Hacking the PSP™
Cool Hacks, Mods, and Customizations
for the Sony® PlayStation® Portable
Auri Rahimzadeh
 |
| Hacking the PSP. Cool Hacks, Mods, and Customizations |
Auri Rahimzadeh has been tinkering with computers ever since he was six years old and loves
all technology. Auri collects computers and has been involved with many computer projects,
including teaching computers alongside Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer. Auri
has written hundreds of articles on various computer technologies; has contributed to many
standards including HDTV, DVD, and interactive television; and is the author of Geek My
Ride, a book on geeking out cars, another ExtremeTech title also published by Wiley. Auri has
also contributed to computer education for students across the country and has promoted technology
awareness through the Indianapolis Computer Society, where he has served as president
for three years. Currently, Auri is a software engineer and spends his free time programming,
chatting at Starbucks, and going to Pacers games.
Acknowledgments
To my family—my Mom and Dad, Karen and Fred; my stepparents, Richard and Julie; and
my awesome brothers and sister, Noah, Max, and Chloe.Without their support, this book
would never have seen the light of day.Without my Mom and Dad, neither would I.
A special thanks goes to my grandparents, Alvin and Irene Goodman and Rabbi and Devorah
Rahimzadeh. Rabbi, even though you’re gone, you’re always in my heart. I’ve been lucky to
have such caring, loving, inspiring grandparents.
Thanks to Richard Doherty, a brilliant engineer, analyst, and friend, whose insight into the
PSP’s inner workings is incredible and his willingness to help tech edit my book was very much
appreciated. Many thanks again to my good friend Steve Wozniak, not only a brilliant technologist
but also the man who believed in me and put my technology career into perspective and
who continues to help anyone with a passion for technology succeed with their dreams. Steve,
you truly are an amazing human being.
To my friends Josh Louden (for being enthusiastic about programming), Dirk Cosemans
(for all his engineering assistance), Geoff Smith (for ideas), the rest of the Smith family
(Mary, Doug, Brad, and Emily, for their support), the Millers (Laurie, Phil, and Bryon, for
their support and a place to stay in California), Jerry Pournelle (for getting me ever more
excited about writing books), Andy Marken of Marken Communications (man, you know
communications), Peter Glaskowsky (man, you know graphics), and those of you I failed to
mention here, you know who you are (and I’m sure you’ll let me know, too!).
To Chris Webb, who got me hooked on writing books—thank you so very, very much.To
Howard Jones, my development editor—thanks for all of your hard work and a job well done.
And of course, to the incredibly dedicated and hardworking team at Wiley—thank you for all
your effort and help in this adventure.
To my friend William “Bill” Fulco—you will be missed.
To my friend Anthony “Tony” Rose—the best attorney, ever (and friend). Sorry I forgot to
mention you in my first book.
To the hackers and committed software developers who work so hard to make the PSP an
awesome device.
And, of course, to my teachers.To quote a phrase: “If you can read this, thank your teacher.”
For those of you looking to get into technology or write your own book, I offer you some
advice, originally by Benjamin Franklin (or so all my research on the Internet says):
“Never confuse motion with action.”
As always—GO PACERS! (Think that’ll score me some tickets?)
Introduction
When I first heard about the PSP, I was ecstatic about the possibilities of having such powerful technology on a portable platform.
Here was Sony, inventors of the incredible wizardry that went into the Playstation 2, making a portable version that didn’t skimp on features, and in fact was actually in-tune with the wants and needs of modern gamers and computer geeks! Built-in Wi-Fi, full media playback capabilities, expansion using Memory Sticks instead of some weird, expensive format, a USB 2.0 port—it even played games! Wow, talk about a platform waiting not only to be played, but hacked to all get out. I was the first person in line at midnight at a Game Stop in Indianapolis, Indiana. I plopped down the money, ate a few free doughnuts, and went home to see what my new toy could do.
So here we are, months later, and I’ve learned so much it’s hard to fit it all in a book. In that time I’ve programmed the PSP, figured out new interesting shortcuts on the device, found ways around limitations of the device, and even bought a second PSP along the way so I could have a guinea pig. And here you are, reading this book wanting to find out how to do the same.
Well, let’s not waste time—read on and see what possibilities the PSP has in store for you.
What Is Hacking?
Hacking is the action of effective (many times creative) solutions to solving difficult types of problems. Years ago, hacking was considered a good skill to have. It’s unfortunate that, these days, with all the viruses, trojans, phishing schemes, operating system vulnerabilities, the list goes on, it’s considered bad, and can even label you a criminal. Seventh graders want to learn to “hack” so they can get their l33t warez and songs off bittorrents.
Software and hardware engineers tend to fall into the hacker category, as they come up with ways to make systems do things that were never originally intended. Sure, these “hacks” may get around certain limitations purposefully imposed by the original system developer, but more often than not it’s to exploit a system’s full capabilities.What geek doesn’t want to make their system the baddest, fastest, most awe- and envy-inspiring system ever designed?
˛ What is hacking?
˛ What do you need?
˛ Will you void the warranty?
˛ How to read this book
In the PSP, Sony has engineered a true marvel of technology. Combining amazingly powerful
data and media processing capabilities with a slim, long-life, portable form factor, Sony has literally
started the next generation of media on-the-go. Competitors such as Apple, Creative,
iRiver and many others are sure to latch onto the ability to have any type of media, anywhere
you go. Add into the equation the power of built-in wireless Internet access, and any number of
productivity and media applications, coupled with the high-resolution screen, and the PSP
truly becomes a one-stop device.
Unfortunately, Sony has limited the capabilities of the PSP by letting only humongous game
companies write applications for it, and letting it play only limited (yet omnipresent) music and
media formats with no chance for the grass roots developers, now called “hackers,” to write
powerful applications and build an industry around the PSP. Many companies have done this
before, and hackers have always found a way around it. In this book we’ll make the PSP do a
lot of the stuff we know it can do.
If you haven’t “hacked” before, never fear. I am going to hold your hand through the process,
explaining every step. Every chapter is organized so a novice can do the projects, but a professional
isn’t bored (or, at least, that’s what I have tried my best to do). Furthermore, if you have
any questions, you can go to the official Hacking the PSPWeb site at www.hackingpsp.com
and post a message on the forums, or e-mail me from that very same site, and I will do my best
to answer your questions as thoroughly and expediently as possible.
This book has two Web sites associated with it. The first is www.wiley.com/go/extremetech, which is the publisher’s Web site for ExtremeTech titles. There you can find
information about this book; about my other book, Geek My Ride; and about all the other great
ExtremeTech titles. The other Web site, www.hackingpsp.com, is one I maintain for the
book myself. You can contact me through that Web site, and I will strive to post new PSP hacks
there as they become available.
How to Read This Book
I’ve written this book so you can turn directly to any project and get started. Pick your fancy—
if you want to start moving video to your PSP, check out Chapter 10, “Video Hacks.” If you
want to get started in PSP programming, head on over to Chapter 17, “Programming the PSP:
Setting Up the Development Environment.” All chapters with projects that require equipment
beyond your PSP will give you a shopping list so you have everything before you start.
How This Book Is Organized
Here’s an overview of how I’ve grouped related hacks in this book.
Feel free to skip around as much as you like—I’ve written this book to be flexible so you can start pretty much anywhere.
However, with the programming chapters, I suggest you start with Chapter 17, which covers setting up your development environment, just to make sure you cover all the bases (as you should do when learning any programming language).
Keep in mind that new hacks come out all the time. I will do my best to put new hacks up on the official Hacking the PSPWeb site at www.hackingpsp.com so you can dive even deeper into making your PSP perform ever-cooler feats.
Networking Hacks
This section of the book covers hacking the PSP to enable Web browsing, using instant messaging
and RSS applications on your PSP, increasing the speed of your Internet surfing and
wireless multiplayer gaming, and more.
Audio Hacks
This section goes over the PSP’s powerful audio capabilities, including how to get the best
results when moving audio to the PSP, using your PSP like an iPod shuffle, synchronizing your
music collection with your PSP, and much more.
Video Hacks
Your PSP is an awesome movie machine. This chapter tells you how to get the most video
enjoyment out of your PSP—from UMD-Video discs to movies you put on a Memory Stick.
From putting your TiVo and ReplayTV shows on your PSP to tips on conversion and more,
you’ll find what you want to know about Video and your PSP in this section.
Image Hacks
Share your images, view comic strips, take your documents with you—learn how to leverage
the image viewing capabilities of your PSP to maximize fun!
Game Hacks
Use a single UMD cartridge for multiplayer instead of requiring a copy for every PSP, back up
and restore your games, change your game backgrounds, and more!
Homebrew Applications and Programming
Don’t let the title scare you—even if you’ve never programmed before you’ll get something out
of this section. I walk you through how to run the hundreds, if not thousands, of applications
freely available for download all over the Internet. I even teach you how to write your own
applications, how to share them with your friends, and where to go for more information.
Appendixes
Following the project chapters are the appendixes. Appendix A includes Web sites for learning
more about PSP development and getting games and utilities, forum sites and blogs, and thirdparty
hack and add-on manufacturers, as well as how to contact Sony technical support.
Appendix B covers what to do when something goes wrong. I’ve also included a Frequently
Asked Questions section so you can quickly find answers to common questions, such as where
to find UMD repair tools, how to find replacement LCD screens and motherboards, and even
how to save your PSP after you’ve spilled Red Bull or Bawls on it.
Screenshot
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Product details
Price
|
|
|---|---|
File Size
| 13,854 KB |
Pages
|
338 p |
File Type
|
PDF format |
ISBN-13
ISBN-10 | 978-0-471-77887-5 0-471-77887-7 |
Copyright
| 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc |
Contents at a Glance
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Overview of the PSP
Chapter 3: Quickies
Chapter 4: Taking Apart Your PSP
Chapter 5: Getting Online: Configuring Your PSP for Networking
Chapter 6: The Web on Your PSP
Chapter 7: Online Hacks
Chapter 8: Offline Hacks
Chapter 9: Game Hacks
Chapter 10: Video Hacks
Chapter 11: Audio Hacks
Chapter 12: Image and Photo Hacks
Chapter 13: Getting More Power
Chapter 14: Taking Your PSP on the Road
Chapter 15: Running Linux and Windows on the PSP
Chapter 16: Reverting from a 2.0 PSP to a 1.5 PSP
Chapter 17: Programming the PSP: Setting Up the Development Environment
Chapter 18: Programming the PSP: Hello World
Chapter 19: Running Homebrew Applications
Chapter 20: Navigating the Unofficial PSP SDK
Chapter 21: Alternative Development Languages
Chapter 22: Distributing Your Applications
Chapter 23: Synchronization and Utility Software
Appendix A: Additional Resources
Appendix B: PSP Maintenance and Frequently Asked Questions
Index
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What Is Hacking?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What You Need for These Hacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Regarding Your Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How to Read This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How This Book Is Organized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Networking Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Audio Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Video Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Image Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Game Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Homebrew Applications and Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Conventions Used in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 2: Overview of the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sony’s PSP Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Full Technical Specifications of the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Video Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Battery Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Networking Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PSP Firmware Versions and Why They Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
UMD, the “Universal” Media Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 3: Quickies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Using Non-Duo Memory Sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Step 1: Sand Down the Duo Connector So It Fits Properly in the PSP . . . . 16
Step 2: Attach the Adapter Ribbon Wire
to the Memory Stick Adapter Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Step 3: Use the Memory Stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Viewing eBooks on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Converting eBooks with PaperlessPrinter or JPEGBook. . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The PSP as a Storage Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Syncing the PSP with Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Changing the PSP’s Background Color and Wallpaper Image . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New Background Features in Firmware 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Changing Your Wallpaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Saving Xbox Games on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Step 1: Get to the Save Game Point in an Xbox Game . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Step 2: Plug Your PSP into the Xbox USB Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Step 3: Put Your PSP in USB Connection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Step 4: Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Preventing Screen Glare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Chapter 4: Taking Apart Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Getting Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Opening Up Your PSP and Removing Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
What You Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Step 1: Prepare the PSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Step 2: Remove the Back Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Step 3: Remove the Metal Button Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Step 4: Remove the Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Step 5: Remove the Metal Screen Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Step 6: Carefully Remove the Circuit Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Step 7: Remove the Mainboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Step 8: Remove the Wi-Fi Shielding Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Step 9: Remove the Wi-Fi + Memory Stick Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 5: Getting Online: Configuring Your PSP for Networking . . . . 53
Configuring Wireless Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Turning Wireless On and Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Set Up a Networking Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Speeding Up Wireless Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Chapter 6: The Web on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Sony’s Official Web Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Scrolling Web Pages in Sony’s Web Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Tabbed Browsing in Sony’s Web Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Quick Overview of Buttons and Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Resolving Out of Memory Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Viruses and the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Web Sites Formatted for the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Sony’s Official PSP Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Downloading Files with Sony’s Web Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Importing Favorites from Internet Explorer into Your PSP’s Web Browser
Using BROWSER 2 PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Step 1: Organize Your Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Step 2: Export Your Internet Explorer Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Step 3: Launch BROWSER 2 PSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Step 4: Copy Bookmarks Over to PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Wipeout Pure: A Cool Game with a Fantastic Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Get a Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Download the DNS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Configure the DNS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Configure the DNS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Create the Wipeout Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Build Your Portal Web Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Set up a Networking Profile for Your Hack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Launch Wipeout Pure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Surf! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
What If It Doesn’t Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Chapter 7: Online Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Sites Optimized for Mobile Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
AOL Instant Messenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Accessing Most of the Messenger Services for Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Viewing RSS Feeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Accessing E-mail and Webmail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Sony PSP Web Browser Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Chapter 8: Offline Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Viewing Saved Web Pages on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Step 1: Find Web Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Step 2: Print Your Web Pages Using Paperless Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Step 3: Copy the Files to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Step 4: Take It with You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Taking Maps with You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Step 1: Find the Map and Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Step 2: Print the Directions Using Paperless Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Step 3: Copy the Files to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Step 4: View the Directions on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Converting PowerPoint Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Step 1: Export the Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Step 2: Copy Images to PSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Step 3: View Your Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
What If You Want the Animations?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 9: Game Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Play Multiplayer Games with Only One Game UMD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Running the Hack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Step 1: Create the Mutliplayer Game on System 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Step 2: Eject the UMD Disc from System 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Step 3: Load and Join the Game with System 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Step 4: Swap the UMD Back to System 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Step 5: Make One Last Swap to System 2, then Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
The PSP’s Saved Data Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Backing Up Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Changing the Saved Game Background Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Step 1: Back Up the Original Background Image
and Copy the New Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Step 2: View the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Restoring Game Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Chapter 10: Video Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Play Almost Anything—But There’s a Catch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Less Data Means More Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
UMD: The Not-So-Universal Universal Media Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Out-of-the-Box Limitations on Media Format Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Getting Videos on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Converting and Transferring Video to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Windows Step 1: Download and Configure PSP Video 9 . . . . . . . . . . 130
Mac Step 1: Download iPSP Media Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Step 2: Find the Video to Convert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Step 3: Convert the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Optional: Modify Video Encoding Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Step 4: Transfer the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Step 5: Play the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
TivoToGo Video on the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Step 1: Get the Latest Version of the TiVo Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Step 2: Connect the TiVo to Your Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Step 3: Download and Install TiVo Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Step 4: Transfer Video from Your TiVo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Step 5: Convert the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Step 6: Transfer the Video to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Step 7: Play the Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
ReplayTV Video on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Step 1: Download WinReplayPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Step 2: Set Up your ReplayTV on the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Step 3: Transfer Videos from your ReplayTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Step 4: Convert the Transferred Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Step 5: Transfer the Videos to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Step 6: Play the Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Watching DVDs on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Method 1: Use a DVD Backup Program and
Rip the Unprotected Movie VOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Method 2: Buy the UMD Version of the Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Chapter 11: Audio Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
It’s All in the Firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Changing Sound Equalizer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Getting Music on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Transferring Music to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Create a “PSP shuffle”—Automatically Fill Your PSP with Music . . . . . . . . . 151
Determining Encoded File Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Listening to AudioBooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Teach Your PSP How to Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Record the Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Connect the Audio Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Record the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Transfer Audio to PSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Podcasts and PSPCasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Controlling iTunes with Your PSP and a Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Controlling WinAmp with Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Make Your Media Available via Web NAS Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Chapter 12: Image and Photo Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Images on the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Tips and Tricks When Viewing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Photo List Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Viewing an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Image Conversion Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Viewing Any Type of Document on the PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Homebrew Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Paperless Printer and Related Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Creating Custom Thumbnail Previews for Video Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Using the PSP as a Digital Photo Album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Offline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Sharing Photos with Other PSP Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Sender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 13: Getting More Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Replacement Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Charging Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Car Chargers and A/C Inverters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Getting Just a Lit tle Bit More: Build an Emergency Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . 182
Step 1: Charge the Batteries and Place Them in the Battery Holder . . . . . 184
Step 2: Solder the Snap Connector to the DC Plug . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Step 3: Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Chapter 14: Taking Your PSP on the Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Bring Extra Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Bring Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Bring Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Pack a Sturdy Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Building a Car Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Drill Holes in the Ash Grabber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Smooth Holes in the Ash Grabber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Insert the Extensions into the Cup Holder Holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Mount the Extensions in the Cup Holder Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Let the Glue Dry for Four Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Score the Logitech Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Align the Extensions on the Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Verify the Case Position before Affixing the Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Mix the Epoxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Apply Epoxy to the Logitech Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Apply the Extensions to the Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Reattach the Lid to the Ash Grabber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Install the Mount in the Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Chapter 15: Running Linux and Windows on the PSP . . . . . . . . . . 213
Download Bochs for PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Create or Download a Hard Drive Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Configure Bochs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Copy Bochs Files to Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
If You Have a 1.0 Firmware PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
If You Have a 1.5 Firmware PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Boot Up Your PC on Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Chapter 16: Reverting from a 2.0 PSP to a 1.5 PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Buffer Overflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Step 1: Make Sure the PSP Is Fully Charged and Eject Any UMD Disc . . . . . . 221
Step 2: Download the Needed Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Step 3: Create the Updater Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Back Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Step 4: Copy the Exploit Background Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Step 5: Disconnect and Set Your Background Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Step 6: Reconnect Your PSP via the USB and Copy the Remaining Files . . . . . 226
Step 7: Double-Check that Your PSP Is Fully Charged and
Plugged Into the Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Step 8: Disconnect USB Cable and Run the Exploit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Step 9: Run the Firmware 1.5 Update Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Step 10: “Repair” Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Step 11: Configure Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Can I Flash Back to 2.0? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
WAB Version Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Getting WAB Version Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Running WAB Version Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Chapter 17: Programming the PSP: Setting Up the Development Environment . . . . . 237
Running Your Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Checking Your Firmware Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Basic Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Setting Up the Development Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Installing Cygwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Installing the PSP SDK Toolchain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Making the Final Cygwin Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Next Stop: Hello World! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Chapter 18: Programming the PSP: Hello World . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Getting to Know C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
A Few Gotchas When Entering Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Create Your Project Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
The Hello World Source Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
So What Does This Code Do?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Creating the Make File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Running Your Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Chapter 19: Running Homebrew Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
The Swapsploit and K-XPloit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
K-Xploit Software for PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
K-Xploit Software for Mac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Running the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Chapter 20: Navigating the Unofficial PSP SDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Getting to the SDK Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Compiling the Sample Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Audio Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Controller Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Debugging Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Graphics Unit (GU) Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Infrared (IR) Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Kernel Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Power Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
USB Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Utility Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Wireless Networking (WLAN) Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Chapter 21: Alternative Development Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Lua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Adventure Maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
AdventurePlayer PSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Chapter 22: Distributing Your Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Test Fully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Package Hacked Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Include a Manual and EULA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Upload to Multiple PSP Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Get Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Please Don’t Be a Pirate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Chapter 23: Synchronization and Utility Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Software for Your PSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Synchronizing Tips and Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Memory Sticks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Carrying Cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Backing Up Your Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Backing Up Games to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
The PSP’s Saved Data Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
PSP Dead Pixel Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
PSP Stuck Pixel “Fixer” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Recovering Data from Memory Sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Appendix A: Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Appendix B: PSP Maintenance and Frequently Asked Questions . . . . 293
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
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