Categories
PSP

PSP Firmware 3.10 – 0 day decrypt !

In the same 24 hours that firmware 3.10 was released, with not much new features except perhaps new security, it’s already been decrypted.

A true zero day exploit !

Categories
PSP

PSP Downgrader for 3.03

While any downgraded psp can now be updated to the latest ‘open edition’ 3.03 firmware, it is now also possible to downgrade your psp from the official firmware 3.03 to firmware 1.50 (and then you can upgrade it again to 3.03 Open Edition so you can play isos and psx games).

To downgrade your official psp 3.03 firmware, you’ll need a copy of the original, unpatched GTA: Liberty City Stories.

I wonder what that is worth now on Ebay ? Last time I checked, it was worth around 60 euros !

Categories
Gaming PSP

PSP Firmware 3.02 cracked – PSX games possible without needing a PS3

I don’t know if the people at Sony were lazy or if the people behind the cracks are that good, but for at least a week now the psp firmware 3.0 (first 3.0, then 3.01 and now 3.02) has been cracked.

This is great news for those of us who would like to use emulation software on our psp.

If you downgraded from firmware 2.71 (now even from 2.80) to firmware 1.5 or used a custom firmware like 2.72 SE-B or SE-C you could already emulate lots of other systems :

But so far, Playstation One games (also called PSX games) could not be emulated on the psp. There was an attempt made early this year by an independent coder, but that didn’t really get that far, although many wished for it.

But now, Sony officially allowed you to buy and download psx games – on your hugely expensive PS3. You know, the one that currently (dec 2006) is nowhere to be found ? That is hugely expensive ?

That’s right, in order to play your old games (that you might still have lying around) on your psp you need to buy a PS3. Of all the stupid hare-brained schemes, marrying the psp to the PS3 to get PSX games is a really STUPID way of getting attention for your psp business.

I really get the feeling that the psp is not exactly the center of attention at Sony Games. Here is a chance to let the psp system shine, and whoops! – you can only download from our servers if you have a ps3. It simply sucks.

No way am I going to buy a PS3 – I’ve got two kids with the eldest being five years old, so I’m going to buy a Wii so I can play games with them ! I like my PS2, but I’m still selling it for the Wii – there’s only room and time for one console in my living room.

So for Sony Games to allow us to purchase PSX games only via the PS3 means that they are missing out on a lot of the emulation market – people who have fond memories of them playing games in their youth and want to relive the experience on their psp and marvel at its ability to be able to play them – in the palm of their hands !

So that’s why this is great news for those of us (like me) who don’t own a PS3 and are not planning on buying one anytime soon, and by the time I might buy one my psp will likely have gone to its grave…

Xenogears (if I can find the discs again) here I come !

Categories
Gaming PSP

Killzone : Liberation

Killzone : Liberation

A new addition to my gaming collection… Killzone : Liberation

So far very nice, good for some quick action, the save checkpoints are reasonably to very well placed, and you actually need to think to advance ! I’m playing on ‘easy’ mode, and that is already hard enough !

Also, while the game is played from an isometric perspective, the animations are all very well done, when you go sailing through the air after an explosion your limbs flail about ! Gruesome, but a nice touch.

‘Playable by Dads’ rating : ‘Pick it up!’

Categories
Hardware PSP

Getting online with your PSP if you use WEP

I’ve had to use WEP security for my wireless setup as I am working with a WDS setup.

This was needed so my DVD-HD Kiss Player, connected to an Airport Express, can get to the internet and download his program tv guide. And WDS only works with WEP… sigh. Otherwise I would be using WPA pre-shared key, which is much more secure and which the psp also supports.

Anyway, if for one reason or the other you do need to set up WEP, please use the 128 bit kind and set up mac filtering – the 64 bit key can be broken in the space of a few hours !

A few reminders (for you and for me) :

  • your psp can only use 802.11 B networks (it confused me though, that it can see the access point even when it is only in G mode… must be a different protocol or some such)
  • when using WEP, it is best to type in the actual WEP key and not the password that generates the key (the password is the one that you typed in your router to set up wireless wep security). For the 128 bit key you need to type in 26 digits.
Categories
PSP

PSP 2.71 SE-C with Devhook 0.50

If you have a firmware 1.50 PSP, (or downgraded from 2.71 to 1.50), you can now install a special treat – a Special Edition Firmware version of the PSP 2.71 firmware together with the latest version of Devhook.

The latest revision discussed here is revision C of this firmware. You can download it from PSP-Hacks (and other sites).
What does all this do ? Let me list it :

  • You no longer have to boot into your 1.50 firmware, then use devhook to boot into your emulated 2.71 firmware, and then -finally!- start up your favourite game that needs 2.71 firmware.
  • Using the latest revision of this custom firmware (revision C) you can even launch umd games that require 2.80 firmware !
  • You can run homebrew software, both the ones written for 1.50 and for 2.71 firmware. Just put the homebrew for 1.50 in GAME15 en the other in GAM271.
  • No longer do you need to launch devhook to launch an iso on your memory stick. You can now load them from XMB (not tested)

So this means you can keep using homebrew software together with launching normal games together with all the benefits of the 2.71 firmware.
The install process is a lengty one, even with the Devhook Ultimate Installer 1.5.1 (you need to download the Advanced edition), and, ofcourse, you need a windows pc for it (grr). Still, when you follow the instructions exactly (there are few readme’s in the root of your memory card and the dh folder that you positively need to read) it should work out fine.

I deviated in one thing – to actually start the SE-C install, you need to copy the flashfiles in the GAME150 folder to the PSP/GAME folder otherwise you won’t see them (afterwards you can delete them).
Please be advised though, that if you frick this up, you will have a brick on your hand – the install process overwrites the firmware flash, so please be sure to have a fully loaded battery and your charger plugged in and follow the instructions !

Categories
PSP

Syphonfilter : Dark Mirror (psp)

My new addition to my growing collection of psp games is Syphonfilter, Dark Mirror for the psp.

And I should really start to sell a few of those titles as it is getting to be a big steaming pile of them, few of which I really play…

Anyway, I’m still on the first section of the game, level 3, but if the quality keeps up (and all the reviews say so) I can heartely recommend it to all those dads who need to de-stress from their day of work (after the children have been put to bed, the kitchen has been cleaned and all that jazz).

The graphics are fluid, detailed, and simply the best I’ve seen on the psp so far. You can snipe, you can sneak, and an itchy trigger finger is quite optional although it can come in handy, so ideal for those of us who aren’t the fastest on the draw. There’s a very good introductory level showing you how to operate Gabe Logan, and if you beat the level time you unlock a weapon.

I like it better than Socom !

I’ve been playing on easy level. Man ! The hard level must be something, the easy level is quite enough for me. But I suppose that could be seen as a way to prolong the playing pleasure.

I remember FarCry, aaaaaah, those were the days. I played it in normal while others played easy, and then after finishing it (without cheats I might proudly add), I restarted it in hard mode, I was sooo crazy about that game. I’m still waiting on the next Crytek game that gives me the same freedom – supposedly there is one coming, sometime this or next year… Guess I’ll need to upgrade my pc.

‘Playable by Dads’ Rating : Pick it up ! 

Categories
PSP

PSP Firmware 2.71 Downgrader

Well, as most every psp site is reporting, it’s (un)official and I can confirm it works : using a libtiff exploit (meaning that a psp picture library program that deals with how to display ‘tiff’ image files is not dealing correctly with certain types of tiff files) you can now downgrade your Sony psp from firmware 2.71 to 1.50.

Please note that you HAVE to have firmware 2.71 – I tried literally dozens of times with 2.70 and it did not work. Once I upgraded to 2.71 however (you can still find it on the net if you look hard enough) the downgrade happened after about the third time I tried.

If you then install DevHook again (on your 1.50 firmware) you gain (again) the ability to play the latest games, as DevHook will run firmware 2.71 from a dump on your memory stick !

Cool ! I am gonna explore Homebrew again a bit, seems like there has been a lot of advancement since I last checked, almost 8 months ago or so.

Categories
Gaming PSP

Summer Sale : Prince of Persia

FNAC is doing a summer sale : for each main gaming platform they’ve selected 5 games you can buy (until stocks last) at only 19.99 instead of the usual 40 or 50 euros.

Prince of Persia was in the list of games for PSP. I snapped it up today, since I played it on the pc.

Reviews give it between 6.4 and 7 out of 10. Not bad, but not super either.

Update : I’ve been playing the first levels – so far, it is almost identical to the pc version I played six or more months ago – up to the point I can follow my memory of the pc game.

All the reviews state that their is a lot of stuttering and sound problems.
While I’ve noticed that the sound sometimes is not really in sync, it is not stuttering, and the gameplay seems fine to me, albeit there is some loading.

Maybe because my firmware is 2.70 ? Would Sony have done something like including patches or upping the cpu speed for certain games that have come out ?

‘Dads Rating’ : Frustrating ! 

Categories
Gaming PSP

PSP Headset and SOCOM Fireteam Bravo

I’ve played a few rounds of online SOCOM:FTB and other than the mic not working, I was impressed by the speed of the connection and the smoothness of playing, and while the graphics were not spectulary like CounterStrike they were definitely good-looking and smooth enough. NO hiccups !In order for the mic to work, it seems that I need to open udp(+tcp ?) ports 6000-6999 and udp ports 10070-10080. Apparently there is no dynamic plug-play configuration by the game.

No mention of that anywhere in the manual. A few hints here and there on some site and a text-file givng a generic setup on psp-vault.
Bummer. Not too happy about punching extra holes in my router. I’ll try to restrict this to only the psp by defining in the router a fixed dhcp ip for the psp mac address and forwarding the ports to that ip only, I just hope that it doesn’t conflict with my CounterStrike or Skype usage on my regular pc…

I’ll update this post with the correct ports and how it works when I’ve had a chance to test it out.

Update : the portrange you need to forward are udp AND tcp 6000-6999 and udp range 10070-10080.