PS2 [MX4SIO/SIO2SD] SD Card Adapter and SD-driver for the PS2 SIO2 interface

[AngryHelder]

Question for you experienced gents in here. I had a hard time getting the Beta OPL versions working on these Bootleg FreeMCBoot cards sold on ebay, Amazon, aliexpress. I tried many thing and eventually I just got a 3rd party MagicGate card and made that into a FreeMCBoot then everything worked.

So my Question is does anyone know why the Bootlegs don't work with the Beta OPL in this thread? The official releases worked fine without issue. Also and more importantly does anyone know how to uninstall the FreeMCBoot in these Bootleg cards so I could install the official FreeMCBoot like I did on the 3rd party card?

I think it's built into these cards and from my attempts I could not delete or uninstall the FreeMCBoot already on the card, it has a ASIC Blob chip which is likely a MagicGate clone with the FreeMCBoot hard coded in there.

 

[Vendest]

Eeeerm... NTFS??!

Lol, I edited the post. got mixed up between NTFS and NTSC

What error? "fragmented"?

"Error, could not run the item"

 

[TnA]

To be able to use VMC, You must emulate original MCSIO (so also MX4SIO took the name from the target interface).

The hardware-interface is "SIO(2)"... and VMC-Emulation is a kind of "hooking" to the original stuff.
...and what is MCSIO or MC2SIO? There is MCMAN, but none of what you mentioned... (although I remember something SIMILAR from Polo35)

First emulators was hard to use code, later Polo (HD Project) and ffgriever (mcemu) made their own loaders easy to use for end users, and after years later it was implemented to OPL.

What? Neither of both ever released a game-Loader for other devices than disc and only ffgriever did ESR...
What does this have to do with MC, VMC, MX4SIO? Nothing...!

I don't have Decard PS2,

You don't have any Slim which isn't a 70k?

and most of people doesn't.

That is FALSE! The Majority of all PS2s ARE DECKARD-PS2s!
There are over 2/3 Slims and except for the 70k, ALL of them are DECKARD-PS2s!

And someone first must build good sdk to use it and create such code if possible. For now it is only speculation.

No it is not, because @wisi and @Maximus32 already made a TOOLCHAIN (i.e. GCC, binutils, etc. and not an SDK, which are the libraries) for the DECKARD as well as sharing sample-code for the PPU/PPC-Side!

Probably yes. I tested probably around 100-200 disc images on it and I haven't experienced even a single hiccup ever . I mean people reported some troubles with some games in PAL version because they used some unusual programming libraries but as far as I can tell the designer fixed 100% of reported issues somehow

There was a need to "fix" anything? Do you see the crux here? This already voids your statement about "100% compatibility" + this could be done on the PPU/PPC-Side as well AND even better, because of it being on a lower Hardware-level.

Maybe this statement is somewhat true but why is that the case??

I already explained it quite thoroughly!
Tl;dr "lower Hardware-level" than your idea of an ODE via Laser-flex-cable...!

After all the disc drive bus is the main bus for transferring game data

WRONG! It is ONE "device", connected to a "port" of A bus...

Doesn't matter anyway, because it is STILL on a higher hardware-level than operating on the PPU/PPC-Side of what emulates the IOP...

so there must be a way to implement a compatible ODE,

Which I have explained multiple times... Do you dare to read it?

whether it's a simple adapter or some heavy hardware.

A "simple adapter" isn't an ODE... It is an adapter...
DECKARD could be used as a low-level-ODE and hence even utilize ANY storage (including adapters like MX4SIO) for this...

Also this sort of solution will no longer conflict with existing MC/USB/Network or any other ports.

You mean stuff like playing online when starting a game from LAN or using USB-Peripherals when loading a game from USB?
That's technically even possible on Non-DECKARD, but yes IMO that's possible via doing it on the PPU/PPC-Side!

If you mean that deckard PS2 doesn't even need an ODE and can implement 100% compatibility with OPL then this is very cool.

Well, DECKARD already IS an "emulator" implemented in every PS2, starting from 75k.

However, this would mean I (or maybe all of us) would need to hunt down this specific model of PS2, which is still fine but of course not everyone will do that and not everyone has access to these things

What? DECKARD-PS2s are the MOST abundant available PS2s WHICH EXIST!

Question for you experienced gents in here. I had a hard time getting the Beta OPL versions working on these Bootleg FreeMCBoot cards sold on ebay, Amazon, aliexpress. I tried many thing and eventually I just got a 3rd party MagicGate card and made that into a FreeMCBoot then everything worked.

You could have just deleted the OPL-Config!

So my Question is does anyone know why the Bootlegs don't work with the Beta OPL in this thread? The official releases worked fine without issue. Also and more importantly does anyone know how to uninstall the FreeMCBoot in these Bootleg cards so I could install the official FreeMCBoot like I did on the 3rd party card?

Format and install a Noobie-Package or the release-package and add the apps you want.

I think it's built into these cards and from my attempts I could not delete or uninstall the FreeMCBoot already on the card, it has a ASIC Blob chip which is likely a MagicGate clone with the FreeMCBoot hard coded in there.

I very much doubt it...

Lol, I edited the post. got mixed up between NTFS and NTSC

"Error, could not run the item"

View attachment 36125

Weird!

 

[AngryHelder]

You could have just deleted the OPL-Config!

Format and install a Noobie-Package or the release-package and add the apps you want.

I did that already numerous times but with the Bootleg cards don't work and I tried it on a bunch PS2 consoles, it only works with MagicGate FreeMCBoot cards. Was hoping someone knew some other work around or a way to install FreeMCBoot over the one in these Bootlegs.

 

[jolek]

"Error, could not run the item"

This image is so small that it can be a problem to notice what is wrong...
Anyway...
Do you have a problem with launching Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (SLUS_214.52)?
Based on what I have "seen" it can be an issue with a proper name.
Maybe you forgot to add ".": SLUS_214.52.Valkyrie Profile 2.iso.

 

[VegaVegas]

Does anyone care to check if Mortal Kombat V : Deadly Alliance NTSC-US works on PS2 slim deckard on MX4SIO with current state of things?? Is the opening cutscene all fluent or does it tear a little with audio issues??

 

[Berion]

...and what is MCSIO or MC2SIO? There is MCMAN, but none of what you mentioned... (although I remember something SIMILAR from Polo35)

Ask ffgriever. I don't remember now. :P For sure we talking about the same: the SIO interface.

What? Neither of both ever released a game-Loader for other devices than disc and only ffgriever did ESR...
What does this have to do with MC, VMC, MX4SIO? Nothing...!

Both mcemu and HD Project are game loaders. For discs... Hacking them to VMC support in the same way as OPL doing.

All game loaders hacking somehow games and depend of hack type, some code staying in the IOP. In example when You want to add reading disc image and/or vmc from USB, You must patch many things and add USBD and USBHFSD modules which take the memory. Some games using almost whole space and those game will be for sure problematic to support.

If I'm wrong, I love to read in which exactly.

You don't have any Slim which isn't a 70k?

I have SCPH-30004R. Bought from Russian face on some electronic market with already soldered Ripper 2 Gold (which I removed ~ half year ago) when it was top newest PS2 model. I do not plans to buy much worst model. ;p At least until MX4SIO support will be as good as USB and/or until "promised" by You ODDE on PPC side from now ~years.

That is FALSE! The Majority of all PS2s ARE DECKARD-PS2s!
There are over 2/3 Slims and except for the 70k, ALL of them are DECKARD-PS2s!

Slims are one of the last series of PS2. How it is possible that they are majority? :P

No it is not, because @wisi and @Maximus32 already made a TOOLCHAIN (i.e. GCC, binutils, etc. and not an SDK, which are the libraries) for the DECKARD as well as sharing sample-code for the PPU/PPC-Side!

Great news but no one from top PS2 developers write anything for end user yet.

Tl;dr "lower Hardware-level" than your idea of an ODE via Laser-flex-cable...!

I'm not sure how IOP virtualiser/emulator can emulate ODD. But maybe there is possibility. But currently, we don't have anything and PS2Digital is already made.

 

[TnA]

I did that already numerous times but with the Bootleg cards don't work and I tried it on a bunch PS2 consoles, it only works with MagicGate FreeMCBoot cards. Was hoping someone knew some other work around or a way to install FreeMCBoot over the one in these Bootlegs.

You deleted the config of OPL and it would still not start with a clone card?
I haven't ever heard of that...

That FMCB doesn't work on a lot of them is known since almost 15 years...
You can NOT install it there, because it simply can't sign the MC-KELF...

Ask ffgriever. I don't remember now. :P For sure we talking about the same: the SIO interface.

So that point is already moot?! :P

Both mcemu and HD Project are game loaders.

What? No...
Where does either of each load any disc like a game-Loader.

HDProject was INTENDED to be an open source game Loader and parts of it were used in OPL, but it solely became capable of "hooking"! That is NOT the same and by no means a game-Loader...

There are only a few game-loaders in existence for the PS2... USB Advance/Extreme, HDLoader/HDAdvance, OPL, PS2ESDL, Kermit...

For discs... Hacking them to VMC support in the same way as OPL doing.

For one, that is "hooking" to libraries and second is that OPL has its method done differently since over a decade...

All game loaders hacking somehow games and depend of hack type, some code staying in the IOP. In example when You want to add reading disc image and/or vmc from USB, You must patch many things and add USBD and USBHFSD modules which take the memory. Some games using almost whole space and those game will be for sure problematic to support.

How does that apply to the DECKARD-ODE-Idea?
It does not!

If I'm wrong, I love to read in which exactly.

What is so hard to understand about my "tl;dr" which I posted above?
When we do the stuff on the PPU/PPC-Side, we are NOT operating on the IOP, nor changing ANY game-code...
We are working on that level of an "abstraction" (like a "HAL"/"hardware abstraction layer") that EMULATES the IOP...

Does a game in PCSX2 see the content of your PC? It doesn't, except via adding abstractions to PCSX2? Go figure... Can the game then even "notice" any difference, if we did it on DECKARD?

I have SCPH-30004R. Bought from Russian face on some electronic market with already soldered Ripper 2 Gold (which I removed ~ half year ago) when it was top newest PS2 model. I do not plans to buy much worst model. ;p At least until MX4SIO support will be as good as USB and/or until "promised" by You ODDE on PPC side from now ~years.

First off all,... MX4SIO already IIIIIS better than USB, even on DECKARD-PS2s...
Second... I haven't "promised" ANYTHING in that regard...

Btw.: SOME of the ideas and research actually DOES tie in with the "N64 LLE for PS2"-idea, because DECKARD DOES emulate the IOP in quite that Hardware- fashion like I want the whole PS2 to low level emulate the N64...

You are free to contribute to either idea.

Slims are one of the last series of PS2. How it is possible that they are majority? :P

Slims have been introduced in September (21st?) 2004...
Ps2s were in production up until December 29. 2012.
Production also became cheaper and went up...

There are ~110Million Slims and ~45Million FAT PS2s as far as I know.

Great news but no one from top PS2 developers write anything for end user yet.

There are a LOT of things already done and working in multiple places and yet it isn't available to the end-user (like some PSX/PS2 DESR Tool, related to "other HDD")...

Does "not available for the end user" invalidate anything of the part you quoted?

Regarding the "top PS2 Developers" not having written something...
Erm... The tools are available and someone could start right away... Doesn't need to be a PS2-developer or one of the usual people.

New and old people come in all the time.
We had 6 PS2dev.org people join the Discord recently and there are LOTS of development-related discussions there...
You would notice it, if you would look at it once in a while.

I'm not sure how IOP virtualiser/emulator can emulate ODD. But maybe there is possibility. But currently, we don't have anything and PS2Digital is already made.

"we don't have anything" is not true... We have the tools and already can load code on the PPU/PPC-Side THX to top PS2 developers (wisi, uyjulian, Maximus32)!

 

[Haker120]

As end user I will say 'where are the goodies?'. xD And TnA, I'm not gonna offend anyone, but who, except for devs, care about these technical complexities? As an advanced user, even contributor, I don't understand everything of that no to point out MX4SIO isn't that good for me as end user. Ok, it loads games faster, it works on fats and slims but still, it doesn't load many of my favorite titles so

MX4SIO already IIIIIS better than USB, even on DECKARD-PS2s...

I don't see that personally. From USB I can load all my games I own, from SD I can't load many of these. Hopefully compatibility will grow but we live here and now and NOW it doesn't look THIS good.

Second... I haven't "promised" ANYTHING at all...

Well, keep saying how good it'll be to less technical people so they take it as promises so don't blame Berion for this.

 

[TnA]

O.k. I agree that game-compatibility might vary (even depending on the card), but speed is certainly way better on any PS2 compared to USB.

I'm currently creating a new thread just regarding the DECKARD-ODE-Idea.

All that talk about it here just clutters the thread with unrelated stuff...

I created a Discussion-Thread about the "odd ODE": https://www.psx-place.com/threads/odode-open-deckard-optical-drive-emulator-discussion.36461/

Why do I refer to it as "odd ODE"?
Well... Any "normal" (erm... "even" lol) ODE is connected via laser-flex-cable... THIS idea however would use a chip present in the majority of PS2s.
The "frame" of the idea is "shifted" from an original ODE-Idea. I hope someone gets the "interlaced"-Pun and that it (the whole... "picture" of ODEs) is still "all connected".

Please keep the discussions on topic here and there!

I also hope that @jolek or someone else can create a "Compatibility-list" or "bug-report"-thread and point to @Versatile's online-sheet and link those offline-sheets which @Anakin94 and I have been uploading.

 

[Berion]

What? No...
Where does either of each load any disc like a game-Loader.

If one app, launching another game executable i.e from disc, it is game loader. Whatever she would do with it.

There are a LOT of things already done and working in multiple places and yet it isn't available to the end-user (like some PSX/PS2 DESR Tool, related to "other HDD")...

Does "not available for the end user" invalidate anything of the part you quoted?

Until end user got benefits from it, it doesn't exist from his perspective. That's the point.

like some PSX/PS2 DESR Tool, related to "other HDD"

What do You mean by that?

 

[TnA]

If one app, launching another game executable i.e from disc, it is game loader.

WTF? So wLE (MISC/PS2Disc) is a game-Loader "+"?
I bet most people would disagree on that...

Whatever she would do with it.

Sorry, but IMO there are BIIIIG differences between an ELF-Launcher, a game-Loader and a hooking-mechanism...

The VMC hooking of OPL isn't the same like the disc-emulation, even if it is combined in one app there...

Until end user got benefits from it, it doesn't exist from his perspective.
That's the point.

The point is, that you mentioned it as a definitive statement, instead of "perspective". It DOES exist, hence that statement was false.

What do You mean by that?

The REAL "FreePSXBoot", which allows other HDDs to be used on a PS2 DESR, when the original one is broken!
Closed stuff for now though...
It's not yet safe enough for the End-User and @krHACKen is probably a bit pissed about the PS-X Devs using that name.

 

[Berion]

WTF? So wLE (MISC/PS2Disc) is a game-Loader "+"?
I bet most people would disagree on that...

Mainly it is file manager yes, but if his main purpose would be launching discs, them, yeah, it would be a game loader.

The VMC hooking of OPL isn't the same like the disc-emulation, even if it is combined in one app there...

I never said it is the same... I said that "game loader" is anything which loads game, whatever how and for whatever purpose by whatever methods. Launching game? Then it is game loader.

The point is, that you mentioned it as a definitive statement, instead of "perspective". It DOES exist, hence that statement was false.

Statement was false, agree. But still user perspective hasn't changed.

The REAL "FreePSXBoot", which allows other HDDs to be used on a PS2 DESR, when the original one is broken!
Closed stuff for now though...
It's not yet safe enough for the End-User and @krHACKen is probably a bit pissed about the PS-X Devs using that name.

It will be mislead with FreePSXBoot for PSX. I prefer FreeDESRBoot but the choice is not mine. Fucking marketing cunts from Sony made this on purpose.

BTW: Super cool! So mandatory HDD encryption was defeated or "just" bypassed? Or it is bypassed only HDD "id"/fw checking?

 

[TnA]

Mainly it is file manager yes, but if his main purpose would be launching discs, them, yeah, it would be a game loader.

So ZoneLoader, Cogswap, etc. are game-loaders in your opinion?

I thing there is a BIG difference of a game-Loader which does emulation or whatever trickery of some kind and an ELF-Launcher which merely launches an executable...!

I never said it is the same... I said that "game loader" is anything which loads game, whatever how and for whatever purpose by whatever methods. Launching game? Then it is game loader.

I marked one word, which is the reason why I disagree on that part.

Statement was false, agree. But still user perspective hasn't changed.

No problem. Yes, there are some not openly available things and a lot of stuff has not yet been developed.

It will be mislead with FreePSXBoot for PSX. I prefer FreeDESRBoot but the choice is not mine. Fucking marketing cunts from Sony made this on purpose.

BTW: Super cool! So mandatory HDD encryption was defeated or "just" bypassed? Or it is bypassed only HDD "id"/fw checking?

Well... You should ask the developer about it.

It's "defeated" by writing something to the NAND of the DESR.

 

[VegaVegas]

Wait, by saying PSX you mean that stupid ass Japanese PS2 that is also a DVD player?? 99% of people saying "PSX" they really mean PS1 which is how it should be called. Overall, yes I really have no idea what drugs $ony were taking when they came up with the "PSX" console name for that "another model of PS2"

 

[TnA]

Obviously I mean the PS2 DVR!

 

[Berion]

So ZoneLoader, Cogswap, etc. are game-loaders in your opinion?

They are in my and not only mine opinion. ^^

ELF-Launcher which merely launches an executable...!

Oh, does Steam for Linux is also ELF-Launcher? Because You know, it launching... ELFs.

It's "defeated" by writing something to the NAND of the DESR.

Internal flash on DESR is 8MiB with MCFS, just like on Memory Cards. Also there is OSD Update for them from which HDD updates are launching. So this is not the way how "HDD vendor lock" was defeated but how to make "FMCB" for flash. So! This is even more awesome. ^^

99% of people saying "PSX" they really mean PS1 which is how it should be called.

It should be called PSX because it is how this console's codename was and one of the leftovers are in every executable header ("PS-X EXE"). Before PSOne, and especially before PS2, every boomer of the boomers call it that way. And then, Sony marketing idiots thinking that it would be profitable to add "PSX" name for theirs PS2 DVR (DESR-xxxx).

 

[Vendest]

Does anyone care to check if Mortal Kombat V : Deadly Alliance NTSC-US works on PS2 slim deckard on MX4SIO with current state of things?? Is the opening cutscene all fluent or does it tear a little with audio issues??

SLUS_204.23.MORTAL KOMBAT - DEADLY ALLIANCE (MD5 checksum d4558f94a17956d087e47533dc30f766)
Game freezes immediately during 1st loading screen.
Tried PADEMU enabled and combination of different modes, could not get past the loading screen.

SCPH-79000 + OPNPS2LD-v1.1.0-Beta-1629-e20f2ee-bdm3 + Kingston 128GB microSDHC Canvas Select Plus A1

 

[Versatile]

Not my video but very cool linked the Google spreadsheet and of course this thread. Can't wait to see how mx4sio gets better over time!

 

[Workz_777]

Not my video but very cool linked the Google spreadsheet and of course this thread. Can't wait to see how mx4sio gets better over time!

Looks like the version made by @AngryHelder (PS2 - MC2SIO), i just saw it on Youtube also, the video has 43,000+ views (as of writting this). Is that you in the video @AngryHelder ? Either way, nice presentation.