a Windows for PS2, but I bet they won't :-)
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
This provides to PS2 what has existed for the X-box for a while now. It was mentioned on slashdot and allows the X-box to run unsigned code after some preparation.
It replaces some font files (which are not checksummed) with ones that use an exploit in X-box firmware.
You can use a SharkPort, as it says on the web site. These are tough to find and are no longer made, but follow the link on that web site to the XPort, which does the same thing (and in fact probably is the same thing).
These things have existed for a long time. I got my SharkPort maybe 6 months after the PS2 was launched.
sony's ps2 linux kit is crippled. read THE PLAYSTATION LINUX FAQ for more info. i'm assuming with this, someone can run a regular linux distro on the ps2.
For whatever reason, the site is slow. Here is a mirror.
> I hadn't even thought about playing non-us games.
> Shoots a hole through my rant. Are US playstations
> able to output PAL?
Japanese television is NTSC just like the US, not PAL. (Of course, you won't be able to understand what the hell the game says, since it will all be in Japanese)
Probably, since you can play US games on european PS/2's :)
I tried compiling his titleman utility, since I don't have any of the games already in the title.lst file, but it seems like some stuff is missing...do you need to have a PS2 devkit of some sort to do this? His makefile seems to suggest it.....
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
I hadn't even thought about playing non-us games. Shoots a hole through my rant. Are US playstations able to output PAL?
Yes. I have a chipped PS2 so I can play import games (and my own hacked versions of games I own), and it outputs PAL just fine. Since my TV is NTSC, I have to hook it up to the video-in on my PC and play it on the screen there. I've got video-out too, so I could probably set up my PC as a very overpriced PAL->NTSC converter by using a capture program with a full-screen preview option.
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
Sorry but you must have bought the wrong kit...
The only thing PS2 Linux prevents you from accessing is the IOP which is NOT the majority of the PS2's features.
Even the diffences imposed by having a multi-user OS running on the machine are being dealt with by projects like SPS2.
You should check your facts before posting stuff like that.
follow the link on that web site to the XPort, which does the same thing (and in fact probably is the same thing).
Yes, they're the same hardware. The Gameshark line of hardware (up until the V3) was made by a company called Datel in the UK and sold their under the Action Replay name. Interact just licensed it for North American sales. Their deal went sour, and now Datel sells it all here under their own brand.
Just to keep everyone confused, the Gameshark brand is now owned by MadCatz, and their "Gameshark V3" is actually closer to the Code Breaker that Pelican sells. Both were developed by a company called Fire.
Is that like the gaming equivalent of a soap opera or what?
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
The sharkport is no longer available at the link you provided. You can get the x-port instead for $10 less.
Japan uses NTSC anyway.
The truth about Michael
you do not need linux or unix like some others have posted. you need ee-gcc - you can google it or if you're using win32 a direct link is here: http://www.thethirdcreation.net/tools/ps2DevEnviro nment.exe - just install that it sets up the dev environment for you. you'll need it to compile his tool.
It might interest a few of you that there is a program available to use a USB-cable to screw around with the PS/2. It's available at naplink.napalm-x.com. Go wild :)
Quoting an interesting post from an Anonymous Coward:
Actually:
1. There are projects to get around that. Many hardware registers can be reached from within Linux. All of them can be reached outside linux, using the linux kit.
2. mrbrown already released something months ago for linux kit users to be able to play with native applications without a need for a mod chip.
Since he already released that, homebrew people could spend a few bucks to get a bunch of hardware, a legitimate, mod-free way to boot stuff, support Sony (who so far is the only console manufacturer to ever give out development tools and docs to the average joe), and a legitimate copy of the Sony documents that they've all pirated. They've openly asked for copies of them on their mailing lists. I guess this his time around the intention is clearly to:
1. Stroke mrbrown's overgrown ego. Remember that anyone who uses this for any reason (even piracy!) will have to leave his name all over it.
2. Promote piracy. Of course, he's not responsible for it. I have a loaded gun to sell you, but I'm not responsible if you kill someone with it.
3. Piss Sony off (again?)
4. Get sued, possibly, and
5. ???Get a job???
I'm sure if #5 really does happen and he gets a legitimate PS2 job "because of this" he'll get lots of friendly tech support from Sony people if he ever needs to call them.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Coward
I am not saying I agree or disagree, but I did think this AC raised some interesting points, worth reading if you have a threshold of "1".
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
re: I haven't gotten the guy's code to compile,
You do realize it must be compiled on a playstation2 , running the linux kit ? Parent seems not to realize that.
Then the TITLE.DB file must be transferred to a memory card.. he doesn't explain how to do that though..
if you're shelling out for "legal imports" of games, then you should shell out for a "legal imported" console to go with those games.
there is NOTHING stopping you from using a Japanese PS2 in North America. Power, nope (it's all converted to DC at any Hertz and 120 to 100 is no much of a difference.) TV signals, it's all NTSC... accessories, all the same...
so, there is nothing stopping you from having the imported PS2 console... if you can get the games "imported"... then you can get the console too.
i live here and i did that for my DVD player... to play all my "legally imported" region 1 DVDs.
To summarize, stop blaming sony! They did a great thing by releasing ps2linux, and all the related info. That's impressive. You know, a few years ago, the hardware manuals where so secret that there was my company name printed across each page..
PS2linux is far from perfect, but it is up to you to enhance it, because of its open source nature.
And if you don't want to use linux, because of its bloat, there are even bootloader projects hosted on sony's own website(playstation2-linux.com) that allows you get raw low-level access.
According to me, sony's biggest mistake was to target linux zealots, instead of focusing on console programming enthusiasts, as they did with yaroze. So they got a lot of disapointed customers... But if you want to do console programming, ps2linux is still a great thing, with lots of things to create (and that's the interesting part!).
But what PS2 Linux calls "mcfs" is NOT full access to the memory card. It's just access to the big file on the card set aside for Linux, so you can't just plug in any old card and mount it.
--
Me spell chucker work grate. Need grandma chicken.