Gaming A few PSP questions

[enigmaindex]

Okay i have a few questions about the PSP. Now before you shoot me my internet is really unstable at the moment it keeps cutting out and i am forever having to reboot my router. So i am unable to use the search function or browse through threads for the answer i seek. So forgive me if i ask questions you guys already have answered a thousand times.

Anyways, i have been reading about the PSP scene for a while now becasue i have been getting bored with my DS lately and after hearing about all the homebrew, being able to play ISOs and not neeeding a modchip i decided to get one. So i bought a PSP (phat) two days ago, and i also ordered a Pandora's battery, 8 gig stick and a 1gig stick (my magic stick). So after i had got everything i went to work and started to install CFW.

My PSP was at firmware version 2.00 so i used the TIFF exploit to downgrade it to 1.50 instead of using the pandoras battery i bought. I successfully downgraded it first go, i was really happy about that. Then i used the guide found here in the PSP section of GBAtemp to install CFW. I also did that successfully and did i first time with the pandora's battery and upgraded all they way to the latest firmware 3.90 M33-2. I was really happy about this because its the first time i have ever touched a PSP pretty much.

And i have been playing games all day, i also took the day off school today to play it (lol).

But now i want to take my PSP further and use homebrew and sorts of things like that. I now the basics of homebrew and what it is after using the DS's homebrew alot. But i have a few questions.

Sp bear with me.

1.) Okay so i have been playing a few games and they all worked except for two. These games were 'Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops' and 'Killzone Liberation' i think thats what its called. Both games boot fine but with MGSPO i get to the menu and i hit new game option, but it takes me back to the screen where it says "Press Start" (before the main menu) and this happens whenever i press any of the options on the main menu. And Killzone freezes at "Sony Presents" or something like that. Is there a patch or something to get these game working or a special setting somewhere i have to activate or is it a bad dump?

2.) I also know about the recovery mode, where you hold the right trigger and it brings up that menu when you turn on your PSP. And there you can change the CPU speed when playing ISO's or UMDs. Is it alright to have it set to the maximum "333" for only playing games or can this cause the PSP to overheat or what. Is it safe?

3.) I want to get into the PSP homebrew, as i have read it is better than the DS's with all the emulators and stuff. Now i have read about the 1.50 add-on. I have installed the first revision of it from dark-alex's site. Is this all that is needed to play homebrew. So all i have to do now is put the homebrew on the psp and thats it? I also saw that there was a new revision of the 1.50 addon i tried to install that but it deosnt work as there is a fix for people who have 8gig sticks, but anyway it says "this is for 3.90m33" or something but i am running 3.90m33-2 what am i doing wrong.

4.) Is there a site like GBAtemp except for PSP where they show the latest releases that are dumped and allow you to download homebrew and maybe also a forum where i can ask for help.

5.) I know there are two formats that games are released as. Being .iso and .cso. I understand that .cso is a compressed version of .iso. But are there any disadvantages running .cso agasint .iso as the majority of games i downoaded came as .cso. Is the compatibility decreased or what?

6.) What video formats can a PSP with the CFW on it play? I heard it can play .avi? Does it need homebrew to play videos?

7.) Is it safe to play online with my CFW PSP or can Sony detect teh firmware im using and brick my PSP or what.

Remember the first time i touched a PSP was two days ago so please dont use techincal 'jargon' i am a n00b when it comes to the scene.


I think they are all the questions i have. If i have anymore i'll comeback. So any help is appreciated or even poitning me to a site will do aswell. Thanks.

EDIT: My PSP details to help answering your questions if need be.

Black PHAT PSP
3.90 M33-2 firmware
1.50 version 1 addon
8gig SONY memory stick pro duo
official sony battery
datel tool battery (i have both the psp phat and slim versions)

lol took me 8 attemps of refreshing and rebooting teh router to post this.

 

[delta123]

1) If your game freezes you might want to change the UMD mode in the VHS menu or the recovery menu. Sony`s iso emu is good, but try others.

2) yes it is safe, and you can always change it later if you feel like you need to

3) you have to make sure you put the addon in the right directory so psp/game and also set the hombrew folder to 3.90 not 1.50 in the recovery menu

4) i have no clue

5) CSO is just an ISO compressed. all it does is shrink the iso to a smaller size without removing anything. but if you find that games do act a bit funny then you can decompress the CSO back to ISO. i found out that DJmax portable 2 worked better for me after changing back to ISO from CSO. but all my games are CSO and i have no problems.

6) MP4 and AVI are playable. AVI is only playable if the aspect ratio is the same as the psp`s askect ratio, from what i hear. i always convert to mp4 when watching videos on my psp.

7) Yes it is safe. Sony with the new 3.90m33 what you will find is that the network updates go to dark-alex`s server not sony`s.

 

[test84]

Domo Arigato Delta-san, I learned alot from your answers.

 

[TheNeck]

4.) Is there a site like GBAtemp except for PSP where they show the latest releases that are dumped and allow you to download homebrew and maybe also a forum where i can ask for help.

For psp releases I use Advanscene, for homebrew and forums in regards to the psp scene I go to these websites, PSP Updates & PSP Hacks.

 

[Gagarin]

1. Probably you have wrong ISO, so instead of X press O. Should work

 

[enigmaindex]

@delta123
I thank you for your answers they did help me out.

@TheNeck
Thanks for those sites. That's what im looking for.

@Gagarin
Yeah i realized that for MGSO. What do you mean by wrong ISO? The ISO i have is from the wrong region or what?

 

[TLSpartan]

Metal Gear games use circle to go forwards.

As for compression the only games I hear that have problems are both Grand Theft Autos(lag)