PSU

The PSU file format is an archive format used by PS2 save data management tools like uLaunchELF and mymcplus.

Usage

Obtaining a PSU file

From an actual PS2

By running uLaunchELF on an actual PS2, one can export PSU files from the PS2 Memory Card to USB or network.

From a PS2 emulator

PCSX2 stores the PS2 savedata in a virtual memory card file whose extension is .mcd. Each per-game savedata contained in the MCD file can be extracted to a PSU file by using mymcplus tool for example.

Extracting a PSU file

The best way to extract a PSU file would be to use pypsu by McCaulay if it was not bugged (for example on Jak X: "[-] month must be in 1..12", and on games that have a filename identical as the folder name, cannot export that file).

• pypsu python library by McCaulay (2023-01-27)

A GUI tool for PSU file edition is

• PS2 Save Builder v0.8 by Vector (2003-2004)

but it is only for Windows and its source code is missing.

So the current workaround is to convert PSU to another savedata format, like PSV or MAX. For example, you can use

• psv-save-converter by bucanero

to convert to PSU or MAX, then extract files from PSU or MAX using

• PSV Export v1.3 by PMStanley

In the past there was a tool named psutools (link requires registration, to mirror)

• psutools in FreeBASIC with source code by LameGuy64 (2016-07-02)

A good tool might finally be

• PS2 Save Utility by root670 (2018-09-22)

Structure

• PSU file format description by gothi (2013-01-19)

See also

• http://www.hkems.com/product/ps2/ps2-mem.htm
• http://www.hkems.com/product/ps2/ps2%20usb.htm