PS5 Hardware specialist TheCod3r has released PS5 NOR Modifier, a tool that helps you update the PS5’s NOR flash files, in particular for repairs.
What is PS5 NOR Modifier
We have mentioned TheCod3r’s work in the past, in particular is impressive way to salvage a PS5 with a broken Blu-Ray disc, by turning it into a digital version of the console. In order to do that, TheCod3r had to rewrite parts of the console’s NOR, in order for it to behave as a digital edition, in particular to avoid failing at boot time when no Blu Ray disc is found.
Generally speaking, PS5 NOR Modifier can assist in this kind of situation, where rewriting the PS5 Flash might be required, after critical failure issues (hardware or otherwise). From the tool’s readme:
The PS5 NOR Modifier by TheCod3r allows you to modify your PS5 NOR file to convert between digital and disc editions to save your PS5 when your disc drive fails, or when no disc drive is available.
Using this free software, you can bring your console back from the grave by converting a disc edition to a digital edition, as well as changing the serial number and reported variant in order to replace your SPI flash rom when it dies! This is particularly useful when you either don’t have a matching disc drive, by converting from a disc to a digital edition in order to allow future updates (restoring online functionality by keeping your PS5 up to date). If your SPI flash rom dies (very common) you can now modify the dump from another console and retain disc drive functionality. You no longer need to convert to a digital version when your SPI flash rom dies!
Features:
- Read reported BIOS dump serial number, reported version (disc or digital) and board variant (CFI-XXX model).
- Change the serial number which is reported in the BIOS dump.
- Change between disc and digital versions.
- Change board variant.
- One click processing, no need for experience in command line or any HEX editing skills.
- Fast, lightweight and easy to use.
- Standalone application, no installation required.
- Fully portable. Carry the application on a USB drive and run instantly.
Do I need PS5 NOR Modifier as an end user?
Unless you’re in the business of repairing consoles, this tool will probably not be super useful for you. With that being said, if you find yourself in a situation where overwriting the console’s NOR is required for you, you might have a use for it. Understand that significant soldering skills and adequate hardware are required to unsolder/manipulate the chip on the console, so this is not an easy “software only” manipulation (as can be seen here).
PS5 NOR Modifier vs PS5 NOR Tool
As a side note, it is worth mentioning that this tool by TheCod3r apparently only does a subset of what PS5 NOR Tool, by BwE, does. I won’t go into the details of the ongoing heated debate between these two folks, but BwE has claimed that his tool does way more, and in a safer way, than PS5 NOR Modifier. Of course, to the layman, the obvious initial difference is that PS5 NOR Tool costs $100, while PS5 NOR Modifier is Free.
Whether you choose to use one tool or the other will mostly depend on your use case obviously. (I’m personally not a big fan of folks charging for community/homebrew tools, but BwE’s stance is that a tool such as PS5 NOR Tool is targeted at professionals – not end users – who will charge for their repair service.). There is no doubt that BwE has been working on his tools for quite some time now, having started years ago in the PS4 era.
Wuh looks like the ‘competition’ is struggling to be more than just an automated hex editor.
Again! Don’t go around changing values or using other dumps without changing your per-console data as well! Thanks! pic.twitter.com/PFnksMvU70
— BwE (@BwE_Dev) May 10, 2023
Please note that I haven’t tried either tool, not feeling the urgent need to destroy one of my PS5s just for the sake of testing 🙂
Download PS5 NOR Modifier
You can download PS5 NOR Modifier from its official page here.
Source: TheCod3r