Gaming PSP Newbie.

[Deleted User]

There will be a lack of bashing in this thread, I'm a GBATemp "Lurker". I generally read guides on GBA temp and do a bit of research before posting anything.
A few months back during the summer I purchased a DSi, I was, like many under the impression that nintendo would release games like Golden Sun through the nintendo-store.

http://web.archive.org/web/20080705152433/...net/?page_id=20 (Yes, this is my first FAVORITE on my new W7x64 Windows Home Premium : )
(Man upgrading from 32-bit vista home x32 to x64 W7 was annoying T.T)

However, despite my purchase of an AceKard2i I soon grew tired of the DS's limited range of games and emulation. For example, there was no way I was going to pay $40 for an iplayer soley so I could emulate GBA games. Thus, I started looking around at the PSP homebrew scene and realized just how hackable PSP 1000's are in comparison to the DSi. Needless to say I ventured over to my local gamestop and traded my DSi in towards a PSP-1000-Phat and bought a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo.

I'm a poor college student at the moment; I'd like to inquire as to the best, cheapest place would be to buy:
A) Pandora Battery, (I don't want to attempt modding one)
B) 4GB Memory-Stick-Apparatus. (Whether it would be worth it to use some combination of Micro-SD/Adapters Etc)

Currently, I'm running OFW 6.10 w/ a 2GB stick w/ my 2 games
1) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
2) Final Fantasy VII

What's the most cost-effective memory use with the PSP?
I don't think it's to use the [Memory Stick Pro Duo(s)] > or so I've been lead to believe.
(and what type of memory card reader/adapter) would I need?
I have a kingston micro USB reader I was using...

At the moment I've looked around and it looks like:
Pandora Battery $15 http://www.pandorasales.com
4GB Memory Stick --> (MMS) $15 as well.

I'm not asking for any help with setting up firmware at the moment.
There are plenty of guides over the internet. I can follow directions.

 

[asdf]

Go to www.dealextreme.com

They have cheap Pandora Batteries and cheap Memory Sticks. But they take forever.

Also, 400 posts.

 

[BoxShot]

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-SDMSPD-4096-...4102&sr=8-3 About $17 or so not bad really. I included shipping.

 

[Tikker]

you can get a pandora at dealextreme.com for 10 bucks or less


I'd also recommend buy 2x 8gb or 16gb microSD, and a photofast 5400 from deal extreme as well

 

[Deleted User]

Edit: I see the 5400. Gotcha, I see what you mean.
That would function as a Pro-Duo Card w/ 2 memory slots
for the cheaper Micro-SD Cards. Definitely worth it

I would have to MMS both cards?

 

[BoxShot]

When you use the photofast and lets say 2x 2gb msds. You need to format it via the psp and it recognizes it as a normal memory stick. So no you just make the mms with the photofast like as if it was a real memory stick.

 

[Deleted User]

Gotcha. So the adapter just functions as a normal memory stick with the cumulative data of the micro-SD cards (-)(...like 14.9/16gb card etc)

 

[grindbart]

i think its recommend to use a REAL ms pro duo for making a mms

 

[Deleted User]

Alrighty then, I'm just going to do 2x4GB Micro-SD's b/c I don't get through games that fast

Everything's totaled up to $27.94 so I'm pretty satisfied.

 

[Tikker]

Alrighty then, I'm just going to do 2x4GB Micro-SD's b/c I don't get through games that fast

Everything's totaled up to $27.94 so I'm pretty satisfied.

you'll find you use the psp for more than just games. it's a pretty decent music and video player. some of the homebrew is really awesome

another thing to look for on ebay, is a locationfree player

you can find them for 30 bucks, and it's basically a slingbox, but for your psp (you can get a client for PC too which is handy)

i watch a ton of TV on my psp, i have to admit, and it's a really nice, and overlooked option

also, as stated above, you'll need a real mem stick pro duo to make a magic memstick for pandora'ing your psp

but, you can buy the cheapest 1gb one you can find, and just leave it as a MMS, and use the photofast as your real memstick

 

[Deleted User]

So the Sony "MagicGate" cards are the only cards capable of becoming MMS's? Good to know. I don't feel so bad about buying the 2GB one at the gamestop now. Nice, things have a way of working out for me these days. it's a Sony, Memory Stick Pro Duo 2GB. My laptop charger died tonight, I'm on my mothers mac-pro =/ Luckily, not everything will arrive instantly ^^. I ordered off Amazon though, so everything shouldn't take all that long to arrive.

Just so we're clear, I USB'd up my PSP to the PC with the USB/Adapter cord and copied the "Game" and "License" folders to my desktop. I read somewhere else on this forum that those are the two folder/files that you need to save for safe-keeping if you want to keep your PSN bought games. Am I correct with this assumption?

So, once I boot up the MMS, Wait, Bleh. What reads Memory Stick Pro Duo(s)? Would I need an adapter or could I just put the necessary files on the Memory-Stick Pro Duo 2GB while it's in the PSP. (USB/Connection) then Format the card add the necessary folders?

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to using it as a multimedia player. Is there any specific homebrew that I should be aware of that bypasses the MPEG-4 file video file restrictions, I'll do some looking. brb. (edit).

 

[BoxShot]

You format the card via Rain's MMS Maker (at least that is the one I used) while the is connected to the computer via usb.

You are correct to keep the game and license folders. That is how you keep psn games.

 

[Spawk]

I would be cautios about where you buy a pandora battery, I bought one and it just stopped working! Luckily for me, a program called Hellcats recovery flasher allowed me to turn the battery that came with my PHAT into a pandora and then back to normal afterwords.

 

[wyndcrosser]

When you get to your pandora battery, and you go CFW instead of OFW. Go to 5.50 GEN B2. Stick with that. It uses all the plugins and homebrew the M33 CFW does, etc. 5.50GEN D2, is still having issues with newer games.

B2 = you have to manually rip your eboot.bin from a game and decrypt it and then place it back in (REAL EASY)
D2 = it does it for you, but not all games work well and cause you more grief.

Hopefully this helps, btw i see you play PSONE games, 5.50GEN B2 with popsloader plugin lets you play any PSONE game (ALMOST) and it's really easy.

Wynd

 

[Deleted User]

Thanks Wynd, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Ordering from Amazon has been a bit of a pain in the butt. Luckily, I've received my Micro-SD cards (4x 4GB Cards) (I should be receiving two of the CR-5400 Dual-Slot Cards though). I'm still waiting for my pandora battery(s) (The Amazon merchants have been bad about sending receipts...) I'm looking to play games for content and gameplay, which is why I prefer the PSP with all its homebrew capabilities.

As far as emulation goes, I'm definitely going to install the GBASP emulator so I can play the Golden Sun games over again, and then possibly the NES or SNES emulators. (Chrono Trigger). I'm running a PSP-1001, so I'm just awaiting the Pandora battery so I can reset into CFW. Currently, I'd like some opinions on games to start researching. So far I have FFVII and Castlevania SOTN (some help finding a 10/10 guide for this would be great) (since I have trouble mapping my progress out).

Games:
Crisis Core FFVII
Jeanne D'Arc
Castlevania (series)
Jeanne D'Arc
Star Ocean First/Second
Tekken
Dissidia

These games appeal to me, I'm a busy student so I don't really need all that many games to play--I just like choice. I'd like some extra RPG websites to browse through!
http://www.gamefaqs.com etc. Thanks in advance for the suggestions, I'll keep coming back to this thread.

 

[xist]

GEN B uses MOST of the things 5.00 M33-6, not all. Ultimately it makes little difference where you go between 5.00M33-6 and 5.50GEN B2....if you don't like reflashing stop at M33-6 if you don't care go to GENB2 if you feel you need a newer firmware. The M33 Updates don't do a total reflash so you'll only need to do the full flash once with Rain's GUI if you want to minimise re-writes.

 

[Deleted User]

When you get to your pandora battery, and you go CFW instead of OFW. Go to 5.50 GEN B2. Stick with that. It uses all the plugins and homebrew the M33 CFW does, etc. 5.50GEN D2, is still having issues with newer games.

B2 = you have to manually rip your eboot.bin from a game and decrypt it and then place it back in (REAL EASY)
D2 = it does it for you, but not all games work well and cause you more grief.

Hopefully this helps, btw i see you play PSONE games, 5.50GEN B2 with popsloader plugin lets you play any PSONE game (ALMOST) and it's really easy.

Wynd

I'll go for 5.50 Generation B2 then. My pandora battery(s) should be coming within the next few weeks. Oh the price we pay for cheap shipping

On that note is it possible to turn a pandora battery back into a normal battery after installing CFW? That would be good, since I just shorted my original
battery with my impatience, and yeah I'm sure it can't be used

 

[BoxShot]

I don't think you can with the pandora from dx.
Heh happy buying a new battery for the psp phat.

 

[Deleted User]

It happens, I'll figure something out. It was quite a frantic scene though I'm sure you would have been amused at me looking every-which way to see where the metallic smell was coming from. Luckily water is in good supply.

 

[Deleted User]

Isn't there a program that's capable of turning a pandora battery back to a regular battery? I just wanted to check before buying one of the cheap crappy batteries to avoid being tethered to the charger (and if anyone knows a good site to buy a Decent battery, let me know).