alias22 says:

Hi everyone,

Not sure if I've posted in the right forum. As you can probably tell, I'm a n00bie to here, so please be gentle. :-p

I know this has probably be done to death, but having just scoured various websites for info, I've come up a little empty, and more confused.

I don't have a PSP, but I will be going to either JB or Harvey Norman later tonight to purchase one.

I am completely baffled by all this talk about firmware, homebrew, etc.
What I'd like to know is: Which firmware version will I be likely to get? And would this influence ones ability to, for example, download a game/movie and put it on the memory card? Does the firmware version of a PSP restrict what you can do? How?

I just want to know that I'm not going to wasting money needlessly on a v3.something PSP, and find that it doesn't do what I expected. I want to put movies, games, music onto it..

Again, I'm sorry for the annoying question.
If anyone could shed some light before I go off and spend my cash in a few hours, that would be very VERY much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

alias_22

18 Jul 2007 - 14:22 Melbourne

Kjt15 says:

haha nice. as long as you use official firmware you can download you should be able to run movies games and music. However dont expect to be doing crazy things like playing GBA or N64 games on your psp if your not willing to run custom firmware. As in possible chances of destroying your new investment

18 Jul 2007 - 14:27 QLD

alias22 says:

Ahh, so the firmware version only effects you if you're wanting to play other platform's games on your PSP.. or create your own programs/games..Which doesn't interest me. As long as I can, for example, download a game and put it on the PSP somehow, I'm fine. (Though figuring out how to do that will be another matter I'm sure..for example). Haha..

..It's likely I'll be posting some more annoying questions, once I get my PSP later tonight.

Thanks for your help Kjt15.

18 Jul 2007 - 14:40 Melbourne

Pongo says:

actualy while we are on this subject, i recently helped downgrade my mates psp, and just before we started running lumines i realised that the icons for the HB apps were not corrupt, Does this mean anything special or is it juat the icons that work?

18 Jul 2007 - 16:53 3.51-M33 7 Wilton,NSW

alias22 says:

Hi again,

You wouldn't believe it.. I went to JB to pick up a PSP tonight, and they were sold out, along with all the other JB stores within reasonable distance. I headed over to K Mart and they were sold out too!! Grrr..

Though I'm slightly relieved that things worked out that way, as I've just been doing some more reading, and I'm not sure that I will be able to, For Example, play downloaded games/movies on a PSP that is running any other firmware version than 1.50. Does running downloaded games/movies really only work with version 1.50...out of curiosity?

Completely freaking out... I don't know what version I should be looking for. Though considering most stores have sold out and are awaiting new stock, I'd say the new batch would probably have the latest firmware version... Is this bad?

I really am so confused about all this...Help!.. :-(

19 Jul 2007 - 02:37 Melbourne

Kjt15 says:

haha still awake? im guessing your playin psp

19 Jul 2007 - 03:02 QLD

Kjt15 says:

latest firmware? you will have to downgrade. As i said this may cause your psp to brick up if done incorrectly etc. Yes if you download a movie (convert first ofcourse Psp video 9) or download a game (iso stuff) you will need firmware 1.5 or custome firmwares. you cannot download stuff illegally and expect it to work on official firmware (3.51 or watever)

BTW how come theres no psp in stock anywhere?

Good luck mate

19 Jul 2007 - 03:06 QLD

alias22 says:

Kjt15 said: latest firmware? you will have to downgrade. As i said this may cause your psp to brick up if done incorrectly etc. Yes if you download a movie (convert first ofcourse Psp video 9) or download a game (iso stuff) you will need firmware 1.5 or custome firmwares. you cannot download stuff illegally and expect it to work on official firmware (3.51 or watever)

BTW how come theres no psp in stock anywhere?

Good luck mate

Haha, I WISH I was up playing PSP.. I wish I actually had one right now! They've sold out everywhere apparently, as many stores, especially chains like Target, K Mart, etc have had sales in the last week or two, in which the price of the PSP's went down by little more than a dollar or 2, causing a mass public PSP spend! Haha. They've been popular of late..

I'm terrified that I'd brick the darn thing if I tried to downgrade it.. And yes of course, your point about illegal software not working flawlessly on official firmware is very accurate. I was merely enquiring.. erm.. out of curiosity, as I said.

Looks like there'll be more PSP hunting taking place for me tomorrow..

Thanks for your input thus far, Kjt15.


P.S; is there such a thing as a Media Manager pack that comes with a black PSP and not a white one? The white one was all that I could manage to find tonight..

19 Jul 2007 - 03:20 Melbourne

Pongo says:

yeah i thought black was standard!

19 Jul 2007 - 06:32 3.51-M33 7 Wilton,NSW

abuu91 says:

Pongo said: actualy while we are on this subject, i recently helped downgrade my mates psp, and just before we started running lumines i realised that the icons for the HB apps were not corrupt, Does this mean anything special or is it juat the icons that work?

Yeah not to work off topic but I would think they may have done the __SCE__ trick on the stuff.

19 Jul 2007 - 09:32 Somewhat pink - Kiama, NSW

Kjt15 says:

i think you can only get the white psp in the entertainment pack. not sure though.

Someone please tell me when the release date of the new psp??

19 Jul 2007 - 14:18 QLD

snuffrix says:

alias22 said: Ahh, so the firmware version only effects you if you're wanting to play other platform's games on your PSP.. or create your own programs/games..Which doesn't interest me. As long as I can, for example, download a game and put it on the PSP somehow, I'm fine. (Though figuring out how to do that will be another matter I'm sure..for example). Haha..

..It's likely I'll be posting some more annoying questions, once I get my PSP later tonight.

Thanks for your help Kjt15.

firmware doesnt affect what type of other consoles you can play. Using illegal custom firmware lets you do other add-ons to the PSP, normal Sony firmware just increases security and and adds new features every so often and newer games need higher firmwares to encourage you to upgrade and increase security.

19 Jul 2007 - 18:41 Bonny Hills (near Port Macquarie), New South Wales, Australia

Vinzor says:

okay. i can't be bothered reading all that but by what i can see, you want to play psp games on the psp memory stick?

19 Jul 2007 - 20:13 [[PS3 Network ID - krazyvinny]] - Brisvegas, Queensland

Nefarious says:

I just got a PSP late May and it came with v2.81, white psp though. Managed to find the site and tools to downgrade to 1.50 then switch firmware to 3.40oe-a without any hassles. This firmware allows you to play around with homebrew plus all the other standard features of 3.xx so far.

19 Jul 2007 - 20:29 Perth

Vinzor says:

yeah but the only problem with 3.40 oe-a is that it stuffs around with your configuration in the recovery menu which sucks a bundle...

it changes your configuration which could;
- make games not work
- waste a lot more battery power than usual

that's why i stick to 3.03 oe-c and am right now awaiting a fully stable cfw to come out.

e.g. the 3.xx cfw's by the teams M33/XR/ etc.

19 Jul 2007 - 21:01 [[PS3 Network ID - krazyvinny]] - Brisvegas, Queensland

alias22 says:

Okay, an update:

I managed to find myself a PSP last night, from Myer. Brought it home, checked the firmware version- it's 3.40. :-(

To make matters worse, whilst I was playing Metal Gear Acid (which I played for no more than 2 minutes and was sorely disappointed- Please tell me Portable Ops is more along the lines of MGS 1, 2, and 3?) I noticed 2 coloured, stuck dots on the screen. From what I can see, they are only noticeable when the screen in dark/black. What does this mean?

I was reading Sony's dead pixel policy, and apparently dead pixels aren't covered by the warranty??.. Any help would be appreciated, as I have no idea what I should be doing at this point..

What a way to kick things off...

20 Jul 2007 - 14:11 Melbourne

dragon74 says:

take it back to myer, tell them u fully charged the battery and it only lasted for 1.5 hrs. hopefully, theyll change over, and your pixels wont be dead.

20 Jul 2007 - 14:23 3.40OE, (+.[____]·:·)

alias22 says:

dragon74 said: take it back to myer, tell them u fully charged the battery and it only lasted for 1.5 hrs. hopefully, theyll change over, and your pixels wont be dead.

That is an excellent idea.. Do you think it will work? Am I being too fussy, or should I just keep this one? How normal is this?.. I don't know, I'm at odds.. Return it and risk getting ANOTHER unit with MORE bright/dead pixels?.. What would you guys do?

20 Jul 2007 - 15:07 Melbourne

dragon74 says:

Im on my 6th or 7th psp, cos Im old schoool and of the belief that if youre handing over some hard earned cash, the least you could expect is a perfect psp, no stuck pixels, or other bs problems! The official sony line about 6 months ago, was that if any dead pixels hinder your enjoyment of playing the psp, then its ok to swap over. If you get no joy from myer, contact sony.

20 Jul 2007 - 15:56 3.40OE, (+.[____]·:·)

Cherrona says:

You're not being too fussy Alias. When I buy something brand new I expect it to be perfect because it should be. I hope it's sorted out quickly.

20 Jul 2007 - 16:24 Silent Hill

alias22 says:

Alright, thank you greatly for all your help. I'll be going back to Myer tonight, and attempting to work something out.

Though one other thing I'd like to know (as I'll be buying one tonight):
Memory cards- is the PSP compatible with the Sandisk Ultra II Pro Duo cards, or only the normal Pro Duo cards? Which is better to buy/use? And is the PSP compatible with large capacity cards, like 4Gig and 8Gig?

Sorry for the annoying questions.. I can't wait till this initial PSP stress is over.. Haha..

20 Jul 2007 - 17:13 Melbourne

insectoid says:

damn, you're having some bad luck there. they should swap your PSP for a perfect one, if you spend that much money it's the LEAST they can do.
Large capacity cards DO work, 8gig is the biggest so far (correct me if I'm wrong)

20 Jul 2007 - 17:59 Wouldn't you like to know...

alias22 says:

insectoid said: damn, you're having some bad luck there. they should swap your PSP for a perfect one, if you spend that much money it's the LEAST they can do.
Large capacity cards DO work, 8gig is the biggest so far (correct me if I'm wrong)

Yeah, it hasn't been the greatest couple of days.. Running around town trying to find one, firstly, and then getting one with bright pixels.. Grr.
Hopefully it will get sorted.

Do you know whether it matters if the card is an Ultra II or standard Prop Duo, or which is better to use with the PSP?

20 Jul 2007 - 18:02 Melbourne

Pongo says:  

no differences, just brand

20 Jul 2007 - 18:05 3.51-M33 7 Wilton,NSW

alias22 says:

Pongo said: no differences, just brand

Alrighty, excellent. Thanks for that Pongo.

20 Jul 2007 - 18:07 Melbourne