Taiko Zucchini

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Taiko Zucchini is a PS3 SPRX mod for the Taiko no Tatsujin arcade games (Katsu Don through Green) on Namco System 357. It installs as a runtime plugin and uses a first-run bootstrap EBOOT to patch the game's original EBOOT on the console.

📖 READ THIS WHOLE README CAREFULLY, FIRST

Most install failures are people skipping steps. Read everything before you touch anything — especially the PERMISSIONS and Before You Start sections.

Taiko Zucchini supports the range from Taiko no Tatsujin Katsu Don up through Taiko no Tatsujin Green (Katsu Don, Sorairo, Momoiro, Kimidori, Murasaki, Blue/White, Green, etc.).

Do not install this release on a Taiko version outside that range unless support is explicitly documented. The patcher depends on version-specific EBOOT layout and patch offsets.

You can install multiple Taiko versions side by side. Each lives in its own game folder (e.g. SCEEXE001, plus more for Green, White, Murasaki, whatever). Zucchini patches each one independently, as long as each game folder has the bootstrap EBOOT and the rest of its files in place.

The only requirement is that permissions are correct on every game folder (see the PERMISSIONS section). Get that right and any number of versions can coexist.

On retail PS3 consoles, Taiko Zucchini requires custom firmware.

On original Namco System 357 hardware, the system needs the DEX firmware modules installed so the bootstrap and SPRX loading flow can run.

Make sure no USB stick is plugged into the PS3 while running the mod — not even an empty one. Any USB stick can confuse the dongle/VU detection. Everything else (controller, etc.) is fine; just no USB storage.

On RPCS3 the same rule applies, plus the emulated USB devices must be cleaned up. Open Configuration → Virtual File System → dev_usb and remove all Vendor ID, Product ID, and Serial entries so every /dev_usbNNN row is blank (only /dev_usb000 keeps its default path). It should look like this:

Device        Path                          Vendor ID   Product ID   Serial
/dev_usb000   $(EmulatorDir)dev_usb000/
/dev_usb001
/dev_usb002
/dev_usb003
...

If any VID/PID/Serial is set, older Taiko versions WILL have issues. Clear them and click Save.

Remote screenshots (the Connector's Screenshot button) read the RSX local memory the game scans out, which on real hardware is the displayed frame. RPCS3 renders on the host GPU and only copies the result back into guest-visible memory when Configuration → GPU → Write Color Buffers is enabled; with it off — the default — the capture is a buffer the emulator never wrote, so the image is black. Enable that option if you want screenshots under RPCS3; it costs performance and changes nothing on a real console.

A normal release should include:

• zucchini.sprx: the runtime plugin.
• EBOOT.BIN: a throwaway bootstrap EBOOT used for the first patch.

The release does not include game files, Sony SDK files, signing keys, app loader keys, or other proprietary key material.

Configuration is global and lives next to zucchini.sprx:

/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/taiko_config.cfg
/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/cards.cfg

• taiko_config.cfg: main config, shared by every game. A per-game overlay can override individual values, but the base config is global.
• cards.cfg: card registration data, also stored here.

Both files are created with sane defaults on first run if missing.

EVERY file and folder under /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/ AND under your game folder /dev_hdd0/game/<game folder>/ MUST be set to 777 permissions, owned by root, RECURSIVELY.

This is the single most common cause of failure. If permissions or owner are wrong, the mod will fail to read/write configs, patch the EBOOT, or load — often with confusing or silent errors.

Correct order of operations:

1. Copy everything over first — both the game and the mod files.
2. Set up all the files (configs, keys, EBOOT rename, DATA00000.BIN, etc.).
3. THEN, as the last step, set permissions and owner recursively.

Two ways to set permissions/owner:

• FTP — only works on CFW retail consoles and consoles with HEN. Use an FTP client (or the built-in FTP server, see below) with an account that can chmod/chown to apply 777 + root recursively.
• Virtual machine / direct HDD editing — mount the PS3 HDD directly and fix permissions there. This is the only option on S357 hardware, since those cannot currently be modded over the network.

Apply recursively to both trees, e.g.:

chmod -R 777 /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko
chown -R root:root /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko
chmod -R 777 /dev_hdd0/game/<game folder>
chown -R root:root /dev_hdd0/game/<game folder>

1. On the PS3 hard drive, create this folder:

   /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/
   

2. Copy zucchini.sprx from the release into that folder:

   /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/zucchini.sprx
   

3. In the same folder, create a keys folder:

   /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/keys/
   

4. Copy your own signing key files into the keys folder. The patcher expects the files to be named keys and ldr_curves:

   /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/keys/keys
   /dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/keys/ldr_curves
   

   These files are required so the mod can decrypt, patch, and re-sign the original EBOOT. They are not distributed with Taiko Zucchini.

5. Open the Taiko Green game USRDIR folder.

6. Rename the original, unpatched, signed game EBOOT:

   EBOOT.BIN -> EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN
   

7. Copy the release-provided bootstrap EBOOT.BIN into the same USRDIR folder, replacing the original filename.

After these steps, the important files should be arranged like this:

/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/
  zucchini.sprx
  keys/

<Taiko Green USRDIR>/
  EBOOT.BIN
  EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN

8. Copy the DATA00000.BIN file from the usb stick (usually found in /dev_usb000/VERSIONUP) into the USRDIR folder

/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/
  zucchini.sprx
  keys/

<Taiko Green USRDIR>/
  EBOOT.BIN
  EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN
  DATA00000.BIN

The release EBOOT.BIN is only a bootstrap. Its job is to load:

/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/zucchini.sprx

On first boot, the SPRX finds EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN, patches it, re-signs the patched result, and writes the real patched EBOOT.BIN back into USRDIR. The bootstrap EBOOT is moved aside during this process.

When the first patch finishes, power-cycle or reboot the game. The next boot uses the patched game EBOOT directly, and the bootstrap EBOOT is no longer needed for normal startup.

Keep EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN in place. Future Taiko Zucchini updates may use it to regenerate the patched EBOOT when the patcher changes.

The mod menu opens during the early preboot window.

• On a DualShock controller, hold L3 + R3 for about 3 seconds while the game is starting.
• On a keyboard, repeatedly tap F2 until the mod menu opens. Holding F2 before the keyboard is initialized may not register, so tap it a few times.

To update Taiko Zucchini, replace:

/dev_hdd0/plugins/taiko/zucchini.sprx

The patched EBOOT loads the SPRX from that path. If the new SPRX needs a new EBOOT patch, it can repatch from EBOOT_ORIGINAL.BIN.

S357 hardware cannot currently be modded over the network. To get the mod loading you must convert the unit to a "D-GEX" hybrid firmware so it has full XMB access, then install the game. Everything is done by mounting the PS3 HDD directly (VM or a Linux box).

⚠️ This wipes/reinitializes your drive. Make a backup first (step 1). After all files are in place, remember the PERMISSIONS section above — 777 + root, recursive, on both plugins/taiko and the game folder.

1. RPCS3 installed on your computer.
2. A VM or Linux install for mounting the S357 HDD — if using a VM, ideally a separate PC running Linux.
3. At least 250 GB of free space.
4. Hard drive access to your S357.
5. A USB stick with at least 256 MB free.
6. A compatible PlayStation 3 controller and a Mini-USB cable for it. Generic pads (DS4 / DualSense / Switch Pro Controller) work for gameplay but will not let you exit back to XMB, due to how the PS3 OS handles them.

1. Create an .img backup of your S357 HDD in its current state using dd on Linux. This is your restore point if anything goes wrong or you want to revert.
2. After backing up, intentionally initialize your drive as GPT or MBR. This forces the S357 into Safe Mode so you can do a clean install of GEX.
3. Download 4.70 GEX: https://archive.midnightchannel.net/SonyPS/Firmware/download/5addd20173bfb15b6e18461b8f928027/GEX_CRC%5B476E8B6D%5D_FW%5Bv4.70%5D_PS3UPDAT.PUP
4. Rename the file to PS3UPDAT.PUP and place it on an MBR, FAT32-formatted USB drive at: PS3/UPDATE.
5. Plug the USB into the S357 and follow the process to reinstall GEX.
6. Once booted into GEX 4.70, wait for initial setup to finish (it will throw an error and reboot — this is expected), then unplug your S357.

1. Download 4.70 DEX: https://archive.midnightchannel.net/SonyPS/Firmware/download/b74627dadcef86ebff0c2a424106ec4d/DEX_CRC%5B1E5390FD%5D_FW%5Bv4.70%5D_PS3UPDAT.PUP
2. Extract the PUP using RPCS3 (Utilities → Extract PUP).
3. Extract the Encrypted TAR using RPCS3 (Utilities → Extract Encrypted TAR).
4. Mount the S357 HDD via Linux.
5. Open dev_flash as root.
6. Delete all files in dev_flash.
7. Copy each folder from the DEX dev_flash to the S357 HDD one by one, starting with the largest folders. It has to be done this way or you WILL hit errors, due to how UFS2 handles remaining storage.
8. Unmount.
9. Boot the S357 and enjoy full XMB access. It will run you through the regular PS3 setup.

1. Get a copy of Taiko Green 13.02 (your own dump, or elsewhere).
2. Rename SCEEXE000 to SCEEXE001.
3. Open PARAM.SFO in a hex editor (HxD, ImHex, etc.) and change SCEEXE000 to SCEEXE001 in the file.
4. Mount the S357 HDD via Linux.
5. Open dev_hdd as root.
6. Navigate to game.
7. Delete SCEEXE000 — this is a stub generated on the initial boot of the GEX reinstall.
8. Copy SCEEXE001 into game.
9. Once copying finishes, delete metadata_db_hdd in dev_hdd/mms/db to trigger a database restore. This makes Taiko Green show up on the XMB under its custom Title ID and removes the stub set up by GEX.

After this, follow the normal Installation steps to add the mod, then apply the PERMISSIONS fixes.

This project requires a local Sony Cell SDK installation. The SDK, game binaries, and private key material are not included and must not be committed.

Prepare a Cell SDK tree and point CELL_SDK at it. On Windows, the expected SDK layout is the native host-win32/ toolchain:

<CELL_SDK>/host-win32/ppu/bin/ppu-lv2-gcc.exe
<CELL_SDK>/host-win32/spu/bin/spu-lv2-gcc.exe
<CELL_SDK>/host-win32/bin/ppu-lv2-prx-strip.exe
<CELL_SDK>/host-win32/bin/make_fself.exe
<CELL_SDK>/target/ppu/
<CELL_SDK>/target/spu/
<CELL_SDK>/target/common/

Open an x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for Visual Studio, or initialize the environment from your installed Visual Studio first, then build from the repository root:

nmake /f Makefile.win TAIKO_ZUCCHINI_API_TOKEN=your_token

Makefile.win defaults to %SCE_PS3_ROOT% when set. Otherwise pass CELL_SDK explicitly:

nmake /f Makefile.win CELL_SDK=<cell-sdk-root> TAIKO_ZUCCHINI_API_TOKEN=your_token

Useful Windows targets:

nmake /f Makefile.win bootstrap
nmake /f Makefile.win ftp-eboot
nmake /f Makefile.win clean

The original Makefile remains available for GNU Make. It auto-picks host-win32/ when present, otherwise host-linux/, and can still be used from Linux, MSYS, Git Bash, or a Wine-wrapper SDK:

make CELL_SDK=/path/to/cell TAIKO_ZUCCHINI_API_TOKEN=your_token
make CELL_SDK=/path/to/cell TAIKO_ZUCCHINI_API_TOKEN=your_token bootstrap

The default build produces:

bin/zucchini.sprx
bootstrap_eboot/bin/eboot.elf
ftp_eboot/bin/ftp_eboot.elf

bootstrap_eboot/bin/eboot.elf is an unsigned first-run bootstrap EBOOT. If you build it yourself, sign it externally with your existing SELF signing workflow before installing it as EBOOT.BIN.

• core/, hooks/, patches/, storage/, network/, input/, qr/: project source.
• bootstrap_eboot/: first-run bootstrap EBOOT source.
• eboot_patcher/: original EBOOT decrypt, patch, re-sign, and swap flow.
• vendor/mbedtls/: Mbed TLS source, under its upstream license.
• vendor/quirc/: quirc source, under its upstream license.
• fonts/Roboto-Medium.ttf: Roboto font, under the Apache License 2.0.
• Makefile: GNU Make Cell SDK SPRX build.
• Makefile.win: Visual Studio NMAKE build using the SDK host-win32/ tools.

Bring your own legally obtained game files and key material. Taiko Zucchini does not distribute the Taiko game EBOOT, Sony SDK files, app loader keys, or other proprietary files.

Project code is released under the MIT license. Vendored dependencies and font assets keep their own licenses; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.