Concluding our action-packed custom firmware adventure is the promised 1.50 kernel add-on for PSP Fat owners. And in addition to that — Dark_AleX has corrected a few 4.01 M33 bugs; ergo, releasing 4.01 M33-2.

Custom Firmware 4.01 M33-2 changes:

• Nids resolver: Fixed scePowerGetCpuClockFrequency issue. This is the same bug that happened in 3.80 M33-1, it won’t happen again.
• Fixes recovery problems that have appeared in prior version (incorrect position of back string in language others than English, enable, and disabled strings not translated in plugins, hide pic0+pic1 couldn’t be changed, language file in flash1 wasn’t working…)
• Spanish recovery translation typos fixed.

Get down.

Download:
Custom Firmware 4.01 M33
Custom Firmware 4.01 M33-2 Update
1.50 Kernel Add-on for 4.01 M33

- source: dark-alex.org

From B6 to B10 we have PSP Extreme Link all over again. Quake’s Extreme Link v1.6.0 Beta 10 fixes some problems and adds a few extras.

Extreme Link virgins should know it’s a lightweight Windows app aimed towards simplifying many PSP-related functions… Use Extreme Link as a front end for USB/NETHostFS and CisoPlus, as well manage your high scores and memory stick contents — media, homebrew, etc…

Extreme Link 1.6.0 B10 changes:

Extreme Link: Main

• B9 – Fixed: Delete File

Extreme Link: Records

• B7 – Fixed: Trading-Post Game search with names that have head-tail / Name search separation is still Name. Example: Taito Legends Power-Up
• B7 – Fixed: Trading-Post Game search with Titles that have title – title. Example: Tom Clancys – Ghost Recon – Advanced Warfighter 2

Extreme Link: Ciso

• B9 – Added: ListView Picture support – Options/Load/ForeColor BackColor Lv Img
• B10 – Added: FAVORITES

Extreme Link: Explore

• B8 – Fixed: Cancel Button / Triangle enabled with multiple files
• B8 – Fixed: 0 bytes files causing Error 380 / Files will now be skipped
• B9 – Added: PC/PSP Keypress picture viewing – scrolling
• B9 – Fixed: View / Add – PRX txt

Extreme Link: Favorites

• B10 – Resized Form Again / Might make it have a load Image

Download: Extreme Link 1.6.0 B10

- source: trading-post.sytes.net

Ah, ha! Where we last left off Sony unexpectedly released firmware 4.01 while Dark_AleX was in the midst of developing 4.00 M33. Today, the continuation of our episode has come to a delightful end. Dark_AleX strikes with force and delivers the much anticipated custom firmware 4.01 M33.

4.01 M33 changes:

• Bug fix: vshmenu didn’t let change camera mode due to camera_plugin using select button. Fixed, now vsh menu will not be loaded when using the camera.
• Recovery can now be translated, See how below. Translation to Spanish is auto included.
• Updated the M33 SDK with a new function and sample, and released the psp-packer tool to compress prx’s and PBP’s in the ~PSP format.
• The folder of 4.01 and higher homebrew will be GAME4XX so it won’t need change on update.

Also mentioned in the readme: the 1.50 kernel add-on for the PSP Fat will be released tonight.

Download:
Custom Firmware 4.01 M33
Sony’s 4.01 Update EBOOT (401.PBP)

- source: dark-alex.org

Thanks John Jutras, Demonchild, and David Roth.

Developer kenny.bsp, who you may recognize from other such releases as Beaverz, has again demonstrated his crafty homebrew skills with the classic game of Whac-A-Mole. It’s amusing and no doubt worth an hour or two of entertainment… Just equip your mallet, whack those pesky sons of bitches, all while keeping your life meter on the up ‘n up.

Download: Whac-A-Mole v0.1

- release thread -

Have more control over your PSP’s boot sequence with roe-ur-boat’s AutoStart PRX. Launch homebrew or ISO/CSO backups automatically or at the press and hold of a button. Use the “AutoStart Configurator” for assigning homebrew to specific buttons, and you know the rest…

ChangeLog:

Version 3:

• Now you can assign a homebrew to autoboot. Handy for cintro. (No looping!)
• Now you can not only assign homebrew but backed up games too.

Version 2:

• Added more buttons
• Improved the configurator
• Fixed a bug that showed the SCE logo when you exited from a homebrew
• Decreased the prx size from 30kb to 9kb

Version 1.1:

• Decreased the prx size from 90kb to 30kb

Download: AutoStart PRX V3

- release thread -

Too cool Jones says it best… Break out the Light Cycles and head for the Input/Output Tower, a new Tron clone has arrived — titch.ryan’s Light Cycle Clone version 2.1.

Light Cycle Clone 2.1 changes:

• background
• music player (plays from psp/music if not empty, use shoulders buttons to change track)
• improved AI (it’s actually worth playing against computer)

WiFi multiplayer support coming soon.

Download: Light Cycle Clone v2.1

- release thread -

Update: You can now grab firmware 4.01 via Network Update or from us.

Is something fishy going on? Coming real soon, in the next few hours actually, Sony plans to release firmware 4.01. Eric Lempel says –

• Display of search results under Internet Search has been improved for certain languages.
• Playback of video content under Video has been improved for certain file types.

Hrm… I bet.

But not only that — some related firmware news… Dark_AleX shared a few details concerning custom firmware 4.00M33. It’s basically a “behind-the-scenes” update. Save state support and in-XMB recovery will likely follow, perhaps in 4.00M33-2.

Is Sony trying to hide something? Will Sony’s unexpected behaviour hinder Dark_AleX’s tentative release date of this week’s end? Will Dark_AleX release 4.01M33?! Tune in tomorrow — same PSP-hacks time, same PSP-hacks channel.

Download: PSP Firmware (Official) 4.01

- source: blog.us.playstation.com & dark-alex.org

Thanks John Jutras.

Smash your J2ME-enabled cell phone, you no longer need it. M@x and Sleepper return with a much-improved version of PSPKVM. Enjoy endless J2ME applications and games direct on your PlayStation Portable.

We’re only hosting the full (all-in-one) packages. If you simply need to upgrade from a previous version, grab the appropriate package via the project’s sourceforge page.


PSPKVM 0.4.0 changes:

• Change package name and purpose of release bundles.
  1. pspkvm-bin-x.x.x-150-upgrade: Use this package if your PSP is 1.50 kernel and have installed pspkvm 0.3.2
  2. pspkvm-bin-x.x.x-OE-upgrade: Use this package if your PSP is 3.xx OE kernel and have installed pspkvm 0.3.2
  3. pspkvm-bin-x.x.x-150-allinone: Use this package if your PSP is 1.50 kernel and haven’t installed pspkvm 0.3.2
  4. pspkvm-bin-x.x.x-OE-allinone: Use this package if your PSP is 3.xx OE kernel and haven’t installed pspkvm 0.3.2
• Source code package is no longer provided in release; Instead, you can grab source code from svn, tags are created for each release.
• JSR179 support (OE Version only). Currently support GPS290(Sony’s USB GPS receiver) only, serial GPS will be supported in future Chinese Input Method. Please see “Virtual Keyboard and Chinese Input tips” in “Running tips” section of Release Note. Special thanks to Culiu for his contribution of Chinese Pinyin engine.
• Use Sony’s On screen Keyboard as alternate input method. Default is off, turn it on in pspkvm.ini
• X/O swap in native dialog, configurable by pspkvm.ini
• Get device specific properties from pspkvm.ini. User can set properties (e.g “microedition.platform”, or User-Agent value) for specific device
• Use HTTP proxy setting in network profile
• Add SonyEricsson Generic device profile in Device Selection
• Virtual Keyboard improvement:
  1. Change key layout to be “QWERTY”
  2. Add some short-cut keys
  3. “Auto-open” property can be configured by pspkvm.ini
• Resolve some MIDlets not run problems:
  1. Super Action Hero
  2. Gmail 1.5.0

Download:
PSPKVM 0.4.0 (fw 1.50)
PSPKVM 0.4.0 (cfw 3.xx)

- source: pspkvm.com

Auraomega’s Project4 is out of beta and all up in your PSP’s flash. Project4 replaces the XMB entirely operating directly from flash memory. It’s the first of its kind debuting back in December of ‘07.

The Golden Ratio marks a real milestone for the homebrew project. Allow me to quote Auraomega –

The major updates for this version come in usability, and user friendliness. The first update is a new easier to read configuration file, which now supports comments and more options, this gives an easier and more varied look for Project4, by simply changing icon placement or colours, and there’s no more in depth thinking as to which part you are editing, the information is all there in the file. The next thing is shortcut buttons, a file located in flash1:/P4/ can be used to link programs to buttons (and I may hazard a guess to say files too, but I’ve not tested), meaning if you want to have something like iRShell on there for loading the web browser or whatever, you can simply press the key combo and its launched. The main update though, the one that’s driven me over the barrier of insanity and back into sanity in a full circle… plugin support of files. This expands Project4’s usage far beyond its original capabilities, simply editing the shortcut file in flash1:/P4/ will allow a program to load a file thus supporting any file that can be used by another application, its still not working how I wanted it working, because some files will not be opened by the application, I am currently looking into possible ways to fix it.

There’s also some nice graphic changes, namely in EBOOT loading, in old versions you just got the “Request” menu screen, in this version it will strip out the background image and icon image of the application, and blit it to the screen giving you a far better sense of what it is you’re loading. This has caused some minor problems with loading odd files, in some cases it causes the system to crash (I’m not sure if this is just my PSP or others as well, had no reports and a lot gets corrupted on my card whilst testing), if this is the case loading the file while pressing the left shoulder button will bypass this.

Furthermore, Project4 sports a small selection of useful apps — calendar, calculator, stopwatch… Most of which are still pretty basic and likely buggy. Auraomega notes these features will be improved with future releases.

Download: Project4 v1.6180
(documentation included; see Project4Readme.pdf)

Donate to Auraomega

- source: darkmessiah.byethost13.com

What better way to spend the first gloomy Saturday of the summer playing ZX-81’s PSPCAP32.

Experience old school computing at its finest with ZX’s ported Amstrad CPC emulator.

PSPCAP32 v1.4.1 changes:

• Bug fix in CRTC emulation (games such as Prehistorik II just couldn’t be launched)
• Two drives (A & B) are now supported, but only drive A can be used to automatically start a game. It might be useful with symbOS to put the OS disk on drive ‘A:’ and application disk on ‘B:’

Download:
PSPCAP32 v1.4.1 fw 1.50
PSPCAP32 v1.4.1 cfw 3.xx
PSPCAP32 v1.4.1 source code

- source: ZX-81’s web site