PS3 PS2 on PS3 question

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Ok, so... this is really stupid, but I can't seem to figure it out.

I have plenty of PS2 games that my PS3 is able to run... as long as they are in .ISO format. But once I insert the actual, physical discs into the machine? It recognizes them (even by name), but it flat out refuses to run them, crashing the whole console in the process.

Any idea why that is? My console is modded and all, but it won't even let me extract the files and create my own .ISOs from them, despite both giving me the option and quoting some mysterious error as it tries to do so.

Any idea on how to solve this? I really do miss playing Bully.

Thanks!

 

[thecrow2313]

Ok, so... this is really stupid, but I can't seem to figure it out.

I have plenty of PS2 games that my PS3 is able to run... as long as they are in .ISO format. But once I insert the actual, physical discs into the machine? It recognizes them (even by name), but it flat out refuses to run them, crashing the whole console in the process.

Any idea why that is? My console is modded and all, but it won't even let me extract the files and create my own .ISOs from them, despite both giving me the option and quote some mysterious error as it tries to do so.

Any idea on how to solve this? I really do miss playing Bully.

Thanks!

Which mod are you using?

 

[Clippy]

Could you post the mysterious error? I'm no expert on these things but it would be a good place to start.

 

[RETRO-VETRO]

It sounds like your modded PS3 is having trouble with physical PS2 discs despite handling ISO files just fine, which is a surprisingly common issue. Many custom firmware setups prioritize virtual disc mounting and ISO playback, but they don’t always support direct disc execution properly, especially if the system relies on software emulation rather than actual PS2 hardware. Even though your console recognizes the disc by name, it may crash because the emulator isn’t being triggered correctly, or there’s a conflict in how the mod handles authentication or region data. When it comes to extracting ISOs from your own discs, the system might be hitting permissions issues or struggling to read certain sectors, especially if the disc is scratched or the drive is aging. To work around this, you could try launching the disc through Multiman or WebMAN Mod instead of the default XMB interface. Alternatively, you can manually dump the disc via FTP or USB, copy the contents to your PC and use a tool like ImgBurn or UltraISO to create a clean ISO. Once you have that, you can run it through PS2 Classics GUI and install it as a PKG file, which tends to be more stable. Also, make sure your CFW version supports PS2 disc playback; some versions of Rebug or Evilnat require toggling specific settings in Rebug Toolbox or WebMAN Setup. If you’re itching to play Bully, this method should get you back into the game without relying on the disc directly. Let me know what model PS3 you have, and I can help you fine-tune the setup even more.

(Try that and tell me if it works)

 

[Tortuga]

Honestly just convert it to pkg and install
I never play ps1/2 games on my ps3 via iso since i usually have some kind of problems with it

 

[thecrow2313]

Honestly just convert it to pkg and install
I never play ps1/2 games on my ps3 via iso since i usually have some kind of problems with it

Not all games work with .pkg method. I would use cobra cfw method.

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:40 PM

Evilnat with cobra, multiman & webman like @RETRO-VETRO advice i'd go for, unless there's something different to try

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Which mod are you using?

It was done for me (yeah, total noob)... but it's MultiMan/Rebug.

Could you post the mysterious error? I'm no expert on these things but it would be a good place to start.

That's just the thing, though: it just quits after saying that SOMETHING went wrong.

It sounds like your modded PS3 is having trouble with physical PS2 discs despite handling ISO files just fine, which is a surprisingly common issue. Many custom firmware setups prioritize virtual disc mounting and ISO playback, but they don’t always support direct disc execution properly, especially if the system relies on software emulation rather than actual PS2 hardware. Even though your console recognizes the disc by name, it may crash because the emulator isn’t being triggered correctly, or there’s a conflict in how the mod handles authentication or region data. When it comes to extracting ISOs from your own discs, the system might be hitting permissions issues or struggling to read certain sectors, especially if the disc is scratched or the drive is aging. To work around this, you could try launching the disc through Multiman or WebMAN Mod instead of the default XMB interface. Alternatively, you can manually dump the disc via FTP or USB, copy the contents to your PC and use a tool like ImgBurn or UltraISO to create a clean ISO. Once you have that, you can run it through PS2 Classics GUI and install it as a PKG file, which tends to be more stable. Also, make sure your CFW version supports PS2 disc playback; some versions of Rebug or Evilnat require toggling specific settings in Rebug Toolbox or WebMAN Setup. If you’re itching to play Bully, this method should get you back into the game without relying on the disc directly. Let me know what model PS3 you have, and I can help you fine-tune the setup even more.

(Try that and tell me if it works)

Thank you for the detailed explanation, but I have no PC to try half of those options on and I have already tried the other half. I do believe the firmware may be misfiring just as you said, though.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

PS2 discs have to be ripped first before they can play on the software emulation PS3s. As to why it's failing , maybe it's a disc drive error. Maybe just rip the disc on PC instead. Honestly I've never liked how they ran on these revisions, much better off just using PCSX2 if you don't have access to OG fat PS3 or a PS2.

 

[PSVitaForever]

Kudos to all of you people with a modded ps3!
When I found one used and cheap I thought about buying it, then I started reading tutorials and guides and it honestly sounded quite complicated. Luckily I've found a used and (even more) cheap xbox360 not long after, so I've been able to finally play FF13 and Eternal Sonata, two titles I really cared about (and that were also cheap on ebay, since they're not rare).
Also, I have a huge backlog so... ok, I'll able to live even without other ps3 exclusive I may like.

@Waffles, I hope you can solve your problem with ps2 discs!

 

[Tortuga]

Not all games work with .pkg method. I would use cobra cfw method.

True but i can conform that Bully works as pkg

@Waffles Alternatively if you too lazy to do it yourself, you can just download pkg games from places like dlpsgame, romsfun

 

[thecrow2313]

Evilnat 4.92.2 with Cobra 8.5 is the latest mod firmware

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Alternatively if you too lazy to do it yourself, you can just download pkg games from places like dlpsgame, romsfun

That sounds like it may just work.

I'll keep that in mind next time I visit a friend or something (I also don't have home internet).

 

[RETRO-VETRO]

It was done for me (yeah, total noob)... but it's MultiMan/Rebug.



That's just the thing, though: it just quits after saying that SOMETHING went wrong.



Thank you for the detailed explanation, but I have no PC to try half of those options on and I have already tried the other half. I do believe the firmware may be misfiring just as you said, though.

Thanks, everyone!

No problem!

 

[SoThankful]

That sounds pretty normal if your PS3 isn’t one of the original launch fat models. Did you know that later fat models had only partial PS2 compatibility or none at all as a cost cutting measure? That maybe explains why it recognizes the disc, but refuses to play.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

That sounds pretty normal if your PS3 isn’t one of the original launch fat models. Did you know that later fat models had only partial PS2 compatibility or none at all as a cost cutting measure? That maybe explains why it recognizes the disc, but refuses to play.

I didn't, actually! Damn, Sony! I thought we were bros XD

 

[thecrow2313]

I didn't, actually! Damn, Sony! I thought we were bros XD

Only these "fat" ps3 models have full ps2 compatibility
20 GB (CECHCxx) – US/Japan
60 GB (CECHAxx) – US/Japan

Partial compatibility
60 GB (CECHCxx) – PAL (Europe)
80 GB (CECHExx) – US

 

[bluewatersky]

For backwards compatible fat PS3s, you're missing the "B" models in the above list. You're looking for a CECH A/B/C/E. The C&E are the partial. The easiest way to tell is if it has four USB slots on the front instead of two. Also, the partial is a bit of a misnomer. In this case partial refers to having only the graphics chip for the PS2 and emulating the rest. But it's also interesting that they C&E will often give a smoother upscale. You can find videos on youtube showing this. The downside is that some PS2 games won't run on them or will have issues.

Source: I own seven of them and have done a ton of research and play time.

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Its got a tummy ache

 

[ladyerrant]

Its been a while since I dusted off my modded ps3, but I _think_ multiman can dump the ps2 dvd to an iso by itself and you can then boot that. But yeah, the ps2 software emu in the non-EE PS3s can't boot actual discs.