Is it legal to hack my Sony PSP?

i need help.... is it possible to upload music and photos on a windows 98 computer

Hello, I am one of those "PSP Hackers", if that's what you want to call us. I am not a programmer, I just use the already-made homebrew that's out there, and I have to say, some of it is really fun! As long as you don't toy with the OS, the chances of bricking the PSP are slim to none. I have two PSPs, a version 1.5 and a version 2.6. The 1.5 is used to play old Super Nintendo games, like Final Fantasy III. There is now a version of a homebrew program called DevHook (Google it, make sure you get the latest version) that can emulate other firmwares, therefore enabling any UMD game, regardless of firmware requirements. This, in itself, has no chance of bricking your PSP. The risk comes when you modify or change firmwares. DenHook only emulates the firmware, instead of installing it permanently to the flash memory inside the PSP.
There is also homebrew for the 2.6, but it's severely limited because of something Sony patched, and the only way to run it is to buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, download and install a loader that takes advantage of a hole in the savegame interface. Kinda makes you wonder how much money Sony has made off of us Homebrew enthusiasts, yet they continue to (try) to patch the holes.

hey, just wantedtosay that sony will fix your psp if its bricked as this can happen in normal usage. Also you just use firmware emulators to play later games.

The benefits of free content vastly outway any negatives and makes me feel like a bit of a rebel too =) Chaos Zero's dev hook installer has saved my life!!

Hello.

It might be a good idea to add a date to the answers, so it would be easier to see if the information is likely to be outdated.

These days there is very little risk of damaging your PSP while enabling or running homebrew on the PSP, probably no more than running the official firmware upgrades from Sony. Most custom firmwares also include a recovery function, making it possible to recover from a brick or partial brick using the USB port. I would still urge anyone looking to upgrade/hack their PSP to read all available documentation before doing so.

Automatic downgraders and custom firmware installers make it very safe and simple to run homebrew aswell as the latest games. We have two PSP's in the house, both running Dark Alex's 3.10-OE firmware. This hack gives your PSP the ability to run the 1.50 and 3.10 firmwares simultaniosly.

If you consider the amount of freeware and abandonware available to a hacked PSP, it greatly incrases the value of the handheld. Also, the ability to run old PlayStation games you already have, should be worth quite a bit.

I would also like to add that software patents are only applicable in the US. As far as I know, no other part of the world respects these patents.

In most countries you may also reverse engineer or decompile software, though the laws vary and are often very complicated.

4-18-2007 - Just to let you know, if you are careful to follow the (incredibly easy) laid out instructions on changing your firmware, all versions of PSPs up to firmware 3.03 (currently) can be downgraded/upgraded to Open Edition (oe) versions of Sony's 1.50 through 3.30oe, allowing for "homebrew" applications to be run. A complete PSP newbie, it took me 2 days of research on a single website (which you can't help but find by googling) to get the software to do the work for me. The software that makes the firmware changes even has built-in safety checks to check your motherboard version, etc. Basically, you've got about as much risk of "bricking" as you would with a standard Sony supported upgrade. The perks: I can now use my PSP as a controller for my computer wirelessly, I can use my PSP to remote control my VCR/DVD/TV, I can use my PSP as an alarm clock, I can use my PSP to jot notes down, to play my favorite old NES, Atari 2600, SNES, N64, and PSX games, as a Calendar book, address book, and to entertain the kids on long drives with movies from home. I can carry all my PSP games on two tiny memory cards instead of a box of disks that can get scratched, I can use it to instant message, check E-Mail, or browse the internet while on the road. I can hook it up to my car and listen to thousands of MP3's instead of carrying my CD collection. Honestly, Sony should SUPPORT the homebrew market, and when people see the power of this VERY well rounded piece of hardware, they won't be able to keep PSPs on the shelf.

Javin, please tell me the name of this site you talk about! If you wont, what do i Google to get what you have?

I have a bunch of movies for my PSP. Is it possible to plug a cord into the psp and use it as VCR to play it on my big screen? It would be cool to take all those movies if I went on vacation and watch them on the TV instead of having to take a VCR. Thanks

Can't be done with the PSP, but the Creative Zen Vision:W, my new movie player of choice, does have this capability, along with a far more comprehensive set of video formats it can handle. Read my review here:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/review_creative_zen_visionw_portable_media_player.html

hey if you want to run homebrew and play the latest gmes then just update yor firmwear to 3.52 m33 i is totally safe and there is abut a 1% chance of bricking your psp. if you follow the directions you CAN'T brick your psp. 3.52 m33 is made by a russian hack team. m33 it is the new version of OE firmwar.

I learnt about PSP hacking the hard way. I tried out these various downgeade/CFW upgrade teqniques, and it resulted in 4 bricks. I told sony a different story, and they fixed it free of charge (it was under warranty).

Hey i have bricked my psp atleast ten timnes but "panadoras battery" and the "Magic Memorystick".
But Homebrew is a Program of Games, applactions and other devices that are enabled through a ctf (coustom firmware)
but if you have any questions e mail me Drewman123@hotmail.com

what is cso?I play online fifa 08 and a lot of them say cso how and where can i download it¿¿(")_(")

hi i want free psp games how can i download free psp games to my psp and i have memory card stick and i want to download it to my psp how can i do that thanks plzzz send me a messege from this email address thanks its ala_alrekaby@yahoo.com.au thanks

This information is inaccurate. It is in fact Illegal to hack a PSP, Because, they assume it is being used for downloaded Retail games since the PSP in fact has the ability once it has a custom Firmware.

You are a idiot. You have no idea of what you're talking about. Think twice when you say something you jackass. No offence.

Okay, M&M, you can have your opinion and I can have mine. On the other hand, I have also gotten letters from Sony lawyers about hacking PSPs too, so I can speak with a bit more authority about what Sony thinks is and isn't illegal regarding their PSP and similar devices. It's really not about what we think or what we want, it's all about copyright, patent and other laws.

Oh, and learn to communicate with a bit more respect. You'll do better in life. :-)

I've heard you can relatively easily recover a PSP once its bricked, so bricking isn't a total end-of-the-line death of your PSP, just a minor setback.

The only way you can unbrick your system with my knowledge is throw the pandora battery and the magic memorystick, for either fimwares cfw or ofw.
You realy dont have to worrie about bricking psp slim or fat that both have ofw, because the only way you can do that is if you upgrade to a higher firmware and as the upgrade is going on the battery falls out, which leaves you with 2 option, either you pay sony 89 dollars to get a sreferbised one in 2 weeks or fix your battery and creat a magic memortstick to unbrick it.

email me at tj-platinum@hotmail.com if you need help unbricking you PSP

Is there anyway that i can use a wireless aircard (one that you would use for a laptop) with my psp?