Welcome!  

Welcome to the home of Noobz, the PSP's most clueless development team, originally Ditlew and Fanjita but now a loose collection of like-minded PSP developers. This site is dedicated to homebrew on the PSP (Sony Playstation Portable).

If you have any comments, good or bad, please let us know at Homebrew@Noobz.eu.

News  
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22 Nov 2006 : 3.00? 3.01? Try harder!  
Victory   So. Firmware 3.00 has been out for 2 days. Firmware 3.01 has been out for less than one day. Does anyone want a dumper and decrypter for them? We thought you might. wink

We're proud to present a mod to the PSPPet's PSARDumper, that will decrypt all known firmware update PSARs - just extract the PSAR from the EBOOT in the usual way, copy it to ms0:/data.psar, and run the dumper.

You can download it here. Full source is included, but please don't ask us how we made it. We could tell you, but we'd have to kill you...
Update: For those asking what this is or how to use it, it is a program for v1.5 firmware, that lets you decode the v3.0 firmware. It is only useful for developers, and is a first step towards getting DevHook to run v3.0 firmware, and also towards finding an exploit on v3.0. Bottom line: if you don't know what it is, then you won't be interested in it.

17 Nov 2006 : xLoader Clarification  
Confusion   There has been a lot of confusion about how to use xLoader. Here are a few tips in an attempt to clear things up.

Step-by-step instructions:
  • Install xLoader, using either the auto-installer, or by following the instructions in the readme.txt file in the ZIP package.
  • Install some homebrew - perhaps by using the Installotron, which you can run from eLoader (it doesn't work well in xLoader).
  • Use the PatchSFO tool to ensure that your homebrew is ready for xLoader (see below for instructions).
  • Now browse to your PSP's photo menu, and open the folder 'xLoader 280'. If everything has worked, you will see 2 file icons, one a round blue circle, the other a 'corrupt data' icon. So long as your PSP hasn't crashed at this point, then xLoader is now running.
  • Alternatively, highlight the 'xLoader 280' folder and press START, to attempt a slideshow of the images in the folder. The PSP will complain that there are no pictures to show - this is OK, so long as the PSP hasn't crashed, then xLoader is now running.
  • Browse to the homebrew you want to load, in the PSP's 'GAME - Memory Stick' folder, and press X or O (depending on your PSP region) to start it.
  • The screen should go white, and then some text about eLoader appears briefly, followed by the homebrew starting. If your PSP crashes, then the homebrew you're trying to run is either not installed correctly, or it's not compatible with xLoader.
Some general info:
  • There's plenty of useful and important information in the README file - click here to read it again (because of course you read it when you installed Kriek, right?).
  • If you haven't downloaded it already, you should grab the PatchSFO utility (see below). You can also install it via Installotron. If you run PatchSFO, then you'll be able to at least attempt to run all your homebrew via xLoader. Without PatchSFO, the XMB won't even try to start most homebrew.
  • Sometimes you'll find that the eLoader and xLoader TIFFs stop working. If that happens:
    • Try running a disk checking tool on your memory stick. For Windows, you can use 'chkdsk', or the 'Properties - Tools - Error Checking' option that comes up if you right-click the memory-stick drive icon. On a Mac, you can try the 'First Aid' option of the Mac Disc Utility. This seems to fix about 95% of problems.
    • Try reinstalling eLoader.
    • Try starting with a different method - if you normally start with slideshow (using the START button, then try just opening the folder (with the X or O button) - and vice versa.
  • eLoader will usually crash if you try to run it when xLoader is active. Just hold the power switch on your PSP for 5 seconds to reset it, then turn it back on again. This removes xLoader from memory.
Finally, a tip for Installotron:
  • Installotron currently can only cope with one network connection in your PSP's configuration - it will always try to connect to the first one in the internal list. So, if you're having trouble connecting, you could try deleting all access point configurations except for the one that you're trying to connect to.

15 Nov 2006 : eLoader 0.995 "Kriek"  
Kriek   It's been a long wait for 2.80 PSP owners, eager to get their hands on some homebrewing goodness. But hopefully today's news will prove that the wait has been worthwhile.

Noobz are proud to announce the release of the latest eLoader, version 0.995 (hey, we're scared of the big 1.0, OK?), also known as "Kriek". We know you don't want to read too many words before getting into the action, so - what's new?
  1. The biggie - support for v2.80 firmware. v2.80 is still only user-mode support, and there are some minor syscalls that can't be resolved. But in general, the vast majority of user-mode homebrew works fine.
  2. Another biggie - this release includes an experimental new way of using eLoader, called xLoader. xLoader allows you to run homebrew directly from the PSP's XMB menu, just like on a v1.0 PSP. Usage is a lot like Dark Alex's HEN C, but the underlying technology is very different. Because it's experimental, and a lot of work to fix up for each firmware, it's currently only supported for v2.80 firmware, and compatibility is a little lower than standard eLoader. Make sure to view the README file (displayed during installation) for more information.
  3. You can now use the power switch to enter suspend mode in any homebrew that normally supports suspend mode on v1.5 firmware. This works in eLoader on firmwares 2.5-2.71, and in xLoader.
  4. The built-in PSP on-screen keyboard now works in xLoader.
  5. The Installotron is now included in the eLoader installation, so that in principle, you may never need to manually install any homebrew ever again. Installotron also now includes an option to automatically modify EBOOTs to make them suitable for xLoader.
  6. Stability and compatibility is mostly improved over v0.99, although some homebrew is less stable, especially on v2.00 firmware. You may want to keep 0.99 and 0.995 side-by-side on firmwares that can run both.
You can download the auto-installer for Windows here, and the ZIP version for other operating systems here.

You can also view the compatibility results from our beta testing in the Homebrew Database website - in particular, results for xLoader and eLoader on v2.80 firmware.

If you're using xLoader, you will probably also want to look at the PatchSFO tool, released below.

15 Nov 2006 : PatchSFO 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.

Source is included in case anyone wants to extend it and make it prettier.

You can download it here.

12 Oct 2006 : The Install-o-tron!  
Install-o-tron   Fanjita and Alex Richter released the Install-o-tron yesterday, a new and easier way to install homebrew on your PSP. Install-o-tron runs directly on your PSP, and uses the Homebrew Database to retrieve a menu of top homebrew that will work on your firmware. You select whatever takes your fancy, and then Install-o-tron downloads and automatically installs it for you, appropriately for your current firmware.

What's more, Install-o-tron can automatically update itself whenever a new version is available - so it could be the last homebrew you ever have to manually install.

There are lots of plans for the future, especially massively increasing the selection of compatible homebrew, bundling it with eLoader, and lots of exciting features - perhaps anti-bricker scanning, and even closer integration with the Homebrew Database.

You can download it from the database entry here. Incidentally, it's also been entered into the PSP3D Homebrew Contest - so if you like it, please consider dropping by to vote for it.

22 Sep 2006 : eLoader 0.99 "Märzenbier"  
Marzenbier   We thought you might like a little something to celebrate the fact that it's Oktoberfest soon. So what better to raise a drink for than a new eLoader release, named after the Oktoberfest classic, Märzenbier!

The major new feature is support for v2.70 and v2.71 firmwares. That's right, full support for these 2 firmwares is now added, using a new kernel-mode syscall-finding technique (which is why 2.80 support is not yet possible).

As well as support for the v2.7 firmwares, there is also limited kernel mode support on v2.5-v2.71. This means that the .init program section (which contains functions declared with the 'constructor' attribute) will be called in kernel-mode for homebrew built with the kernel mode attribute. Note that you cannot create kernel-mode threads from the init functions in this release, due to security checks in the firmware.

The increased kernel access has also allowed us to add a built-in exception handler to eLoader, so that crashes can be caught and debugged more easily, as well as usually preventing the need to reboot.

You can pick up the Windows auto-installer for "Märzenbier" here, or the ZIP file version for other operating systems here. A list of confirmed working homebrew is in the Homebrew Database: If you find others that work (or don't), please make sure to add an entry into the database!

21 Sep 2006 : Homebrew SDK 1.1 for v2.0-v2.8  
Homebrew SDK   We are pleased to release an updated Homebrew SDK for simple homebrew on 2.0 - 2.80 firmwares. Most important changes are a smaller improved binary-loader and enchantments to function resolving. The loader should now be usable on non-32MB memory sticks aswell (start method).

Alongside, possibly the first "homebrew beep" can now be enjoyed for users of 2.70+ firmwares. Tetris has been updated aswell and now features simple sound output and shows your PSP firmware version.

Non-programmers can download the new Tetris game by clicking here. Programmers can download the Homebrew SDK 1.1 here. Full instructions are included in the SDK, that should allow experienced PSP coders to develop their own TIFF-based programs.

Work on a new eLoader has been progressing aswell, more on that very soon.

Some people have had problems running the TIFF homebrew. Here are some tips that may help:
  • Make sure that you unzip the package so that the 3 files (.tif, .bin and .jpg) are all in a single folder, called 'tetris', within the /psp/photo/ folder on your memory stick.
  • Reboot your PSP completely (by holding the power switch for a few seconds until it switches off) before opening the TIFF.
  • Instead of opening the TIFF directly, try opening the folder as a slideshow, by pressing TRIANGLE or by hovering the folder and pressing START.

13 Sep 2006 : Mac Installer for eLoader 0.98  
Porter   Delight1 from the PSPUpdates forums has kindly put together an auto-installer package for eLoader 0.98 ('Porter') that runs on Macs, so that Windows users don't get all the easy-installation fun!

You can download it here, and find instructions for use here. liz woz ere

12 Sep 2006 : Homebrew SDK for v2.0-v2.8  
Homebrew SDK   Well, here it is, the first non-flash homebrew game for v2.70-v2.80. It's that old favourite, Tetris! Here's a picture of it in action. Now that might seem exciting. But it's not all.

This Tetris was built with our other new announcement of today - a mini-SDK for programming simple homebrew on 2.0 - 2.80. Which means that the door is open for more simple homebrew applications to be written for 2.70-2.80.

Non-programmers can download the Tetris game by clicking here. Programmers can download the SDK here. Full instructions are included in the SDK, that should allow experienced PSP coders to develop their own TIFF-based programs.

Please be aware that this is a restricted environment, due to the extra security in 2.70+. The README.TXT in the SDK explains the implications, but basically the number of available system calls is limited, so only fairly simple programs can be made.

We will follow up with a more fully-featured eLoader in the future, but for now, we thought it would be nice to release this so that 2.70+ users would have something to do while they wait!

UPDATE: Some people have had problems running the TIFF homebrew. Here are some tips that may help:
  • Make sure that you unzip the package so that the 3 files (.tif, .bin and .jpg) are all in a single folder, called 'tetris', within the /psp/photo/ folder on your memory stick.
  • Reboot your PSP completely (by holding the power switch for a few seconds until it switches off) before opening the TIFF.
  • Instead of opening the TIFF directly, try opening the folder as a slideshow, by pressing TRIANGLE.

09 Sep 2006 : Easy v2.01 Downgrader  
v2.01 downgrader   A long time ago, when the GTA exploit first emerged, the first application we wrote for it was a v2.01 downgrader, similar to MPH's downgrader for v2.00. Unfortunately, the GTA exploit didn't offer sufficient access to the PSP's flash to allow the downgrader to work, so it was never released.

The new TIFF exploit allows us the necessary access, and so here it is, after some thorough testing on our own PSPs - an easy downgrader for firmware v2.00 and v2.01, via eLoader 0.9.8.

The advantage of this downgrader is that it doesn't require a firmware dump from a v1.5 PSP. It also contains a lot of extra safety checks and user friendliness enhancements, as well as a safer method for overwriting the INDEX.DAT file.

Many v2.0 and v2.01 users who wanted to downgrade may already have used the v2.6 or v2.71 Downdaters, so the usefulness of this downgrader is perhaps limited. But we're releasing it now so that anyone who might find it useful can use it.

Please ensure that you read the entire README.TXT file that is included with the downgrader package. Please also note that although this uses tried and tested techniques, and has been tested with 100% success on several PSPs, no downgrader is 100% safe, and so YOU USE THIS SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

You can download it by clicking here.

05 Sep 2006 : eLoader 0.9.8 - Porter  
eLoader 0.9.8 - Porter   Noobz are proud to announce the release of the latest eLoader version, 0.9.8, otherwise known as the "Porter" release.

This version brings user-mode homebrew to v2.0-v2.6 PSPs, without the need for Grand Theft Auto. Now, almost all the software that worked with GTA can now be used without it. You can view a list of the known working homebrew for this version in the PSP Homebrew Database: Please consider helping out other eLoader users by signing up for an account, and adding your test results too.

Other changes:
  • eMenu has been improved in various small ways.
  • The default menu is now eMenu, the old menu has been retired.
By now you're probably wondering, "What on earth is Porter?". Or maybe, what's next? Well, here's a rough roadmap for what we're currently working on:
  • A user-mode loader for v2.70 and v2.71.
  • A user-mode loader for v2.80.
  • A loader to support kernel-mode homebrew on those platforms where it is possible.
  • A way to do away with eLoader altogether, and load homebrew directly from the XMB.
We will not predict when these will be ready (so please don't ask!), but we're working as fast as we can on them.

You can download the auto-installer for Windows here, and the ZIP version for other systems here. You can view the README.TXT file here.


28 Aug 2006 : Hello Brave New World  
Hello Brave New World   Finally, it's here! As of today, the world of homebrew is no longer restricted to owners of Grand Theft Auto.

Following the publication of a new proof of concept TIFF vulnerability by NOPx86, a team of PSP developers has been working hard to turn it into an opening for homebrew on the PSP. We're pleased to announce that the wait is over, with the release of a Hello World demo that runs on all PSP firmwares that are capable of viewing TIFF images!

You can see a photo of it in action here. Alternatively, you can click here to download it and see for yourself!

To install, just unpack the ZIP file to your PSP's PHOTO folder, and then attempt to view hello_world.tif. Hello World will launch automatically. You may find that occasionally the full screen doesn't show - this is a known problem, just restart your PSP by holding the power button until it turns off, then open the image again. To quit, hold the power button until the PSP turns off.

So what happens next? This shows that we can run code via this exploit. It won't be too hard to develop an eLoader that can use this exploit on v2.0 - v2.6. v2.7+ will be harder, due to extra security, but will happen a little later. Kernel mode is unavailable on v2.8, but it is likely that a downgrader is possible on all other firmwares. But then, with the possibility of kernel homebrew running without the need for a game UMD, why would you need to downgrade?

Full credit is given in the Hello World, but repeated here: Thanks to NOPx86 for the initial proof of concept on the x86 processor, and psp250, Skylark, Joek2100, CSwindle, JimP and Fanjita for the PSP work. Thanks also to Ditlew, HarleyG and our families for general support during this work.

UPDATE: It has since come to our attention that the initial research that discovered the libtiff vulnerability was done by Tavis Ormandy of Google, Inc. For more details see here. Please note that all development of a practical exploit for the PSP was done entirely independently, by the team noted above.

10 July 2006 : Ditlew interviewed by QJ.Net  
As part of their "Know the Developers" series, QJ.Net interviewed Ditlew this weekend.

It's a fun interview, covering Ditlew's thoughts about the state of the PSP homebrew scene at the moment. Why not give it a read?.

2 July 2006 : Real Downgrader for v2.5/2.6  
After recent events in homebrew-land, there is now in fact a real downgrader available for v2.5 and v2.6 firmwares, so you can partially ignore the news article below. Of course, instead of paying for a downgrader, you can just download it for free (as intended by the authors) from one of the many PSP news sites that are covering the news - e.g. here. We can't recommend it personally, because we haven't tested it ourselves, but the reports seem to have been good so far.

In other news, people have been asking what the future is for eLoader, and the new kernel-mode exploit on v2.5 and v2.6. We've been looking at the exploit, and trying to convert it into something more usable.

Right now, our aim is to develop something that no longer needs the full eloader to run homebrew. The ideal would be to hack the kernel in memory, so that temporarily it will allow homebrew to be run directly from the PSP's XMB menu. In theory, now that we have kernel-mode access, this should be possible, but it could take some time. In the meantime, I'm sure that others are probably also working on similar ideas.

We're busy with our normal lives at the moment, so please don't ask when something will be ready. The additional pressure simply discourages us from working on the PSP projects.

25 Jun 2006 : Fake Downgrader  
It seems that someone has been selling a fake downgrader, and giving Fanjita's name as a contact "in case there are any problems". Can we just make a few things absolutely clear:
  • This supposed downgrader is nothing to do with Fanjita, Ditlew or Noobz.
  • So far, there is NO working downgrader for any firmware higher than v2.0. Anyone claiming to have a downgrader for v2.01 or above is just trying to rip you off.
  • Fanjita, Ditlew and the Noobz name will never be associated with any of these fake downgraders. If you see anyone claiming a connection, then please let us know, and we'll do everything we can to get them closed down.
  • Occasionally an advert for a fake downgrader will appear in the google ads on the right of this page. We've done what we can to block these ads (and also those for pirated software, ISOs etc.) from the site, but control over Google ads is quite limited, and sometimes advertisers adopt tricks to bypass the filters.
Thanks.

17 Jun 2006 : New patched GTA UMD  
New GTA UMD   According to a story at PSPUpdates, it seems that Rockstar have finally released an updated Grand Theft Auto : Liberty City Stories UMD that patches the exploit that lets Cheat Device and the eLoader work.

So - if you are looking to buy GTA to run homebrew, it would be a good idea to check which version you're buying. There doesn't seem to be a way to tell from the outside of the packaging, but the new version includes a v2.6 firmware update (compared to the v2.0 firmware update on the original UMD). So, if you can test the UMD in your PSP, you'll be able to work out whether it's the original or patched version.

Obviously it's a shame that an exploit like this, that to my knowledge has never been used for anything that could damage Sony (e.g. ISOs), has been closed if. It certainly means that Rockstar can expect lower sales of the title now, and that's a shame for them.

29 May 2006 : The eLoader Working List is Dead  
...Long live the PSP Homebrew Database   ... Long live the PSP Homebrew Database!

Well, a lot of people have noticed that it's been hard to keep the eLoader working homebrew list up to date. We've also never really been happy with it ourselves, it's always lacked a certain something.

Well, it's time to announce Fanjita's little side project of the past few weeks. He's been developing a successor to the working list, over at the new site PSP-Homebrew.eu.

The new site aims to be a completely free and public database of all PSP homebrew - not just eLoader homebrew, but v1.0, v1.5 and even v2.7 flash homebrew. The critical word here is public - the database is open to updates from any registered users, and available for browsing by anyone.

It's intended to be a community resource, allowing you to find homebrew that interests you in all sorts of categories, as well as finding out whether a particular piece of homebrew is known to work on your PSP or not. If nobody knows, then you can try it out, and post your test results for other people to use.

This means that it's not just a community resource, but also a community effort. It relies on people like you to keep it up-to-date, so please do register an account and take the time to enter your favourite homebrew, or your test results.

For application developers, the database also exposes an XML interface, so that you can retrieve information for use in programs - for instance, homebrew finders and managers. Please contact admin@psp-homebrew.eu for details about how to access that interface if you're an application developer. We're also willing to support other types of interface if required, depending on the effort involved.

If you want to read more about PSP-Homebrew, then you can visit the help page - and if you want to register for an account, then visit the registration page.

Right now it's in a 'public beta' stage of development, so you may see one or two bugs or awkward bits of interface. Please let us know if you spot any bugs or have any suggestions for improvement.

Please sign up and help out!

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