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There are two similarly named projects to distinguish: ORBIT is a PS2 launcher, while OrbitPS2 Manager is a separate desktop tool for managing Open PS2 Loader (OPL) game libraries. Their documented features are not interchangeable.
What ORBIT can—and cannot—do with saves
The available ORBIT launcher announcement describes reading the newest save for each game to display a 3D icon. It does not document a save export, backup, or organization procedure. A save icon is a way to see save-related information, not evidence that ORBIT has copied or protected the save.
Before following any ORBIT-specific backup steps, check the launcher’s current documentation or release notes for a supported export feature. Unless those materials document one, use the backup method for the memory-card format configured in the system that holds your saves.
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- Fully compatible with Sony Playstation 2 and playstation 2 Slim.
- Improved storage system now compatible with more game than ever.
- Newly design package, fresh and elegant look. Sleek package allows you to easily slip the memory card in and out.
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Identify where your PS2 saves are stored
The right backup depends on whether the save lives on a physical PS2 memory card, in an OPL virtual memory card (VMC), or in a PCSX2 card image or folder card. These are distinct storage arrangements, and the available documentation does not establish that their files can be swapped directly.
| Storage type | Where the save data is stored | What to check before backing up |
|---|---|---|
| Physical PS2 memory card | On the card used with the console. | Use a supported workflow to make a separate copy; the card itself is not a backup. |
| OPL virtual memory card | In a VMC image file in OPL’s VMC directory. OPL’s guide describes filenames based on a game ID. | Check which VMC is assigned to the game in its per-game settings. |
| PCSX2 memory-card image | In a card-image file on the host filesystem. | Identify the configured card image and back up that file. |
| PCSX2 folder card | In folders on the host filesystem, rather than in one monolithic card file. | Back up the relevant folder-card data; PCSX2 says these saves are isolated from management through the PS2 BIOS. |
PCSX2’s Memory Cards documentation explains that folder mode stores saves as folders on the host filesystem and that they cannot be managed through the PS2 BIOS in the same way as conventional card saves. Back up the format PCSX2 is actually configured to use rather than looking for a single card file when you use folder mode.
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- Never lose saved data again or have to constantly switch between smaller memory cards | 256MB (2043 Block) memory card is perfect even for the most demanding PlayStation 2 games
- Durable, compact design mimics look and feel of original memory cards and is compatible with all PS2 games and systems | Memory card features two switchable data banks to achieve 256 megabyte capacity
- Please Note: To reach full capacity of memory card dual 128 megabyte banks must be switched between | Front facing switch on card must be set to apropriate memory bank prior to turning on console
- Compatible with: PS2 (Playstation 2) consoles only | Will not work with backwards compatible fat PS3 consoles or PSONE (PSX) systems
- Package Contents: 1x PS2 memory card | Works on all models of PS2 including launch, fat and slim console variants
Back up a PCSX2 card image or folder card
For either PCSX2 format, make a separate copy of the relevant card data while PCSX2 is closed. Closing the emulator avoids copying while it may be writing to the card. These are file-handling precautions, not an automatic PCSX2 or ORBIT backup feature.
- Check the configured card format. In PCSX2, identify whether the game uses a memory-card image or a folder card, then locate that image file or folder-card data.
- Close PCSX2. Wait for the emulator to finish before copying the data.
- Copy the complete card data. Put the image file or relevant folder-card data in a separate backup location. Do not replace or move the working copy as part of making the backup.
- Label the copy clearly. Use a date and a description, such as the game or card it contains, so you can distinguish it from later copies.
- Keep the original and check the copy. Do not delete or overwrite the working data until you have confirmed the backup exists and can be read. If you restore later, use the format expected by the configured PCSX2 card.
Back up and organize OPL virtual memory cards
OPL uses virtual memory-card image files in its VMC directory. Its user guide describes VMC filenames based on a game ID and per-game settings that can specify VMC configuration. A useful first step is therefore to identify each game’s assigned VMC, rather than assuming every game uses the same card.
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- TWO SEPARATE 128 MB BANKS, NOT ONE POOL OF 256 MB: The selector on the front of the card chooses which bank the console talks to, and each bank is its own storage area with its own save list. Nothing spans the two, so a file written on one side is invisible from the other. Set the selector first and then turn the console on, because the console reads the position once at start-up and does not look again.
- BUILT FOR PS2 AND FOR THE SLIM, AND FOR NOTHING ELSE: It drops into the memory card slot made for PS2, on every revision from the first SCPH-10000 through to the 90000 series, fat or slim. It is not for the PS One, not for the PSX, and not for a fat PS3 running a disc in backward compatible mode. Those machines use a different card and will not read this one.
- IT IS A STORAGE CARD, AND IT WILL NOT RUN FREEMCBOOT: If the plan is to install a homebrew launcher, this is the wrong card and no amount of formatting will change that. What it does do is hold save files, and a lot of them, which is the job most people actually need a second card for.
- NO BOOT DISC, NO DRIVERS, NOTHING TO INSTALL: Push it into the slot and the console lists it straight away. Save sizes vary by title, and the back of a game case usually prints how many kilobytes a save needs, so you can work out how far one bank will go before you fill it.
- WHAT ARRIVES IS ONE BLACK CARD, 5.6 BY 4.1 BY 0.6 CM: Two habits keep a save file intact on any card of this kind: leave the console powered down while the card goes in or comes out, and do not cut the power while a title is writing.
- Check the game’s OPL settings. Find the per-game VMC configuration and note which card image the game is assigned to.
- Locate the assigned VMC file. Use OPL’s configured VMC directory and match the filename to the game ID as described in the OPL user guide.
- Copy the VMC image as a backup. Keep the backup separate from the active VMC and give it a recognizable date and game or card label.
- Keep a simple assignment record. Note which game uses which VMC so you can find the relevant card if you need to restore it.
If you use OrbitPS2 Manager, treat it as a separate OPL library-management application, not as the ORBIT launcher. Its project page documents VMC creation, listing, deletion, and assignment, including supported VMC sizes of 8, 16, 32, and 64 MB. Those are configuration options; the page does not establish that the manager edits individual saves inside a VMC.
Organize saves without confusing them with backups
Organization makes a save or card easier to identify; it does not create another copy. Keep these two jobs separate:
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- Upgrade innovation chip that process and save the games faster by 15% than older version, smooth and steady without interruption.
- Fully compatible with Sony Playstation 2 and playstation 2 Slim.
- Improved storage system now compatible with more game than ever.
- Newly design package, fresh and elegant look. Sleek package allows you to easily slip the memory card in and out.
- 60 months worry free warranty. Friendly and supportive customer service is there to answer all your questions within hours.
- Preserve: keep a separate copy of the card image or folder data, or use a supported method to copy saves from a physical card.
- Find: label backup copies with the game, card or VMC identity, and date. For OPL, record the game-to-VMC assignment; for PCSX2, record whether the copy is an image or folder card.
- Protect the known-good copy: retain the original until you have verified the backup and any restored data.
A physical PS2 memory card is storage for a real console, not a backup on its own. To preserve its contents, use an applicable, supported workflow to make a separate copy and verify that copy before relying on it. The available PlayStation memory-card support page is relevant to the physical-card context; it does not document a general ORBIT export method.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Moving saves between ORBIT, OPL, PCSX2, and a console
The available documentation does not establish direct interchangeability among ORBIT, OPL VMC images, PCSX2 card images, PCSX2 folder cards, and physical PS2 memory cards. Do not assume renaming a file, placing it in another system’s folder, or assigning it in a launcher will convert it.
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- Can create virtual memory cards (128KiB) for game saving, compatible with both PS1 / PS/PS2 and and arcade systems.
- For PS1/PS one: Supports launching FreePSXBoot using Unirom or Tonyhax.
- For PS2: Supports launching FreeMCBoot, OpenTuna, and other exploits.
- Tips:Supports setting PS2 Virtual Memory Card sizes: 1MB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, or 64MB.
- Save at any time: It can automatically detect running games and create dedicated virtual memory cards, so players can save game at any time, keep their gaming experience.
Before attempting a transfer, confirm that the source and destination formats are supported by the tool you plan to use and that it documents the required import, export, or conversion path. Make a separate copy of the original first. If the destination software’s documentation does not explain the conversion, the available evidence is not enough to promise that the transfer will work.
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