pspZorba just managed to release his first ever homebrew application for the PlayStation Portable, the PSPlorer v1.3. From the name of the program itself, this particular application lets you explore the files in your handheld console and more. Find out more on this homebrew in the full article.

Download: PSPlorer v1.3
Visit:  QJ PSP Development Forum

Homebrew developer Red_Squirrel has updated the Alternative VSHMenu to version 4.0. This comes as a pleasant surprise to fans of this application considering it was previously announcemed that the Alternative VSHMenu v3.5 would be the last version released. More about this homebrew at the full article.

Download: Alternative VSHMenu v4.0
Visit: QJ.NET PSP Development Forums

Bad news brewing in the homebrew scene of the Sony PlayStation Portable: it seems that the nightmare of every coder out there has happened to PSP homebrew developer Auraomega, and it looks like it means the end of Project4. There's still hope, of course, but things are looking quite dire. Check out all the details in the full article.

Some of us want to tinker with savedata to make our lives easier when playing games. However, the process has become much complicated, if not impossible, after PSP FW 1.5. Good thing though that homebrew coder Hellcat released a new plugin that addresses exactly that.

Called Savegame Deemer, this allows the PlayStation Portable to save any savedata in unencrypted form as well as the normal way. For more details, check out the full article by clicking the "read more" link below.

Download: Savegame Deemer
Visit: QJ PSP Development Forum

Based on a tip we picked up from Thomas k., it looks like the PSP Slim's hot-selling 1seg TV tuner attachment has been hacked to work on the PSP Phat. According to Thomas, he uncovered this possibility by way of a video demonstration and of a tutorial found on the web. We'll be posting the video first to give you an idea of how the hack looks:

Thomas was also kind enough to explain part of the tutorial, which was originally written in Japanese:

The tutorial says that we have to get the mentioned files from a dump of the firmware update (since in the phat PSP they are not installed) and throw in the flash0 memory. And the last file vshmain.prx should be hex edited to hack the "Network Update" icon on the XMB to activate the 1seg tunner.

While Thomas was unable to fully confirm the hack for himself (No tuner or air signals in Brazil), he stated that a fellow Brazilian living in Japan reports that the hack works, although the Phat has poorer reception than the Slim.

Our tipster further noted that he has also translated the Japanese 1seg hack tutorial into Brazilian Portuguese and posted it at the Brazilian Orkut community site. Those interested in checking out Thomas' full tutorial instructions can visit the site via the Read link provided below.

PSP homebrew developer weltall dropped by our forums to release the new version of his application CWCheat for POPS and PSP games. The last update, which was just a little over a week ago, was a revision to version 0.1.7. Now we've leapt to CWCheat v0.1.8.

weltall fixed a couple of problems and added some new features.

This version finally has the requested memory editor which can let you see the memory in HEX/ASCII, make cheats out of it or check the area of ram found from a search with the diff/fixed value searches or the addresses from an already made cheat.

Here's the changelog for version 0.1.8:

• [ALL] fixed a bug which could lead to codes from other games/databases being put in the cheat list when loading a different database: this lead also to codes remaining in list, the game name not changing when reloading a db which contained the same game with a different name and other bad things made by data remaining and possible crashes
• [ALL] fixed various buffer overflows in the db reading functions regarding game and cheat name. This seemed to lead to strange behaviours with the screenshot function for some users.
• [POPS] fixed a bug which could load ids of pops game launched before than the one being loaded if there isn't a cold boot between them or a psp game being loaded
• [ALL] added a memory editor which can show the ram in HEX/ASCII
• [ALL] added to support to make cheats from a selected ram position in the memory editor (with x)
• [ALL] added support in the result screen of the cheat searcher to show the memory editor in the position of the found result (press [] to show it when selecting a found address)
• [ALL] added support to show the memory editor from the edit cheat menu for fixed value write codes (0x0 0x1 0x2). (press /_ to show the memory editor when selecting a codeline)
• [PACKAGE/GAME] Added a LITE version of cwCheat with all cheat search and memory editor functions removed. It's called cwcheatlite.prx.

The developer also indicated that this is still a work in progress and that he's open to suggestions. Go ahead and try it out, but we advise you to view the Readme file first. Enjoy!

Download: CWCheat v0.1.8
Visit: QJ's PSP Development Forums

Deep Fried Entertainment has been saying that the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of Full Auto 2: Battlelines is not a mere port of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) one.

Well, sure, there are new available vehicles and weapons for handheld owners but we believe that it's up for the fans to decide. In case you're one of those who are still not sure if this game's worth it or not, Sony just released the demo of the title over at the PlayStation official online site for U.S.

Well, what can we say, it's always better late than never, eh? Full Auto 2 is a racing game in its core but players can use weapons to obliterate the competition on their way to the finish line. Going back to the demo, Szs315 of forum site PSP Demo Center was able to hex-edit it and create an appropriate Eboot for you to enjoy.

The folder name for this file is NPUH90001. Full Auto 2: Battlelines was published by Sega and was released last March 20.

Download: Full Auto 2: Battlelines (demo)
Download: Full Auto 2: Battlelines (hex-edited EBOOT)

Now, right after PSP aficionados had a field day, thanks to Dark_AleX's latest custom firmware release, homebrew devs are up and about once again with various useful add-ons and applications for the PSP. One such application is something from chachakoala, who revised UFOX's original PSP Content Manager v1.5 so that it can run more smoothly on the latest OE firmwares.

For those who may not be familiar with PSP Content Manager, this app allows one to easily manage and transfer the content of their PSPs so that everything is more organized. On top of that, it also helps to recover homebrews, and even edit your homebrew icons and backgrounds.

As for what prompted the edits, according to chachakoala,

I hex-edited psp content manager 1.5 so it works even more correctly with 3.03&310 OE firmwares (original PSP Content manager used to work fine anyway). I did this because i classified my PSX games in GAME, my 1.5 hb in Game150 and my 3.10 hb (PSPFTPD) in Game310 just to keep things clear.

Meanwhile, he notes the two revisions that he made for PSP Content Manager:

• The homebrews in Game303/Game310 are now listed in a correctly named tab.
• The status messages have also been edited to match the OE version.
  

It should also be noted that UFOX himself later helped chachakoala in revising PCM, so rest assured that this app was made with the original creator's blessing (see? It pays to be nice).

So, if you're ready to start using this application, then just download it via the link provided below. The pack will contain versions of PCM for firmwares 3.02, 3.03, 3.10, 3.30, and 3.40 OE. As always, remember to check the readme file right after you finish downloading, and right before you start installing.

A big thank you to "whoelse" for the tip!

Download: PSP Content Manager 1.5 for OE firmwares

Time for more homebrew. QJ reader psphackman tipped us off to a 3.30 OE-a recovery prx in EBOOT mode that Negi released on our PSP Development forums. According to Negi, he didn't write any code for this release. This is just the result of hex editing the 3.30 OE-A recovery prx into an EBOOT.

This would be useful for those who don't want to turn off their PSPs completely to run recovery. Negi's also still looking for someone who can help him make the recovery prx run directly from the PSP flash so it works with all future versions of Dark_AleX's custom firmware. If you've got a suggestion, click on the visit link below.

As always, check the readme file included in the download first before installing this on your PSP.

Download: 3.30 OE-A Recovery EBOOT
Visit: PSP Development forums

Thanks to the ever-watchful Badam, we've gotten word that SaiZn has released a pair of new XMB icon sets on the QJ forums. These sets feature icons based on the Windows Vista start orb and are available in both blue and red. Here's a look at what's included in each icon set:

• 32bit Red/Blue Vista Orb Icons
• Volume Bar
• Hold/Mute Icons
• Busy Icon
• Cross/Circle/Triangle Icons
• Game/Music Load Icons
• Corrupt Data Icons
• Red/Blue Vista Orb Coldboot
• Network Update renamed to Reboot PSP (Can be changed by hex editing or using RCO Swapper)

Installation instrctions can be found in the included readme file. Remember, always read the readme files before you install any piece of homebrew.

   

Download: Red Vista Orbs | Blue Vista Orbs
Visit: PSP Mods and Media