Low-down on PSP?

Hi, gaiz.

I'm wondering a bit about the PSP.

I am NOT considering getting any next-gen portables like 3DS or NGP because I AM NOT RICH and I want something I can hack out of the box, just to get that out of the way.

I'm thinking of getting a cheap one off of ebay for my birthday in may (that being, I'm thinking/hoping my DAD would let me buy one with my OWN money since it was my birthday.) and I will certainly be hacking it, so naturally I have a few questions.

1. These things go DIRT cheap on ebay for a current-gen console (an example is this one which is damn cheap, going for about $40 right now) but the cheapest ones seem to be 1000s. Is there any physical problems or hacking issues with this line?

2. As far as the hacking itself goes, what methods are out and which is the safest? (possibly one that has NO possibility of bricking the unit) Should I buy a pandora battery for it just in case? Also, is there any other physical PSP hacking tools I should purchase?

3. Most listings do not tell the current firmware the PSP is running. Can any PSP be hacked in some way with any firmware, and are "Auto-Booting" (don't have to launch something to open the PSP every time you turn it on) hacks possible on any firmware?

4. When I buy a console, even if I'm gonna hack it, I always get at least ONE game with it (partially to avoid suspicion of the hacking I'm doing and partially because I want something to play while I wait for the hacking tool(s) to arrive as they are likely to be shipped in another package and not with the PSP itself) What are the best PSP games I can get fairly cheaply?

5. OK, everyone knows sony's been a douchebag with lawsuits recently, though it seems they're really only going against PS3 hackers. Are those who hack PSPs targeted at all? (and by that I mean those hacking their PSPs and downloading stuff, NOT uploading.)

6. OK, now onto the emulators. Superb emulation is the #1 reason I'm planning on getting a PSP. But just how good is it? I hear Daedalus is a little iffy (it's the emulator which emulates the strongest console, I don't count nullDC PSP as it would be ridiculous to try and get that to run well) so out of curiosity, does it run ANY game at full speed? (this isn't a selling point for me as I mostly want it for older consoles and not-often-emulated consoles like virtual boy) Also, can ANY emulators damage and/or brick the PSP through emulation errors?

7. So the PSP takes memory sticks, OK. I will probably get a, 8, 16 or 32 GB memory stick for my PSP, and probly the sony brand to be safe, so I was wondering, do the sticks have different read/write classes like SDs do or are they all the same? Also, do PSP and Homebrew games run slow from a memory stick, and, if there IS different classes, what class should I get to ensure PSP games run well?

8. I know there's CFWs, and it seems a little tricky. Which CFW should I install (mainly the one with the most compatibility and supporting the most homebrew?)

9. Does sony force firmware updates for playing newer games on PSP like they do on PS3? Is there a way around auto-updating firmware if the PSP auto-updates?

10. FINALLY, do you think I can ask a seller on ebay which OFW the PSP I might eventually buy is running without sounding like a dirty rotten pirate XD

Thank you so much for your help.

EDIT: 11: Looking at the system charts for PSPs, I noticed that The 2000 and 3000 have TWICE as much ram as the 1000. Would this give me a speed increase in PSP emulators, and so, would it be worth it to get a 2000 instead of a 1000?

Thanks.

 

One of the only games that Daedulus runs at full speed so far(as far as i know) is Super Mario 64

 

Cool, it actually DOES run one that well!

Allright, now if I could get answers to the rest of my question's I'll be good

 

Bit of a life story............but I'll start you off

1.That auction hasnt ended so thats not a bargain.

2.I always go for the 200x slim models as they are better,but it can be a carry on trying to hack them.

3.Buy a Tool battery and a sd-mmc adaptor before you do anything else,then we can "talk turkey"

 

1. OK, I guess cheap PSPs are always in demand

2. Allright, 2K it is.

3. OK, so I'm trusting that normal MemorySticks ARE slow and you need a high-class SD for them? And that you need to use pandora battery A LOT when hacking 2Ks

 

No,you only need to use the Tool battery once-to hack it initially.The only problem with the 200x series is some come with a ta088v3 motherboard-and the trick is to avoid them.Meganova put up a link a while back with info and pictures on how to check which motherboard "could" be in it.You could buy a pre-hacked one,or look for Daxter/Simpsons/Darth Vader ones and hack them yourself.

If you buy a 1000 series,they can all be hacked.

 

Hmm...ok. So if I get a Daxter Edition, Simpsons Edition, or Darth Vader edition PSP, it would work?

for example, I found this Daxter one and it's a damn nice little bundle

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PSP-Limited-Edition-Daxter-Ice-Silver-bundle-/190500139832?pt=Video_Games&hash=item2c5ab17338

Wish I could buy it today, I have the cash but I dunno what dad would say

 

That one could triple in price 2 minutes before auction ends-Ive seen it happen.I paid £90 total for a Simpsons one,and £75 total for a plain piano black one(but I knew it could be hacked).Youll have to pay $100 for a working hackable slim one-unless someone stupid is selling one LOL.

And I seen a Paccie on eBay trying to sell a used PSP1000 for £130.......

 

well, Dad specifies I can't even buy one till my birthday (May 20th) and I also must "Mature" so I'm not worried about that one in particular.

By then PSPs might cost a little less as the 3DS will be out and more info will be out on the NGP.

I'd still love to know more about the other questions too

 

Either get the Simpsons, the Darth Vader Star Wars, or the Daxter Ice Silver 2000 PSPs. They are guarenteed to be able to be hacked with permanent CFW. Though it wouldn't matter since you can use HEN on any firmware now really.

 

Well, trust me, from a guy who uses swap magic every time he wants to run a game on his PS2 because he didn't bother to read up that new models aren't permanently FMCB-able, I want the extra RAM of a 2000 and the guaranteed working CFW of earlier PSPs.

..the daxter bundle seems most common...come may 20th I'll probly get that and the pandora battery/Memstick.

BTW, If I'm gonna store PSP games on my stick, should I get a 16GB or spend more for a 32GB stick? Or, should I just buy a SD-MMC converter and get a big SD card? (I'm worried tho that SD transfer speeds will be too slow to enjoyably play any PSP games) (If I only get 8 i can store, like...4, maybe 5 games on it, seeing as UMDs are mostly 1.8 gb each )

 

I have the two Micro SD Card pro duo stick thingy. It's cheaper, but get an official Sony Memstick if you're going to go that way. I actually switched to the 6.35 CFW beta v11 for PSP. It's pretty sweet. I just had to decrypt Lord of Arcana, but that was easy enough. Not many of the 5.50 plugins work, but most Homebrew does and you can launch games from the XMB without any plugins or anything else.

 

1.no, that model is completely hackable
(the 2000's on the other hand have one motherboard which is in fact unhackable and you must use PSPIdent to figure out if it is)
If you plan to buy a slim a good recommendation would be the slim, limited edition ones that were released around 2006-07 as these slim models are completely hackabe. (Darth Vader-white, Gow-red, NFL-blue, Daxter-grey)
2.the only tool you should purchase at the moment would be a pandora battery (or tool) that is for the PSP FAT (1000) as you will be able to use that wit the slim as well. (look at tutorial at bottom Q&A to find out where to buy)
3.every hackable psp is downgradeable (1000-2006 [07-08]) to a hackable firmware (using my tutorial you will end up with 3.71M33) no matter what version it is on, you can then proceed with upgrading to the latest after it has been installed.
4.if you live in the US you can purchase metal slug anthology from GameStop as it is a really cool game and is fairly cheap if found in the USED section (7.00-12.00)
if you are planning to get a limited edition package that is in fact hackable it comes with a game.
if bought on craiglist you should be fine.
5.no, you should be fine.
SONy is mainly concerned with the PS3 because it is in fact a new generation console and they are loosing allot of money.
Also, hacking and using emulators is completely legal, but only if you use your own backups of the original game.
6.Check the link located at the end of this, it is my tutorial and includes my personnal emulators at #5 or #6
No they cannot brick your PSP.
Mainly bricks happen during the CFW installation because people don't read the instructions correctly, they added a flash0 themes which is done by messing with your internal psp files, if not done correctly it can brick it (which i recommmend CTF's)
7.Sandisk Memory Stick Pro Duo-
the speed of memory cards does have to somewhat with how fast the emulator will go-
the fastest ones i have bought cost me about $35 back in the day and they were-
4GB Sandisk Ultra II 15MB/s and 30MB/s
I also have a 1GB, but that one is a bit slower compared to those...
Also, if it is magic gate supported then it should be better-
8.Try my tutorial (first make sure that your PSP is hackable by reading the Q&A PSPIdent)
It will leave you at 3.71M33 upgrade to the latest one Prometheus 4 and you will be able to play games (UMD's and dl'ed until v.6.20)
I personally like to upgrade one by one, just to be on the safe side :I
9.read #8 (up to 6.20 if prometheus is installed)
10.you can ask, if it is a 2000-2006 [07-08] model if you'd like just to be on the safe side
if it's a PSP 1000(s) then you should be fine, and can proceed to buy
11.I would suggest an 2000-006 [07-08] limited edition bundle model (darth vader-white, gow-red, nfl-blue, daxter-grey) as they are better looking and do have some nifty upgrades not available on the 1000's

ma'tutorial: http://forum.romulation.net/index.php?topic=52896.0

 

Thanks, that's VERY helpful to me.

Now just to get a PSP.

I saw this one and it looks WAAY too good to be true. Of course, it's still got 4 days, and it's gonna climb, FAST.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PSP-Daxter-Entertainment-Pack-Ice-Silver-MINT-/330531782125?pt=Video_Games&hash=item4cf53abded#ht_6179wt_1139

Ah, well, I'll get one eventually

 

I'm not really an eBay shopper, but they seem cheaper there than at Amazon :3
(although amazon has all of them in stock, they are pretty expensive)
I would say craigslist would be another good place to search as I have seen some for $40-100
Bought one of my Darth Vader ones there for $50

I know that's the starting price as it is a bidding site but, LOL xD
Couldn't the guy start it at a lower price...

 

And watch it end for $150+

 

Oh, btw guys, I'm probably gonna buy a memory stick separate (I'll try to get the psp with a small one included for Magic Memory Stick) but I wanna get a steal on a 32 GB.

For example, this guy has 0 sales, but already has 11 bids on this sony 32gb memstick.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GENUINE-MEMORY-STICK-PRO-DUO-SONY-MEMORY-CARD-32GB-/260738116278?pt=Digital_Camera_Memory_Cards&hash=item3cb533eab6#ht_2873wt_1139

can i trust that it's actually a sony card in auctions like these?

EDIT: Actually, I think I might go with this one, as it's right around where I live, and half price!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lexar-32gb-Memory-Stick-PRO-Duo-Mark-2-NEW-/220740899634?pt=Digital_Camera_Memory_Cards&hash=item33652ed332#ht_500wt_1156

Is lexar an OK brand?
What is up with edit not working?

 

Lexar is ok, Sandisk is better though...
Trust me a 32GB is too much unless you are planning to use it for all media: Video, Music, Games
It may slow down...

I would suggest buying a 16GB & a 4GB...
Well, it may be just me being organized but:
I use a 4GB for emus and about 7 of my favorite PSP games
I used to use another 16GB for PSP games which I want to try out, then later erase when done with them
(used to have 16GB, but sold it for profit)

The 1GB I use for hacking (Magic Memory Card)
The other 4GB is on my desk for show :3

 

Actually if it's a official card it wont slow down unless it's maxed out, I would get a 32gb one...though I'd get a sony OFFICIAL one, there are fakes out there...I nearly bought a few, so I stuck to the 8gb I got...$100 aud for that is outrageous but at least I know it works.

I keep a 1gb just for hacking as well, but that is just me, not many need this...they can just keep the files else where and change when needed.

 

But dont go for a PSP2010,as they come alive and pinch your wallet....