It seems like jsharrad finally dug out of his tunnel of projects by releasing an update to his MinerPSP homebrew game. His last release was months ago, but despite being swamped by this and that project, he's still managed to take a break for some fresh air. And you know what that means...

Getting some fresh air gives us a fresh look on things. jsharrad's done some reworking to bring his homebrew game notched up to MinerPSP v1.2 now. Installation and game mechanics have been improved, as well as a new install-o-tron addition. Here's the full changelog for v1.2:

• Fix: Changed random function to be more random.
• Fix: Re-sampled some of the sounds for better size and compatibility.
• Fix: Included images into the executable for faster transfer to psp.
• Fix: Tweaks to the game mechanics that aren't readily apparent.
• New: Install-o-tron compliant HBINFO.TXT included.

The readme has all the info you need, so it'd be best to take a look at it before you go on to mining for gold... Time to buy those new drills and win the heart of a certain Miss Mimi!

Download: [MinerPSP v1.2]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

  

Fanjita stopped by our forums recently to share some good news to the PSP homebrew community. The homebrew developer par-extraordinaire announced the updated version of his and Alex Richter's creation, Install-o-tron 0.6. For the uninitiated, this app is actually for those who really love their PSP homebrew since its goal is to make it easy for you guys to automatically install homebrew goodness to your PSP.

How does it do that? Well, basically, Install-o-tron communicates with the PSP Homebrew Database to hook you up with the details of the latest homebrew. After that, it downloads and installs the homebrew app or game automatically. The app has ultimately improved over time since before, it only supported a selection of popular homebrew. But now, the list has expanded massively.

Anyhow, a readme file comes with the download. We hope that your read up so as you won't be in the dark about this app and also so that you'd be able to maximize its capabilities. Here's the changelog for this version.

v0.6

• Fixed download counter updates
• Added network connection chooser
• Added file browser for installation via memstick rather than wifi
• Tidied up file download code
• Improved support for linefeeds in text

v0.5 - xLoader support

• Added auto-patching for xLoader and HEN
• Fixed bug when installing more than one application in one session

Download: [Install-o-tron 0.6]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

Amidst all the next-generation buzz with the PS3 and Wii being released in a few days, Fanjita has surprised us all with a new eLoader release! This release is the one that many users have been waiting for - the day that 2.80 can run an eLoader of their own! That's right, 2.80 will now receive a lot of homebrew loving from this release allowing user-mode on 2.80! So, all those beggars who have been awaiting this day for a few months have finally gotten what they wanted - so patience does pay off in the end!

This new eLoader may not "wow" previous eLoader users, but it's a huge step in the homebrew scene, something of which I am proud to report on. There's an interesting new feature that is being included in this loader - a direct experimental homebrew launch from the XMB (cross-media bar) for 2.80 firmware. This has never been done on an eLoader before, so it will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

All current eloader users will find that this does not add much new compatability support for existing applications with a few homebrew less stable than normal (mostly represented on 2.00 firmware). So, Fanjita has come up with an ingenious plan - keep them both and use them both (the older eLoader - v0.99 and the new one - v0.995).

For those that want the full feature/change list, here it is -

• 2.80-capable loader (user-mode only)
• Direct experimental homebrew launching from XMB - called xLoader! Read more about this in the readme file
  
• Power Suspend and Resume support
• Install-o-tron bundled (homebrew downloader for your PSP from the psp-homebrew.eu database)
• Built-in PSP Keyboard Works

The installation procedure is the same as every other eLoader, so just follow the previous method of installation (or read the readme if you have a bad memory). As with recent releases of eLoader, a Windows Installer is included (first download file), so most users will find no difficulty at all installing this! Also, please drink responsibly if you are of a legal age, we do not want to see you throwing around your PSP's while drinking Kriek.

Download: [eLoader v0.995 "Kriek" Windows Installer]
Download: [eLoader v0.995 "Kriek" ZIP]
Discuss: [Forum release thread]
Visit: [Official eLoader Discussion Forums]
Visit: [Official eLoader Help Forums]

---

UPDATE 1: Jordan Black has also informed us about the PatchSFO tool for Eloader 0.995 which users may need for using this new eLoader. According to the readme file that comes with this tool:

This program is used to patch the EBOOT files to make them compatable with firmware 2.80. This application goes through all of the applications installed in MS0:/PSP/GAME/ and patches them so that they will start with xLoader.

This was a tool that we used during testing and we thought it would be useful to users, the source is provided as well so that if anyone wants to build this into an nice application, you can do.

It will presumably also work for making homebrew compatible with Dark Alex's HEN C, although we haven't tested that to confirm it.

Download: [PatchSFO tool for Eloader 0.995]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

---

Update 2: I've added a compatibility list (thanks to Freeplay for testing) and you can find it after the jump. There are plenty more games compatible than what we have listed, so do not feel disappointed if your favorite game is on there, it might work. You can find an updated list of compatible homebrew here.

Fanjita and AlexRichter's Install-o-tron is out. The homebrew app utilizes the PSP-Homebrew.eu database to grab the latest homebrew games, download, and then install them to your PSP - all without having to use a PC intermediate.

It's still an early version of the app, so the complete library of homebrew games isn't in the Install-o-tron yet. The presentation is also a bit rough, but come on guys it's a v0.1, updates are bound to be made. And what's more, the Install-o-tron is an outstanding tool that simplifies the process of installing homebrew into your PSP.

Future releases should come bundled with all eLoader releases, so there should be no need to manually install it.

Download [Install-o-tron v0.1]