The PlayStation Portable homebrew scene has always been very active but the year 2007 was really something special for the community. Several milestones were achieved, a lot of walls were broken down so to speak, and a lot of interesting releases were made.

Having said that, we here at QJ.NET can't really end the year without paying homage and respect to the movers and shakers of the year that was. The full article after the jump!

 

Straight from 0okm, creator of homebrew enablers, took the PSP Slim and Lite (or PSP-2000) apart and discovered that the the new PlayStation Portable's board is spanking brand new - new enough to warrant a new PCB version. Folks, welcome TA-085.

Now the kicker here is that the new aesthetics, appearance, UMD drives, plus the video-out feature and firmware version 3.60 aren't the only things that would set your trusty PSP apart from its slimmer cousin. 0okm speculates that the NAND Flash and DRAM memory could both be embedded in the new CPU chip, identified as CXD29758GG. An FCC ID would have helped identify the chip's maker and specs, but none was provided as of yet.

Now it's no secret that 4 Mebibytes (mega binary bytes) of DRAM are also embedded in former PSP systems, such as TA-082s, but details as to how much memory and where it's embedded is difficult to determine. The Media Engine chip, specifications unknown as of press time, had the chip ID CXD5029 printed on its surface. More details to come as soon as they develop. Image courtesy of 0okm.

Thanks to xSaVage for the tip!

The folks over at TGBUS.com have gotten their hands on a PSP Slim, and they've taken the time to take it apart and give the PSP community a look at the innards of Sony's new PlayStation Portable.

There's a whole lot of pictures showing everything from the screen to the motherboard, even the UMD mechanism. You can also see the TA-085 marking clearly on the new PSP's board. You can check out all the images by clicking on the Read link below.

There are no pictures of a box, though, so we don't know if this is one of the new production models or an older prototype model. The new PSPs are reportedly already available at SonyStyle's Hong Kong store, however, so odds are it's new. 0okm has also gotten his hands on a brand new PSP-2006PB with the intention of disassembling it. Keep an eye on this blog for further updates.

   

One of the well-known homebrew developers, 0okm, has just bought his own PSP-2006PB or what is otherwise known as PlayStation Portable Slim/Lite. We are not certain where exactly the item was purchased but it seems that the new SKU has finally arrived in Hong Kong earlier today.

Also, we checked around the Internet and learned that the official SonyStyle store for HK has already started selling the new PSP units for HK$ 1,280 or roughly around US$ 164.15. The colors available for purchase include Silver, White, and Piano Black (similar to 0okm's).

Consistent with earlier reports, PSP Slim is indeed running on official firmware 3.60. Some of the other features implemented by Sony on this new system include RAM increase, improved battery life, and TV output among others. 0okm has promised to disassemble the PSP Slim in the coming days and to report on whatever new things he finds out.

Other markets should have their retail supplies of PSP Slim and Lite by September 20.

With the announcement of the redesigned PlayStation Portable, a lot of people have been poring over whatever information is readily available about it.

Apparently, one of these people is 0okm. The homebrew expert has posted a few observations about the new PSP on his blog, and we thought it might make for some interesting reading for those who want to know more about it.

One of the more interesting things about the redesigned PSP is that its main memory has been boosted up to 64 MB. The old PSP-1000's main memory is at 32 MB.

Another thing is that the redesigned PSP can get about 3 to 6 hours of juice from a 1200 mAh battery. It's roughly the same output as that of a PSP-1000 but the PSP-1000 uses 1800 mAh batteries.

Here's a short list of the other things 0okm has discovered about the new PSP-200x:

• it uses TA-085 PCB
• it can use USB to charge battery
• can't use PSP-1000 remote in PSP-2000
• TV output
• WLAN switch on top

And the homebrew greats have done it again: Noobz team released an updated PSP FW 3.50 downgrader using the Japanese version of the video game Lumines while 0okm in conjunction with HellDrive came up with his own Homebrew Enabler.

While the Noobz team has promised before to come up with this one, we didn't know that 0okm was working on it as well. Fanjita wrote that he looked into 0okm's work and found out that it's also working perfectly fine.

Anyway, the HEN and downgrader for Japanese Lumines from Noobz team works for both ULJS00005 (the original Lumines) and ULJS19005 ('The Best' version).

Furthermore, the new package comes with full support for the U.S., European, and Japanese versions so you shouldn't encounter problems if you missed our previous report. Both files come with their own Readme file so after deciding which one to use, please be sure to browse through its respective manuals and installation guidelines.

Thanks to Anonymous for the the tip!

Download: PSP FW 3.50 downgrader (from Noobz team)
Download: PSP FW 3.50 Homebrew Enabler (from 0okm and HellDrive)

Adding to the hectic day, we have news that there might be another modchip in the works, coming out soon. While not much is known at this point, the webpage lists the supposed features in the modchip:

• Flash your PSP using the internal USB Port
• No additional USB Port required
• Latest ACTEL ProASIC 3 technology
• Low power consumption
• Works on all available PSP versions incl. TA-082 and TA-086
• Custom BIOS with a lot of cool additional features
• Easy to install
• Just a bit of soldering skills required, no hardcore installation

A friend of mine did a bit of digging and found out that the official page is registered to a certain guy called Michael Eichhorn. This Michael is from Gamefreax.de, a German modding store/site. I'd say that this adds a bit of credibility to the claims of the modchip guys. On top of that, another source said that he had been expecting this around the holidays, but it might have gotten delayed. When asked if this could be 0okm's multi-firmware module, he was quick to deny it.

Another bit of info I noticed is that Gamefreax had/has been supplying Mathieulh, Dark_AleX, and Yoshihiro with hardware supplies. While I would have doubted the claims of these guys, the amount of info and links here point that this isn't just another fake, and that we could be having another modchip soon. Stay tuned as we'll have the latest updates and info on this bit of news. Thanks to Jeff, Jordan, and Sam for the tip!

It won't be too long until other devs try to help out those who will be downgrading from FW2.80 to 2.71 using 0okm's golden downgrader. As mentioned by my co-blogger Pranav, don't expect this 0okm creation to be as easy as a Dark_AleX downgrader. So with that, some devs are extending a helping hand to those who are stumped.

Before you go over the steps and the download links, we just want to remind you that you are using this at your own risk. Get it (and in the future, other "easy" downdaters) "if you know HowTo use and can take the Risk". But just because it's risky, it doesn't mean we'll leave you all by yourself as you do this. We would help you in the best way we know how.

With that said, Klm Software reported and released an "easy" version of 0okm's TA-082 - TA-086 FW2.8 to 2.71 downgrader. The devs provided six steps for you to have a 2.71 PSP in your midst. The first step is to download the "easy" downgrader which is about 13 MB in size, then install xLoader.

When you're done with that part, install the downloaded easy downgrader, then start xLoader, and run the downgrader. Wait, those are just five steps, what's next? The last, and to some the most important, step is to pray that this thing works. So just to avoid any confusion, we'll outline the steps for you again.

1. Download the "easy" downgrader
2. Install xLoader
3. Install downloaded easy downgrader
4. Start xLoader
5. Run downgrader
6. PRAY

Yup, it is important for you to follow those steps (especially the last one). Anyhow, Vincent who is one of our readers, told us that he followed all the necessary steps in using this one and it worked for him. So it is really important to really follow 'em procedures.

With that said, if you want to know more about xLoader, you could read these articles: the first one is about the eLoader v.0995 "Kriek" release, and the other is basically a xLoader clarification from the Noobz crew. If you missed the first link to 0okm's FW 2.80-2.71 downgrader for TA-079- TA-086 PSPs, here is the article link again.

Now on to the download links, it is important that you read the file description when you're downloading files at dl.qj.net. They might teach you a thing or two. Unfortunately, we couldn't host the easy downgrader file due to some legal issues, so we leave it up to you if you will get it or not. But if you choose to use it, here are the files that you may need.

Download: [NET 2 Framework]
Download: [eLoader 0.995 "Kriek" Windows Installer] (for xLoader)
Download: [eLoader 0.995 "Kriek" ZIP files]

Adding to the huge list of hacks and exploits in the last few weeks is another piece of work by 0okm, this time a firmware 2.80 to 2.71 Downgrader for TA-079 - TA-086 PSPs. What this means is that 2.80 people who're stuck with a TA-082 or TA-086 PSP can now downgrade to 2.71, and from there, downgrade to 1.5 using Dark_AleX's TA-082 downgrader. Once on 1.5, it has been proven that everyone - including TA-082ers - can upgrade to 3.02 OE-B and have all the fun that the rest of the PSP public is having.

But just like the last downgrader by 0okm, don't expect it to be as easy as a downgrader by Dark_AleX. He seems to be not releasing the downgrader in public: You have to mail him and ask for it. While it would take me two minutes to mail him and obtain the downgrader and post it here, I will respect his decision of not releasing this in public.

To ready yourself for the downgrade, here's a list of things you need:

• The latest PSARDumper.
• Firmware 2.71 Update Eboot.
• PBP Unpacker.
• The actual downdater. (Available on request)

Download links to all of these are at the bottom of the article. Once you have all these things ready, you'll need to find a friend who has a PSP (with firmware 1.5/2.71 HEN-D/2.71 SE/3.02 OE), which can run PSARDumper and extract the DATA.PSAR file.

Here are the steps you need to take:

1. Open Firmware 2.71 Eboot in PBP Unpacker.
2. Extract the DATA.PSAR file somewhere on your PC and move it to the root of your Memory Stick. (On helper PSP with 1.5/2.71/2.71SE/3.02OE firmware)
3. Extract and run the latest PSARDumper on the helper PSP.
4. Press Circle when in PSARDumper to dump encrypted without sigcheck and dump reboot.bin.
5. Once the DATA.PSAR file has been dumped, move the newly created folder to the PSP which you want to downgrade.
6. Obtain the Downdater from 0okm and use the noobz team's xLoader to run the Downdater.

Download Link: [Latest PSARDumper (decrypts up to 3.03)]
Download Link: [Firmware 2.71]
Download Link: [PBP Unpacker]
Download Link: [eLoader 0.995 "Kriek" Windows Installer] (for xLoader)
Download Link: [eLoader 0.995 "Kriek" ZIP Files]
Mailto: [0okm00@gmail.com]

UPDATE: 0okm is finally releasing the "golden" downgrader file (as regarded by not a few) to the public. According to him, his inbox was flooded by requests for the file. So to avoid having sore fingers replying to every single request, he just made it available for everyone. Still, as 0okm himself warned, just get it if "if you know HowTo use and can take the Risk."

Download: [Firmware 2.80 to 2.71 downgrader for TA-079 - TA-086 PSPs]

A lot of changes have been happening in the PSP homebrew community. Firmware updates, custom firmware - it can get quite confusing for a lot of people. Just so there's a minimum of confusion (and complaints), 0okm has graciously decided to post the following info on his blog:

TA-082~086 PSP with CORRECT HACK,
it can run ALL FW1.00/1.50 Official / Homebrew software !!!
(except Official FW1.50~2.50 UpDate EBOOT.PBP)

TA-082~086 PSP with CORRECT HACK can run Any FW(1.00~3.03) :P
it can't run Official FW1.50~2.50 UpDate EBOOT.PBP
but it can run UnOfficial Up/DownDate EBOOT.PBP :P

if a FW1.00/1.50 TA-082~086 PSP can't run ANY FW1.00/1.50 Official / Homebrew software,
that mean it haven't CORRECT HACKed :P

Got that? Take it to heart, guys, and don't forget to always double check to make sure that you're getting the correct hack or homebrew for your PSP.