AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

---

Modder Sword has released PS5SX2, new software for jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles that brings native PlayStation 2 disc support and 4K upscaling. Unlike previous hacks that streamed emulation from a host system, this version runs directly on the console’s custom Zen 2 chip. The software uses a modified Vulkan translation layer developed by coder Mihawk-99 to handle rendering without relying on official drivers.

PS5SX2 supports physical PlayStation 2 game discs in formats including ISO, CHD, CSO, and ZSO, working with both built-in and external USB optical drives across all regions. It features 6X resolution upscaling to reach 4K and supports AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). The emulator also allows users to apply patch files for widescreen or 60 FPS support, fine-tune settings via smartphone, play online, and use keyboard and mouse controls.

When asked about future development, Sword confirmed that PlayStation 3 disc support is coming with the RPCS3 port currently under creation. Sony has implemented backward compatibility for PlayStation 4 physical and digital games but has not offered native PlayStation 2 or PlayStation 3 disc support. The developer noted that community projects like PS5SX2 help boost the value of the PlayStation 5 despite these limitations.