USBUtil is a classic Windows-based tool primarily designed to help users play PlayStation 2 (PS2) games from a USB drive. While it was built for the PS2 era, it is still referenced in PS3 circles because the PS3 can use it to prepare PS2 games for its own internal emulation. What is USBUtil?

Why Not Just Use NTFS or exFAT?

Back when USBUtil was popular (2009–2013), PS3 CFW had poor NTFS support – read-only or unstable. FAT32 was the only reliable external format. Tools like USBUtil or PS3 ISO Tools were necessary. Later, CFW added native NTFS read/write (via prepNTFS or Irisman), making USBUtil mostly obsolete.

The "ul.cfg" File: This file is the "index" for all your split games. If you delete it or it becomes corrupted, your console will not see any of the split games on the drive.

Splitting Files: It breaks down large ISO files (larger than 4GB) into smaller segments that a FAT32-formatted USB drive can hold.

Usbutil allowed users to create and manage libraries of games that are no longer commercially available. It enabled the preservation of titles that might have been lost to licensing expiration or server shutdowns. In this light, Usbutil acts as a digital museum curator’s tool. It represents the conflict at the heart of digital ownership: the right to repair and the right to preserve versus the publisher's right to control distribution.