u/CoronavirusGoesViral

I investigated a little and after being out of the loop for a hot moment, it looks like the homebrew scene has had a few updates since I last left off.

My personal PS2 Slim is probably something I'd like to keep relatively unmodded. If I were to try modding, I think I'd get another second hand one to sacrifice.

Since it's a 9000X it's a little bit finnicky without FMCB, so that'll be a consideration.

• First there's FreeDVDBoot which is an easy gateway as an exploit, and also to playing backups. There's a tool out there which will patch an ISO with FDVDB, to boot an ESR patched ISO. I don't mind the discs, and I like that a game will have a bit of permanence on a disc as opposed to being files on a drive. This is a pretty decent solution already, limited by ESR compatibility.
• OpenPS2Loader. Since I'm on a Slim 9000X, that precludes an attachable internal HDD that would be much easier. USB doesn't seem worth bothering. I found out about MX4SIO which kind of kicked off this recent looking for solutions again. But I tried a Bitfunx card with OPL and had no luck. For Slims, I read some sort of Raspberry Pi SMB Network solution has the best compatibility. It might not be "clean" in terms of all the bits and pieces that'll stick out, but for compatibility and longevity it seems to be the ideal solution. Nonetheless it will look funny when I have to connect a USB HDD, to a Raspberry Pi, to the Ethernet port, as opposed to being able to just connect that USB HDD straight to the PS2. Also I don't run any kind of Home Network NAS or anything like that currently.
• Just playing PCSX2 on my modern PC. Since my setup currently involves me connecting my PS2 to my monitor via RetroTink 2X, at times I feel like I should just emulate. I believe now in 2026, compatibility should be very good. But someone could let me know if there are any troublesome games still around that don't emulate well.
• I also have a PS3 and PS4 around that I'm fine to softmod at this point. If it's a nice solution just to get PS2 games going, it might be nicer than the roundabout ways to get it going on an actual PS2.