PSP mod chip aims to end firmware woes

wow..this sounds awesome, but i wonder what type of mistakes people will make installing this chip inside their psps.

great until sony releases the next firmware that blocks it.

Holy crap! That would be awesome!... assuming later firmwares didn't block it.

I find it hilarious that only news the PSP gets lately is about people trying to break it apart (software-wise).

This is poised to make many a "homebrew enthusiast" (interpret this term however you will) a happy camper. If it still ends up working a year from now (and a year's worth of firmware updates from now), I'll get one.

There is no reason why it wouldnt work later. All it does is allow you to switch between your custom/updated firmware and the one installed on your psp. Its just like the guy who was trying to install 2 firmware chips.

Sony will have a hard time disrupting a device like this with firmware. If its like other mod chips it will allow you to boot the latest firmware, and alternate boot other firmware. This other firmware could be V1.5 or it could be something like Xbox Media Center. When you pop in a disc that requires new firmware it would probably update the retail bios and leave tthe rest of the chip untouched. A mod like this should effectively be able hide itself from Sony. I would buy a psp in a second if it could run a modified XBMC.

Just another example of the popularity of PSP that people want to mod it. Just like PS2 and Xbox before it. Nobody tries this with DS because the games aren't worth it.

ummmm there has been flashcarts for the ds and an active homebrew scene for ages....

Funny how the modding for the psp is to play pirated games from the NES and SNES. Or play gba games from a cart. Or to pirate psp games. Why do you think psp games are in the toilet and most developers fleeing it to go over to the DS?

Sorry but when a system is the least modded it can be considered the most succesfull at doing what it is supposed to be doing namely playing games made for the system.

"Nobody tries this with DS because the games aren't worth it."

No, you don't have to deal with the firmware crap with the DS. You flash it once with a Superpass2 and you're good. You can't do that with the PSP. I've been running homebrew and emulators on the DS since day one. I've got a PSP as well, and I still like playing games on the DS better. The PSP's LCD is too cheap (slow response, blurry).

"great until sony releases the next firmware that blocks it."

If the mod is quality it should force Sony to make a new PSP to circumvent the mod. This chip should allow for bypassing the actual firmware. The PSP software shouldn't be able to tell the difference.

This will be nice. I hate the firmware crap on the PSP. I'm just glad Nintendo isn't insanely pushing like Sony to stop homebrew from happening.

Fashcards have been out for the DS almost from day 1... I don't know what you kids are talking about.

*sigh* thanks for the recognition..

Great news, as long as this is reasonably priced I'll certainly pick one up. The prospect of custom flash firmware is too hard to miss.

It can be argued that homebrew for DS is actually EASIER.

Except you need to buy a flashcart do to anything. At least Nintendo is constatly updating the DS bios to keep people from modding it.

All sony is interested in is making sure everything you use in your house has sony written on it.

at #9

perhaps you would only use mods for pirated games, but you obviously do not know much about the psp homebrew scene.

Asumeing this turns out to be real it shall be grand. I never understood why there hasn't been a modchip. It just makes more since than trying to do software exploits.
Granted I bet installing it is gonna be one big pain in the rear. Surely not your avg joe install.

Yay! Now it's a $250 paper-weight *with a mod chip*

Actually, there have been firmware upgrades for the DS. But it hasn't been anything major that requires you to upgrade or you can play Game X or use Feature Y.

The different firmware versions are for... well, I'm not exactly sure. But I know some of the modifications have been made to block booting unsigned code.

For example, PassKey (a device that lets you boot unsigned/DS code from the GBA slot) will only work on ealier DS firmwares, while PassKey2 is needed for later firmwares (but PassKey2 has a switch so it can work like PassKey as well).


But, like I've said, it isn't anything major, like PSP's firmware upgrades.

I just got a PSP. I'd like this modchip. Still, even with access to pirate games, homebrew apps etc, I'd rather play my DS. Just having too much fun on Metroid Hunters and New Mario DS.

This is oh so very fake and its a shame that gizmodo fell for it :( First of all, it doesn't say anything about how it actually works, and the only way of actually bypassing the PSP's bios is...well, you can't. You have to unsolder the original NAND memory with the bios and solder a new one in, that has an older bios version. This "modchip" would need to only be the size of the "Actel" piece, as thats the only flash memory module i see. Plus, nothing this big would fit in a PSP anyway.

And outside of that, this is just a photoshopped image of the PS2 modchip Matrix Infinity, DMS4SE, and octopus all smushed together.

Oh shoot, this is Joystiq lol...

It doesn't bypass the BIOS, it's a second set of flash memory that allows you to boot 2 seperate firmwares.