iR Shell v4.9 Released

Forget the XMB and just have iR Shell auto start straight from the get-go… AhMan’s iR Shell is a feature rich shell replacement that does everything: multi-task between a UMD, homebrew, ISO, and any of the integrated iR Shell functions, enjoy TV out via RemoteJoy, Net/USBHostFS support for PC<->PSP connectivity, control other infrared (Phat only) electronics, listen to your own tunes while in-game, and the list goes on and on… It’s no doubt the #1 shell with a bullet.
PSP iR Shell Screenshot

iR Shell v4.9 changes:

* Support PlayStation Network: download games & demos.
* Interlaced TV support has been added for PSP Slim. Games & homebrews launched via iR Shell will inherit the iR Shell TV mode. Most games will run at full speed with default CPU clock.
* For Slim PSP TV out, added an option to control the audio output to PSP speaker. This will be useful for docking station with TV out & charging capabilities.
* Added an option to disable Memory Stick MagicGate support. This is meant to be used for PhotoFast microSD to MSPD adapter, or other similar non-MagicGate MS. By disabling the MagicGate support, you will no longer experience the annoying pause in XMB, such as turning on the PSP, switching off USB mode from XMB, quitting game/homebrew back to XMB, entering XMB video directory, etc.
* Added connection timeout support for NetHostFS.
* For IR learning remote, added the ability to abort the learning process without waiting for timeout.
* Support user provided font files.
* Plus various bug fixes.

See “Release_Note.txt” for complete details.

Download:
iR Shell v4.9 (Full)
iR Shell Skin Pack
USBHostFS / NetHostFS (for Windows/Linux/Mac…)

ISO Read Log: Measure Access Time for Reading ISOs/UMDs

Interested to see how much faster custom firmware 5.00 M33-6 really is? Here’s a straightforward plug-in from Dark_AleX to measure read times from both the UMD and memory stick.

Install isoreadlog.prx like you would any other plug-in, load a UMD or ISO, and whenever you want the logging to finish, press L+R and the output will be written to “drivers.txt” on your memory stick.

Download: ISO Read Log

PSP Filer v5.8 Released

Here’s more of the homebrew you love — Mediumgauge’s PSP Filer version 5.8. PSP Filer is a multi-purpose homebrew app featuring a set of integrated tools for handling common tasks — ripping UMDs, organizing or moving files around your memory stick, flash0 and flash1, extracting RAR archives, playback WAV files, view pictures and text files, etc… It basically breaks down to a fully functional file manager for your PSP.
PSP Filer Screenshot

PSP Filer v5.8 changes:

general:

* added Swedish mode.
* added a feature to ignore analog pad.

filer:

* added a feature to extract all files in an archive file.
* fixed a bug that files in RAR archive which had a broken file name (e.g. ‘?’) could not be extracted correctly. (Those “unusable” characters will be replaced into ‘_’).
* fixed a bug that memory leak was occurred after failing to extract archive files into RAMDISK.
* fixed a bug to have shown wrong count of files after copying.

Download: PSP Filer v5.8

PSXChecker v1.0 Released: Diagnostic Tools for your PSP

Contrary to the name, PSXChecker is not what you may think… It’s in no way used for PSX/PSOne-emulated games. Xager’s PSXChecker is actually a homebrew app for testing and diagnosing certain system routines of your handheld — make sure the buttons are in working order, test the left and right audio channels, and look for, even maybe repairing, stuck pixels.



TODO:

* Graphical menu, not likely but still possible.
* Change sound to “left channel, right channel”
* More tests?
* Possibility to test a second joystick?
* Eastereggs?
* Fullscreen TV-out, will look into it for 1.1

Download: PSXChecker v1.0

Hold+ v3.6 Released

Torch has a new version of his battery saver plug-in available — Hold+ v3.6. Aside from the already known features below, version 3.6 enables the 5th brightness level on the PSP Slim, and increases the music player’s scrolling speed; it’s said to scroll 300 songs in 10 seconds.

Hold+ v3.6 features:

* Switches off the LCD screen and back light.
* Under clocks the CPU to 60MHz.
* The original screen brightness and clock speed are restored when the Hold switch is released.
* Prevents the PSP from going into suspend mode if you accidently push the power switch too far when turning off Hold mode.
* Allows complete operation of the PSP controls with the display turned off.
* Turns off LEDs in hold mode. LEDs are flashed once in 30 seconds so that the PSP is not mistaken to be powered off.
* While in hold mode, allows the use of Left, Right, LTrigger, RTrigger, Volume and Start buttons, if you hold the Select button first. Useful to skip songs, pause etc.

Download: Hold+ v3.6

Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-6 Released

Can’t say I saw this one coming… Dark_AleX has released custom firmware 5.00 M33-6. This new version attempts to increase read access, hopefully reducing the lag in heavier titles when playing from the memory stick, and in general, speeding things up all around.

See the comparison chart here.

Changes in 5.00 M33-5:

* A setting has been added to recovery, that, when enabled it may increase memory stick reading speed. (only on the psp, not in the pc). By default it is disabled. If you installed 3.71 fatmsmod, do not use this setting, as its performance with 3.71 driver has not been tested. Instead, reinstall 5.00 m33-4 using dc8 and update to 5.00 m33-5.

Changes in 5.00 M33-6:

* Fixed a bug that made unbootable psp without memory stick or with a bad one.

Download: Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-6

Hold+ v3.41 — Battery Power Saver Plug-in *Updated*

Changelog v3.41
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Improved faulty Hold switch protection, as there were still some chances of a faulty Hold switch causing problems.

Download: Here