A security software engineer has figured out a way for people to play unofficial games using their PlayStation 2 consoles, and all that is really needed to do so is a game burned onto a DVD disc. Apparently, there's an exploit wherein players can use the console's DVD drive to essentially hack the system and play unofficial games.
It's been a while since the release (and discontinuation) of the PS2, so it may come as a surprise that the console can still be used to play more than old PlayStation 2 games. The PS2's lifespan ranged 13 years, from 2000 through 2013, as it was discontinued worldwide on January 4 of that year.
Considering the lifespan of the PS2, security software engineer CTurt has had a long time to concoct this idea, which he has apparently had since he was a kid. There's a long and extremely technical explanation of how it all works on CTurt's blog post about this technique, but the long and short of it is that his method of playing unofficial games involves "exploiting the console’s DVD player functionality." Inserting a disc with a game burned onto it triggers a corruption in video playback, which then allows the game to run through the resulting blind spot in the console's copy protection functions. Luckily, CTurt also posted a video showing the exploit, which interested parties can check out below.
The main reason this is significant is because that's all that needs to be done in order to run the unofficial games. There's no mod chip needed, no special USB exploit that has to be plugged in, no coding that needs to be done in order to get the hack working. Simply insert a disc the way any old PS2 game would be used, and play the game without needing to make any fundamental changes to the console. For those inexperienced with modifying pieces of technology, and therefore understandably hesitant to do any of the more invasive procedures mentioned above, this is a pretty significant development to take note of.
Furthermore, CTurt theorizes on his blog post that the exploit might work on everything from an original PlayStation to a PS4, and he mentioned that he'd be interested in exploring the possibility of hacking a PS4 using its Blu-ray functionality. Whether or not CTurt's intriguing theory is actually possible remains to be seen.
Source: CTurt