Perhaps this update will never see the light of day, whether that be from Sony’s website or Network Update; however, G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra UMD comes pressed with firmware 5.55, much like IdolM@ster SP and 5.05. Currently, as confirmed in the below video, 5.55 is required to run G.I. Joe. But really, we all know that’ll be hacked/bypassed in due time.

- source: dark-alex

Sony acting suspicious with a [minor] firmware bump… PSP Firmware 5.51 just hit Network Update; you can also grab it below.

So what’s new? Apparently the same ol’ nonsense — improved system software stability during the use of some features. That’s it.

I wouldn’t recommend updating if you’re the hacked but Pandoraless, PSP-3000, or TA-088v3 type.

Download: PSP Firmware 5.51 Update

It’s out — Sony has officially released PSP firmware update version 5.50.

PSP Firmware 5.50 changes:

• [Information Board] has been added as a feature under [PlayStation®Network]. You can view the latest news from PlayStation®Network.
• Support for a Web security service provided by Trend Micro™ has been added to [Internet Browser].
• An icon for [Internet Search] has been added to the menu bar in [Internet Browser].
• In the options menu for a game under [Game], you can now perform an Internet search using the name of the game as the search keyword.
• You can now view one more folder level under [Photo], [Music] and [Video].

And this should come as no surprise; Sony failed to mention they’ve patched the TIFF vulnerability rendering the recent exploit useless. Go figure.

So should you upgrade? The choice is yours. I mean, if you have a hacked PSP-1000 or 2000 with a working Pandora Battery, then why not check it out. Otherwise, I recommend you steer clear until the new Homebrew Enabler (HEN) is available.

Download: PSP (Official) Firmware 5.50

Ch’yeah, like we didn’t see this coming now that the recently discovered TIFF exploit has blown up… Posted by Eric Lempel over at the official PlayStation Blog are details concerning the soon-to-be released PSP Firmware 5.50. What’s new? Allow me to quote –

The firmware update will introduce an Information Board on the PSP system’s XMB (XrossMediaBar) interface. Those of you who have a PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) may be familiar with this feature, which displays news and updates from the world of PlayStation in a scrolling ticker in the upper right-hand corner of your TV screen. Now you’ll be able to read up-to-date information about upcoming games, new content available on PlayStation Store, and other news right on your PSP whenever you’re at a wireless Internet hotspot.

In addition, we’ll be adding a few more enhancements with the 5.50 update:

• Memory Stick improvements – You’ll be able to create and access sub-folders on your Memory Stick PRO Duo for music, videos and photos. Separately, the available space required to download a file from PlayStation Store to your Memory Stick has been reduced significantly.
• Internet search for games directly from the XMB – You’ll be able to easily search the Internet for information about your PSP games. Select the icon for the game, hit the Triangle button, and then select [Internet Search] from the options menu to get search results based on the game title. This feature was added to PS3 with the recent 2.70 update.
• Trend Micro trial – PSP’s Internet browser is a great tool for checking out your favorite Web sites on the go, and we’re teaming up with the Internet security experts at Trend Micro to make the Web browsing experience safer and more secure. With the 5.50 update, you’ll have the option to access a free trial of two Trend Micro services:
  • Trend Micro Web Security uses Web reputation technology to block PSP owners from accidentally visiting a Web site that may contain malicious content designed to steal personal information and confidential data.
  • Trend Micro Kids’ Safety uses URL filtering technology to prevent children from accessing Web sites that feature inappropriate content.

And of course they’ve likely patched said TIFF exploit; so when 5.50 hits, don’t rush to upgrade, not yet anyway. We’ll keep you posted.

- discussion thread -

- source: blog.us.playstation.com

Update: I can personally confirm “The IdolM@ster SP” does not boot on custom firmware 5.00 M33. It errors out with the following, “The game could not be started. (80020148).”

Furthermore, after doing a little research, it’s rumoured The Idolmaster SP will feature unlockable “PlayStation Home Rewards.” It’s likely 5.05 may accommodate that.

Uh oh… Apparently this new PSP title, The Idolmaster SP, comes bundled with PSP firmware version 5.05, and not only that, you absolutely need 5.05 to run it. It’s been reported, even with spoofing your firmware version, that for the moment Idolmaster SP does not work on any custom firmwares. So that begs the question: what’s up with firmware 5.05?

To quote Mr. Anonymous –

The series of THE iDOLM@STER SP games (japanese), released today but leaked earlier, comes with a new and neat 5.05 update that is pretty much required for the game to run, or, at least, does not work on any existing CFW at the time. Spoofing the version through version.txt seemingly doesn’t work, either.

- source: qj

Sony has officially released it — PSP Firmware 5.02.

The good news: Dark_AleX’s latest version of PSARDumper is able to successfully dump and decrypt it.

The bad news: well, there is none really… It’s unlikely we’ll see custom firmware 5.02 M33 from this; the changes are nothing too significant. Maybe a patch for 5.00 M33 is in order? We’ll see…

Download:
PSP (Official) Firmware 5.02
PSARDumper

Sony back to it — PSP Firmware 5.02 is on the way… What’s new? For now, we know this –

“This update improves system software stability during use of some features, including the PlayStation Store.”

- source: blog.us.playstation.com

Here are two PRX modules for you CFW 5.00 M33 users –

1. popcorn.prx (v2) — courtesy of Dark_AleX. It’s actually an update from the previously released fix. Flash popcorn.prx to “flash0:/kd” to correct PSOne/PSX compatibility issues.
2. npinstaller_plugin.prx & version.txt — seemingly the only files changed in firmware 5.01 from 5.00. This should correct the larger capacity PRO Duos from producing an insufficient space error. Flash npinstaller_plugin.prx to “flash0:/vsh/module” and version.txt to “flash0:/vsh/etc.”

With the quickness indeed — Sony has officially released PSP firmware 5.01. The update is said to correct issues relating to larger capacity PRO Duos. Namely users who own an 8 or 16 GB stick were left with an insufficient space error when downloading content from the PlayStation Store.

Download: PSP (Official) Firmware 5.01

To Sony’s face with the belt… Dark_AleX, world-renowned PSP heavyweight, has released custom firmware 5.00 M33 into the wild. Get it while it’s hot folks…

5.00 M33 changes:

• 4.01 to 5.00
• Bug fix: when changing speed in xmb, and the psp turned the brightness to 0 automatically the speed was reset to 222 again.

Note to pspstates plugin users: this plugin won’t work in this firmware due to it being made specifically for 4.01. Running it in 5.00 M33 can cause problems, wait until an update of plugin.

Download:
Custom Firmware 5.00 M33
PSP Firmware 5.00 Update EBOOT (rename to 500.PBP)

- source: dark-alex