Run homebrew code on the PSP
By Barb Dybwad 
posted May 4th 2005 8:29AM
posted May 4th 2005 8:29AM
Yeah, we're ringing the bells, but before we go any further we gotta warn you up front: this tool only works with
Japanese PSPs, for now. But if you've got one or can get your mitts on one, you can use this Elf to PBP convertor tool
to run code compiled for the PSP. The elf2pbp software converts the compiled code into a PBP file that can be executed
from a memory stick when placed in a subdirectory of PSP/GAME. The other catch is that your Japanese PSP cannot be
flashed to version 1.5. Yeah, lots of caveats on this one but still — it's a start.
[Thanks, gummyAvenger]
Expect PSP games to require the firmware to be updated or to even do so automatically without asking the user. So long as new holes turn up they will just keep adding update requirements to new games.
Why would Sony try to block this out? I feel like it makes more sense to just turn it into a full-fledged "feature" and bump the price another $20-50.
Why would Sony try to block this out? I feel like it makes more sense to just turn it into a full-fledged "feature" and bump the price another $20-50.
Seth, are you kidding? You really want to know why they would block free software on a closed system? Let's see, to avoid pirated games maybe? To prevent emulators and web browsers and hacked video players and overclocking tools and...I could go on and on.
Hey Eric in case you haven't noticed there already is a web browser hack, and tetris is already emmulated.So go on and on for no reason.
Thigs that were made by humans are hackable by humans
Do you know how much a memory stick pro duo that can fit a full PSP game costs?
#4 -- That Tetris is more of a proof-of-concept than anything else, it's nothing people are going to want to sit around with for fun... But honestly, I don't see why Sony would want to block homebrew games from running off the memory sticks.
I'd love nothing more than to keep a memory stick around that essentially duplicated my old Genesis and all of the games I ever had (plus 50 or so). I'm already very happy with my PSP, but if someone could pull off an emulator as well, it would just be ridiculously perfect.
Sony would sell *MORE* PSP's if it had this capability, and subsequently they would sell more games-- they still own all licensing rights to the UMD, which is the only way to get a game with decent content (textures, music, video) running on the machine. Memory Sticks are prohibitively expensive, so most of what we would be seeing are emulated 8- and 16-bit games with much smaller requirements.
Eric: I think Seth's right here. Sony's new attitude to more open codecs is not necessarily going to extend to making the PSP a completely open development platform. They have a strong interest in making the PSP a somewhat closed environment, particularly since the more that you can do with the PSP that isn't playing games or movies on UMD, the more money they're going to lose on device sales.
Which is not to say that ultimately it isn't in their interest to actually open the platform completely, but Sony may not yet see the big picture.
Tetris wasn't emulated on the PSP and the web browser isn't really a "hack" that goes very deep. Both are extensions of functionality that are approved by Sony.
This is good news. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work with newer flashes.
Just flash it with the older BIOs to play your downloaded games.
Flash it back up to the latest for the newest games.
Sure, its a hassle, but those wanting to run homebrew games and other neat utils will have no problem dealing with this workaround.
Oops. I meant Eric's right.
And I think Matt has just shown why Sony would want to keep the system closed. If I could get a MAME emulator on the PSP, I doubt I'd buy many UMD games at all.
that's it! this is what I have been waiting for. I am going to buy one now. I wonder if this will drive sales up as savvy users make impulse buys based on the psp's potential.
Thats what Im talking about.
PSP hack contest was run a month or 2 early woulnt you say?
Web-apps pfft!
Don't go throwing a party yet - as far as I have been able to tell, this is simply a tool which packs a elf binary into the PSP container format (PBP) so it is recognized by the PSP.
No one has yet made a PSP compatible elf to use with this, even those people that claim to have the leaked Sony SDK, so it's a bit premature to say it's possible to run homebrew apps on the PSP.
The only way to make an .elf file that will run is to compile it with the official Sony SDK. The leaked codewarrior build does not contain all the files needed. Whilst this is useful for developers who may wish to test out something 'in the wild', for the end user it isn't actually useable.
There is also a fellow who claims to have a working exploit with the Wipeout Pure ghost save data file, though results are very preliminary as he's basically trying to execute NOP's to verify that it is working. It seems to be, though, since he is trying to halt the CPU, and the built in software watchdog would normally reboot in the event of a software error.. Kind of ironic that sony's wipeout pure game seems to have all the keys to unlocking the PSP...
Alexander, memory sticks are expensive, now. But say you buy a $200 2GB stick. seems expensive right? Well after you have pirated 5 games, the stick has paid for itself. See Sonys problem? If the PSP can be hacked without any hardware mods, it will take off like you wouldnt believe.
PBAman, I was referring to a webbrowser that will run off the memory stick without any kludges. And the fact that you think Tetris in a web browser is an emulator is hilarious.
Until we can get at the data we need to know in order to start pogramming for the PSP (register addresses, etc.) this is not going to be useful to most hombrew coders, but is a fantastic start.
As far as I'm aware, PSP ELF files are encryted to the UMD. Simply copying all the data onto the memory stick and executing it will NOT and will NEVER work. Sony are quite safe (ok, relatively safe) allowing homebrew content. Piracy is going to be VERY difficult on this little machine, I think.
"Yeah, were ringing the bells, but before we go any further we gotta warn you up front: this tool only works with Japanese PSPs, for now."
That's assuming this claim is true.
So far only one person has said that unencrypted code can be run from the 1.0 Japanese PSP. There's absolutely no evidence towards it, and no-one can validate it.
Eric: First, they don't yet make 2gb Memory Stick Pro Duo's. Second, if they did, it would cost WAY more than $200. A 1gb stick costs roughly $150, and those things have a tendency to be priced on a curve. For 2gb, I'd guess a starting price of $350 - $400. And third, I would agree that it's not in Sony's best interests to let people run homebrew (often a codeword for "pirated" or "abandoned") software, but I'd also say that it's in my best interests for someone to hack it... particularly if they make an adapter that lets me plug a 40gb drive into the memory stick slot... any takers? Is this even theoretically possible? SATA only uses a few wires, and the memory stick only has a few connections, right?
I'm waiting for the homebrew scene to take off for the PSP until I buy one. I want to be able to compile and run code off the memory stick and brew some games!
This tool has created a lot of buzz, some are even calling it a compiler. But check the source code, it just wraps an ELF file's contents into a PBP. Read the Ps2dev and psphack forums to realize that this is a nifty trick but we're still a long way from homebrew code. We need:
1. A way to write a proper ELF for the PSP hardware. As far as I know only commercial products have this ability.
2. A way to encrypt an ELF file and place it in a PBP so that the PSP will be happy enough to decrypt it and run the code. Lots of people are working on this. See http://www.psphacks.net/content/view/180/2/
and http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=1463
well, I'm pretty sure that Sony's attitude against an open PSP is going to keep me from buying one. I want something that can play old-school emulators. Sony, if you let the PSP get opened up for retro goodness, I'll buy a PSP. Until then, not a chance. I have a PS2 already, and I don't need it in portable form.
Ahh... truly the holy grail of PSP hacks if it ever gets to the US version.
All I have to say is: Good luck cracking the AES encryption on the UMDs! This isn't some quickly-made proprietary game scrambler, it's a proven, NSA-approved algorithm for scrambling classified US gov't docs. I guess we can always hope Sony's using too small a key size so someone can brute force it, but this isn't gonna be quite THAT easy. :/
:).. The Hacker community wont let you guys down.. dont worry a working emulator will be forthcoming despite the naysayers :P
I believe the psp will be hacked (which may require a mod chip) There are to many ppl with too much time on their hands. I think the best way would be to load off a USB hard drive, or mp3 player for size.
Are there any emulators for playing roms on PSP?
Here is a nice PSP game: LuLines 1.0
It runs on firmware 1.0 and it actually
fixes dead pixels too.
LuLines 1.0 Homepage:
http://www.edepot.com/game.html
"sony, cut the strings and let your children play, as long as we can type you don't control us. we will do as we want with our psp: change the loading screen, run roms, turn it into a remote, or a web browser... so many options. no matter how many network updates you push on us we will continue to write are own *.elf, *.pbp, and corrupt all that is. you have lost this game no more money for you, cut the strings and let your children play." -ill founded mind