Original Sony PlayStation 2 security chip ‘broken wide open’ after 26 years
Original Sony PlayStation 2 security chip 'broken wide open' after 26 years. 1 Comment Comment from the forums Admin said:The ‘magic security chip’ inside the original PlayStation 2 has been successfully reverse engineered and dumped after four years of effort.
What happened
After 4 years of effort, I'm happy to announce that one of the final secrets of the PS2 has been broken wide open! Canadian retro hardware and software enthusiast DiscoStarslayer was the manic mind behind the cracking open of the CXP102064 MechaCon chip, which arrived inside the ‘PS2 Fat’ from 1999. It also played a significant part in Sony’s game optical disc security, supporting “Magic Gate [memory card] and KELF file [executable] decryption among other things,” notes the PSDev Wiki.
As per the social media post, the arduous task of breaking the MechaCon’s security took four years. Sony ended up buying Gaikai for $380m (£242m) in 2012; its technology now powers the streamable classic games library on PlayStation, and the PS5’s advanced game streaming. Despite the fact that people simply don’t seem to want game streaming services – or at least not enough to pay a stand-alone monthly subscription for them – Sony and Microsoft have remained steadfastly committed to the idea, bundling game streaming into their PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass services.
It took “four years of effort” to reach this stage, but this milestone should be a boon to hardware preservation, repair, and emulation projects.
The wider picture
Unlocking the secret workings of such chips can be important to those involved in video game preservation. Some of the reverse engineering tricks utilized by DiscoStarslayer include chemically decapping the CXP102064 to expose the die, then using microscopes and optical dumping skills to analyze the silicon chip circuitry. In this case, a lucky break during the hacking apparently uncovered an exploit that provided a method whereby the chip’s data could be extracted through software.
It should also open up possibilities for replacing the aging optical drives in PS2 consoles. Specifically, the Namco System 246 and System 256, as well as the Konami Python 1, which used modified PS2 hardware, used the MechaCon firmware to authenticate security and allow the execution of encrypted game data. Once hailed as the future, even the likes of Google, Sony and Microsoft have struggled to make streaming games fun, fast or affordable Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox?
OnLive, Gaikai’s first competitor, launched in 2011 but shut down after less than a year, leaving Sony to acquire all its patents. Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service also imploded, launching in 2019 and shutting down three years later.
What has been reported
Alongside Sony and Microsoft, there is one other player left in this death match: the US-based tech firm Nvidia, whose GeForce Now game-streaming service (launched in 2013 and revamped many times since) might just be the world’s most successful. The opening hours have you hauling sacks of flour around while a tavern landlady swears at you. Available on: Xbox, PlayStation 5, PC Estimated playtime: 55+ hoursskip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionWhat to readView image in fullscreenLooking beautiful … The remastered Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
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What happens next
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The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across tomshardware.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.