mkpsxiso creates CD images that comply with the ISO 9660 standard, specifically tailored for PlayStation CD-ROM requirements. This page explains the standard compliance details and PlayStation-specific implementations.
ISO 9660 Overview
mkpsxiso outputs disc images that conform to the older ISO 9660 standard without Joliet extensions:
- Creates filesystem structures compatible with PlayStation BIOS
- Supports standard
.bin and .cue or .iso formats
- Can be used as a regular ISO creation tool for ISO 9660 images
- Maintains compatibility with modern CD burning tools and emulators
Standard Compliance Features
Path Table Generation
As of Version 1.19, path table generation logic was significantly reworked:
- Previous implementations were flawed and caused issues with games and operating systems utilizing the path table
- Current implementation ensures true ISO 9660 compliance
- Path tables are properly structured for both little-endian and big-endian formats
- Supports dummy entries in path tables (Version 2.10+)
Directory Records
Proper Directory Record Handling:
- Directory records spanning more than one sector are properly supported (fixed in Version 2.00)
- Record lengths are calculated correctly in sector multiples
- Directory entries are sorted before LBA tree calculation (Version 2.10)
- Directory records written using linear write instead of recursive write
- Descriptor directories written using Breadth-First Search instead of Depth-First Search
Version 1.15 Improvements:
- Directory record lengths now calculate in sector multiples instead of actual bytes
- Makes ISO images fully ISO 9660 compliant
- Eliminates errors from ISO tools that previously rejected mkpsxiso-generated images
File and Path Limits
ISO 9660 Standard Limits (enforced in Version 2.20):
- Path length and depth limited to follow ISO 9660 standards
- Character limit increased from 12 to 31 for homebrew development
- Lowercase characters allowed in ISO descriptor for homebrew
- Non-standard root attributes permitted for homebrew projects
Volume Descriptor
Proper descriptor generation includes:
- Date stamp set in root directory record
- Correct volume size calculation
- System identifier defaults to “PLAYSTATION” when blank
- Application identifier defaults to “PLAYSTATION” when blank
- Optional copyright identifier support
- Descriptor submode generated correctly for games built with Sony’s mastering tools (2003+)
PlayStation-Specific Extensions
CD-XA (eXtended Architecture)
mkpsxiso extends ISO 9660 with CD-XA attributes required for PlayStation:
- XA attribute headers properly encoded
- Supports CD-XA stream files (audio and video)
- Can disable CD-XA attributes with
-noxa option for plain ISO 9660
- XA attributes preserved during dump and rebuild operations
Mode 2 Support:
- Mode 2 Form 1: Data sectors with EDC/ECC
- Mode 2 Form 2: XA audio/video sectors without EDC/ECC
- Proper EDC generation for all file types
- EDC Form 2 integrity maintenance via
xa_edc attribute
- ECC and timestamp bug fixes (Version 2.00)
File Ordering and LBA Control
Unlike standard ISO creation tools, mkpsxiso allows precise control over file placement:
- File LBA controlled by order in XML document
- Enables seek optimization for faster loading
- Maintains exact LBA addresses for 1:1 rebuilds
- Supports dummy sectors to preserve original LBA layout
<!-- Files are placed in the order specified -->
<file name="LOAD1.DAT" source="data/load_first.dat"/>
<dummy sectors="16"/> <!-- Preserve gap -->
<file name="LOAD2.DAT" source="data/load_second.dat"/>
- Correct descriptor submode generation via
new_type XML attribute
- Proper descriptor year handling
- Custom file ordering logic via
order XML attribute (Version 2.20)
- Directory record sorting to match original disc layout
PS2 CD-ROM Games
Version 2.20 added support for PlayStation 2 CD-ROM games:
- Regenerate correct submode via
ps2 XML attribute
- Maintains compatibility with PS2 BIOS requirements
Timestamp Handling
Cross-Platform Timestamp Support:
- Files extracted/built with original timestamps (Version 2.10+)
- No offset calculations needed - direct timestamp preservation
- Support for timestamps prior to 1970 on Windows (Version 2.10)
- Date handling uses native Windows APIs (Version 2.20)
On ext4 and xfs filesystems, the minimum timestamp is 1901/12/13. Games with older file dates (Crash Bash, Spyro 3, Vagrant Story) cannot be rebuilt 1:1 on these filesystems. Use f2fs, ntfs, or btrfs for better date support.
License Data Injection
mkpsxiso can properly inject Sony license data into the image:
- Eliminates need for separate licensing tools
- License data placed in correct sectors
- Must supply your own license data from PsyQ SDK
- dumpsxiso can extract license data from existing discs
- License file can be referenced separately via
id_file attribute
<identifier>
<license_file>licensdata.dat</license_file>
</identifier>
<identifier id_file="license.xml"/>
- Binary disc image with cue sheet
- Supports multiple tracks (data + CD audio)
- Cue sheet filename customizable via
-c or --cuefile argument
- Path stripped from .bin file specification in cue sheets (Version 1.27)
- Single file ISO image
- Compatible with emulators and disc tools
- Limited to single data track (no CD audio tracks)
Validation and Compatibility
Image Verification:
- Almost all images can be rebuilt 1:1 (Version 2.00+)
- XML generation in strict LBA order or sorted by directory
- Timestamps and XA attributes preserved
- ISO descriptor check in dumpsxiso (Version 2.02)
- Detection of problematic ISOs with little-endian attributes (Version 2.20)
Known Compatibility Issues:
On Windows, certain directory structures with many identically-named subdirectories may not browse correctly. The issue persists with BuildCD-generated images, suggesting it’s an OS bug rather than a mkpsxiso issue. Test your generated images before release.