Towards the end of September, a massive PlayStation 5 jailbreak was released, supporting a gargantuan run of system software versions and pushing into the fold an exploit chain that made it possible to jimmy all kinds of homebrew applications and emulation software into a current-gen console.
Earlier today, a fresh evolution in that space landed, with the folks leading the PS5SX2 project revealing an all-new, retro-themed release. The latest update to this jailbreak scenario allows for PlayStation 2 discs to be slipped right into a PS5 console and played almost immediately.
The Next Level of PS2 Emulation
It’s important to stress that the concept of using a PlayStation 5 to emulate PlayStation 2 is not a new thing. It has been doable for a hot minute, but putting the actual disc inside the console and letting it rip? Yeah, that’s new.
In a post on social media, sword_pdf, the lead coder behind PS5SX2, revealed a staggering update to the ecosystem that renders PS2 DVDs playable inside a PlayStation 5 console. He even shared a clip showing in real time how seamless it is:
That was yesterday, October 9, but today, October 10, sword revealed the full PS5SX2 2.02 patch notes, including:
- CRT, VHS, and Scanline filters
- Live PS2 disc dumping progress
- Faster startup and major stability fixes
- Guitar Hero controller fix
- 2,000+ game library support
- God of War II preset
The full notes can be viewed on GitHub, along with a technical explanation of how the PS2 disc thing works:
While a PS2 disc is being copied, the shelf shows it as an entry with a spinning disc, a progress arc and the percentage (“Copying NN%”). It can’t be started until the copy is done. Disc auto-play from the XMB works as before: it copies the disc if needed, or starts the existing copy straight away.
But it didn’t end there.
Sword then revealed in the comments under his post that PS3 disc emulation is incoming:
The only caveat here is that CD-based PS2 games (the ‘blue ones’) can’t be read by a PlayStation 5’s disc drive, so they’re incompatible with this update. Also, the jailbreak only works for PS5 system software versions spanning 7.00 through 13.60, so if you’re updated beyond that, you’ll need to wait for further evolutions to land.
Are you shocked by this retro-themed emulation leap in jailbreaking technology? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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