If you do not hack your console you are a lib.

If it can be hacked there is a good chance that I have done it and can help you.

Open the world of homebrew, emulators, and easy game piracy.

Your warranty is now void.

  • skeletorsass [she/her]
    hexagon
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    The PS3 is very good for hacking, and the original model is always fully hackable (as are most of the slim). Installing the CFW will remove the region lock, and will also allow you to play the PS1, PS2, PS3 ISO files from the hard drive. It can look intimidating but I promise that it is not too hard.

    If it is still running version 3.55 or lower the process is almost zero effort. Simply download the file called REX here and put it on a USB drive inside folders with the path /PS3/UPDATE/, then rename the file to PS3UPDAT.PUP, insert it into the PS3, disable internet and remove any optical disk, then update the system from the menu using the USB.

    If it is running a newer firmware, we will need to discover if it is a NAND console or a NOR console. Check the model name on the back label. If it reads CECHA through CECHG, it is NAND. If it reads CECHH through CECHQ, it is NOR. For other user who have a slim model, it is always NOR. User with the super slim model will need a different method.

    If it is a NAND console follow this guide and method 1.

    If it is a NOR console follow this guide and method 1.

    Once completed do the above update to the firmware I linked.

    Next you should install webMAN and multiMAN to manage the downloaded game "backups" and files. You can copy to a USB and install from the new menu option for installing packages provided by CFW.

    There is a store type program for game piracy called pkgi available, which can be installed in the same manner as the above package. You will then place this and this files in /dev_hdd0/game/NP00PKGI3/USRDIR as dbformat.txt and config.txt using the multiMAN to copy from a USB drive. pkgi makes downloading games for free very easy.

    • queenjamie [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      The PS3 is very good for hacking, and the original model is always fully hackable (as are most of the slim).

      I got the old old school one, before the slim, but good to know that it's possible.

    • wantonviolins [they/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      It's pretty trivial to replace the HDD in PS3s with a much larger SSD, right? I might try to pick up an original model PS3 and jailbreak it, dump all my disc-based games to the drive, and do nothing but play PS2 games.

      • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Yeah I've basically done this. Though I'd recommend a normal hard drive over a SSD, the PS3's SATA interface from 2006 can't really take advantage of an SSD.

        • wantonviolins [they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          The PS3 has, what, a SATA II interface? Tops out around 300MBps? That's still more than a HDD can do, and random reads will be orders of magnitude faster.

          • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Nah it uses SATA I, tops out at 150MBps. You're right it will be faster on random reads and there will be a performance improvement, but it's not worth it for me personally. I'm not going to spend more on a SSD than I spent on the actual console.

            • wantonviolins [they/them]
              ·
              3 years ago

              I feel you. I just have a 500GB SSD I paid like $60 for that I'm not using. If it weren't for SMR I'd be willing to look at HDDs but I wouldn't want to get an SMR drive on accident and have abysmal performance.

              • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
                ·
                3 years ago

                Yeah that will work perfectly. PS2 games already see a massive improvement in loading times on a hard drive compared to the 4x DVD drive of a PS2 at 5.28MBps, so I can't imagine how fast it will be on a SSD. You'll see the most difference in game install time, that's actually a huge improvement.

    • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Pretty much any PS3, including the superslims, is now exploitable with PS3 HEN. I play PS1 and PS2 games, as well as PS3 games that I download, on my superslim with a 500GB hard drive. It's not quite CFW but webMAN and multiMAN work.

      https://www.psx-place.com/threads/update-4-87-ps3hen-v3-0-2-view-latest-changes-to-the-ps3-exploit-for-superslims-noncfw-models.23955/