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Older News
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This is an archive of older news items. Click here for the
latest news.
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Older News
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16 May 2006 : An Update on Updates
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It's been a little while since we updated eLoader, and a few people have been
asking what's happening. So here's a little update on what we've been up to.
We spent a little time looking at various exploit possibilities, and some of that
work is still on-going. We can't say much about what those involve, because the
chances are that nothing will come of them, so there's no point in getting people
excited. One thing that did come out of all that though, is Moonlight's
discovery that GTA can be rebooted in UPDATE mode.
If you're a developer with a v2.0 or v2.01 PSP, and want to explore update mode,
then you can download an eLoader patch here that will
allow eLoader to support UPDATE mode.
Note that this only works on v2.0 or v2.01,
and is only useful to developers looking to explore the UPDATE mode environment.
We don't yet have the syscall mappings for v2.5 or v2.6 - if you happen to have
a v2.5 or v2.6, and understand how to obtain a memory dump using GTA, then please
take a look in the README.TXT file inside that patch download. If you can
obtain a memory dump from one of those firmwares in UPDATE mode, then with your
help we would be able to generate the updated syscall mappings - thanks.
Remember - update mode isn't useful to the vast majority of PSP users, and
probably won't lead to anything useful; but for developers, it's vaguely
interesting to play with.
On other fronts, we haven't been doing much with eLoader recently, for several
reasons:
- We're busy cleaning up the code, trying to flush out some bugs and make
a stable platform for further development. While we do that, it's difficult to
also develop anything new.
- Fanjita's laptop, with his compiler and development environment, is away
for repairs, so he can't do any work on the PSP for a week or so. While it's away,
he's been working on a new project which should benefit all homebrew users, and
will hopefully be unveiled in the next few weeks.
- Ditlew has been busy in his personal life, and also on a couple of side
projects.
Have fun with UPDATE mode, we'll see you soon!
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9 May 2006 : The Mythical Downgrader
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We've been hearing a lot of rumours and questions about downgraders recently. It
seems that someone has been spreading a rumour that we have made a downgrader for
v2.01+, but won't release it because we don't like downgraders. We'd like to just
set the record straight, because it's getting annoying.
We would never hold back on an interesting hack for the PSP, without good reason.
That's because, generally, we'd never work on something that we didn't think was
safe to release - which is why we've never bothered to mess about with ISO loading.
We do have an unreleased downgrader for v2.0. The only reason it is
unreleased is because there's no point - there are already perfectly functional
downgraders for v2.0, that have been tested by tens of thousands of people, so
what's the use of releasing something that's only been tested by one?
In theory, that v2.0 downgrader would also work for v2.01 - in fact, it was
originally written for 2.01, in the hope that we could use the GTA exploit to
downgrade. But as we all know, the GTA exploit is no use for that, and so no
v2.01+ downgrader is possible yet.
The only thing I can think of that might have fuelled these rumours is that we
were experimenting with the v2.0 downgrader along with the UPDATE-mode discovery,
but we found that that also does not have write access to flash0, so can't be
used for a downgrader.
Also, some people seem to think that we're in some way opposed to downgraders,
in the same way that we're opposed to ISO loaders. That's just not true - we
believe that everyone has the right to upgrade and downgrade as they please
(but at their own risk). If we found a way to downgrade, you can be sure that
we'd share it.
Anyway, enough of the conspiracy rumours - please stop!
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5 May 2006 : Zomg! Flamez!
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Just for a little break Fanjita ported a (very) old demo effect he had
lying around to the PSP. It's simple simulated flames, but it looks pretty
decent. You can grab it from here. Source is included.
Somehow it seems appropriate that the first release on Noobz is Flamez...
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26 Apr 2006 : NOOBZ! is born
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For a long time we've been a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the official
home for eLoader was fanjita.org, even though it was a joint project between
Ditlew and Fanjita. Finally we came up with a team name that we think fits
us perfectly, and so the new domain, Noobz.eu, is born.
Noobz.eu will be the official home of eLoader, and all our joint projects,
from now on. The old fanjita.org links will continue to work for a while,
but will eventually be withdrawn.
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25 Apr 2006 : v2.7 Firmware
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Most people are now aware that the v2.7 firmware has been released by Sony.
We've been getting a lot of questions about it, so here's a quick FAQ:
- Homebrew does not work on v2.7. The GTA exploit is thoroughly patched,
and the TIFF exploit is still patched. If you like homebrew, DO NOT UPGRADE.
- We have no idea when homebrew will be available on v2.7. We need a
whole new exploit, which could take some time. In our opinion (shared with
EdisonCarter) there is no future for the GTA exploit on v2.7.
- LocoRoco is an encrypted, signed EBOOT. The only way to run homebrew
in the same way is to get Sony's encryption key and sign the homebrew. That's
not going to be possible in our lifetime.
- There could well be an exploit to be found in all the new function, e.g.
flash player, AAC support, etc. We're not actively working on one.
- There might be an exploit to be found in another game. We're not
actively working on one.
- There's no truth in the rumour that v2.7 has made us angry, and that
we're going to work on an ISO loader as revenge.
- The LocoRoco demo REQUIRES v2.70, even if you hack the PARAM.SFO in
the EBOOT. It's pretty cool, but there's homebrew that's cooler.
Once again, the most important point: If you don't think that slow support
for an old version of Macromedia Flash, and support for the very latest games,
is worth trading for homebrew for the next few months - then DO NOT UPGRADE.
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21 Apr 2006 : eMenu-- v0.1 FINAL
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After 4 successful public betas, we have decided to release a final version of eMenu-- v0.1. We have
even added a few things since beta 4. From now on this will be our official menu for eLoader. The
reason we desided to make a new menu, was the increasing trouble the old menu gave us. It had become
hard to maintain and was rather slow when having more than a page of homebrew. eMenu-- is made with
3 design rules in mind: Simple, Fast, Stable. If a features conflicts with any of the three it won't
be added. eMenu-- has been tested with 700+ homebrew folders, and has proven to be just as fast as
if only a handful had been installed.
Install eMenu-- if you like a simple, fast, stable no bs menu for your eLoader!
Current features include:
- GUI front-end to all eLoader versions
- Overclocking possibility
- Help screen
- Resource overview (memory, battery, usb status, cpu + bus speed)
- USB support on firmware 2.0, using the TIFF exploit.
- Supports custom png background.
- Screenshot of the menu.
- Slumber mode.
Slumber mode is a new feature, that lets you clock the PSP down to 1 MHz, and blanks the screen.
It's automatically turned on when you activate the PSP's 'HOLD' switch. So far we didn't find a way
to automatically turn off the screen backlight, but you can do that by holding the "SCREEN" button
for a few seconds before switching on HOLD. Handy when you need to take a break but don't want to
exit eLoader.
You can download this eMenu-- in two flavours:
Auto-Installer for Windows,
or ZIP file for other platforms
Any feedback can be sent to emenu@noobz.eu.
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4 Apr 2006 : Alternative Bock Version
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A lot of people have been having problems with the Bock release, especially on v2.0 PSPs.
These problems seem to be mostly due to the menu, so we've packaged a version of the release that
uses the old menu. This will also be better for people who have had a problem with the file list
caching feature.
Apart from the menu, this version is identical to the standard Bock release, including all the
wifi support.
You can download this release in the usual two flavours: Auto-Installer for Windows,
or ZIP file for other platforms.
Please also look at the README
file, it has lots of useful information.
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2 Apr 2006 : eLoader 0.9.7 - Bock
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Oh come on now, did you really think we'd leave you guys? You do know what day it was
yesterday, right?
We're proud to release the latest version of eLoader, known as "Bock".
The major new feature is, wait for it... automatic WiFi support for homebrew on all
firmwares! That means that the wifi hack is now officially a thing of the past, and
everyone can look forward to seamless networked homebrew, both infrastructure and ad-hoc.
Massive thanks for the trick to enable wifi support has to go to Chris Swindle, who discovered
it while working on the networking for the latest release of the
Quake homebrew, which we've tested extensively
to get working with the eLoader. For those who are wondering, this does not mean that we now
have more access to kernel-mode - Chris found a function that allows you to load and initialise
the networking libraries from within user-mode.
The other minor feature is that the default menu now caches the list of homebrew on your
memory stick, so if it's less than an hour since the menu last scanned, then it will just
load the cached data instead, making it much faster to load the menu if you have a lot of
homebrew.
If you want to try out the new wifi support, then the following apps should all work fine:
You can download this release in the usual two flavours: Auto-Installer for Windows,
or ZIP file for other platforms.
Please also look at the README
file, it has lots of useful information.
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3 Feb 2006 : New IRC Channel
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And now for a second time, I'm indebted to Niacin of toc2rta.
Not only was he instrumental in developing the TIFF exploit that we now use to run
homebrew on v2.0 firmware, but he's now also hosting an IRC
channel for me, so that you can come and chat about the eLoader and other Fanjita-riffic
things.
The channel is #fanjita on irc.toc2rta.com, or you can access it directly
by clicking on the 'Live Chat' link on the left.
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18 Apr 2006 : eMenu-- v0.1 Public Beta 4
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Beta 3 didn't really give us much feedback, hopefully due to lack of bugs. Anyway, we have fixed the
icon code, so it can show interlanced icons. We have also redone the list code to fix a potential
problem, and in the process simplified the code even further.
This will most likely be the final beta, and we consider it a release candidate.
Please bear in mind the following points for this beta release:
- eMenu-- is meant to be a simple, fast, stable no bs alternative to the standard eLoader menu.
- This is intended for use with eLoader v0.95+
- This is not an 'offical' release, it is only a public beta, meant for people to try out and give us some feedback.
Don't download this file unless you know how to use a custom menu with the eLoader. If you don't, please wait for the proper release.
- No support is offered on this menu yet. If you don't know what to do with this file, don't download it. We don't want you to ruin your eLoader setup.
- Although Ditlew has done most of the work on this so far, it's still a joint project, and will be released as a part of the eLoader package at some point in the future.
You can grab it here.
Please send feedback to emenu@noobz.eu.
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17 Apr 2006 : eMenu-- v0.1 Public Beta 3
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We had some feedback regarding the menu crashing when parsing certain homebrew. We looked into it,
and found out that it was due to a bug in 'libpng' that can't handle interlanced png's. We have
also added a screenshot feature to aid the feedback plus updated the help screen.
Please bear in mind the following points for this beta release:
- eMenu-- is meant to be a simple, fast, stable no bs alternative to the standard eLoader menu.
- This is intended for use with eLoader v0.95+
- This is not an 'offical' release, it is only a public beta, meant for people to try out and give us some feedback.
Don't download this file unless you know how to use a custom menu with the eLoader. If you don't, please wait for the proper release.
- No support is offered on this menu yet. If you don't know what to do with this file, don't download it. We don't want you to ruin your eLoader setup.
- Although Ditlew has done most of the work on this so far, it's still a joint project, and will be released as a part of the eLoader package at some point in the future.
You can grab it here.
Please send feedback to emenu@noobz.eu.
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14 Apr 2006 : eMenu-- v0.1 Public Beta 2
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We've been exploring the possibility of a simpler, faster and less buggy menu for eLoader, because
at least some of the unstable homebrew seems to be because of problems with the current official
menu. Following a previous early public beta, we've incorporated feedback and added graphics
and alphabetic sort functionality, while still trying to keep the main principles of eMenu--, which
are speed, simplicity, and stability.
Please bear in mind the following points for this beta release:
- eMenu-- is meant to be a simple, fast, stable no bs alternative to the standard eLoader menu.
- This is intended for use with eLoader v0.95+
- This is not an 'offical' release, it is only a public beta, meant for people to try out and give us some feedback.
Don't download this file unless you know how to use a custom menu with the eLoader. If you don't, please wait for the proper release.
- No support is offered on this menu yet. If you don't know what to do with this file, don't download it. We don't want you to ruin your eLoader setup.
- Although Ditlew has done most of the work on this so far, it's still a joint project, and will be released as a part of the eLoader package at some point in the future.
You can grab it here.
Please send feedback to emenu@noobz.eu.
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1 Apr 2006 : We Give Up!
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Following recent announcements about movie studios ditching the PSP, and
after months and months of battling to bring homebrew to a console whose
makers obviously don't want it, we decided that it's time to throw in the
towel.
Therefore, as of now, there will be no more eLoader releases. Sorry.
I know this may seem sudden, but it's been coming for a long time, our
enthusiasm for the PSP has been slowly dwindling over the past couple of months.
The final nail in the coffin was spending the last few weeks trying to
break a leaked copy of the v3.0 firmware release. Sony have done a really
good job on this one, and we've given up hope of being able to crack it.
Not even the GTA exploit works - it seems that Sony are really serious
about security this time, and it's depressing. The slog ahead to try to crack
what amounts to a total rewrite of the firmware just doesn't seem worth it. Good luck
to anyone who does decide to try.
Fanjita has decided to move to develop for the Gizmondo, a console that
has been neglected for homebrew, but where the battle isn't quite so
unrelenting. Work has begun on an eLoader for the Gizmondo, allowing the
same rich homebrew platform that PSP owners have grown to love. Some people will ask,
"Surely the GP2X would be a better choice?", but I've always said that the GP2X
doesn't offer any sort of a challenge. Sorry guys, but the Gizmondo really needs
some loving...
Ditlew has decided to focus his talents on furthering the burgeoning
Xbox360 hacking scene.
So long PSP, it's been nice knowing you.
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20 Mar 2006 : New Fanjita's Corner in PSP Weekly
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The latest issue of PSP Weekly was published today, including the second issue of "Fanjita's Corner",
and plenty of news and reviews. You can
grab it from its official home at
pspzones.com.
Oh, and it's Fanjita's birthday today, thanks for all the good wishes. Probably the coolest
present was a machine for making a chocolate fondue fountain. Great for Willy Wonka parties!
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13 Mar 2006 : Fanjita's Corner
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The latest issue of PSP Weekly was published today, including the first of a regular series of
question-and-answer sessions called "Fanjita's Corner", which is basically a mini-interview
with questions sent in by readers.
PSP Weekly makes the proud claim of being the Internet's most downloaded and read PSP e-magazine,
as well as the first and original weekly edition. Check it out, it's always a fun read. You can
grab it from its official home at
pspzones.com.
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11 Mar 2006 : Improved site compatibility
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We spent a little time updating some of the code for this website, to make it more compatible
with various browsers (mostly, those with JavaScript disabled, and the PSP's web browser).
Hopefully users of those browsers will notice an improvement, and the rest of you will notice
nothing at all ;)
While we were at it, we added an affiliate link for Decal Girl - a great source of custom skins
and faceplates for your PSP and other consoles.
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8 Mar 2006 : Introducing "Bière d'Alsace"
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We're proud to present the latest eLoader release - version 0.96, codenamed "Bière d'Alsace". The
main focus of this release was to improve the configuration model, so that we have lots more
flexibility for sorting out configuration problems. As well, we added a few features to spice things
up. Here are the main highlights:
- Full support for infra-red (for GTA-mode only).
- Lots of extra configuration parameters, including GTA-only and TIFF-only options.
- USB support in the menu (TIFF-mode only).
- Use O as well as X to select in the menu.
- Use Square to get EBOOT IDs from the menu.
- Most corrupted menu icons now fixed.
- GTA autoload option in installer.
We did a lot of testing on this release, and it seems to be more stable than Brown Ale, but there's
always a chance that some things will be less stable. You can read the latest README file
here. Click to download the
Windows Installer or the
ZIP version.
We've also taken the opportunity of this release to update the 'working homebrew' list. All the
information in there is now accurate, as far as we know, but please let us know if you think
anything is wrong.
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6 Mar 2006 : Book Recommendation
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I thought I'd mention a cool book I read recently, which is probably of interest to most people
reading this site. It's called "Hacking the PSP" by Auri Rahimzadeh, and basically a guide to
getting the most out of your PSP. It starts with the basics, like loading up with MP3s and videos,
and moves on to various hardware and software hacks.
Auri has done a good job of maintaining a website with the inevitable updates as the PSP
scene matures, which should prevent it from going out of date. He also aims to reply to every
email and IM received from readers. Why not pick it up? It's an interesting read, with
plenty of useful tips and projects. Even I learnt a few things! You can order it
here (UK)
or
here (US), and read more about it (including some sample excerpts) here.
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23 Feb 2006 : Brown Ale configuration update
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From now on we'll be maintaining a copy of what we consider to be the "latest and greatest"
configuration files for eLoader, updated as new configuration settings are discovered.
We've uploaded a config pack containing current tested and confirmed changes. You can read about
it using the 'Latest Config' link on the left, or by clicking here.
The affected programs in this update are: BookR (TIFF mode), ScummVM, PSP-GBA (GTA mode) and
SNES9x TYL (v2.6 firmware).
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22 Feb 2006 : Stability patch for Brown Ale
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There have been a few irritating bugs found in the Brown Ale release, that were simple to fix,
so we produced a patch. We recommend that anyone who has downloaded the release should download
this new version and reinstall it. The original files on this site have been replaced with the
new ones. You can verify whether you have the patch installed by looking at the text on the menu :
the patch says clearly that it is a patch. Here are the changes:
- No more 'corrupted data' icons in the save games folder - the backup savegame information is
now saved in /psp/eloader.
- Corrected config file path
- Various TIFF loader stability fixes
- Removed most crashes with L+R+START
- Replaced the beta icons
- Improved editability of file paths.
Download links are as in the original release post.
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22 Feb 2006 : Interview with PSP'n Go
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I had the pleasure of giving an interview to PSP'n Go, a French PSP website. You can read the
English language version
here, or in French here.
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21 Feb 2006 : A bug in the beer!
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Some people have found a bug in the Windows Installer code, that can cause save-games to appear
to be corrupted. We've fixed that bug and updated the
release.
However, if you already installed on a PSP with the US or German GTA version, then you may have
a corrupted savegame - this will be a folder in /psp/savedata called [something].bak, usually
ULUS10041S0.bak or ULES00182S0.bak. To fix it:
- Copy the files from the [something].bak folder into the [something] folder - e.g. ULUS10041S0.bak to ULUS10041S0.
- Delete the [something].bak folder.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
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20 Feb 2006 : Yummy, Brown Ale!
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Hermit time is over! Say hello to the latest eLoader release, codenamed "Brown Ale". (From now
on, each release will be named after a beer style, to liven things up a little).
Brown Ale is the final (non-beta) version of eLoader 0.9.5. It has the following main features:
- Integrated release, supporting both TIFF and GTA launch methods
- Automatic installer for Windows users
- Stable support for all v2.0+ firmwares - no more special voodoo required to improve reliability
- More memory for applications
- Lots of bug fixes
- And the much requested support for PSP-GBA
Click to download the Windows Installer or
the ZIP version (for non-Windows users).
You can also view the README file here.
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10 Feb 2006 : Hermit Time!
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It's been getting increasingly difficult to focus on fixing up the loader over the last week or
so. Lots of questions via email, on forums, and in IRC have made it difficult to concentrate.
So, I took the decision to mostly avoid the forums, IRC, and answering email for a short while,
until the loader is fixed. Most of the questions seemed to be asking when the next version of
eLoader will be ready, anyway!
If you need help or advice, you can still stop by the official
chat channel (see below), or visit the
official forums
at QJ.net, where there are plenty of people keen to
help out.
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6 Feb 2006 : Interview with PSPWeekly
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I had the pleasure of giving an interview to PSPWeekly, the original weekly PSP e-magazine.
You can download the interview
here and discuss it in its official forum here.
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5 Feb 2006 : UK Memory Stick supplies
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For anyone who's had a hard time getting good prices on Memory Stick Duos in the UK, I'd just like to quickly
mention PicStop, who I've been using as my MSD supplier for a few months now. They always have great
service, and the lowest prices that I can find in the UK -
last time I looked they were charging around £37 for 1GB.
Whenever anyone asks me the best place to get MSDs, I always recommend them.
And now they've also
given me an affiliate link, so if you buy from them it helps to support the eLoader project. I think
they also ship internationally, although to be honest I don't know whether that still is such a good deal.
You can probably get
cheaper prices on eBay, but I've always steered clear because of the large number of fake memory sticks that seem
to be on sale.
In the continued spirit of providing ways to support the project without directly costing you anything,
I've added a few more affiliate links for UK companies that offer services that might be of interest
to eLoader users, and that I have personally had great experiences with. The Cadbury's Chocolate site is particularly cool, especially with Valentine's
day around the corner. You can check out the new links in the navigation bar on the left.
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31 Jan 2006 : Homebrew for all firmwares!
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Here it is, as posted already at PSPUpdates,
a version of the GTA eLoader beta that now supports v2.6 firmware. This means that you can
now run homebrew on every version of the PSP, except for v1.51 and v1.52 firmware (and there's
no good reason to stay with those versions).
Remember, as before, that this is still beta quality, so it doesn't run reliably every time and doesn't run as
many homebrew applications as the TIFF-based EBOOT Loader, but it still runs a lot of
things. You can see the full list of test results so far
here.
Hopefully we'll be able to locate the cause of some of the current bugs very soon,
but in the meantime, you can download this beta
here.
You'll need WinRAR
to open the package, and you can view the readme file (including installation instructions)
here.
And no, we're not interested in making an ISO loader or a downgrader, so please don't
ask. Homebrew is the goal, and homebrew is not the same as piracy.
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29 Jan 2006 : v2.60 Syscalls Found
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Thanks to a brainwave from Ditlew, we've had a breakthrough finding the v2.6 firmware
syscalls, and we think we have about 90% of them figured out.
So this means, basically, that a version of the eLoader that works on v2.6 is really not
very far away now. Woohoo!
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28 Jan 2006 : eLoader for GTA beta
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Here it is! Ditlew and I are proud to present the beta release of the eLoader
for GTA. With this package, you can now load standard homebrew on v2.0, v2.01 and
v2.5 PSPs, using the GTA savegame exploit. It does not yet run on v2.6.
This is still beta quality, so it doesn't run reliably every time and doesn't run as
many homebrew applications as the TIFF-based EBOOT Loader, but it still runs a lot of
things. You can see the full list of test results so far
here.
Hopefully we'll be able to locate the source of some of the current bugs very soon,
but in the meantime, you can download this beta
here.
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24 Jan 2006 : Anyone for SNES emulation on GTA?
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We finally made a more solid breakthrough with the EBOOT loader for GTA tonight.
Not only does the menu now work properly, but I've also managed to run the uo_SNES9x
emulator, and play the Pilotwings ROM (the only one I have), on both v2.0 and v2.5.
At the moment everything is hanging together with a pretty nasty hack. Ideally I'd
like to get that fixed up before release, but it's more likely that we'll decide to
release things as they currently are, and iron out that issue later.
Please note that lots of basic homebrew is still not working, but I thought that getting
SNES emulation running was a big enough milestone to celebrate! Also, if we do decide to
release, it will take a few days to knock the code into a releasable format.
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22 Jan 2006 : Status update on EBOOT Loader for GTA
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Ditlew and I made some breakthroughs today with the EBOOT loader for GTA, and I'm so
excited I thought I'd share the news, since we've been hammering away at this problem for
weeks now, and it feels like we're starting to get somewhere.
Last night we finally managed to remove what is believed to be the last traces of GTA from
the PSP's memory, and we appear to have full user-mode control over all the available memory and
resources (with the exception, of course, of flash memory).
So far this hasn't translated into everything magically-working, including the loader menu,
but we have run the first homebrew game using the EBOOT loader - "PSP Rick Dangerous".
So, there's still a lot of work to do, but it's coming along nicely.
This also seems like an opportune moment to properly introduce Ditlew, although we've been
working together since the start of the EBOOT Loader for GTA project. He's a 30-year-old
Dane working as a lead programmer, with a past in the gaming scene and a strong passion for
AI - not to mention a sharp mind and a lot of determination.
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21 Jan 2006 : Homebrew for German Censored GTA
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At last, with the help of Edison Carter, I've been able to get GTA homebrew running on the
censored German version of the game. As far as I know, there is now no version of GTA that
can't run homebrew. Yay!
I updated my multi-save-slot homebrew pack (below) to include the German savegames - you can
download the full pack here.
Follow the instructions in the README.TXT file inside the package, for full installation
details.
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19 Jan 2006 : Install multiple GTA homebrew at once
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In response to popular demand, I helped the chaps over at PSP3D
to put together a homebrew package for the GTA exploit that lets you place the GTA homebrew
of your choice into any of 5 homebrew-loader game slots. This means that you can easily pick from
your 5 favourite GTA homebrews. Although you can't change the names of the save slots, you can
place your own icons in there if you replace the ICON0.PNG file in each slot, so it's easy to
tell them apart.
You can download it here.
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15 Jan 2006 : Appeal for dead PSPs
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This isn't actually something that I'm working on myself, it's more of an appeal for a
friend. Canti is working on investigating the PSP hardware for possible future exploits,
but is stuck because he doesn't have enough spare PSP hardware to experiment with.
I know how generous and resourceful the readers of this site are, so - if anyone has any
spare PSP motherboards (ideally from bricked PSPs with no warranty, since there's not
much else you can do with them), please get in touch with Canti and help advance our
knowledge of the PSP's hardware.
If you're able to help, you can reach Canti by email,
AIM ('pyrophlake') or IRC (irc.toc2rta.com, #pspchat).
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14 Jan 2006 : Devkit for GTA homebrew released
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Following on from Tetris for GTA, I've put together a
small package of source and
useful tools for developing homebrew to run with the GTA loader. This package will
allow you to replace tetris.bin with your own binary, and makes it easy to deal with
some of the issues in the GTA environment.
I'm hoping that developers (especially v2.6 owners) will use this package to develop
simple homebrew to keep v2.6 users entertained while they wait for their firmware to
be fully exploited. If you write anything cool with this, please
let me know.
This package is intended for experienced developers only. It will make a lot more
sense if you have prior experience of coding for the PSP. I don't have the time to provide support for
newbie questions about C compilation, etc., but if you have problems with technical
details of the package itself, let me know.
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12 Jan 2006 : Tetris for v2.6 released
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Here it is at last, the moment that v2.6 users have been waiting for - the first
homebrew game for the v2.6 firmware.
You can read about it
and download it here - including some tips for troubleshooting
any problems you might have running it.
Note that this version has some very minor tweaks from yesterday's initial release,
mostly aimed at fixing problems running with EU copies of GTA, on v2.6. It works
flawlessly on my newly-upgraded v2.6 PSP, let me know if you have any problems.
I plan to release a 'DIY v2.6 homebrew' package at some point in the near
future, which will include the GTA Tetris source, and allow people to port their own simple games to v2.01-v2.6, while
waiting for the EBOOT loader to be finished.
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10 Jan 2006 : Tetris for v2.5 released
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There are still a few issues with the v2.6 GTA loader, so for now I decided to
release the Tetris for v2.5 users, so that they can have some fun. You can read about it
and download it here - including some tips for troubleshooting
any problems you might have running it.
Remember that you will
need WinRAR or a similar utility to open the RAR-format
package.
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9 Jan 2006 : First homebrew game for v2.5!
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Just a small thing, really, but I've ported my Tetris game to the GTA exploit, and have
it running on a v2.50 PSP. There's a small technical glitch that means it doesn't run yet
on v2.60, I hope to sort that out ASAP, before I release a version that will run on any firmware
that can run GTA. So - no release yet, but it's imminent.
As well as being the first homebrew game for v2.5 and v2.6, it will also be a good test of
the improved GTA loader that will be used to launch the EBOOT loader. Sadly at the moment
this is still for US and EU versions of GTA only, my attempts so far with the German version
haven't worked correctly, but I hope to change that soon.
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8 Jan 2006 : Interview with PSP:UK magazine
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I did an interview with PSP:UK magazine, an interesting PSP-formatted magazine by MikDaSpik.
You can download it here, if you want to read it.
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5 Jan 2006 : New file hosting
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Big thanks to Josh at Neverhost.net for donating hosting
for the various files published on this site. Josh's kind help means that I can maintain the
full archive of EBOOT Loader releases and other files, without having to worry at the end
of each month about whether the bandwidth allowance is going to run out.
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28 Dec 2005 : New logo!
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Thanks to my friend WunSick for the slick new logo, and help
tweaking the final image and theme changes for the site. This is just a small example of this guy's
talents - he's been working in web design and code for about 11 years, and has put together
some awesome sites. If you need a full web design or just something simple for your own site,
give him a holler - I can guarantee that you won't
be disappointed.
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26 Dec 2005 : Site revamp
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Following the release of the v0.9 EBOOT loader, I've been taking the opportunity to
revamp this website a little, focussing more on PSP and less on SWG. All the old SWG
content is still available, and is still being updated.
I hope you like the new content, there's more to come.
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26 Dec 2005 : Affiliation with Lik-Sang
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As part of my quest to find ways to help homebrew users support the EBOOT loader, at no
cost to themselves, I'm pleased to announce a site affiliation with Lik-Sang, the premier
importer of all things PSP.
If you were thinking of purchasing a PSP console, game or accessory, please consider
ordering it from Lik-Sang via this link.
It doesn't cost you anything extra, but I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Similarly, you can shop with Amazon via the affiliate links in the bar on the left.
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24 Dec 2005 : EBOOT Loader v0.9 release
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I'm proud to announce the v0.9 release of the EBOOT loader. I wasn't able to squeeze in
support for 2.01 and 2.5 firmwares yet, but hopefully this release has
enough new features to keep you entertained while I work on those.
Major new features in this release:
- Added wifi support! Now the loader auto-detects if the wifi libraries
are loaded (via an optional new loading method) and offers them to homebrew
for use.
- Added call to application exit callback, to allow RIN etc. to save
state when L+R+START reset is used.
- I've hacked in display of program icons into Calum's menu, and there
are now two optional alternative menus, one of which supports alphabetic sorting
of all the homebrew on your PSP.
- Added memory reset after running the menu. This should make things
much less sensitive to whatever has been run before them. Can be turned off
in config.
- Added memory reset on exit - this seems to make it easier to restart
the loader.
- Added clock-speed option to the config file, to allow automatic
overclocking / underclocking of applications.
- And of course, a nice holiday-themed background :)
Please make sure to view the README.TXT file for full details of how to run
wifi homebrew, and how to use the new features.
You can get the optional 'Choice' menu from Xart's site
here
Finally, a Merry Christmas to everyone - here's looking forward to an
exciting year ahead for the PSP!
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21 Dec 2005 : Interview by PSPEmulation.com
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I had the pleasure of giving an interview to the nice folks at
PSPEmulation.com. You can read it here.
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