[How To] Play NES roms on PS2 using ULaunchELF. (USB Method)

Foreword: This is an excellent tutorial that shows that the PS2 can be exploited in a non-conventional way.  Yes, there is a way to play SNES methods on the PS2, but I did not realize NES roms can be played as well!  All props go to author ICE, and I take no credit for this tutorial.  Expect more of these to come in the future. ~ Versatile

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Revisions: 11-30-09: Initial release.

[Update 12/1/09] Made critical changes on the button map of the FCEU port, Added link for NES roms and added a NOTE at the end.
[Update 12/2/09] changed the complexity of the title and made it easy to understand the concept.

[Update 12/21/09] Edited the whole tutorial and made it simpler.

[1-25-2010] Added Versatile1’s FMCB and the DVD decrypter tutorials.

[1-28-2010] Linked to the latest version of FCEU and added 2 troubleshooting notes.

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INTRODUCTION:

Nintendo 8 bit, also known as NES, is the mother of all consoles. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if we could play those old classics on the PS2 using an emulator ???. Well, you have come to the right place because this tutorial might help you.

This is what you need:

1) A ps2, slim or fat.

2) A Modchip or Swap magic and The ULaunchELF CD.
Click Here to download the CD version of ULaunchELF.

Watch Versatile1’s DVD decrypter Video Tutorial, for a better understanding on how to burn the ULaunchELF CD.

(OR) A memory card exploited with Free Mcboot, which has ULaunchELF installed on it.

Watch Versatile1’s ‘How to install Free Mcboot’ Video Tutorial

3) A USB flashdrive or a USB External HD.

4) FCEUltra Emulator.Click Here to download ‘ps2fceu_093.zip’.

5) NES roms. You could get them from romnation.net or by using p2p clients.

This is what you do next:

• Format the USB media to FAT32.

• Extract ‘ps2fceu_093.zip’, so that you will get the file ‘packed_fceu.ELF‘.

• Copy the ‘packed_fceu.ELF’ file to your USB media.

• Copy the NES ROMs to your USB media.

That’s the picture of the contents of my USB media. As you can see, there is a ‘packed_fceu.ELF‘ file and a folder named ‘NES ROMS’ which contains all my NES roms.

• Connect the USB media to the PS2’s USB port.

• Now boot the ULaunchELF CD on your PS2, by using a mod chip or swap magic. (Free Mcboot users can load ULaunchELF from the Free Mcboot menu)

The ULaunchELF Browser controls:

Up and down to navigate through files or directories
O = Select file or directory
Triangle = Browse back or exit menu

• Now, after you boot ULaunchELF, press the ‘O’ button to enter ‘FileBrowser‘. The following screen would appear…

• Navigate to ‘mass’ and press the ‘O’ button to select it.

You would be able to see the contents of your USB media, which includes the ‘packed_fceu.ELF’ file and the ROM files.

• Navigate to the ‘packed_fceu.ELF‘ file and press the ‘O’ button.

The FCEU PORT will now load and the FCEU browser would get displayed.

FCEU Browser controls:

Up/Down for navigation
‘X ‘ = Select file or directory
Select = Enter Brower Menu
Triangle = Browse back or exit menu

• Navigate to ‘mass’ and select it by pressing the ‘X’ button.

• Navigate to the ROM files and press the ‘X’ button.

The game would load if it was compatible with FCEU. (as lame as it sounds Mario bros 1 doesn’t work with FCEU, but for the rest of the games I did not find any troubles)

Default Controls while playing the game:

Cross=a , Square=b, Triangle=FCEU menu,  L2=load state,  R2=save state. NOTE: the direction buttons and the start and select buttons retains the same functions of NES.

Troubleshooting:

1) If the screen looks messed up…. Press the ‘Select’ button while you are on the browser, then select the ‘Center Screen’ option. And then center the screen using the directional buttons and once you are done, press the ‘Start’ button to update the screen position.

2) Press the R2 button to save a state and the L2 to load a state, while playing a game.

If you had troubles with saving game states…. Press the ‘Select’ button while you are on the browser , then select ‘Configure Save Path’. And then browse to any location on the memory card and press the ‘Start’ button. You could also configure FCEU to save the states on your USB media, but it often gives me errors… (I created a folder on the memory card named ‘NES Saves’ using ULaunchELF and i use that folder to save states.)

3) Once the FCEU.elf is loaded, you could remove the ULaunchELF CD from your PS2 and hence save your lens from dying, or else  the CD will keep spinning.

If you have any doubts post a comment and I’ll get back on you.. And Enjoy old school gaming 🙂   ~ ICE