Guys, I am new to the PSP scene, so please bear with me ...

First Part:

After looking at the transitions between the PS2's models (v1...v4..v5...v9...v12, etc..), I have come to know that its probably not worth getting the earliest build of a console, as its probably bugged a lot...and its much wiser to wait for some time, so that better models come out, with better, more sophisticated chips, etc....

Because of this reason, I have not bought a PSP yet....But I dont know if its worth waiting more or not......For example, there is only one chip out for the PSP..and even that doesnt guarantee 100% compatibility....and the only other way available is to roll back the firmware version .........

What do u guys think about this....Is it worth waiting some more so that better chips come out, that dont require rolling back to an older firmware, and allow the use of the updated firmwares, while also allowing to play games from the memory sticks ? Or should I just cash in now and buy the unit..

Second Part:

I know that to be able to play most of the homebrew stuff on the PSP, I need to downgrade to 1.50......but are there any disadvantages to downgrading...apart from the warranty....Like I think that you cant play a variety of media files on a 1.50, but you can on later models right ??

Also, is downgrading to 1.50 really necessary, to be able to run homebrews ? cant it be done with the latest models, i.e. 2.71, 2.80 ??

Lastly, I was looking at the following page, which lists the additional features added to the PSP, through firmwares, since version 1.50:

http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Su...mUpdateHistory

And some of the main additions that caught my eye are the following:

TIFF, GIF, PNG and BMP, WMA, AAC, MP4
Wallpaper, Image transfer, Internet Browser features

4:3 Screen Mode
Go To feature
A-B Repeat feature
LocationFree™ Player
RSS Support
Macromedia® Flash® content support...

Since these came after 1.50, does this mean that I will not have these features after downgrading to 1.50 ??

you could have those features when you install devhook which emulates the psp to 2.71, and you can also go back to 1.50 so it's like a computer with two xp versions.

I say, save your money and buy your self a ds lite . The whole homebrew thing is far too complicated, it drives you nuts trying to find out where to download the games and how to play them.. at least that's what happened to me

I don't know what firmware current PSP's are intalled with but if it is anything higher than 2.71 then you will not be able to downgrade. If you can downgrade then you can just run devhook to emulate firmware 2.71 so you get the best of both worlds. Also to run games of your memory stick (ISO's) you need firmware 1.5. It is not possible to do so with any higher firmware. Hope this helps you decide.

Yep, and soon we'll be able to emulate 2.80 AND 2.81.

First Part:
I would buy a PSP now. That way you are more likely to get one that can be downgraded. And if you don't get one that can play homebrew, you can always return it and buy it from somewhere else. Later on, maybe all new PSPs will not be able to play homebrew.
I know it sounds complicated (I thought so too), but once you get going it's actually pretty simple (and if you have any problem you can always ask on these forums).

Second Part:
There are no real disadvantages of downgrading to 1.5, and it is necessary to do this to take full advantage of the homebrew available. As AMA41 and jdm_ist have said, you can install DevHook which lets you emulate firmware up to 2.71 (at the moment) from 1.5, and will soon emulate up to 2.81 (it has just been decrypted).

Regarding Devhook, is there any danger, damage to the PSP, or generally any disadvantage to running the devhook program ??

and basically, how is devhook able to 'emulate' a firmware....i just cant wrap the fact around my head

Also I have a few other Qs...please answer them if u can :

1) What is MPH's Firmware Launcher ?

2) What is a Custom Firmware for the PSP ?

3) What is a Dual boot in the PSP ? Does this mean that there are 2 firmwares hard coded into the PSP ? Or that only 1 firmware is hard coded, and is used to emulate the other ?

4) What is Harleyg's Custom Firmware Patch v0.2 ?

5) Whats UMD Emulation ?

7) Whats XMB ?

MPH's Firmware (i'm pretty sure) is just like devhook, but not as kick ass.

Custom firmwares are patches n' such that add more features to 1.5 like no kxploit, no autoboot, etc.

I think dual boot is 2 firmwares coded in the psp, not sure tho.

Harleyg's custom firmware is a patch that allows no kxploit, no intro screen (resulting in no autoboot), hides corrupt icons, and can go straight into devhook when you turn it on.

UMD emulation is when it boots ISO's.

and the XMB is the PSP menu, or the dash if you will.

Oh yea, and the only dangerous thing about devhook is when you use the version on 0.46 that accesses the flash, but theres another version with it that doesn't access flash and won't do any harm to your PSP at all.

DevHook is not dangerous at all if you don't choose the (partial) flash option (there is no significant benefit of doing that anyway).

The only thing which is slightly dangerous for your PSP is writing to flash; this is only done when downgrading or upgrading firmware.

hmm. ok ...thanx, but what is the partial flash option...what does that do ?

Why would someone need two versions of XP? Really the latest updates are not harming or restricting users... and are not compulsory. A better example will be like;- having two PSP'S one with 1.5 and the other with 2.71.

I think it flashes some of the DevHook files onto your PSP (where it stores the firmware), some people say it speeds up running some games, but I've never had any slowdowns when running at 333Mhz and very few at 222Mhz, and I haven't used this option (and would NOT recommend it; high risk for low reward).

thanx to all helpin me out.....

i phoned up the local PSP suppliers in my region and asked them if they had any 1.50 PSPs.....they said they had lots of 'em.....i asked 'em hows it possible, cuz 1.50 is old, and they probably should have run out of them by now....turns out that since 1.50 was the most famous FW...every FW they got, they downgraded it to 1.50 ....... for no extra charge.....so it looks like that i dont have to do the risky business myself after all ..... btw they also had the latest 2.8 ones, if anyone's interested.

the only thing is, that the sets they have are Asian models...in other words, Japanese. Now, I know that the PSP doesnt have any regions,... so will these JAP models be any different to the US / EU ones ??

Regarding Devhook, I have a general question: How is devhook able to 'emulate' another firmware ? Does it set up a virtual machine or what ?

and can anyone tell me whats the meaning of 'DAX ISO' in the PSP world ?

and whats with the 333Mhz and 222Mhz ? isnt 333Mhz the normal processing speed ?

thanx in advance...really appreciate ur help...

What store did you call? I didn't think any retail stores actually downgraded their PSP's as that is basically supporting pirating.

And the Jap PSP's aren't different except you can't play US/EU video or music UMD's, unless you get a white one, and there are too many differences to list.

I'm not sure exactly how devhook emulates firmwares, but it puts it in the ram.

DAX ISO is another ISO loader

222Mhz is the normal processing speed

When i got my PSP back in 2005, a store called tibuski tech, downgraded mine for me,- in the UK. But, they, are not to my knowledge a fully fledged retailer, they only operate 2-3 stores.

No problem.


I think that the UMD videos are region coded, otherwise they're pretty much the same.
And depending which 1.5 firmware they downgraded to (JAP or EU/USA), in the XMB (the system menu where it has Settings, Music, Video, Game), the Confirm / Cancel buttons may be inverted (i.e O = Confirm and X = Cancel). But in the games it will be normal (if you get EU/USA games of course).


You can imagine it like that yes.


222Mhz is the normal processing speed, but DevHook allows you to set it to 333Mhz; games run faster but I think the WiFi won't work at 333Mhz (I've never understood why this is).

well, the people selling the downgraded PSPs here, are not proper retailers too, if you know what I mean ...

A guy told me, that if the firmware of your JAP PSP is 2.00 or below, then you can use Devhook with UMD emulation to play non-JAP UMDs on ur PSP...is this true ?

I thought that all the PSP developers (UMD developers), have the facility to produce games without region coding... and due to this no PSP game has been region coded to date. However, i think UMD moves are ( region coded) but not to what extent. For example here in the UK i borrowed a UMD and played it on my PSP-1001.

EDIT:

I asked the seller about US UMD Movies not being playable, and this is what he said:

He says the set is *made* in China / Japan (dont know which one), but its actually the US model........and that all sets are made in china/japan, regardless of the region they are shipped to............is this correct ?

Ask the seller for the model number, it's on the box (i.e. PSP-1000 (Japan) or PSP-1001 (USA)).

About where PSPs are made, my PSP-1003 (UK) is "Made in China" according to the box. So he's probably right about that.

All UMD's are region coded, it's just that game UMD's are the only one's not region protected.

I found it written on the internet somewhere, that all the black coloured PSPs are made in china, and all the ceramic coloured ones are made in japan...

OK, I have heard that the LCDs made for the PSPs are manufactured from two different companies: Samsung and Sharp .......and people are saying that one is better than the other....

So which manufacturer is better at making PSP screens ?

Secondly, does the PSP come with a warranty card or something ? Or something else that is required in order to claim your warranty ?

Thirdly. does downgrading come under piracy ? And does it void the PSP warranty ?

Lastly, Do you know any websites giving PSP's Packaging pictures ? That is, pictures of how is was packed when you bought it ??

You sure do your research; you seem to "hear" a lot of things. Not that that's a bad thing of course, it just makes a change, most people posting on the forums don't even bother to search first.

Honestly, I don't know. But I don't think there should be much difference between them. This reminds me of the rumour when the PSP first came out that the ones in Japan were made to a higher standard, obviously this wasn't true.

If there is a warranty card, then I don't have one. And I haven't done anything else...
Maybe you just send it to Sony for repair, but I'm not sure.

I don't know but I don't think so; homebrew is not piracy, neither is using DevHook if you own the UMD (I've dumped all my UMDs to ISO files so that I don't break my UMDs or have to carry them around with me).
Since I don't know about the warranty, I don't know if downgrader would void it. But I'm quite sure it doesn't because it's only software. I think only a serious hardware modification would void your warranty.

Amazon (US) have the picture of the US Core Pack:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Computer-Entert...mp;s=videogames
and the US Value Pack:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Playstation-Por...mp;s=videogames

As for your screen and warranty questions, I don't know which screen is on which, but the one on the white PSP is better.
And like adw888 said, softmodding won't void your warranty, only hardware mods that require opening it up voids it.

yeh thanx guys for the info man........i sure do my research .....

ok, where can i find tutorials (videos/animations preferably) on my to install devhook, and how to put games on a memory stick, and how to play them on the psp ??

secondly, I know there are fake memory cards out in the market....so, how can I spot a fake one from a real genuine Sony one ?? This is also relating to the 32MB ones,....some people swap out the originals, put in the fakes, and sell the originals seperately to make extra bucks....

as always, thanx in advance

It's easy enough that you don't need a tutorial (although I'm sure there are some available).

To install DevHook, use the Ultimate Installer here:
http://www.psp-hacks.com/forums/post-315470.html#p315470
Just run the .exe when your PSP is connected to your PC and give it the drive letter (i.e. "G:\").
It will copy everything you need to run DevHook.

To put games on a memory stick, just copy the .iso or .cso file to, for example, ("G:\ISO\").
(replace "G:" with the appropriate drive letter)

To play them on the PSP, I would recommend using Wedge's VSHEX DLX Mod:
http://forums.maxconsole.net/showthread.php?t=26673
Copy the "dh" folder in the archive to the root of your memory stick ("G:\"), letting it overwrite the files already there.
Now run DevHook from your PSP (under "Game", "Memory Stick" on the XMB).
It will come up with some settings, but the Mod would have set them all up properly, so just press confirm (either X or O, it will say at the bottom of the screen) on "START" to run DevHook.
Now you should see the 2.71 XMB load and a splash at the bottom of the screen:
"DevHook 0.46 by Booster
VSHEX 0.99RC3 by Wedge"
That means everything has loaded fine.
To select a game, press "Home", then the left and right D-pad buttons until the game you want is shown at the bottom of the screen, now press X. It should then act as if the UMD has been inserted, and you should see the name and picture of the game on the XMB. If nothing happens, make sure you have a real UMD inserted. When the picture comes up, press X on it to load (as you would a normal UMD).


I don't know about fake memory cards, but if they put in the fakes then surely they work?
I would just buy from reputable retailers (avoid eBay).

Or you could just use... THE FULL INSTALL, that was also created by booster; it will save time, and frustration just select the appropriate drive letter and install, simple.

well thanx for all the help guys....its really helped me a lot and I mean that....

the reason why I am asking so much stuff, is cuz the people selling locally in my area, are not authorised dealers, and sometimes give the details with complete honesty....they will try to make refurbished goods look like brand new...and so on......this is precisely why I was asking for pictures of the packaging......e.g. foam, box etc......so that I can figure out the right stuff from the wrong.....

I went out today and met a couple of PSP unauthorised dealers...... and they let me see the PSP boxes and the stuff inside them.........And I think I spotted several fake packaging boxes......e.g. refurbished goods being sold as 'new' with fake boxes, manuals, etc....

I have taken the courtesy of taking some shots of the boxes, mem sticks, battery packs, etc...So that you guys can have a look, and tell me which ones are fake, and which ones are real......

So please have a look at the pics in the RAR file:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QB9U6RRV (436KB)

Please tell me that stuff that you think is real, and one that is fake....

thanx in advance...

EDIT:

I would also like to request those guys here who own a PSP, to please take some snaps of their PSPs box, and put them up here.....please dont forget to mention the region of your PSP........

I know all this sounds very absurd, but please try to understand my situation....I dont wanna end up buying a PSP with 'fake' stuff ...

I sure hope that you're getting a good price from these "unauthorised" retailers, it seems a lot of hassle if it's for £10 off the RRP.

Anyway, the "Ceramic Core Pack" is a, as far as I can tell from the box and label, real Japanese region PSP, with TA-081 motherboard (probably downgradable).
(PSP-1000 = Japanese, WS259 = TA-081)

I can't tell if the "Fake Giga Pack" is actually fake (the pics are only 160 x 120 pixels). If it isn't a fake then it is a European region PSP, with TA-081 motherboard (probably downgradable).
(PSP-1004 = European, WS259 = TA-081)

"Fake Value Pack 1", is uh well, probably a fake.

"Pack 5" has too small a picture for me to see the label, or to know if it is a fake.

"Value Pack 3" is another European TA-081 according to the label.

Do NOT buy "Value Pack 4", it is a (real I think) European TA-082 (NOT downgradable).
(SS259 = TA-082)

I can't tell anything from the memory card sticks because I have a SanDisk, not a Sony.

I don't have time to take pictures of my box now, but might do it later if you really need it.

dude, thanx for the feedback.....

i dont know about the rest, but the Giga pack is !definitely! fake... look at the PS1 logo on the side, its a bit stretched in the vertical direction.....also, the giga pack has a dark blue background, not white, thirdly, the leaflet of which i have taken a photo, it wasnt printed properly: had smudged colours....

dont know about the rest though....but generally, i am suspicious about all of them. Why? Cuz as far as I know (and I know very little about original PSP boxes ), the side where there are all bar codes, there should be 4 bar codes there.. not 2 or 3....secondly, on the same bar code side, if u look, you will see 4 small pictures of the PSP and its accessories........these pictures dont have all 4....

and yes, i reeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy your box arts people.....pleeeeeeease upload them........just grab ur mobile/digital/web camera, take some quick shots, and send them my way.....with todays technology, it shouldnt take more than 10 minutes .....


thanx in advance...

waiting for your uploads.....................................................................

ok, I have again gone out, and taken much better pics this time.......all pictures are now 640 x 480....so you should be able to see eveything clearly..........please tell me which boxes you think are fake/refurrbished, and which one look real....

here is the link: www.geocities.com/ahmad.najeeb/psp_packs2.zip (2.5MB)

also, pleeeeeeeeeease upload your own PSPs box pictures ....... pleeeeeease........just take your mobile/digital/web camera, take some qucks snaps, and then send them my way..............it would reeeeally help me a lot.....

OK, here we go; but don't just rely on what I say, wait for others who actually have Giga / Value Packs -
Pack 6: Looks real enough to me; Japanese TA-081, firmware 2.50/2.60 (at least from the label).
Pack 7: If it's real then the label says it's a TA-082 (CANNOT be downgraded) so do not buy this.
Pack 8: Mine doesn't have the "Serial # for Registration" on the box, but mine isn't a value pack so maybe it's real, I don't know. If this number is the same as the "Network Access Code", mine was on a piece of card with the other printed materials (inside the box).
Pack 9: Same as pack 7 (label has "SS259"); if real, it's a TA-082, do NOT buy.
Pack 10: Missing a label on the side of the box, probably fake, do NOT buy.
Pack 11: Another TA-082 if real, do NOT buy.
Pack 12: I don't know if there are fake PSP headphones with remote control. I can't help on you this as I don't have the official Sony earphones, I've got Logitech PlayGear Stealths that came with my PGP.

So it's between Pack 6 and Pack 8 I would say.


I haven't got my digital camera at the moment, and won't be able to get it back until the weekend.
When I do and if you still need it, then I will take some photos of my Black UK PSP-1003 WS259 H PSP Base Pack (white box).

i spotted something funny.....have a look at the cp4.jpg in pack 9 (PSP Packs 2)...if you look carefully, you will see the Marvel comics, and the Columbia Pictures logos on the back.....apparently this box is a look a like of the PSP package that came with the Spiderman 2 game.....but there was no such game with this pack...........see how tricky this can be ??

in pack 8, about the serial number.....i think that's ok, cuz i spotted some original USA Value Packs, and they all had the serial number tag....

lastly, also in pack 8, i tried to take a picture of the back of the PSP remote control, so that you guys can see if this is an authentic remote control or not........but the focus is not correct ......but i think it mentioned the phrase: PSP-120 on the back......does it say this on back of your remote control ??

anyway, up till now, pack 8 looks the most original to me.......

and yes, i will be waiting for ur shots

Mine says "Columbia Pictures" and "MARVEL"; I think because of the Spiderman 2 trailer on the Demo Disc.
However, mine also says "PG" while Pack 9 says "12", which wouldn't be right; unless, like you say, it was meant to have the Spiderman 2 game in it.


Yeah, Pack 8 looks real enough. I can't help you on the remote as I don't have one.
It would be between Pack 8 (USA) and Pack 6 (Japanese) for me.

yep.......well thanx for ur feedback.......please encourage othersto give their feedback too.........the more eyes i have here, the better i will be at finally buying the thing......

Ok, coming back to the general PSP topic...

1) I know that ISO, CSO, and DAX are file formats for storing game images on the PSP....but can someone explain to me in a little more detail, what their respective pros and cons are ? and can they be converted between each other ?

2) Does the PSP have analog buttons ? or digital ones ? and does the PSP have a rumble feature ?

3) and whats so special about the UPDATE folder that is included in the PSP games ?

I have not really been following this topic but here i go;
1) Yes, using a program like undgen you can convert ISO-DAX, CSO-DAX DAX-ISO CSO-ISO and many other combinations. Whtas more Cso is alot more compressed than ISO (generally after conversion alot smaller), however ive never used dax before.
2) the PSP has both an analog stick and a d-pad. And im post games the controls can be changed however,- im some you have to just 'learn'. Especially if you use ISO's/Cso's as sometimes they are ripped and the options menu has gone!
3) Not to sure maybe its because you should not use it as it would update your PSP to a higher version?

ISO: raw data, no compression, largest size, always will run smoothly
CSO: compressed ISO, can be much smaller than ISO, may run slow sometimes (I've never seen this but other people have)
DAX: another form of compressed ISO, I've never used it but other people say: it's smaller than CSO, it can run smoother than CSO because it can leave areas of uncompressed data, up to a few days ago would only run with DAX ZISO Loader, but can now be run with DevHook (DevHook supports all 3 formats)
Yes they can easily be converted between each other.


The PSP has one analog stick and a 4-way D-pad.
It does not have a rumble feature (that would kill the battery).


The particular game will require you to use it to update your firmware to play the game.
However, you can use DevHook to get around this (it emulates higher firmware versions).

And have you actually bought your PSP yet ahmadka?

Ok, u know pack 8 from the second set of pictures that i uploaded ? Well, I think that it original. Cuz the serial number written on its side (which i censored out), registered successfully on the PSP website ........ I went again today to have an in-depth look at the set....Everything seemed fine, except one..... The packaging, and all the accesories coming with it, indicate that the PSP is from USA...but to my horror, the actual PSP is model PSP-1000, meaning its from JAPAN.....so is this possible ? I mean, the packaging, manuals, etc... based on the USA Value Pack, but the PSP is from JAPAN (PSP-1000, X = Back, O = Enter) ???...

If you want to have a look at the packaging, here's the link:


www.geocities.com/ahmad.najeeb/pack8.zip

btw, the firmware was 2.70.......

Since the actual PSP didn't match the box, it's obviously been repackaged.
It's also probably not downgradable if it already has 2.70 (check for "IC3001" behind the UMD drive).

Personally, I would not buy it unless you are getting a VERY good price (maybe if it was under £100) and you are sure it is downgradable.

its downgradable........in fact, i told the guy to downgrade it first, and then i will buy it.....he says it will be ready in 48 hours.......other than that, the PSP seems to be fine, apart from a few fingerprints on it (i tested it), and a minor scratch.....

For under £100, its a good price and i would say its the going rate for second user PSP's in the uk. My mate sold his with 2 UMD games and a UMD film, with a 32MB memory stick in excellent condition for £90. (It was firmware version 2.80)- so i guess he could have got more if it was 2.71 or below!!