Q&A for How to Play PS2 Games on a PS3

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I have a PS3, but this is not working for me. Why might that be?

Community Answer

Does your PS3 have four USB ports? It may seem strange, but all backwards PS3s have four USB ports. If your PS3 does not have four USB ports, it likely is not backwards compatible.

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Question

How can I tell if my PS3 is backwards compatible?

Community Answer

(Quoted) "Check the number of USB ports your fat PS3. All backwards compatible PS3s are "fat," but not all fat PS3s are backwards compatible. If you have a fat PS3, check the number of USB ports on the front of the PS3. If the PS3 has four USB ports, it is backwards compatible. If it has two USB ports, it cannot play PS2 discs."

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Question

I have a PS3 model CECHP01. Can I play my PS2 games on it?

Community Answer

No. Any models CECHGxx and above are not backward compatible with PS2 games. You have to make do with either PlayStation Store or jailbreaking.

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Question

Can I use a Sony wireless controller to play PS2 games?

Community Answer

You can use a DualShock 3 controller to play PS2 games. If you are having issues playing with a third-party controller, try an official controller.

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Question

My PS3 has two ports in the front, will ps2 discs work on it?

Community Answer

Unfortunately no. Only PS3s with four ports on the front will run PS2 games.

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Question

Why did my PS3 stop reading my PS2 games? Can that be caused by an update?

Community Answer

The update can erase some files. If it was an update from Sony, it will remove the jailbreak and you will need to jailbreak it again.

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Question

Can I play the game using multiman alone?

Community Answer

No. You need to follow the steps outlined above. If you don't, multiman will not be able to play the games.

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Question

How do I find links to download PS2 games?

Zac Meyers

Community Answer

Emuparidise is a good site to use. I use it all the time.

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Question

Can I buy an older PS3, reapply thermal paste, and clean it?

Community Answer

You could try, but it is likely that the actual GPU is too badly damaged at this point to work even after doing that. Replacing the GPU is possible and is likely the best solution should you choose to do this.

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Question

Is a PS3 320 GB Slim backwards-compatible?

Community Answer

All slim PS3s are not backwards-compatible. You will have to purchase from the store, jailbreak it or get another PS3.

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Question

My PS3 is backwards compatible, but when I try to play a PS2 game, it says insert controller even though I already did. Is there anything else I can do to get the game to play?

Community Answer

No, there isn't really any other way. Don't be careless though -- you could erase all your memory if you're not careful.

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Question

What generation PlayStation games can I play on a PS4?

Community Answer

Only PS4 games; there's no backward compatibility.

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Question

What do I do if my PS2 game won't play due to region restrictions?

Douglie007

Community Answer

The Playstation is region locked for PS1 and PS2 games, you will need to jailbreak the system for it to play ports (in ISO format only, not disc).

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Question

I recently downloaded Rayman 2: Revolution on my PS3. After downloading and installing, I tried playing and it said "No controller". I'm using a Power A cord controller. What could be the problem?

Community Answer

Try pressing the PS Home Button in the middle of your controller and set the controller to slot 1. this may not work with third party controllers so try using an official one if you are able to.

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Question

How can I save the game and access the data later on?

Douglie007

Community Answer

There is a Memory card USB adapter to move PS2 game saves to a real memory card. Also, some of the early PS3 had SD card slots hidden in a door on the unit.

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Question

Why isn't my PS2 game working in my PS3?

Community Answer

Try checking to see if your PS3 is backwards compatible with the first steps listed in this guide. A general rule of thumb is to check that it has 4 USB ports on the front of the system. If it is backwards compatible, then try checking the disk itself to make sure it is not scratched or damaged in any way.

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Question

Can I play PS2 games on PS3 by adjusting a four port device?

Community Answer

No, it should be a four port device by default, attaching a four port splitter won't change anything.

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Question

Is a PS3 model #CECH-4201B backwards compatible?

Community Answer

No; that Playstation 3 is not compatible with PlayStation 2 games or controllers.

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Question

My PS3 is fat, yet doesn't have four USB slots. What does that mean?

Community Answer

This means you can't play PS2 games. This only possible if it has 4 USB Ports.

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Question

Where exactly is the CECHA thing?

Community Answer

the CECHA sticker is at the back of the PS3 above the power button (which is near the power cord). Since it's a sticker, there's a chance you might've lost it somehow. However, if you did find it, check the last part of the serial code. The sticker has written on it something along the lines of "SERIAL: XX - XXXXXXXX - XXXXXXX - CECHJXX" [replace X with rest of serial]. Please note that the last part of the serial may not always be CECHA or CECHB. If you don't know what it signifies, please refer back to the article.

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Question

My PS3 only has 2 USB ports on the front but the serial number ends with CECH-A201. Is it possible that it is not compatible with PS2 games, even though the serial number seems to indicate that it should be?

Community Answer

Check to see if you can set your PS3 back to update 4.84 or lower, as it is just easier to find out that way. And that is the lowest update needed to jailbreak the PS3 in order to run PS2 games.

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Question

What do I do if I can't connect my PS3 to the internet? Is multiman still possible?

Community Answer

If you can't connect your PS3 into the internet: For starters, you won't be able to play online games and you won't be able to connect it to PlayStation Store, To install games you need to put physical disks or use Multiman if it is jailbroken. Multiman doesn't need internet to work. Look for the reason your PS3 can't connect to your internet, maybe an Ethernet cable can help, maybe plug off all wireless devices (including PS3) for few minutes or restarting the router.

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Question

My PS3's serial number is CECH-25XXB. Can I play PS2 games on it?

Community Answer

No only ceca, cecb, are fully chip-based backwards compatible and cebc are software backwards compatible, which was later updated and removed.

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