The M33 team has done it again. The PSP Slim can now run M33's 3.60 custom firmware. The new firmware has "all the features of 3.52 M33, except the 1.50 kernel support". This means that some homebrew that was developed specifically for 1.50 (e.g. homebrew games that would go into the GAME150 folder) will not work with the custom firmware.

The installation is complex, requiring a Pandora Battery and Pandora memory stick, a non-Slim PSP with firmware 1.50 or custom firmware that supports 1.50 kernel, and of course, a PSP-2000. As always, this is not for the faint of heart nor anyone who hates carefully reading and following instructions, as there is always a possibility of bricking your brand new PSP-2000. As such, use at your own risk. Full instructions for the installation can be found here.

Download M33's custom 3.60 firmware here (scroll down to the bottom of the first post).

[via DCEmu, thanks everyone who sent this in!]

Russian hacking team M33 quickly and easily grabbed the attention of the PSP homebrew community for continuing work on custom firmware after Dark_Alex suddenly quit the scene. The team of five have met their fair share of complaints and praise over the past weeks, many complimenting their quick work, but lamenting the numerous patches made to tackle a persistent list of bugs.

Interestingly, in the team's first public interview, they revealed that they believe Sony will ultimately make the "ideal firmware." They believe that consumers just want the ability to do more with their system, and Sony will learn from the homebrew community: "When Sony understands the useless of their attempts to fight against CFW, they WILL release the firmware that will allow to run homebrew."

The battle against homebrew shouldn't be equated with the battle against piracy, they note. "Sony should allow homebrew development, as on PS2 in RTE (Runtime Environment) on which you can program homebrew, but can't run ISO." Certainly, we applaud the hard work of many homebrew developers out there -- if they could be recognized without piracy running rampant, all PSP owners would benefit.
Read - Translated version
Read - Original version

After Dark_Alex suddenly left the homebrew scene, many were wondering if the custom firmware dream would continue. Only a few weeks after his departure, a Russian hacking team, M33, has been making waves.

In fact, they've successfully released a number of custom firmware options for homebrew enthusiasts in the weeks surrounding E3. Most recently, they've released a custom firmware based on 3.52, Sony's most current release. 3.52 M33 will, once again, support the features of Sony's official release, while also launching homebrew applications. Supposedly, the latest release will also let you purchase and download PS1 games off the official PlayStation Store and play them legally on your hacked machine.

Those that want M33 on their systems must have either PSP version 1.50, or a system with Dark_Alex's custom firmware already installed. To download the M33 installer, click here. (You'll also need to download firmware 1.50 and 3.52.)

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

So soon? Less than two days since the arrival of Sony's latest firmware upgrade, Dark_Alex has released a new custom firmware for homebrew users. 3.40OE-A brings the functionality of Sony's official release and opens it to the world of homebrew. Users must already have a homebrew-ready system to install 3.40OE-A. (PSP systems with new firmware, such as 3.00, will not be able to switch.)

Some improvements include a crucial patch that resolves a memory writing bug that has been plaguing recent releases of Dark_Alex's custom firmware. The potential for bricking has also been reduced. Download the latest update from Dark_Alex's website.

[Via DCEmu]

Homebrew users are celebrating today: custom firmware 3.30 OE-A is now available to the masses. As predicted, there are no major upgrades to be found in the latest revision of Dark_Alex's custom firmware. Those with homebrew-capable PSP systems will be able to install 3.30 OE-A, which enables both homebrew and legal PSP games to play on one machine.

Interested individuals can go to PSP Gen to download the upgrade file.

Dark_Alex was debating whether or not to release an OE firmware with or without additional functionality. It looks like he chose the latter. Previous versions of Dark_Alex's homebrew-enabling firmware allowed users to watch full-resolution movies, remove region-encoding, and overclock their systems. The upcoming OE version of 3.30 will not feature any additional upgrades, because it appears that a major reprogramming is necessary for the increasingly unstable code. PSP Spot translates a forum post by the coder:

"3.30 OE at first will not have any innovation except the fact of being 3.30. It will take time due to problems with the hardware. Right now the priority for the future is to radically change the core of OE, to eliminate the instability of the programming (that is especially evident in 3.10) and to gain some more space for the ram. But this probably will take several versions before it is finishing, due to the complexness of the process."

While homebrew users wait for the "next big thing," will Sony be able to provide a truly worthwhile feature in their upcoming official releases? Free wi-fi was just one step in this continuous battle between Sony and the homebrew community.

[Via PSP-Vault]

[Update: DCEmu reports that Dark_Alex may have broken his PSP. Whoops--he's purchased a new one and is going to continue working soon.]

Ever since firmware 3.30 was decrypted, many fans have been wondering: when will a new version of Dark_Alex's custom OE firmware come out? OE firmware typically contains all of the functionality of Sony's official firmware, but with a few additional perks. Obviously, the ability to run homebrew is a must. However, previous renditions of the OE firmware have included the ability to play full-resolution video and play ISO files (regardless of legality).
3.30 OE may not be as fully-featured as previous editions of the custom firmware. It appears that if Dark_Alex's team prepares the OE within the next 72 hours, it will be void of any extra functionality. Working on a more fully featured release will take a longer time--but the team notes that they are running the risk of running out of internal flash memory if the firmware becomes too large.

So, the homebrew coders are asking: to release 3.30 OE or not to release 3.30 OE? Some may want it now, but others may want a better version in time. We believe that, because 3.30 isn't supported by any retail games yet, that the team take their time to make a stronger, more feature-loaded firmware.

[Via DCEmu]

DCEmu is reporting that Dark_Alex already has a custom firmware version of 3.30 in the works. He's only just begun to decrypt the newest Sony firmware, but seems to think that it will be an easy nut to crack. Dark_Alex seems to think we won't have to wait long for a new custom firmware. This is good news for me and other PSP owners who currently run custom firmware. Let's just hope it comes out before the next big title that requires 3.30 firmware.

[Update 1: Fixed firmware list errors]

Members of the QJ forums seem upset that they can't upgrade to Sony's latest official firmware. Why? Because they've been using custom firmware on TA-082 PSPs. The 3.30 firmware installer doesn't seem to run on these modified systems, giving a mysterious 'DRNffffffd7 error code." These glitches seem to mirror the many found when Ratchet & Clank was released. So much for respecting the homebrew scene, huh?

Firmware 3.30 gives users some important functionality, such as official support for full-resolution videos and free internet access at T-Mobile Hotspots nationwide. For now, it seems as though users of custom firmware will have to wait until Dark_Alex and the rest of the homebrew community work their magic again.

[Via PlayStation]

[Update 1: A patch has been released for those with TA-082 motherboards. You must restore your system to 1.50, then run this patch, in order to run Sony's official upgrades. Via PlayStation.]

Heroes. Villains. Homebrewers. Pirates. The hackers behind some of the most significant PSP security breaches to date have been called many things. A new BBC report does little to settle the ethical debate, but does demystify a pair of thorns in Sony's side.

Fanjita, best known for his GTA: LCS eLoader exploit, is none other than mild-mannered David Court, a 34-year-old professional programmer who writes server software for telecommunications companies. Court, who spends an hour or so each night tinkering with his PSP, resides in Edinburgh, Scotland with his wife. He is also a martial arts enthusiast.

In recent months, Fanjita's celebrity has been eclipsed by hacker Dark Alex, whose custom firmware has opened the PSP wide open. A student from Spain by day, Dark Alex derives his moniker from his real name Alejandro. He favors all things goth and finds comfort in manga and cats. "I think it is up to users to make the correct decisions about how to use my software," says Alejandro. "I believe in the presumption of innocence, unlike the media companies."

[Thanks, Brian]

Like many PSP owners, I like the added functionality of Dark_Alex's custom firmware. What I didn't like though was how Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters didn't work on my PSP because of it. Luckily, the fine folks at DCEmu have come up with a solution. Let me run you through it step by step, so you too can get Ratchet swinging his wrench on your custom firmware.

• First, totally turn off your PSP (not sleep mode)
• Now, hold down the right trigger and turn it back on
• This will bring you to recovery menu where you can change several options
• Configuration: Game folder homebrew (currently:3.XX Kernal), Use NO-UMD (currently:disabled), Fake region (currently: America), Free UMD region (currently:enabled)
• Advanced configuration: Plain modules in UMD/ISO (currently:enabled)
• CPU Speed: Speed in UMD/ISO (currently:266)
• Plugins: All disabled

And that should do it. Now you can play the greatness that is Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Thanks again for the great fix DCEmu community!

Just days after the release and immediate decryption of Sony's PSP firmware v3.10, homebrew developer Dark AleX has released a new edition of his custom brand of firmware: 3.10 OE-A (Open Edition). As the name implies, Dark AleX's custom firmware includes all of the functionality provided by Sony's latest firmware update, plus the ability to run homebrewed (and pirated) applications and files, and further exploit the PSP hardware (e.g., speed up the processor, unlock maximum video resolution, bypass region coding, etc.). The new custom firmware also grants access to the PSP's fourth level of brightness without the use of a power adapter.

Any reason not to downgrade and then upgrade to 3.10 OE-A? Sure, custom firmware perpetuates piracy, but a user can choose not to download and run pirated games. But is the temptation just too strong?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Does Dark_Alex ever sleep? I don't think so, as he's updated his open-edition custom firmware yet again. The last edition unlocked full resolution video, and now Dark_Alex has lifted the bitrate limit, making it even easier to run high-quality video off your homebrew-enabled PSP. Word to the wise, however: just because your system will be able to recognize video up to 16Mbps doesn't mean the system will be capable of actually displaying it. 768Kbps is more than enough for PSP video, but being able to increase the quality even a little is a nice option. Shouldn't Sony be taking notes?

Other changes include a faster OE boot, changeable XMB speed, and functional wi-fi at 333MHz. Sony looks like its sleeping when compared to the impressive work Dark_Alex has done so far.

[Via DCEmu]

That Dark_Alex kid is up to it again. His custom firmware currently cracks the protection that PSone games from the PlayStation Store utilize. However, it looks like the next revision, called 3.02 OE-B, will support the ripping of ISO files and turning them into EBOOT files to launch via XMB. This means almost any PSone game you own can be transferred to your PSP. You'll see Castlevania: Symphony of the Night at work in this YouTube demo. Amazing, isn't it? Hopefully, this will convince Sony to release their PlayStation Store games at a much less craptacular rate.

[Thanks, jamie!]

[Update 1: Now available for download at MAXCONSOLE.]

It looks like Dark_Alex has done it again. His latest custom firmware release will allow your PSP to emulate the 3.02 firmware while running homebrew as if you have a very homebrew-friendly 1.50 PSP. Of course, the custom firmware goes even beyond that: it'll strip region encoding off of UMD movie playback, and more importantly, it'll get rid of the DRM protection of the current lineup of downloadable PSone games. The 3.03 firmware most likely protects the system from such vulnerabilities, but it's clear that the homebrew community is furiously fighting Sony.

There's no doubt that this is a very huge and crippling blow to Sony's anti-piracy efforts. While we don't support piracy here at the Fanboy, we can understand the huge frustration of the gaming community with Sony's PSone download efforts: stop making a PS3 required, please?

[Via Opposable Thumbs]