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PS2 Action Replay Adds MP3, DivX, Genesis Emulation
Thanks to 1UP for its article discussing the forthcoming, impressively feature-rich Action Replay Max for PlayStation 2. This Sony-unapproved third-party USB drive/CD combo includes the ability to "burn a CD of MP3 music, DivX video, or Genesis/Mega Drive ROMs [on your PC], which will then play back on an Action Replay-equipped PS2", and, similar to previous versions, "...will circumvent the PS2's DVD region lockout, and also stream MP3 music or DivX video from a PC connected to the PS2 by way of its Network Adaptor." In addition, the device can "download new cheat codes through a broadband Internet connection, or accept new codes loaded on a CD-R or Datel's own USB flash drive", and finally, Datel "has also added its PS2 online chat and instant messaging client to the Action Replay package."
To a certain extent I'm sure they reverse engineered it.
On the other hand, I'd bet that the PS2 Linux kit didn't hurt either.
Back in the NES days, a couple of companies got the pertinent info for programing/hacking the NES by going to the patent office.
Very interesting story about it in the book "Game Over."
What I'd like to see is a PS2 add on the supports my USB Iomega Zip drive...
That'd be cool.
Actually, it wasn't CompactFlash it was actually Secure Digital [SD] cards they were going to use. Prototypes were produced and sent to various game review companies [magazines/websites]. The problem with the device was it was only compatible with games specifically programmed for it and the GC's memory management screen couldn't read it [from what I've read]. That, and there was a limit to the number of files you could store. I think it was something around 500 maybe? Suffice to say, I do recall that a 32mb was the largest amount of space you could use. One of the proposed ideas was that games similar to Pokemon Snap could have high resolution Screen shots saved to the SD card where you could take it in to a photo processor and get pictures printed out. So due to very limited game support, the project was canned. Too bad to, I would to be able to pop my SD card in a USB reader and start hex-editing the heck out of my save games.
Err... on the PS2 neither Action Replay or Gameshark work as boot disks for copied games or games from another region.
Just to add this tidbit, third-party memory cards that have the MagicGate logo on them have been approved by Sony. Those without the logo are just bad news. BTW, the approval process was established so that Sony could make money on technology licensing fees for third-party memory cards, and customers could buy them knowing that they should work without problems. If the card you bought has the logo, call the manufacturer and tell them you'll call Sony next, then call Sony if nothing is done (although I don't see how any of this can fix the problem you have). If it doesn't have the logo, your options end with Datel, unless want to try the legal system (it's up to you, but again, it sounds like you have an unfixable problem).
Even if you aren't a game news junkie, this fact is advertised by Sony themselves on product packaging. They did their part in letting customers know about their memory cards, and you have to do your part in researching your purchases. "Caveat emptor" applies here.
Same thing applies for GameCube or GameBoy products that do or do not feature the Nintendo Seal of Approval. It might sound a little silly, but that seal doesn't go on unlicensed or untested products. It actually means something, the same thing it's meant since the 1980s - Nintendo has tested and approved this product.
Contrary to what a lot of people have stated, the Action Replay cheat devices for the PS2 can play backups and imports... well, the older ones can at least.
Aside from a few early versions that didn't circulate far, every Gameshark and Action Replay up to the V2 is capable of booting backups and imports, through use of a slide card or similar device. This involves swapping the AR with a CD-R without the PS2 knowing it. Newer versions of the Action Replay will auto-eject, making the swap impossible.
It was also at this time that the Gameshark stopped being a re-badged Action Replay, and became a re-badged Xploder, a very different cheat device from Blaze. It's clearly obvious that they aren't as advances as Datel - all of their discs are created by cutting part of another legitimate PS2 disc and gluing it to another part containing their code. I've seen Datel's DVD Region X used, and more recently Crazy Taxi. These do not boot backups, although its parent company, "Success", make a Swap Magic boot disc that does - its pretty damn spiffy, too.
My suspisions are that this product is taking advantage of the homebrew software PGen, a Genesis emulator, and the PS2Reality Player, which plays DivX, MP3 and the like.
Both of these can take advantage of a new disc format recently discovered, known as UMCDR. It manages to trick the PS2 into allowing you to insert a CD-R without use of a swap trick, and access its contents in any program that been specifically programmed to accept them. Developemtn was ceased a few days after tools and information were released, after the author found out that people were attempting to use it for warez. It didn't work, whatever they were doing, but he stopped work on it nonetheless. The warez guys, on the other hand, still continue to try and exploit it for backup booting.
What fuels my suspisions is that the author of the UMCDR format stated that a version of PGen (the Genesis emulator) with UMCDR support has been created and should appear on the PGen's website soon. It's been over a month with no mention of it. Not a newspost or anything. The version of PS2Reality Player with support, though, has been released.
The only bugger about it is that it creates a disc with one audio and one data track, leaving you around 670MB on an 80 minute CD-R for DivX movies, which is 30MB shy of the usual filesizes. Thankfully the PS2 is fully compatible with up to 100-minute CD-Rs. It's just a question of whether this software is.
The only thing that you currently cannot do without some form of boot disc or modchip is launch homebrew code on the PS2. It's all very well being able to insert CD-Rs of DivXs and Genesis ROMs, but you need to have the software to do something with it. About the closest thing is the PS2 Independance Exploit, which allows booting of PS2 programs from the memory card via insertion of a pre-determined PSone game, but that requires a great deal of work to get the code onto the disc - an exploit installed CD and a friend with a modded PS2 is about the only way to go.