Hacking debating 3.68 vita hencore, need opinions please

[WOOO1234]

so I recently bought a vita slim and somehow it had 3.68. before I decide to go thru the return process I wanted peoples opinions and knowledge. I have a few questions

1. Is it worth hacking 3.68 n have hencore? ( I know I wont have enso)

2. is it hard/pain to enable hencore everytime?

3. if I install hencore will I have to install all emulators and games/ setup file directories?

4. how would an sd2vita work?

5. I heard its hencore is better on 3.68 because its the latest fw so you are up to date when it comes to games, is this true and do some people prefer 3.68 or 3.65 enso?

6. how would a psn account work? say I install hencore and set everything up, use my main psn account and install a game, when I shut it off and turn it back on, would my psn account be banned because I downloaded a game?

7. say I play with hencore installed then next time I use my vita, can I just play normally and not worry?

8. how would psp emulator work for example if I install hencore set everything up and play a psp game and the shut it down after im done. Then id have to reinstall everything including game directories, sd2vita, psp emuator, n hencore?

Thank for any answers and opinions.

 

[RikuNoctis]

1. It depends on what are you going to do with it. Simply put, "hacking it" only makes you able to do some other things with it, and not having Enso isn't really an issue as almost everything works, with only old/outdated/useless plugins not working. I guess I don't even need to mention what you can do with the exploit.

2. Literally, you only need to open a bubble and press 3 buttons. Takes around 5 seconds.

3. Obviously. You copy the content (Vita games, emulators, etc.) to your Vita. Different plugins/apps let you play that content. Also, the Vita's common functionality still works, so you can install games from your account like you normally would via the Store bubble. You can also use QCMA, so your backups still work. Like I said on point 1, you are able to do some other things with your Vita.

4. It depends. If you want SD2Vita for Vita games, its recommended you use the Storagemgr plugin to mount it as your ux0: partition. Vita games need to be on ux0:, so it's recommended that you use your big SD card for that and pretty much forget about storage. You can also use this partition to create a folder for your ROMs, emulators, ISOs, etc. Those don't require to be on ux0:, so they can pretty much be anywhere you like; obviously, putting them on your SD card is better. On the other hand, if you are not interested on Vita games and only want emulators and the like, there's no need to mount your SD card as ux0: as you would only be using said location as storage, and like I said, roms can be placed anywhere, so they would work either way.

Once you decide what you want to do with your Vita, you'll see what you need. Most people use the SD2Vita as ux0: even if they won't have that many Vita games. Let's just say that this is the "default" way of using it.

5. Not really. People prefer Enso because lolColdboot, but besides that there's really not a big difference. 3.65 has the compatibility packs now so you can play those games that require a higher firmware as long as someone makes the packs for each version and shares them (which is happening). 3.68 obviously makes the packs useless as you are already on the latest firmware, at least for now.

6. You downloading a game won't get you banned, though. They have no way of knowing that, period. No, the download is not detected by them if you use NPS Browser or any of the current methods to download any of the PKGs (plugins, manual download, etc.) Simply put, they can't detect any download from you because you can even download anything from the store from your browser. Making it work on your Vita is another thing, and for that you have the plugins, the exploit, and a lot of tools to help you with that.

Do note though, that the risk is always there, Sony hasn't done a thing about it since 2 years ago, more or less. Why? Nobody knows. They may not care. Or they might. Like I said, who knows.

What some people do to have a bit of mental peace is to not play any digital-only game. As you can sync your trophies when you get online, some people simply download/play physical games only, even from other regions, to avoid a potential future ban for playing a game that it's digital-only in their region and that they don't have on their account. And because the Vita is a system where you can only have one account at a time legitimately, having those kinds of games it's a clear red flag on your account.

Once again, Sony hasn't taken action about this since some years ago. In the end, you decide if you want to take the risk. Or you can just use a dummy account that you wouldn't mind to lose. Of course, you won't be able to use your save nor obtain trophies on your "main" account as you would be using a dummy one.

7. Yes. Like I said in a previous point, your Vita still works normally. It can connect to the Store, buy/download/search things, upload/download saves, etc. HENkaku does some other things and a lot of people have been doing it since a couple of years.

8. No. I don't know where you got that from, but no. You would use an app called Adrenaline, which is basically a Vita bubble that, when you open it, turns your Vita into a PSP, with the whole XMB UI and everything else. You can even use most plugins from the PSP era, and yes, you can run EBOOTs, ISOs and even UMD Movies just like in the old times with your PSP. Once done, you close the bubble and return to your Vita Livearea. Cool, right?


Hope it helps.

 

[WOOO1234]

so quick question how do you recommend setting everything up? install hencore, and then set up configs, then setup my sd2vita card? I want to have digital games on my sdcard to play on vita example borderlands2. (questions is if I play bl2 shut down, boot up, do I just install hencore and keep playing?) thanks again for your detailed reply

 

[RikuNoctis]

so quick question how do you recommend setting everything up? install hencore, and then set up configs, then setup my sd2vita card? I want to have digital games on my sdcard to play on vita example borderlands2. (questions is if I play bl2 shut down, boot up, do I just install hencore and keep playing?) thanks again for your detailed reply

Follow this guide: https://vita.hacks.guide/

Read everything first and try to understand it before doing it.


I'd recommend to setup your Vita first. How? Just like you normally would legitimately. Sign into your account, install QCMA (note: QCMA, not Sony's CMA which is annoying and useless), and make a folder on your PC for the Vita backups that QCMA will use (you will need it initially to complete the "hack"). If you are using a Vita 1000 (the OLED Vitas) then you will also need a Vita memory card. If you are using a Vita 2000 (slim Vitas) then you don't need a Vita memory card.

 

[WOOO1234]

so I guess ill try it. whats the backups for? vita or game backups? also changing stuff to work for hencore wont effect stuff, or like u said nothing should get effect and should work normal?

 

[RikuNoctis]

so I guess ill try it. whats the backups for? vita or game backups? also changing stuff to work for hencore wont effect stuff, or like u said nothing should get effect and should work normal?

You don't need to make a backup, really. You will be transfering some things (the exploit files, that is) to your Vita using QCMA.

Yes, QCMA is an application for your PC that makes backups of your games, apps and the like from your Vita. It's the program used to transfer things, like music and photos, to your Vita from your PC, too. You need it initially because the exploit requires certain things from it, so you should setup it up first, learn how to use it, etc. The exploit needs that QCMA makes the folders on your PC; the tutorial will ask you the name of a certain folder created by QCMA at some point, so obviously you need to have QCMA installed and working already. This is trivial because QCMA "should" be installed to manage the various things on your Vita.

Your owned/bought games, be it digital or physical, your apps downloaded from the PS Store, the files on your Vita like music and photos, etc., work normally with HENkaku. Like I said, your Vita will be doing some other things, so you don't lose any functionality from your Vita.

 

[WOOO1234]

if I give this a shot does it harm the vita? can I factory reset it and its like new? also if I get stuck would you help lol?

 

[WeedZ]

so quick question how do you recommend setting everything up? install hencore, and then set up configs, then setup my sd2vita card? I want to have digital games on my sdcard to play on vita example borderlands2. (questions is if I play bl2 shut down, boot up, do I just install hencore and keep playing?) thanks again for your detailed reply

If you reboot you don't lose anything. Everything you installed, games, adrenaline, sd2vita, etc. Are still there. They just wont launch until you run hencore again. So if you install bl2 and play for an hour then reboot, when you go to launch bl2 it will say "software corrupt". Launch hencore again and it will run again, with your save data intact.

 

[WOOO1234]

Thanks that helped. And it doesn't ban you for running bl2 when hencore isn't installed? Just to make sure everything stays installed just have to run hencore for it to work?

 

[WeedZ]

Thanks that helped. And it doesn't ban you for running bl2 when hencore isn't installed? Just to make sure everything stays installed just have to run hencore for it to work?

It won't even run if hencore isn't enabled. So for me, when I turn on my vita none of my plugins like sd2vita are enabled. All my pirated games and stuff are in the live area but won't launch. When I run encore it enables my plugins, switches to SD and all my games and stuff work. You'll see, its actually a nice setup.

 

[yeshuachrist]

if I give this a shot does it harm the vita? can I factory reset it and its like new? also if I get stuck would you help lol?

You need to be able to run Windows 64 bit for "QCMA",(32bit versions never worked for me any many others same for PSVIMGTOOLS) you can use the official sony context manager on 32 bit windows until sony updates the firmware past 3.68 ........................ you need to return the vita if you can't figure out a hacking solution for H-ENCORE before your RETURN expires, thats about 1 to 2 weeks from the store bought receipt.

 

[WOOO1234]

so get QCMA 64bit for windows? im thinking that I should just bite the bullet and keep it and install hencore. only concern is the thought of my vita not being BRAND NEW NEVER OPENED. it look brand new and had original packaging.

 

[RikuNoctis]

so get QCMA 64bit for windows? im thinking that I should just bite the bullet and keep it and install hencore. only concern is the thought of my vita not being BRAND NEW NEVER OPENED. it look brand new and had original packaging.

Yeah, get QCMA and got it working first. It will install everything you need for it to work, like the Vita drivers.

If you already had Sony's CMA installed you would need to uninstall it along with the Vita drivers it came with. It can cause some issues, and you can't just install QCMA and it's drivers over it hoping to avoid them. On the other hand, if you don't have anything installed, you can ignore this point.

 

[WOOO1234]

k sounds good I think im going to just keep the vita and install hencore. quick question in your opinion if someone sold you a "BRAND NEW VITA" and it was open and updated would you think its been messed with? and would you keep it?

 

[RikuNoctis]

k sounds good I think im going to just keep the vita and install hencore. quick question in your opinion if someone sold you a "BRAND NEW VITA" and it was open and updated would you think its been messed with? and would you keep it?

Well, taking into account that everywhere except Japan the Vita has mostly ceased production, I don't find it that hard to believe that the Vita is new but it was opened at some point.

I can't tell you much besides that. Sure, there are places where you may still find brand new Vitas (almost any JP store, for example), but that would depend on where you are and if you have access to such stores.

IMO, I would only check if the Vita works correctly (USB/power cord, buttons, wifi/3G, game and memory cards). The screen is an obvious detail too. If it's an OLED you can more or less notice if the Vita has seen some serious use as the OLEDs tend to show it (you can google some pics about OLED screens and see what I mean).

Lastly, depending on where they got the Vita, it may come updated already, so this is hard to find out as different regions and different versions come with different firmwares.

 

[WOOO1234]

thanks I appreciate it. curious if anyone else has more knowledge about the topic

also quick question after I install hencore and boot down for the first time, what step or where do I start he process again? (like the easiest way to get everything working again?)

 

[Ryccardo]

thanks I appreciate it. curious if anyone else has more knowledge about the topic

also quick question after I install hencore and boot down for the first time, what step or where do I start he process again? (like the easiest way to get everything working again?)

Open hencore and select the 2nd option (the first after exit)

 

[WOOO1234]

do I have to connect to pc? or just vita solo

 

[WOOO1234]

do you have a link to qcma? also should I still setup dns settings just by chance a new update comes out? also do I have to connect vita to my psn account and set up vita/ make sure everything works?

 

[godreborn]

I don't think it will say that the software is corrupt if you try launching a game without hencore. it will most likely give an error that starts with a six and is only four or five numbers long, so it's not a C- error that's common iirc.