Ultimate Emulator FAQ v1.3



READ THE FAQ BEFORE POSTING QUESTIONS, AND INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE
THIS HAS TO BE IN THE QUESTION FOR ME TO ANSWER:
#1: PSP Firmware version
#2: Emulator type and version
#3: Name of rom that wont work


Ok, so it seems that even though most of these questions have been answered through several threads its time to end it all and write the ultimate emulator faq so people will get help easy and we can stop naggin at all the new people that are too lazy to find the answers

So here goes!

What Do I Need To Run (insert homebrew/emu here)????


What you need is exactly this, no more no less;

* A Sony PSP with Firmware 1.0 OR 1.5
* A Computer with the needed homebrews (links added in the end)
* A USB Cable Connector connecting your PSP with your computer.

What Is This Friggin' Firmware Shit??


The firmware is the little operative system (OS) that makes your PSP tick, and if you're lucky (like me) you have the first release of the PSP, namely the PSP with firmware 1.0. This firmware lets you run all homebrews and whatnot without much hassle. The next release of the firmware was version 1.5, and in this firmware they tried to block users to install custom programs that was not digitally signed by sony. Luckily this got hacked by PSP-Dev Team and all you peeps with a PSP 1.5 can also enjoy the wonderful world of homebrews. And for a long time it was quiet and the new 2.0 firmware came out. The homebrew scene was stomped and for long it didn't look bright at all. Then new hope arised when team WAB allegedly found a way to downgrade even to 1.0. This was proven to be fake and it looked dark again but out of nowhere (?) came team MPH and released their 2.0->1.5 downgrader and all was fine again. So now its just 2.01 (unneccesary) and 2.5 that needs to be hacked.

I Just Bought My PSP And I Don't Know What Firmware My PSP Has, Please Help!


Well that is not a hard task at all! Just boot up your PSP and go to:

Settings->System Settings->System Information

And here you will see:

System Software Version 1.** (this varies, either 1.00, 1.50, 1.51, 1.52) or 2.** (this varies, either 2.00, 2.01, 2.50)

So if you now have either 1.00 or 1.50 you are amongst us lucky that can run homebrewed programs!

What Exactly Is A Homebrew??


A homebrew is what it sounds like, a program that someone have made by them selves, and not by Sony. A homebrew is not only Emulators, its all kind of programs that are more or less useful. Lately tons of small useful programs has found their way to the PSP and everyday new and interesting features are discovered and exploited. Be sure to check out WE TRY TO STEAL PSP-SPOT STAFF for daily updates about everything psp-related.

Whats Up With This KXploit??

Now if you hava a PSP with a firmware version of 1.50 you may also have to download and install Loader KXploit Direct Loader, but this is only if the released homebrew is originally written for 1.0. Nowadays most homebrews is released pre-coded for 1.5. Is that the case just use the very nifty drag+drop method for installing homebrews
Kxploit also comes shipped with a tutorial in .pdf so i will not go further into how to use it.

But im guessing you are all here for the Emulators so lets get to the fun bit if you now have what it takes!

What Is An Emulator And Where Can I Find It??


An Emulator is a little nifty program that can emulate, simulate, another type of system on the system you are currently running. There are tons of emulators for about every system avaliable, but for the PSP the most common emulators consist of;


Gameboy/Gameboy Color Nothing like the good old gameboy...
Emulator: RIN GB/GBC v1.32 *update*
Roms: *.gb / *.gbc

Gameboy Advanced Now whe're talking!
Emulator: VBA PSP 0.004? | GBA 1.0 *update*
Roms: *.gba

Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom I wish I never sold it...
Emulator: NesterJ NES Emulator v1.07 | Unofficial NesterJ 1.07 r2b
Roms: *.nes

Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Just bought one, happy days!
Emulator: uo_Snes9x v0.02y32 | SNES9X v0.03a | snes9xTYL-0.2c
Roms: *.smc, *.sfc, *.fig

NeoGeo / NeoGeo CD Arcade power!
Emulator: ngPsp v1.3.1 | NeoCDPSP v0.5u4
Roms: *.zip

Sega Master System/Gamegear Anyone up for some sonic?
Emulator: SMS PSP v0.4
Roms: *.bin

Sega Genesis/Megadrive the 80's where great
Emulator: DGEN 1.10
Roms: *.bin

SCUMMVM I cant stop playing old adventuregames..
Emulator: ScummVM-PSP beta 5
Roms: *.* (not really roms, uses original games as the pc version of SCUMMVM)

MAME w00t?
Emulator: PSPMame Release 0.4 Fixes
Roms: *.zip

What Is A Rom And Where Can I Find It??


I will not provide information regarding the obtaining of roms, as they are considered illegal, use your imagination..

OK, So Now I Just Wanna Play!!


Yes we are now ready to start playing, you should have all that you need now, so just start up your PSP and go to;

Settings->USB Connection

After you activate it your computer should have autodetected your PSP. It can be found under My Computer or Explorer as "Removable Media" and a drive-letter assigned by windows.
Go to it and you should see a folder named "PSP", open it.
In this folder, if it not already exists, create a folder named "GAME" (whithout the brackets)
And now depending on your FW version this is what you need to do:
Firmware 1.0
This is simple, first create a new directory named after what system you are emulating (for your own sake dont name them names that you will have hard time remembering whats in what dir.) and simply drag and drop the emulator+roms into that directory, you are now all done! YAY!

Firmware 1.5
For Firmware 1.5 you just have to follow the tutorial supplied with the release of KXploit.

Source: PSPMODs jsh

F.A.Q (frequently asked questions)


Question 1: I Have FW version <insert your version>, Can I Run Homebrews?? *update*

If you have FW version 1.51/1.52:
Update to 2.0 (not 2.01!) and then downgrade to 1.5 using the MPH downgrader
Then you can run homebrew! Yatta!

If you have FW version 2.0:
You can run small homebrews (not emulators right now though), but id recommend to downgrade using the MPH downgrader.
Then you can run homebrew! Yatta!

If you have FW version 2.01/2.50:
Nothing to do for you right now, just sit tight. People are working on it as i type.

Question 2: I Only Have 32MB Memorycard, Can I Still Use Homebrews??

Yes, without a doubt! You might not be able to emulate all systems and have all games at the same time but fear not, 32mb will get you far if its only emulators you are interested in..

Question 3: I Cant Get KXploit To Work!!

Everything is explained in the tutorial that comes with the release, make sure you have Acrobat Reader installed.
But if you are one of the lazy types read this: http://www.psp-hacks.com/psp-kxploit-howto.php
Still cant get it to work? Read this fine kxploit tutorial by shalted, now you should definitly be able to play on your 1.50 PSP

Question 4: Can I Use Emulators/Homebrews On 2.0 FW?

As of this moment you can run some emulators on 2.0 via the 2.0 Eboot Loader v0.7 but since we still are held back because of being stuck in user mode. This is still under development mind you. An alternative if you do not want to risk bricking your psp with the MPH Downgrader (even though no reports of bricked psps yet).

Question 5: Why wont <your homebrew> start? I've tried everything!?

Make sure the homebrew you are trying to run is written for the firmware you are currently using.
A homebrew written for 1.5 will not run on a psp with 1.0 and vice versa.

Question 6: Why are my SNES roms playing so slow!?

1: The PSP is downclocked from the factory because of the battery-life to 222MHz, but with most emulators you can bump up the speed to 333MHz. This is relatively unharmful for your psp, it will get a bit warmer and consume more battery though.
2: Increase the Frame Skip to a level wich feels comfortable (usually around 3-4 skips).
3: Turn off 'transparency'.

Question 7: After the software and roms are installed and playing fine, can you then upgrade to ver 2.0 or ver 2.50 after that and still have the emulator working properly with the upgraded FW or will it stop working? *update*

No that will not work since its not an install you do, everytime you run it it gets checked by the firmware to se if if it's digitally signed by Sony. Newer firmwares is yet to be hacked so the answer is simply no.

Question 8: What is this SCUMMVM?? And what games does it support? *update*

I will redirect ALL questions related to SCUMMVM and its games to its homepage at http://www.scummvm.org/

Suggestions/Improvements/Spelling/Whathaveyou are apreciated!

Last but not least a big thanks to the people who contributes/helps out!

Have BOTH Firmware versions 1.5 and 2.0.
I can't understand why more people don't do this. (its a relitively simple idea and if people already do it i've never heard that they do)

This is how to play Both Homebrew apps and Games that require the 2.0 firmware without carrying about a PC. The only slight drawback is needing some sort of portable charger or to carry a charger around. I have a portable charger powered by a 9v battery that was for my old MP3 player.

Required:
-PSP (duh)
-PC (duh)
-Firmware 2.0 or lower (duh)
-Quite a large Memory stick/HDD (yay)
-Shedloads of Homebrew (yummy)
-Great game that requires 2.0
-Some downloaded stuff
-PSP Charger (you will need to bring this with you, this is the only problem with this) A car charger can be used which makes this method handy for long journeys.

Method:
1. download the following things:
-PSP File Manager (File Assistant ++) {here)
-Firmware Upgrades 1.5 and 2.0 {here} and {here}
-MPH Downgrader Tool {here}
-Sei PSP Tool (better than KXploit by a distance) {here}
-PSP 2.0 EBOOT loader {here}

2. Open the MPH downgrader folder and place h.bin and index.dat in the root of your memory stick, and place overflow.tif in a folder in your root, name it something like 'downgrader'.

3. Open 'Sei PSP Tool' and extract the EBOOT.pbp file for the File Assistant, and the EBOOT loader aswell.

4.Use The Sei PSP Tool to put the 1.5 and 2.0 updates on your PSP, the folders for the update will go into PSP/GAME, but all 4 folders for the Updates need to be moved into a new folder in PSP/GAME called UPDATE. So make sure all 4 folders to do with the updates are now in: PSP/GAME/UPDATE. This should work fastastically.

5. You're pretty much set now, if you have 2.0 running, play away at your UMD that requires 2.0 or surf the net like a furious monkey. Then when you feel the urge to play an old classic, Use the EBOOT loader to Open the file assistant to move the 'overflow.tif' to the PSP/PHOTO folder. Then follow the procedure required to downgrade, then upgrading to 1.5 using the upgrade in your PSP. Then you can play away at your homebrew, and if you feel like playing that UMD again, Just use the 2.0 update in your memory stick.

THERE YA GO!

I regularly use this method, as i have a portable charger and backup batteries for it. This might be slightly less convenient for those without such a handy gizmo, but use with a car charger or even a plug at a pal's house who doesn't have a pc to downgrade on. This is even handier for me as i have a game with the 1.5 upgrade on it and i carry around the 2.0 upgrade UMD, so no need to put the update files on my Memory stick.

If you have any questions or cannot get this to work right, just post here.

I'd also appreciate it if this was made a sticky, i think it's useful info.

Take care!

-Darra Fahy (The Monkey Overlord)

UPDATE #1:

I Tried this method with the 1.5 and 2.0 updates actually ON my memory stick (beforehand i was using updates on the UMD disks) And it worked perfectly.

Have a question...
I started with 1.52 and upgraded to a 2.0 with the GTA UMD disk. Last night I attempted the 2.0 to 1.5 downgrade per the instructions. It didn't work.
I've tried numerous times:
After I've fooled the PSP into thinking it's 1.00, I go to the game menu to run the upgrade and it tells me there is a corrupt file where the upgrader to 1.5 should be.
Then I read a downgrade tutorial that says to not ever upgrade to 2.0 using a UMD. Have I screwed myself by having upgraded with the UMD? And if so, is there any way to still downgrade to 1.5.
Please help and much thanks!

pls help, im having this "disc cannot be read" display evrytime i quit with the umd emulator. why is this? i tried to load my memory stick to another psp unit and tried also another umd to see if my umd's busted but the same thing happend to the other psp unit? i hope u can share your thoughts about this...???????

hi

i have 2.6 and i have gta. how do i down grade or eboot to 1.5 or 2.0?

so far ther aint no downgrader for 2.5/2.6 but usin fanjitas eloader u can run homebrew but not ISO's

oh ok. well ill work on that its been wierd i cant find the games in the file on my homebrew games, were do i look?

Good faq...now go FAQ yourself. but really i like it. PSP for dummies.

Great faqs

but if I downlgrade, wont i not be able to play new games that nees 2.82, like Smackdown 07?

If you downgrade to 1.50, then upgrade to 3.03 OE (custom firmware), you will be able to play new games that require up to 3.03 and also all homebrew (including emulators).