PS5 hack delivers native PS2 disc support and 4K upscaling where Sony refused to — after PS2 breakthrough, homebrew dev confirms PS3 disc support is next for PS5

Don’t throw away your PlayStation 2 games just yet. Modder Sword has released PS5SX2 for jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles. This new software brings PlayStation 2 games to Sony’s latest console and supports physical discs, letting you relive your favorite classics in their original form.

For those active in the PlayStation emulation scene, the name PS5SX2 will immediately ring a bell, and for good reason. PS5SX2 is a native port of PCSX2, a very popular PlayStation 2 emulator for PC. Sword has successfully adapted the PCSX2 CPU recompilers to run on the PlayStation 5’s powerful custom Zen 2 chip. Unlike previous hacks that run PCSX2 on a host system and stream to the television, the PlayStation 5 does the recompiling and rendering.

PS5SX2 uses Vulkan as its backend renderer. However, since the PlayStation 5 lacks a standard operating system with official Vulkan driver support, emulation software requires a custom translation layer. Instead of developing a Vulkan driver from scratch, Sword uses a modified version of ps5vk, developed by renowned coder Mihawk-99, who has brought us projects like RetroArch.

PS5SX2 embraces virtually all popular disc image formats used for PlayStation 2 emulation, including ISO, CHD, CSO, and ZSO. More impressively, it fully supports physical PlayStation 2 game discs. It supports built-in optical drives and external USB optical drives. It reportedly works with discs from all regions. The only drawback is that the software can only read PlayStation 2 games released on DVDs, not CDs. It is more of a hardware limitation, though, since the PlayStation 5's optical drive lacks the laser needed to read standard CDs.

Beyond bringing PlayStation 2 fun to the PlayStation 5, PS5SX2 adds an impressive suite of features to enhance your retro gaming experience. One standout feature is high-resolution upscaling, enabling 6X scaling over the PlayStation 2's native resolution for up to 4K on modern displays. The emulator also supports a wide variety of upscaling and post-processing filters, including AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). Patch files (.pnach) are also compatible with PCSX2, so that games can unlock widescreen or 60 FPS support for certain titles.

Beyond graphical enhancements, PS5SX2 packs other cool features. Gamers can fine-tune graphics, audio, and gameplay settings directly from their smartphone or tablet, and changes take effect instantly. PS5SX2 also lets gamers play online by emulating the PlayStation 2's network adapter and routing traffic to community servers. It also supports keyboard and mouse, couch co-op for up to four players, and the ability to create virtual memory cards up to 64MB per game.

PlayStation 2 disc support is only the tip of the iceberg. When asked about the potential inclusion of PlayStation 3 disc support for an RPCS3 port currently under development, the developer, Sword, responded affirmatively: "Yes, it’s coming with it :)." Sony's decision to kill game discs only further spurred the homebrew community to develop methods to preserve disc usage. The irony is that community projects, such as PS5SX2, have contributed to boosting the PlayStation 5's value.

Sony implemented backward compatibility on the PlayStation 5 for both physical and digital PlayStation 4 games. It is evident that the console can play games from older generations of consoles all this time. This raises an interesting question: why has Sony been holding out on its fans?

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