Thoughts On Firmware

[finalfantesy]

Ok first i hope i dont get in trouble for writing this (dont think i will) Now every one is comlainning about sony and tall the anti homebrew firmwares and the need to update to play some games like GTA so i was thinking couldnt some one mke a modified 1.5 firmware (posably for MPH's firmware loader) that has the stuff you need to play those game and then you dont have to have the iso of the game so people with small memsticks can still play the games ex.

1.50 firmware with the 2.0 library built in

1.50 with all the features of 2.00-2.60(if even posable to isolate features)

(this one is realy out there) 2.60 with the need for sony's signature removed(told you it was out there)

Or Like*the way you need a (for example) PSX BIOS to play psx games with a psx emulator mabey a 2.00 BIOS could be ripped/made for use with a emulator made for 2.00 UMDs

note: only sugestions i am just learning to code so i would be no use to any of this but mabey an ambitious coder might try cause people like me who dont have a gig mem stick or even a 512 cant realy use the new thing from MPH but mabey it could be used as a stepping stone to this

You got to admit that this would be cool

[yaustar]

Reverse enginnering the firmware is no small task and the possiblities of bricking a PSP is high if the firmware is flashed/developed incorrectly. You also have to make it complatible for all hardware revisions.

[finalfantesy]

yeah but imagine if it were done it'ld be great i dont have much money but i wouldent mind even donating money to coders for a few psps incase they get bricked i heard somewere that fanjita is taking a break (no sure tru or not) but mabey if he and MPH worked together they might be able to do it

[finalfantesy]

how do add custom avatars

[kyle2194]

Reverse enginnering the firmware is no small task and the possiblities of bricking a PSP is high if the firmware is flashed/developed incorrectly. You also have to make it complatible for all hardware revisions.
You could just test it in mph firmware launcher first. Anything bad happens, hold down the power button.

[ExIdOuS]

This is where homebrew should be going, what needs to be done is take say the 2.6 firmware and insert a hole. Put in the 1.5 code that lets homebrew to be run into the 2.6 firmware. Then it would make things easy for every one, except sony they would be f*****.
I think sony wants homebrew to keep going they just want to be one step ahead of the homebrew. This would give the homebrew the one up.

[Napalm-Death]

You could just test it in mph firmware launcher first. Anything bad happens, hold down the power button.
I didn't even know that he made a firmware launcher.

[finalfantesy]

This is where homebrew should be going, what needs to be done is take say the 2.6 firmware and insert a hole. Put in the 1.5 code that lets homebrew to be run into the 2.6 firmware. Then it would make things easy for every one, except sony they would be f*****.
I think sony wants homebrew to keep going they just want to be one step ahead of the homebrew. This would give the homebrew the one up.

my point exactly

I didn't even know that he made a firmware launcher.
oh and for Napalm-Death yeah you use it to kinda emulate a firmware so you can use some of the fetures of it but you need the firmware in file form not eboot(a pain to do)

[Abstract3000]

as yaustar mentioned above reverse engineering is no small task at all and is he more than right on that the problem is those who can reverse engineer a system hardware or even more a system function such as firmware are most likely getting paid very good money in their professions and really don’t have the time to do such a large task with no compensation so this leaves those of you who are in high school, college, or some technology institute training this area to do the coding after all they really don’t have much better to do and that’s where you find the development teams that do all the so called hacking for the consoles, though please take no offence after all the better they get the more they secure their own future in the industry.

you have 3 types of methods to use when it comes down to this type of thing you can either use an exploit, you can rewrite the firmware or you can just edit the firmware most easily being the exploit method.

Exploits: MPH's loader is a very good example of an exploit, take for example loading the GTA Game on a 1.5 system though it actually requires a 2.0 - in this effect what they have done is designed a loader that basically tells the Game or ISO not to look for the 2.0 files on the system but rather look in a directory on the memory stick for the files instead, these are also the most short lived being that exploits can simply be patched by the developer closing the "backdoor" used in making this exploit happen then its nothing but a rat race to find the next “backdoor” to open.

Editing The Firmware: This would be the second easiest way of doing it though this is not very easy at all in actuality (I assume this is the method your referring to)- one reason is the fact that in school when learning to develop in any language you are taught to leave (notes/memos) in your code giving an explanation of what each script and function mean better to assist you when it comes down to having to go back and edit the code or make fixes for that matter. A developer like sony sure as hell would not leave any of this in their code and if so very little really giving you no easy way of figuring it out after all this would be a big “bend me over and $$$$ me in the A$$” idea and this would have been done a long time ago. But instead in effort to find some type of flaw in the firmware or even make your own door you first have to figure out what every bit of it means and from there find where you want to add that door or give word of the exploit and in most cases flaws are slim to none and if there is one they find it and fix it in the next version. So essentially this would take 2 people one trained in engineering hardware and another being trained in development with some type of knowledge of the hardware.
This way you have the developer who gives the idea of where he wants the door to be and the engineer would make sure that it was possible and from there they could code and recompile the firmware but though that sounds easy – there can be NO flaws in this whatsoever otherwise it would leave you with a brick or cause many other problems down the road making it a very risky venture to pursue and most people just don’t have the time or patience to pursue this method.

Rewriting the Firmware: lastly the hardest method and almost never pursed is just rewriting the firmware just put it this way you would have to develop an entire program that would tell the device as exactly what to do and when to do it requiring knowledge not only of every component in the device but an extensive amount of knowledge in coding for hardware devices. In all actuality this takes sony millions of dollars to put together teams who can do this, so without going to much further into this but you can only imagine what kind of knowledge this would take to develop and in most cases if it were finished Sony would certainly have a new employee working against us.

So the point of the story is don’t count your chickens before they are hatched – the amount of exploits are slowing down as sony continues to update firmware so I assume it wont belong before allot of developers loose interest in the newer versions and move onto something else.

[Napalm-Death]

my point exactly

oh and for Napalm-Death yeah you use it to kinda emulate a firmware so you can use some of the fetures of it but you need the firmware in file form not eboot(a pain to do)
Thanks for the explanation. :)

[finalfantesy]

a

Exploits: MPH's loader is a very good example of an exploit, take for example loading the GTA Game on a 1.5 system though it actually requires a 2.0 - in this effect what they have done is designed a loader that basically tells the Game or ISO not to look for the 2.0 files on the system but rather look in a directory on the memory stick for the files instead, these are also the most short lived being that exploits can simply be patched by the developer closing the "backdoor" used in making this exploit happen then its nothing but a rat race to find the next “backdoor” to open.

Editing The Firmware: This would be the second easiest way of doing it though this is not very easy at all in actuality (I assume this is the method your referring to)- one reason is the fact that in school when learning to develop in any language you are taught to leave (notes/memos) in your code giving an explanation of what each script and function mean better to assist you when it comes down to having to go back and edit the code or make fixes for that matter. A developer like sony sure as hell would not leave any of this in their code and if so very little really giving you no easy way of figuring it out after all this would be a big “bend me over and $$$$ me in the A$$” idea and this would have been done a long time ago. But instead in effort to find some type of flaw in the firmware or even make your own door you first have to figure out what every bit of it means and from there find where you want to add that door or give word of the exploit and in most cases flaws are slim to none and if there is one they find it and fix it in the next version. So essentially this would take 2 people one trained in engineering hardware and another being trained in development with some type of knowledge of the hardware.
This way you have the developer who gives the idea of where he wants the door to be and the engineer would make sure that it was possible and from there they could code and recompile the firmware but though that sounds easy – there can be NO flaws in this whatsoever otherwise it would leave you with a brick or cause many other problems down the road making it a very risky venture to pursue and most people just don’t have the time or patience to pursue this method.





ok i get what ur saying but im not taking about so over the top firmware edit
now like you said understanding what each line of code is for would be imposable without any notes in the program (just learn C++ and love to leave myself notes) but i just mean basicly your first methodbut with a little twist
instead of looking for a backdoor make on ie. patch in 1.5's lack of need for ansignature by sony(forgive the funny wording)or something simmalar

[finalfantesy]

never mind just reread your post and making your own backdoor was something u said

but patching over the signature thing would be maby a little simpler mabey

[finalfantesy]

what about assembleing a new one with the .prx files from 1.50 and replaceing just the ones needed to play umds and the new features simmilar to the way mph game loader works to play umds but make a new firmware out of it

[vettacossx]

i commend your ambition.....and i love final fantasy.... but i think to get anyone to work on this....your goona have too do 1 of 2 things

1: simply be patient....or...

2: set up a pay pal donation "spot" for coder insentive...on a popular site....such as this one....get ahold of wraggster or dark savior or kaiser ....any of the moderators here r gr8 peeps just contact them after you have everything orginized...

[vettacossx]

by the way gameshark made a custom firmeware 1.5 already you can get it at this site
http://www.psp-hacks.com/category/10