The Sorcerer
Galvanizer
Warning: This is the basic guide, not the complete. The use of custom firmware is based on personal installation and usage. This is just a reference guide to give you an idea. Please research carefully before installing the custom firmware. Inorder to identify TA motherboard, google it and you will find out
PSP Hardware Models
These are the PSP Models available in the Market
PSP-1000 Japan
PSP-1001 USA/Canada
PSP-1002 Australia/New Zealand
PSP-1003 UK
PSP-1004 Europe/India/Middle East & Africa
PSP-1005 Korea
PSP-1006 Hongkong/Singapore
PSP-1007 Taiwan
PSP-1008 Russia
PSP-1009 China
PSP-1010 Mexico
K Represents the Value Pack for e.g PSP-1000K is a Japan-Value Pack.
Country/Region specific differences
All of the hardware is identical between all regions. The main difference is the region code which is only enforced for movies. Sony have stated that they won't enforce region code lockouts for any of the games.
Despite rumours, the LCD panels used in all PSPs are the same-made by sharp.
Model Number Country/Region Region Code Comments
PSP-1000 Japan 2 Japanese Standard Pack 1
PSP-1000K Japan 2 Japanese Value Pack 2
PSP-1000KCW Japan 2 Japanese Ceramic White Value Pack 3
PSP-1000G1 Japan 2 Japanese Giga Pack 4
PSP-1000G1CW Japan 2 Japanese Ceramic White Giga Pack 5
PSP-1001K North America 1 Value Pack 6
PSP-1001G1 North America 1 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1002K Australia/New Zealand 4 Value Pack 6
PSP-1002G1 Australia/New Zealand 4 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1003K UK 2 Value Pack 6
PSP-1003G1 UK 2 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1004K Europe 2 Value Pack 6
PSP-1004G1 Europe 2 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1005K Korea 5 Value Pack 6
PSP-1005G1 Korea 5 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1006K Hong Kong/Singapore 3 Value Pack 6
PSP-1006G1 Hong Kong/Singapore 3 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1007K Taiwan 3 Value Pack 6
PSP-1007G1 Taiwan 3 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1008K Russia 5 Value Pack 6
PSP-1008G1 Russia 5 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1009K China 6 Value Pack 6
PSP-1009G1 China 6 Giga Pack 7
1 Japanese Standard Pack - Just contains the PSP, battery and charger.
2 Japanese Value Pack - Same as Standard pack + headphones, remote, hand strap, soft slip case and a 32MB MemoryStick Pro Duo.
3 Japanese Ceramic White Value Pack - Same as the Japanese Value pack but the PSP is ceramic white instead of black.
4 Japanese Giga Pack - Same as the value pack but with a 1GB MemoryStick Pro Duo instead of 32MB, a USB cable, plastic stand, cleaning cloth and no hand strap.
5 Japanese Ceramic White Giga Pack - Same as the plain Giga pack but the PSP is ceramic white instead of black.
6 Value Pack - Same as Japanese Value pack + screen cleaning cloth + demo UMD.
7 Giga Pack - Same as Japanese Giga pack + demo UMD.
As Sony used the same regions as the DVD region system, Japanese and UK PSPs both have the same region code (2) which means Japanese PSPs are compatible with UK UMD movie discs. A US PSP unit however won't be.
Apart from the region code and network update location differences, the UK and US PSP units should be identical in every way.
Differences between the various regions are as follows:
* The basic model is only available in Japan. Everywhere else gets the value pack as the cheapest model.
* The UK Value Pack contains a demo UMD disc which isn't present in the Japanese Value Pack.
* The Japanese Value Pack don't include a screen cleaning cloth that the other territories have.
* The meaning of the X and O buttons are reversed on the Japanese PSP. O is accept and X is cancel which is the opposite of what is the norm for Sony games/hardware everywhere else.
* The Network Update option will check the the specific country support site the PSP was sold in. The latest firmware is usually released for Japanese PSPs first and then slowly rolled out to other regions. So far all the firmware updates have been identical between all regions and will allow you to apply any region firmware to your PSP. Sony have said that using another regions firmware will void the warranty on your PSP however.
Flashing a different region firmware onto a PSP does NOT alter the region code. Neither does it alter the meaning of the X and O buttons. Basically any country specific differences stay the same. Third party utilities have been released to modify the button assignments but you must be able to run homebrew to use them and also risk the possibility of breaking your PSP.
General FAQ
What is a n00b ?
n00b = Newbie (Look this up in Wikipedia !)
What is a PSP ?
PSP = Playstation Portable by Sony Computer Entertainment, launched in Japan on December 12, 2004. If you don't know this, wtf are you doing here ?
What is a UMD ?
UMD = Universal Media Disc.
It's the media format that Sony uses for various content on the PSP, mainly games and movies.
Unlike a regular cd/dvd, a UMD can not be copied/pirated. It is only possible to rip the data on the UMD to a different media, like a flash memory card or a harddisk. So, if anyone tells you that they have pirated UMD's, they are lying.
What is a Memory Card ?
It's a plastic card that contains flash memory for data storage. There are various types - SD, MMS, MSPD, etc. A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic flash memory data storage device used with digital cameras, handheld and laptop computers, telephones, music players, video game consoles, and other electronics. They offer high re-recordability, power-free storage, small form factor, and rugged environmental specifications.
What is an ISO ?
Simply put, and iso is the disk image of an optical media. So, if you have the image of a cd/dvd on the harddisk, thats an iso. Iso's can be mounted on a virtual drive on the PC and then used like the orginal optical source.
Better performance is achieved by running an ISO since there is no waiting for the drive to be ready and the hard drive I/O speed is many times faster than the CD/DVD drive.
What is Homebrew ?
Homebrew is a term frequently applied only to video games that are produced by consumers on proprietary game platforms; in other words, game platforms that are not typically user-programmable, or use proprietary hardware for storage.
Some, however, also refer to all non-commercial, "home-developed" games for open architectures as homebrew games, though these typically go under more frequently used labels, such as freeware. Homebrew games are typically developed to be used with emulators.
In May 2005, it was found that PlayStation Portables using the 1.00 version of the firmware (meaning original, first launch Japanese-only PlayStation Portables) could execute unsigned code. What this meant in practice was that these PlayStation Portables could run homebrew software, as the mechanism for checking to make sure that software has been approved by Sony had not yet been activated.
Later exploits have allowed for PlayStation Portables using later versions of the firmware to run homebrew applications, and development of both new exploits to bypass restrictions and new restrictions to limit unauthorised programs is ongoing.
While not all versions of the PlayStation Portable firmware have an exploit at any given time, the versions have been quickly decrypted and rewritten by programmers, allowing for the creation of custom firmware that lacks the prohibition on running unsigned code.
What is Firmware, regarding PSP's ?
Firmware is the PSP's operating system and controls the additional core functionality.
Firmware updates have added various features including a web browser, Adobe flash support, additional codecs for images, audio, and video, PlayStation 3.
connectivity, as well as security against several security exploits, vulnerabilities, and execution of homebrew programs. If the power supply is lost while writing to or updating the firmware, the console will no longer be able to boot.
Third-party firmware editions
The firmware versions listed here are all from writer Dark_AleX; other custom firmware releases exist but are not in widespread use.
2.71 SE - Combined features of 1.50 and 2.71 kernels to allow full use of third-party programs, and allowed the running of games from disc image rather than UMD cartridge to conserve battery life.
3.02 OE - Combined features of 1.50 and 3.02 kernels to allow full use of third-party programs.
3.02 OE-B - Introduced "popstation" program to allow users to convert original Playstation discs to run under Playstation Network emulation system.
3.03 OE - Improved "popstation" and allowed users to access higher-compatibility Playstation emulation, and opened up the ability to play AVC videos in 3GP format at full 480x272 resolution.
3.10 OE - Improved "popstation" and allowed users to access 3.10 Playstation emulation. Opened up the ability to use the fourth (highest) screen brightness setting even when on battery. With a plugin, will allow accessing any form of the Playstation Network functions from 3.00 through 3.11. Unfortunately, since this is a custom firmware that has nearly every feature of the real 3.10 update, it lacks working Location Free player and the Korean language, but Locationfree player can be installed manually later.
3.10 OE-not much difference compared to the last one. More "security" updates and more ps1 compatibility
"Downgrade Psp?" you ask, what the heck is that? Well if you have had your Psp for a little while now you might have heard of a downgrade or downgrading you Psp. When referring to a downgrade you are talking about returning your PSP firmware to an earlier version which has exploits that certain smart people could take advantage of, in this case we are talking about firmware version 1.50.
When Sony found out that there were exploits that could enable people to play games that weren't released by Sony themselves they released Firmware Updates (this was known as Upgrading your PSP) in the hope that this would make PSP users only purchase Sony UMD Games and Sony UMD Movies. Much to the annoyance of Sony once they started releasing firmware updates people started to try and find ways to hack the firmware so they could return the PSP back to a 1.50 which would once again allow them to play other games.
These other games and applications are known as "Homebrew" and are developed by programmers who want to release these games and applications free of charge to other PSP users around the world. This is the big attraction of a PSP Downgrade and is why people take the risk of downgrading their PSP. Currently there are 100's if not 1000's of homebrew games and applications available to download for free. Not only are there homebrew games available for the PSP user who has gone through the PSP Downgrade process but there are also 1000's of "old school" games that you can play on you downgraded PSP, games like Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers and more.
"So can you downgrade any PSP?", well at the time of writing you can downgrade any PSP that is firmware version 3.03 and below, this includes PSP's with the TA-082 motherboards which up until a short time ago were not able to be downgraded with ease. Unfortunately those with a PSP that is higher than 3.03 cannot downgrade as of yet but it is only expected to be a matter of time before a downgrader is made for those particular models.
All you have to do if you have one of the PSP's that can be downgraded is find the correct downgrader. You must make sure that you use the correct downgrader or you risk bricking (rendering inoperable) your PSP. Once you have found the appropriate software to downgrade it, make sure you follow the instructions exactly as they are printed. If you do not follow those instructions exactly you will again brick your PSP. Once you brick your PSP your only option is to get it Mod-Chipped which would cost you around $100 or use it as a rather expensive paperweight.
The benefits of doing a PSP downgrade are numerous, the free games and applications, the DVD collection that you can back up and watch on you PSP all make the risk worth the reward.
Inorder to access the recovery mode of custom firmware:
You need to completly turn off your psp.
Hold the R button and and press the power switch
You will get a blue screen which looks like BIOS.
Whats the use??
1. I dont know, I havent used it. I used it once to reboot since one of the ISO was corrupted on my friend's psp-It worked!!!
2. It has clock values but its clocked till 333 mhz (i think, i sold my psp i dont remember) but you cant overclock more then that-no option)
3. You can change features like no boot movie and stuff.
4. Used if your changing the skin, bootscreen and stuff like that
On personal expereince:
If your changing the bootscreen and stuff, remember to backup the data of your recovery bios from the computer's access via usb cable. In my expereince, the custom skins are compatible only till 3.03 OE (not sure which rev)
Custom firmware:
Dark~AleX - PSP Developer
Homebrew software download and psp stuff:
QJ.NET - QuickJump Home - PS3 News, Wii News, Xbox 360 News, PSP News and more!
Most reliable stuff for psp:
Buy Video Games for Consoles and PC - From Japan, Korea and other Regions! - Play-Asia.com
The first psp I got was TA motherboard
then I exchanged a new one from a store. It was a non TA Motherboard and he pre-installed devhook software. Then i summound up the courage and installed the custom firmware. You get few value pack these days, but its better to pick up a value pack rather then going for a core pack and buying 18-in-i psp kit like what i did
The knowledge of psp grew from time and after selling the psp, I give out my knowledge to you. :hap2: However, these are the basics, the things I know and researched. courtesy of clusty.com and google.com regarding the psp model. (Clusty was more organised then google)
May the force be with you
hyeah:
Now rev me up :clap:
PSP Hardware Models
These are the PSP Models available in the Market
PSP-1000 Japan
PSP-1001 USA/Canada
PSP-1002 Australia/New Zealand
PSP-1003 UK
PSP-1004 Europe/India/Middle East & Africa
PSP-1005 Korea
PSP-1006 Hongkong/Singapore
PSP-1007 Taiwan
PSP-1008 Russia
PSP-1009 China
PSP-1010 Mexico
K Represents the Value Pack for e.g PSP-1000K is a Japan-Value Pack.
Country/Region specific differences
All of the hardware is identical between all regions. The main difference is the region code which is only enforced for movies. Sony have stated that they won't enforce region code lockouts for any of the games.
Despite rumours, the LCD panels used in all PSPs are the same-made by sharp.
Model Number Country/Region Region Code Comments
PSP-1000 Japan 2 Japanese Standard Pack 1
PSP-1000K Japan 2 Japanese Value Pack 2
PSP-1000KCW Japan 2 Japanese Ceramic White Value Pack 3
PSP-1000G1 Japan 2 Japanese Giga Pack 4
PSP-1000G1CW Japan 2 Japanese Ceramic White Giga Pack 5
PSP-1001K North America 1 Value Pack 6
PSP-1001G1 North America 1 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1002K Australia/New Zealand 4 Value Pack 6
PSP-1002G1 Australia/New Zealand 4 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1003K UK 2 Value Pack 6
PSP-1003G1 UK 2 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1004K Europe 2 Value Pack 6
PSP-1004G1 Europe 2 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1005K Korea 5 Value Pack 6
PSP-1005G1 Korea 5 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1006K Hong Kong/Singapore 3 Value Pack 6
PSP-1006G1 Hong Kong/Singapore 3 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1007K Taiwan 3 Value Pack 6
PSP-1007G1 Taiwan 3 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1008K Russia 5 Value Pack 6
PSP-1008G1 Russia 5 Giga Pack 7
PSP-1009K China 6 Value Pack 6
PSP-1009G1 China 6 Giga Pack 7
1 Japanese Standard Pack - Just contains the PSP, battery and charger.
2 Japanese Value Pack - Same as Standard pack + headphones, remote, hand strap, soft slip case and a 32MB MemoryStick Pro Duo.
3 Japanese Ceramic White Value Pack - Same as the Japanese Value pack but the PSP is ceramic white instead of black.
4 Japanese Giga Pack - Same as the value pack but with a 1GB MemoryStick Pro Duo instead of 32MB, a USB cable, plastic stand, cleaning cloth and no hand strap.
5 Japanese Ceramic White Giga Pack - Same as the plain Giga pack but the PSP is ceramic white instead of black.
6 Value Pack - Same as Japanese Value pack + screen cleaning cloth + demo UMD.
7 Giga Pack - Same as Japanese Giga pack + demo UMD.
As Sony used the same regions as the DVD region system, Japanese and UK PSPs both have the same region code (2) which means Japanese PSPs are compatible with UK UMD movie discs. A US PSP unit however won't be.
Apart from the region code and network update location differences, the UK and US PSP units should be identical in every way.
Differences between the various regions are as follows:
* The basic model is only available in Japan. Everywhere else gets the value pack as the cheapest model.
* The UK Value Pack contains a demo UMD disc which isn't present in the Japanese Value Pack.
* The Japanese Value Pack don't include a screen cleaning cloth that the other territories have.
* The meaning of the X and O buttons are reversed on the Japanese PSP. O is accept and X is cancel which is the opposite of what is the norm for Sony games/hardware everywhere else.
* The Network Update option will check the the specific country support site the PSP was sold in. The latest firmware is usually released for Japanese PSPs first and then slowly rolled out to other regions. So far all the firmware updates have been identical between all regions and will allow you to apply any region firmware to your PSP. Sony have said that using another regions firmware will void the warranty on your PSP however.
Flashing a different region firmware onto a PSP does NOT alter the region code. Neither does it alter the meaning of the X and O buttons. Basically any country specific differences stay the same. Third party utilities have been released to modify the button assignments but you must be able to run homebrew to use them and also risk the possibility of breaking your PSP.
General FAQ
What is a n00b ?
n00b = Newbie (Look this up in Wikipedia !)
What is a PSP ?
PSP = Playstation Portable by Sony Computer Entertainment, launched in Japan on December 12, 2004. If you don't know this, wtf are you doing here ?
What is a UMD ?
UMD = Universal Media Disc.
It's the media format that Sony uses for various content on the PSP, mainly games and movies.
Unlike a regular cd/dvd, a UMD can not be copied/pirated. It is only possible to rip the data on the UMD to a different media, like a flash memory card or a harddisk. So, if anyone tells you that they have pirated UMD's, they are lying.
What is a Memory Card ?
It's a plastic card that contains flash memory for data storage. There are various types - SD, MMS, MSPD, etc. A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state electronic flash memory data storage device used with digital cameras, handheld and laptop computers, telephones, music players, video game consoles, and other electronics. They offer high re-recordability, power-free storage, small form factor, and rugged environmental specifications.
What is an ISO ?
Simply put, and iso is the disk image of an optical media. So, if you have the image of a cd/dvd on the harddisk, thats an iso. Iso's can be mounted on a virtual drive on the PC and then used like the orginal optical source.
Better performance is achieved by running an ISO since there is no waiting for the drive to be ready and the hard drive I/O speed is many times faster than the CD/DVD drive.
What is Homebrew ?
Homebrew is a term frequently applied only to video games that are produced by consumers on proprietary game platforms; in other words, game platforms that are not typically user-programmable, or use proprietary hardware for storage.
Some, however, also refer to all non-commercial, "home-developed" games for open architectures as homebrew games, though these typically go under more frequently used labels, such as freeware. Homebrew games are typically developed to be used with emulators.
In May 2005, it was found that PlayStation Portables using the 1.00 version of the firmware (meaning original, first launch Japanese-only PlayStation Portables) could execute unsigned code. What this meant in practice was that these PlayStation Portables could run homebrew software, as the mechanism for checking to make sure that software has been approved by Sony had not yet been activated.
Later exploits have allowed for PlayStation Portables using later versions of the firmware to run homebrew applications, and development of both new exploits to bypass restrictions and new restrictions to limit unauthorised programs is ongoing.
While not all versions of the PlayStation Portable firmware have an exploit at any given time, the versions have been quickly decrypted and rewritten by programmers, allowing for the creation of custom firmware that lacks the prohibition on running unsigned code.
What is Firmware, regarding PSP's ?
Firmware is the PSP's operating system and controls the additional core functionality.
Firmware updates have added various features including a web browser, Adobe flash support, additional codecs for images, audio, and video, PlayStation 3.
connectivity, as well as security against several security exploits, vulnerabilities, and execution of homebrew programs. If the power supply is lost while writing to or updating the firmware, the console will no longer be able to boot.
Third-party firmware editions
The firmware versions listed here are all from writer Dark_AleX; other custom firmware releases exist but are not in widespread use.
2.71 SE - Combined features of 1.50 and 2.71 kernels to allow full use of third-party programs, and allowed the running of games from disc image rather than UMD cartridge to conserve battery life.
3.02 OE - Combined features of 1.50 and 3.02 kernels to allow full use of third-party programs.
3.02 OE-B - Introduced "popstation" program to allow users to convert original Playstation discs to run under Playstation Network emulation system.
3.03 OE - Improved "popstation" and allowed users to access higher-compatibility Playstation emulation, and opened up the ability to play AVC videos in 3GP format at full 480x272 resolution.
3.10 OE - Improved "popstation" and allowed users to access 3.10 Playstation emulation. Opened up the ability to use the fourth (highest) screen brightness setting even when on battery. With a plugin, will allow accessing any form of the Playstation Network functions from 3.00 through 3.11. Unfortunately, since this is a custom firmware that has nearly every feature of the real 3.10 update, it lacks working Location Free player and the Korean language, but Locationfree player can be installed manually later.
3.10 OE-not much difference compared to the last one. More "security" updates and more ps1 compatibility
"Downgrade Psp?" you ask, what the heck is that? Well if you have had your Psp for a little while now you might have heard of a downgrade or downgrading you Psp. When referring to a downgrade you are talking about returning your PSP firmware to an earlier version which has exploits that certain smart people could take advantage of, in this case we are talking about firmware version 1.50.
When Sony found out that there were exploits that could enable people to play games that weren't released by Sony themselves they released Firmware Updates (this was known as Upgrading your PSP) in the hope that this would make PSP users only purchase Sony UMD Games and Sony UMD Movies. Much to the annoyance of Sony once they started releasing firmware updates people started to try and find ways to hack the firmware so they could return the PSP back to a 1.50 which would once again allow them to play other games.
These other games and applications are known as "Homebrew" and are developed by programmers who want to release these games and applications free of charge to other PSP users around the world. This is the big attraction of a PSP Downgrade and is why people take the risk of downgrading their PSP. Currently there are 100's if not 1000's of homebrew games and applications available to download for free. Not only are there homebrew games available for the PSP user who has gone through the PSP Downgrade process but there are also 1000's of "old school" games that you can play on you downgraded PSP, games like Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers and more.
"So can you downgrade any PSP?", well at the time of writing you can downgrade any PSP that is firmware version 3.03 and below, this includes PSP's with the TA-082 motherboards which up until a short time ago were not able to be downgraded with ease. Unfortunately those with a PSP that is higher than 3.03 cannot downgrade as of yet but it is only expected to be a matter of time before a downgrader is made for those particular models.
All you have to do if you have one of the PSP's that can be downgraded is find the correct downgrader. You must make sure that you use the correct downgrader or you risk bricking (rendering inoperable) your PSP. Once you have found the appropriate software to downgrade it, make sure you follow the instructions exactly as they are printed. If you do not follow those instructions exactly you will again brick your PSP. Once you brick your PSP your only option is to get it Mod-Chipped which would cost you around $100 or use it as a rather expensive paperweight.
The benefits of doing a PSP downgrade are numerous, the free games and applications, the DVD collection that you can back up and watch on you PSP all make the risk worth the reward.
Inorder to access the recovery mode of custom firmware:
You need to completly turn off your psp.
Hold the R button and and press the power switch
You will get a blue screen which looks like BIOS.
Whats the use??
1. I dont know, I havent used it. I used it once to reboot since one of the ISO was corrupted on my friend's psp-It worked!!!
2. It has clock values but its clocked till 333 mhz (i think, i sold my psp i dont remember) but you cant overclock more then that-no option)
3. You can change features like no boot movie and stuff.
4. Used if your changing the skin, bootscreen and stuff like that
On personal expereince:
If your changing the bootscreen and stuff, remember to backup the data of your recovery bios from the computer's access via usb cable. In my expereince, the custom skins are compatible only till 3.03 OE (not sure which rev)
Custom firmware:
Dark~AleX - PSP Developer
Homebrew software download and psp stuff:
QJ.NET - QuickJump Home - PS3 News, Wii News, Xbox 360 News, PSP News and more!
Most reliable stuff for psp:
Buy Video Games for Consoles and PC - From Japan, Korea and other Regions! - Play-Asia.com
The first psp I got was TA motherboard
then I exchanged a new one from a store. It was a non TA Motherboard and he pre-installed devhook software. Then i summound up the courage and installed the custom firmware. You get few value pack these days, but its better to pick up a value pack rather then going for a core pack and buying 18-in-i psp kit like what i did The knowledge of psp grew from time and after selling the psp, I give out my knowledge to you. :hap2: However, these are the basics, the things I know and researched. courtesy of clusty.com and google.com regarding the psp model. (Clusty was more organised then google)
May the force be with you
hyeah:Now rev me up :clap:
