Canadian retro tech enthusiast known as DiscoStarslayer carried out successfully CXP102064 Reverse engineering of the MechaCon security chip installed on the first version of Sony’s PlayStation 2 game console released in 1999.
Image source: x.com/DiscoStarslayer
It took the hobbyist four years to achieve this result – and his work will provide important assistance to projects related to the preservation, repair and simulation of the device. The MechaCon chip is named for its primary function – controlling the mechanics of the optical disc drive and flash memory on the PS2 console. It also plays an important role in Sony’s game disc security system, providing support for MagicGate memory card technology and the decryption of protected KELF executable files. Revealing how such chips work is important for experts involved in preserving gaming heritage.
Over the course of four years, the project’s authors turned to various reverse engineering techniques. To gain access to the crystal, he chemically opened the CXP102064 wafer enclosure and used microscopy and optical data-reading techniques to analyze the silicon wafer’s circuitry. In the process, it is possible to discover a vulnerability that facilitates programmatic extraction of chip data.
This achievement opens up new vistas for the game and hardware preservation communities, emulator developers, and hobby software creators. MechaCon chips are used not only in the PS2 itself, but also in slot machines built on its platform: Namco System 246, System 256 and Konami Python 1.
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