I copied the rules from the original subreddit so why not this. At first the title was supposed to be "Bi-Weekly(?)" because I'm not sure if I would make new threads on time and I have no way of knowing if that would be too frequent, but then I saw that last one on /r/vitahacks was posted 6 months ago and SKGleba in the comments said it's Bi-Quarterly, so why not lol Anyway, onwards with the slightly modified copypaste:

Welcome to the vitahacksplus Question thread!

Please post all questions here instead of starting a new thread in the main board. THIS WILL BE ENFORCED (I guess) !!NEW!! 3.65-3.74 USERS: Use HENLO to install Henkaku WITHOUT PC/Content Manager/PSN account!!!

PSN ACCESS/LOGIN ON VITA MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL VERIFICATION, SEE HERE

Before you post a question, please note:

-Please refer to the Official Vita Troubleshooting Guide; this is a comprehensive guide (maintained by Cimmerian_Iter) that covers a wide range of common issues and how to resolve them

-The vita hacking guide covers everything from 'what is homebrew' to hacking the vita and installing essential plugins

-For a comprehensive database of all available vita homebrew, please refer to VitaDB, or you could use unsuppoorted VHBB

-Rule #1 - "No discussion of piracy/backup/warez/dumps" is strictly enforced; there are other resources to discuss this subject matter

3.65-3.74 Users:

-HENlo replaces Hencore2

-Use Vitadeploy to downgrade firmware/install ENSO

Firmware Guide:

1.03-3.57 ==> Update to *3.60 or 3.65

3.60 ==> *3.60 Henkaku/Enso

3.61-3.63 ==> Update to 3.65

3.65 ==> *3.65 H-encore/Enso

3.65-3.74 ==> Install Henkaku/Vitadeploy using HENlo (via Vita Browser) recommended

3.74 Firmware notes:

-Change requiring 2-step verification for PSN login/access

3.73 Firmware notes:

-Very minor changes. See here (Credits to PSSDude for the report)

3.72 Firmware notes:

-3.72 firmware was released by Sony for...System stability?

3.71 Firmware notes:

-3.71 firmware was released by Sony to patch the Trinity exploit

-3.71 firmware also breaks Modoru by adding checks in lv0

3.70 Firmware notes:

-The Vita master key was changed in the 3.70 firmware release, shortly after it had been publicly "unveiled" by the vita hacking community

-Game decryption keys have not been changed with the 3.70 release (reF00D/compatibility packs have not been broken)

3.69 Firmware notes:

-3.69 firmware was released by Sony to patch the h-encore exploit

PSN Access for 3.60-3.73 Users:

-Open Henkaku settings and enable Version Spoofing and set 'Spoofed Version' = 3.74

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings

Sync Legit Trophies? -YES

Online Multiplayer? - YES

PSStore Access for Purchase and Download? - YES

Use Vitacheat and TropHAX online? - At your own risk

Prevent your Vita from Updating:

NOTE: PSVita firmware updates are not a typical modern-day concern, since downgrading firmware is available and simple to execute. Known exploits continue to work on most recent firmware (3.74). Preventing update is still a good practice in general.

-To disable the download of automatic firmware updates: Settings --> System --> Auto-Start Settings --> Uncheck "Download automatic update files"

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings for an additional layer of update prevention. See here.

-If your console has downloaded the 3.73 update file, simply deleting the notification in LiveArea should remove the file from your system. Otherwise, firmware update files can be found in ud0:PSP2UPDATE/*

-Remember, unless you are running your vita in Demo mode, your console will not spontaneously install/update firmware software. There are legal reasons for this. Installation of any new software on your device requires your consent, (EULA).

Essential Vita Plugins/Homebrew Applications:

0syscall6 lv0 secure_kernel syscall6 patch - can replace reF00d (SKGleba)

Adrenaline Software that converts the official Vita PSP emulator into a PSP 6.61 with custom firmware (TheFloW)

DolcePolce PSTV blacklist hack, replacing Antiblacklist and Whitelist (Silica)

Download Enabler Allows the user to download any content from the vita web browser (TheFloW)

ElevenMPV-A Vita music player that supports a wide variety of formats (GrapheneCt)

iTLS-Enso Adds TLS v1.2 to devices running Enso (SKGleba)

Modoru Vita firmware downgrader (TheFloW)

Modoru 2.1 Vita firmware downgrader, required for 3.71/3.72/3.73 users (SKGleba)

PSVShell Overclock application that supports per-app profiles; highly recommended (Electry)

reF00D Allows user to bypass firmware requirements on games and system applications (dots-tb)

rePatch Serves as a replacement for ux0:patch; can be used to load decrypted content on 3.60+; required for use of "compatibility packs" (dots-tb)

Save Manager For dumping and restoring decrypted save files (d3m3vilurr)

Shellbat A simple plugin that displays the battery percentage in LiveArea (nowrep)

Simple Account Switcher Allows the user to change/delete PSN accounts without a system restore (Silica)

Storage Manager A Kernel plugin that automatically mounts/redirects any storage device to any mount point; Popular plugin for mounting sd2vita (CelesteBlue)

VitaDeploy Tool that makes homebrewing the Vita/PSTV easier (SKGleba)

VitaGrafix Allows user to change resolution and FPS caps on vita games (Electry)

vita-udcd-uvc Stream your vita to a computer using USB (xerpi)

YAMT sd2vita/Remount tool for vita running Enso

Thank you to all of the users that will devote their time and effort to assist others with their questions and the ones that will actually ask them here.

Crossposted from https://lemmus.org/post/21627381

A Reddit user asked if it's possible, and sorting by best replies, all but the last say it isn't possible.

The last comment, besides confirming, also helpfully gives the name of the tool, UDCD-UVC. From my experience, it's pretty functional, and though image won't come higher than 720p (and iirc) 60hz, image quality is pretty decent.

Something worth noting, though: It turns the USB signal into a webcam signal, which is how image streaming is possible. But that means the USB stops working for anything else until you disable the plugin. But that also means you can leverage that to transmit the Vita to devices with webcam capabilities but no accessible OS, such as newer Xbox consoles.

Also, the plugin only transmits the image, not the audio, so you need a P2 P2 cable (both tips are male earphone plugs), and a way to take microphone audio and transmit to a speaker. No plugin needed for that, but on Windows finding the series of settings needed to bridge is a quest, I never tried on Linux so dunno how to do it there, and users of desktop computers without microphone female plug and notebook users may need an USB adapter for that.

Image example of the tools I mentioned:

• Both tips of a P2 P2 cable
• USB adapter

Crossposted from https://thebrainbin.org/m/auster_info_dumps/t/1338341

Another comment taking as base a question on Reddit.

OP had asked if you can swap SD2VITA for a cartridge to trophy-hunt, and also if you can also get trophies for games installed on the SD2VITA.

For both cases, yes.

Only cases I know that you can't is if the save was made by another account, or if you managed to get the console or account banned. And both topics I use as a hook to some kinda lengthy info that could be useful for others:

::: spoiler For saves made in another account, e.g. if you swapped accounts in the console and kept your old saves, or if someone gave his saves to you... Going by my notes as that one I seldom needed to deal with, you can try either synchronizing trophies with the PSN, or using Vita Save Manager.

2018~2019 me had taken note for using Vita Save Manager (calling it VSM for simplicity), but I'd suggest testing it with saves you don't care for first as it's been quite a while and Idk where my Vita is to test it myself.

Anyways, for the steps for VSM, make a manual backup of the saves in case something goes wrong, extract the saves from within VSM, delete all saves from ux0:user/00/savedata/ except the one related to the system mod, open each app but the system ones to create a new save tied to your account, inject the saves with VSM and check if the message about not being able to obtain trophies remains. Past me didn't write what to do if it's still there, so I guess you need to learn to live trophy-less for that game, or start from scratch. :::

::: spoiler As for the other trophy-limiting situation, getting banned... I know only 4 ways that someone could banned on the Vita, hacking trophies, using cheats online, being a d🦆ck online, or using the same account on a PS3 modded with HEN or CFW. Avoiding those, and it should be as safe as it is for hacking a console with third party services but whose provider of those services barely cared for the console for years now.

And if you got banned, best I can suggest is to beg to Sony's support, but if you do, you're on your own. :::

Crossposted from https://thebrainbin.org/m/auster_info_dumps/t/1336843

Saw someone on Reddit asking if he needed Autoplugin to overclock his Vita. Overclocking lowering the lifespan of any hardware aside, this reminded me, technically, you don't need Autoplugin for anything.

On the contrary, I'd recommend installing everything manually to understand what's going on, avoid potential issues and be able to troubleshoot more easily.

And using that as a topic hook, back when I tinkered a lot of the Vita, I'd test plugins new to me frequently. Most had tutorials for how to install and configure manually. And among those tests, I've noticed behaviors that required some safe procedures.

The very first of these procedures is knowing why you need a given plugin. I can't stress this enough. If you don't know why you need it, nor a tutorial for another tool/plugin explains why you need it, chances are you don't need. Generally everything on the Vita past modding the system is optional, and being polemic here, this includes plugins to circumvent DRM, since for example, PS Vita is a great ebook reader and emulation machine, no DRM involved.

Another safe procedure involves the presence of configuration files, where save for a single case where I've seen the plugins loading only from the SD2VITA, the config files should be erased from ux0:tai/ and (if the uma0 partition exists) uma0:tai/, and you should use only ur0:tai/config.txt. That because SD2VITA can make HENkaku not know where to load from as uma0: is for a brief moment during startup ux0:, before the SD card takes its place.

Another thing, HENkaku loads plugins from the config's lines incrementally, so if it finds any plugins on lines 2, 4 and 37, it'll load in that order, always from the first line to the last. So if a plugin depends on another to work, its dependency should come first.

Still on plugin order in the config order, from some notes I made years back from tests, sparse forum results and interpreting on them, and if all of those are to be used together (again, all optional depending on your use):

• SD2VITA's plugin you chose should come first since it changes partition paths
• NoNpDRM should come after reFOOD or equivalents since apparently NoNpDRM doesn't act in a game if the game isn't loaded onto the memory, and it isn't loaded onto the memory if the system is on a version lower than the game requires to run.
• ReFOOD/0syscall (choose one) and RePatch should come after NoNpDRM since they're some of the plugins that need the game to be loaded onto memory first. Unsure if among the two, they have a needed order.
• Adrenaline's plugin should come last by official instruction.
• Order of other plugins shouldn't matter, or at least I didn't find any other that depends on a specific order.

Edit: this list at the end, checked again my notes and I had them a bit inversed. Now should be fixed.

Haven't played yet but seems like an amazing port, we really are in the golden age of vita homebrew for some reason

Abyss is a pretty cool Third Person Shooter roguelike developed for the ps vita by Balders. I have been playing a bit, reached depth 24 already. Its a bit simplistic at first but when you get some sidearms it gets interesting and the aesthethic is amazing.

Not Mastodon's boosting. 😬

Communities stay healthy as there's interaction, and as I remembered this community exists (thank Reddit's RSS) was checking and the last post was mine back in late 2023.

I'll keep an eye for Vita news to share here, but could something else be done to try to give traction to the community? Maybe link it elsewhere, call others to post here, etc.?

Also, if that's not viable, given the near complete compatibility to the PSP's functions, maybe it could be expanded to something like "Sony handhelds"? Maybe minus PocketStation and the discount-WiiU controller for the PS5. Or even including those, dunno how relevant they are or how much they'd stray the community.

The game on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1335530/Alisa/

Since it seems that the Ren'Py PSVita Distribution Tool (GitHub link) lacks of documentation, I think it's worth sharing what I found and had to figure out, specially for non-PS Vita devs like me. It's not meant to be a tutorial, but if people find it useful as such, great! Also, I may edit the post later on as I test it more.

1 - The process seems to work better by using both Linux and Windows 10. I used Linux Mint host machine with Win10 virtual machine, but I'd imagine the opposite (Win10 host and Linux VM) would work too, or even Win10 plus Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). And I can't seem to get the Ren'Py tool to run on Wine any longer, and I can't get it to work on Win7 either.

2 - The Vita can be a prick when it comes to file properties, and Linux/WSL seems to be ideal for properly setting the LiveArea images, from what I understand of both Windows and Linux. I followed the steps at this older post from here on vitahacks, with the only issues I noticed being all images losing all colors and thus turning black and white, and the background image getting pixelated after installing the game on the Vita (still figuring out paramenters). But despite those issues, at least this way, people who try to install the game won't get an error "0x8010113D" at 99%.

3 - for running the porting tool on Win10, you need .NET 5.0.x Desktop Runtime. "5.0.x" because I used 5.0.0 last year and 5.0.17 this week, and both seemed to work. Also, Microsoft's download page for the runtime. No reboot needed, at least for 5.0.17, but maybe worth doing anyways, just to make sure everything is loaded properly.

4 - For the tool to be able to find the projects, from what I observed, the folder structure needs to be more specific than what is said in the GitHub page:

Ren'Py PSVita Distribution Tool/

└── Assets/

└── vita-mksfoex.exe

└── Ren'Py PSVita Distribution Tool.exe

└── pngquant.exe

└── game-you-want-to-port/

  └── game/
  └── sce_sys/
  └── all other game file and folders

4.1 - The sce_sys folder is where the images from point 2 go, and you can compare it to the same folder inside the VPK for DDLC (GitHub link) to know if you did the file structure right (VPKs are just fancy ZIP files, and they may be extracted with tools such as unar and 7-Zip).

4.2 - I don't know if it's needed and I may try without it later, but I also copied the files from the Assets/ folder into the game's folder.

4.3 - Apparently, according to the DDLC page above, you can add data files later, but I still need to test how that works.

5 - Within the program, the list of valid projects it could detect will appear on the left. Click on the one you want. Then, fill the fields on the bottom right. Name doesn't seem to be too limited. ID and and update version are. ID must be 4 letters followed by 5 numbers, no two ways around (e.g. RNPY12345). Also be mindful to not use an ID already officially used or from another homebrew people would be likely to use. It seems update can be any combination of 2 numbers, one dot, and 2 more numbers (e.g. 01.19), but for the sake of identification, maybe it'd be good to have incremental numbers for each new update (e.g. first update is 01.00, and the second is 01.01). Then hit the bottom right button, the big one that mentions VPK (the program may hang for a second, so just wait).

5.1 - After done, the VPK will be in:

Ren'Py PSVita Distribution Tool/

└── dist/

└── project-name/

6 - (Optional) Before installing the VPK, install the NoSleep plugin so that you can turn the screen off without putting the Vita in sleep mode, and thus not affecting processes that need the Vita to be "awake" to work. Helps preserving the Vita screen longer, considering installing can take quite a while.

7 - About installing, it works just like you'd install any VPKs. Just beware the more small files there are in the VPK, the longer it takes for it to install, and most small files seem to be picked after the VPK is about 80~90% done, so it may take quite a while for the process to finish.

8 - Some games may be laggy (the Vita has 512 MB of RAM while some Ren'Py games can be very laggy even in their native systems with far more RAM), and also given the resolution in the Vita is not that big, if your game is lagging, you may want to get the original project, compress the assets, recompile the game for its native system and do the process of porting to the Vita again.

Hopefully, those observations can be helpful!

Mines completely broken after messing with iTLS-ENSO, and force closes immediately opening it up. I've tried to use the uninstaller within the iTLS-ENSO vpk but it still crashes the browser.

I'm using HEncore with the stripped version of Bitter Smile injection and that suddenly stopped working and I can't hack the Vita without a working browser.

If anyone can offer help, it world be greatly appreciated!

Two years ago, the KyuHEN homebrew contest brought new life to the Vita console. That contest brought us gems for the Vita with of ports, utilities, and original games such as Command and Conquer,...

yo, welcome everyone to c/[email protected] here at lemmy.world - lemmitors, kbins... fedinauts? whatever the term is anyway, since reddit decided to make changes literally no one wants, I thought the community would definitely benefit from having something like this whether it actually becomes popular or not. I don't really have experience nor feel responsible enough to be a moderator of any community (let alone the leader guy), but time passed no one did it, so I guess I must be the one to at least create it (which did involve copypasting stuff, I hope no one has anything against this).

you might be wondering - why plus? well, first thing is that this is not an official /r/vitahacks spinoff, I don't want people to get confused that it is, second is the above and in case the official subreddit decides to make their community at this instance I don't want to take the name. also vitahacksplus sounds cool as heck.

so, Homebrew news, questions about errors, other vita related cool stuff - bring them in! (but pls dont break the rules🙏)

So early and there's already a roadblock As you might know, this c/ lies on the biggest Lemmy instance, which I assumed would make it visible on most of the others. I've been trying to search this community up on other instances and to no result Now while it was an issue with every Lemmy instance I tried (weird), trying to look it up on Kbin ones actually makes it appear on there after a bit.

Just one little issue - if you look up posts before you look up the community, the posts are assigned to /m/random and stay there even when the community appears later (or at least for how long I've looked). I actually did it on the biggest kbin instance and now to access the question thread for example they people there need to go to it on lemmy.world and copy paste the url into the seach bar.

Unless this will resolve itself with time, my options are remaking the posts and going through a lot of popular kbin instance hoping that will tell other lemmies to also start showing it (viable while no one else has posted in the thread), migrating to kbin where I assume that's not a huge issue for y'all since I've barely started this (but you guys would need to move manually... pains of being an early adopter

or maybe let's give up on question threads for now until this all works