Thinking about hacking a PSP

November 14, 2008 9:27 AM

i'm thinking about getting a PSP. i want to hack it and be able to play downloaded games and movies. what do i need to know before proceeding? (i.e. difficulty, what not to get, etc) dont bother with legal mumbo jumbo. i already know the risks
posted by l2yangop to computers & internet (12 comments total)

There are hundreds of forums out there.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:33 AM on November 14, 2008

First, you need to know that the newest model (PSP 3000, aka "PSP Brite") is as-yet still unhackable.
And if I understand it correctly (I don't own a PSP myself but have read a little bit about it), the later-model PSP Slims (2000) also have more hardware-level hack protection.

The most common hack seems to be through ordering a special battery called a Pandora Battery. You'll have to troll through Burhanistan's links to find out more info about that.
posted by jozxyqk at 9:40 AM on November 14, 2008

Here's a vendor of Pandora batteries. I don't own a PSP so I've never ordered one, but I've ordered other stuff from them and the vendor is reliable.
posted by the dief at 9:47 AM on November 14, 2008

If you have a buddy with a hacked PSP, they can craft you a Pandora's Battery for free using available software tools on the 'net.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:18 AM on November 14, 2008

As joz said, the PSP 3000 is not currently hackable, but you probably want to stay away from it anyway due to a pretty janky screen that Sony won't fix.
posted by joshrholloway at 10:23 AM on November 14, 2008

fyi, there is an interlacing issue with the latest model of the psp.

More details here.
posted by hummercash at 10:25 AM on November 14, 2008

SomethingAwful has a somewhat helpful thread.
posted by Dreamcast at 11:42 AM on November 14, 2008

Definitely stay away from the newest model. I just found someone on Craigslist to do the hack for me for $10. Just make sure you're getting the latest custom firmware and make sure you see it working before you leave.
posted by mattholomew at 11:56 AM on November 14, 2008

Makeusof.com recently did a two part article all about downgrading and installing homebrew on your PSP. Without a Pandora battery, and with a Pandora battery.
posted by lilkeith07 at 12:36 PM on November 14, 2008

I don't know how to make this not look like spam. I just modded my psp2000 series in about 15 minutes using a kit from a place online. I will not link to them directly, BUT if you memail me I will give you the link. I got a 2 gig Memstick Duo AND a battery that will switch between pandora and regular mode, delivered for about $40. Just a new battery is $35. The day I got it, they were selling 4gb cards for $9 and the batteries for $14. They change about every week, but it's really really simple. I did one of my employees God of War series PSP in about 5 minutes because I knew how. As of this minute, their switchable battery is on sale for $9.99 and the non-switchable's are $6.99. A 4Gb kit is $33.33.

The nice part is that after you have the kit, you can use it a zillion times on a zillion PSP's. Mod your friends and charge them a couple bucks. You can also unbrick a failed hack too, so you can resurrect dead PSP's.

Right now I'm running the newest firmware, with nes and snes emulators, playing Jean d'Arc and Fifa 09 (as well as a buncha emu games) from the 2gb memstick, with a UMD in the slot for another game. I'm still sitting on about 250 mb free.

Shoot me a memail for links or more on my experience. It's not my site, I don't get anything if you shop there, I don't want them to get free traffic from my link. Really really really it's not spam, it was just the easiest way I found to get what I needed.
posted by TomMelee at 8:38 PM on November 14, 2008

The newest PSP (3000) and one of the PSP 2000s (TA088 v3 motherboard) are both unhackable right now. You'll be lucky to get a brand new one which is currently hackable. No need to lose hope though, Dark_AleX does have a PSP 3000 in his hands, and he's probably not sitting still.
posted by cyanide at 8:43 PM on November 14, 2008

Just an update, in case you do want to get a 3000: Datel just announced a new battery that will make it hackable. It will be available in a couple weeks, it looks like.
posted by joshrholloway at 8:51 AM on November 19, 2008