Adding to the hectic day, we have news that there might be another modchip in the works, coming out soon. While not much is known at this point, the webpage lists the supposed features in the modchip:

• Flash your PSP using the internal USB Port
• No additional USB Port required
• Latest ACTEL ProASIC 3 technology
• Low power consumption
• Works on all available PSP versions incl. TA-082 and TA-086
• Custom BIOS with a lot of cool additional features
• Easy to install
• Just a bit of soldering skills required, no hardcore installation

A friend of mine did a bit of digging and found out that the official page is registered to a certain guy called Michael Eichhorn. This Michael is from Gamefreax.de, a German modding store/site. I'd say that this adds a bit of credibility to the claims of the modchip guys. On top of that, another source said that he had been expecting this around the holidays, but it might have gotten delayed. When asked if this could be 0okm's multi-firmware module, he was quick to deny it.

Another bit of info I noticed is that Gamefreax had/has been supplying Mathieulh, Dark_AleX, and Yoshihiro with hardware supplies. While I would have doubted the claims of these guys, the amount of info and links here point that this isn't just another fake, and that we could be having another modchip soon. Stay tuned as we'll have the latest updates and info on this bit of news. Thanks to Jeff, Jordan, and Sam for the tip!

Update: It seems that some of the members here mistook my excitement as a prelude to a downgrader announcement which would happen in the future. Just so that none of the readers get a wrong idea, I will clear a few things out:

This does not mean that there will be a software downgrader for the TA-082 PSPs anytime soon, or even if there will be one ever. Until now, all of us thought that the downgrading failure was something to do with the 1.50 IPL; that it had been blocked on the newer TA-082 motherboards. However, reading a lot of good material from the accomplished hardware hackers has put me in doubt. Rather than trying to translate it into 'noob'-speak, and mis-translating it in the process, I'll first quote some an important observation by 0okm in a thread in the PS2DEV forums.

"i use Hardware Downgrader make it to FW1.00
and try use FW1.50 EBOOT.PBP to update it but not success
the error same as software Downgrader :P
1007 with FW1.00 or FW2.00+1.00index.dat can't run 1.50 update EBOOT.PBP !!
so the problem is NOT on the IPL !!"

Now, in simpler words, it means that he downgraded a TA-082 PSP to firmware 1.0; using his hardware downgrader of course. Then, trying to run the 1.50 update gave him the same error which you would get when trying the 2.0 -> 1.5 MPH downgrader. This simply proves the fact that it isn't JUST the IPL which is blocking/getting blocked here.

Normally, flashing 1.0 firmware onto your PSP would also flash the 1.0 IPL, which should theoretically allow you to update to 1.5. But here, that is not the case. This does prove the fact that Sony have done a lot of hard work in trying to block firmware 1.5 on the newer motherboards. Obviously, the part about using a 1.0 update doesn't come into the picture because we don't even have a 1.0 update eboot.

It has been verified by 0okm that the new motherboards can support all firmwares including and upwards of 1.51, which leaves out 1.0 and 1.5. Although you might wonder why they still support FW 1.51 and others, you should know that the first TA-082s were sighted in Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore to be specific) and were using FW 1.51 and above.

Nonetheless, this doesn't undermine the importance of this accomplishment. Even though we've covered 0okm's Multi Firmware Module before, I'll do a quick recap here. I can safely assume that this hack was done by 0okm primarily to let himself run any firmware on any PSP, without being restricted by the limits of software.

For a few months now, we've heard news about this hack. And it wouldn't be wrong to call it a modchip. The main advantage here again is the ability to manually flash any PSP with external hardware, and onto a separate storage chip. Now compare this with the Undiluted Platinum chip which is currently being sold commercially and you can see the similarities. I haven't been able to talk personally with 0okm to clear a few doubts, so I can't speak on anything apart from what I've read in the public forums.

But it's known that the TA-082 chip uses different voltages when compared to the earlier motherboards. The fact that 0okm has been able to apply his Multi Firmware hack on this newer model means that he has a few things already sorted out. Obviously, this doesn't prove that you will be able to downgrade your TA-082 PSPs to 1.5 any time soon. It's still a grey area as to how the chip is actually blocking the 1.50 update, and until someone can solve that problem, we can't hope for a downgrader, whether hardware-based or software-based.

What we can surely hope for, is that 0okm can continue his research on these 'cursed' motherboards, so that their owners can join us soon. Now onto my original post.

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These last few weeks have been ones of great agony for some PSP users. No, they're not the ones with firmware 2.71, but rather, the ones who have one of the cursed TA-082 motherboards in their PSP.

They've been staring at all the downgrading and homebrew goodness for a while now, but can't downgrade because it would only lead to a brick. Well, it was only a matter of time before the great hackers found a way to override the restrictions in that motherboard.

And who better than the mad-scientist 0okm to accomplish this amazing feat! Yes, that's right; 0okm's latest entry in his blog states that he has been able to successfully use his multi-firmware module on a TA-082 motherboard. To those who don't know, 0okm is one of the very few (and by that, I mean about 3-4) people who've actually made their own modchip. His customised creation allows him to test all his wicked mods without fearing a brick.

Although currently not very useful for anyone here, since he isn't selling them yet, this does prove that you can actually hack and slash even the evil TA-082 motherboard.

Here's what he had to say: "PSP Multi Firmware module will support TA-082 on NEXT Ver. so if your TA-082 PSP is FW2.50 or FW2.60 don't update !!! :P"

Start the fireworks guys! The TA-082 people could be joining us 1.5 users! Time to partaay!

Admin Note: Some of here at QJ have a suspicion that 0okm may be playing a little prank on us, so we feel we should warn you that the following may be a bit of a satire on 0okm's part regarding the current modchip madness. ;)

0okm has posted some more information on the PSP Multiple Firmware Module in order to clear up some misconceptions about the product, mainly the fact that this device is a Module and not a Modchip. As most common users don't know the difference between these two pieces of hardware, 0okm has tried to clear this up with an FAQ on the Multi Firmware Module.

The firmware module is for:

1. Development and research into PSP system firmware
2. fw 1.0/1.5 users to play with a newer firmware functions and have an 'unbrickable' PSP.
3. Bricked PSP owners to unbrick their PSPs (need another FW 1.00/1.50 PSP or "PC EPP LPT Interface Adaptor")

The PSP Firmware Module will cost less than $50 US and will be easy to install with only 20 points needing to be soldered. Here's the interesting part for those not 'in the know'. The difference between a Multi Firmware Module and a Modchip is that the module integrates with the current circuit board, whereas a modchip is a new chip with an integrated circuit. The firmware module supports FW1.00/1.50 + FW1.00/1.50/1.51/1.52/2.00/2.01/2.50/2.60/2.70/2.71 etc...

The module works on TA-079/080/081 PSPs, and just as with Undiluted Platinum, owners of TA-082 PSPs will not be able to use this module. When the "PSP Multi Firmware module" starts to sell, 0okm will show users how to distinguish these PSP hardware differences without the need to open the PSPs case and invalidate your warranty.

0okm is currently looking for a producer to mass-produce the firmware module, and expects it to be in production as soon as July! It will be inside the PSP, but apparently will be very easy to solder. You will be able to write to the flash externally using the PSP's USB function, or using a "PC EPP LPT Interface Adaptor" (available for around $15); in essence being able to 'downgrade' your 2.xx PSP.

We will be keeping you apprised of updates as they come in. It looks like the future for 2.xx users is bright with the development of hardware modifications for the PSP. With both this and Undiluted platinum currently in development, we can all look forward for a better future for the PSP community.