Got this free with a mobile contract....... and now am wondering what others do with a home brew ready PSP besides the obvious.

I believe that if you don't get your homebrew right, you can use it as a brick.

Very true... but managed to to get it to a firmware 3.52 M33... with all the bells and whistles so it's now good to go (i just have no clue as to what else people do with it cos i'm not really a gamer). So far have managed to install a PDF reader and stream my PC contents onto it via the wireless.

Get a 4gb + Memory card and use it as a ipod video/movie player ;-)

Thats exactly what i do now (off an 8gB card)... it's just that some colleagues (the serious gaming crew) take this p**s out of me , saying that its quite a powerful piece of equipment to be used just for listening to music, watching movies and the occasional gameplay.

Think they're trying to convert me by making me discover (on my own) the 101 uses of a PSP

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=psp+homebrew

Ignore my post below please....Lob posted his link up at exactly the same time I posted. I'll just follow that instead!

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DNAman, I've recently been given one as a present, but it's got a firmware version which doesn't support the downloading of games and running them from memory stick (which is what I understand a "homebrew" is....or do I have that completely wrong?) Does your firmware version allow for that?

(I don't have a clue how PSP firmware versions and "homebrews" work, so any info will be appreciated)

Thanks,
G

Yep it does, one can find software downgraders/upgraders on the net ( thanks Lob been there already , just wanted some background as what the "peeps" are doing practically with this magic piece of techno. without having to discover them myself)

Be VERY VERY careful if you try to do this. The are some really good illustrated guides to sorting this out, take the time to read them well. All in all you could have a brand new (latest firmware) PSP with all the benefits of homebrew (including playing off a memory stick) in 2h depending on the current version of your firmware.

Thanks for the advice to be cautious DNAman; I had read reports of people managing to turn theirs into a useless brick by not being careful.

Would it be possible for you to PM me the guides/sites that you used to successfully upgrade yours?

Thanks a lot,
G

Ok... so first you will need to determined your existing firmware settings -> system settings -> system information. That said, i was lucky in that i let my machine sit around for nearly 2 years and by then the firmware version upgraders were well established (for my firmware version 1.5.02). If you have the latest version (3.52 from sony) then you may well wait a few months until the geeks get it sorted out.

If not then then have a look at this site for the necessary guidelines (you will need to update to 3.52 M33 firmware), which may involve a downgrade (to 1.5) and then an upgrade

http://www.pspmod.com

and, http://psp-stuff.com/showthread.php?t=5467 (guidelines for the actual upgrade)

Also check out this
(it's real crappy quality but sufficient to see what is happening in real time)

Wish you good luck if you try this.... i was squeezing my cheeks whilst doing this and was very relieved when it came out a OK on the other side (I mean the PSP )

oops, didn't know it would link out directly to the movie..... lob is this ok?

Thanks a lot for the info. I need to get myself a decent sized memory stick first, but will then give it a shot and let you know if I survive the ordeal (and if the PSP does too!)