Team M33 releases Custom Firmware 3.52’s fourth update

Posted by signup

Like a lightning bolt out of the blue, Team M33 strikes unexpectedly with their fourth update to their very own Custom Firmware 3.52. It’s not as major as the previous one, as it’s mainly a bugfix that takes care of a few nagging issues the team must have missed after they rolled out their highly-anticipated third update. In any case, let’s get to the changelog and see what’s new!

Changes in M33-4 (mainly bugfix)

* Fixed the bug that caused CRC error when writing to flash usb in the XMB. Now writing is OK.
* Added the new speeds to vshmenu and core, because we forgot in recovery.

Also, a few notes from Team M33:

* As we didn’t want to release a new update without something new, we worked in making 3.10/3.11 to work with popsloader, and that’s it, the new popsloader plugins supports them.
* Instruction for 3.10 and 3.11 are same as 3.30: you need pops.prx, popsman.prx and pafmini.prx with the correct names in popsloader directory. And remember that savedata of 3.10-3.30 are incompatiblewith those of 3.40+. We’ll research if a solution for this is possible.

Not a very long list of changes, but very considerate of Team M33 to put out an update so that PSP homebrew enthusiasts would have a better time with their CFW. As usual, please, please, read the relevant readme files included in the zip archive before you do anything. Installing something that tinkers with your PSP’s firmware without the required knowledge and information could result in a bricked handheld, and loss of portable gaming joy. It will not be pretty.

And as always, if you have some cash to spare, why not make a donation to Team M33’s Paypal account? It’d certainly help.

Source

PSP official firmware 3.52

Posted by multippt

Looks like Sony is still keeping up with its firmware updates. With its release of the PS3’s new firmware - 1.90, a PSP update usually follows, and this time its 3.52. This firmware changelog (compared to 3.51) is as followed:
-Increase in performance of PlayStation Network titles (probably)

This update is available from the official Sony Japan site.
*The update, just like the previous firmware 3.51, does not support homebrew.

PSP 2000 - Some intriguing details

Posted by multippt

Sony has decided to reveal a prototype of a possible successor to the current PSP, dubbed as PSP 2000. A rough look at the specifications can tell that this new PSP would boast several nicer features over the older one.

Here are some of the more significant changes:
-Increase in internal memory: from 32mb to 64mb
-Brighter screen
-Faster load time
-Improved battery life
-Video-out port
-Change in location of Wifi switch
-Removal of the IR port (since its not officially used by the original PSP at all)
-Change in design: The new model is lighter and slimer
-Change in motherboard: TA-85

Some things that remained the same:
-Overall design [looks almost the same, except for some slight differences]
-CPU

Another thing to note is that the PSP 2000 model in E3 might be using firmware 3.60 (which is not even out yet).

Older versions of the PSP are no longer manufactured, in favor of the newer models. The older versions would eventually be sold out, before Sony starts selling the newer PSP.

The new PSPs are expected to be priced at a higher cost, with the core edition (game console only) being roughly the same price compared to that of the earlier PSP normal pack (the core pack is cheaper).

Via Engadget

Lumines patched - Forces update to 3.51

Posted by multippt

In a swift move by Sony and Ubisoft, copies of Lumines now appear to require an update to 3.51, the only firmware where homebrew cannot run. While this is in effect in Japan, such copies may soon arrive in Europe and USA as well.

If you want to run homebrew on firmwares 3.11-3.50, you would need the unpatched copy of Lumines (Launch Title, no firmware update required). Its not known if the exploit may still work if the update restriction is bypassed (say with the help of 2.71 OE-B”).

The patched version of Lumines have the following serial no. found on the UMD:
-ULS19005

What’s interesting is that while it took RockStar and Sony 6 months to patch the GTA: LCS game, it took only Ubisoft and Sony a few days to do the same (though maybe through an indirect approach by forcing users to update to the latest firmware).

Firmware 3.51 does not offer anything new in terms of features compared to 3.50 (aside from an icon that said “Coming Soon” when accessed, and a security fix on the Illuminati Exploit). The new copy of Lumines still function the same as the original, except with the inability to run homebrew.

Dark_AleX skipping 3.50-OE working on 3.51-OE instead

Posted by signup

French PSP news site PSP-Generation has posted some pretty big news - both good and bad - concerning the PSP homebrew scene.

The bad news is that according to Mathieulh, Dark AleX will not be releasing custom firmware 3.50 OE, so those who have been waiting for it won’t ever get it. The good news is that Dark AleX will be rolling out custom firmware 3.51 OE instead to keep abreast of Sony’s most current firmware version for the PSP handheld system.

There has been no time frame yet for when 3.51 OE will come out, but rest assured that we’ll be reporting it as soon as it does. Keep checking back here for updates. Thanks to bhattsan for the heads-up on this news piece.

Source

PSP Fights Homebrew with 3.51 Firmware

Posted by signup

Sony targets Lumines-led loophole with incremental update.

PSP launch title Lumines received an unexpected shot in the arm last week, when it was revealed that the puzzle classic contained an exploit that allowed users to run homebrew applications on the 3.50 system firmware. Amazon.com reported a 5000% increase in sales for the title, and as of press time, it remains the most popular game across all platforms.

However, it may be a short-lived phenomenon, as Sony today released the 3.51 firmware update for the PSP. Next Generation is reporting that the firmware simply overwrites the exploit and adds zero functionality to the system. Until a game is released that requires the 3.51 firmware, users may continue to run 3.50 or whichever iteration currently rests on their handheld.

Those who feel the need to stay current can grab the 3.51 firmware via the Network Update option on the PSP.

Source

PS3 firmware 1.82 released

Posted by multippt

After hearing of suggestions from readers requesting for announcing firmware updates in advance, Sony (PlayStation network) have decided to fulfill their wishes by annoucing a possible small update to the PS3 firmware - 1.82 (although they did this for 1.81, but a day’s advanced).

Here are the proposed features:
-Update allowing for playback of AVC (H.264/MP4) files.
-More PS2 game compatibility

Via Sony PlayStation blog