PSP Homebrew Using The Half-Byte Loader

[Rich] tipped us off about the Half-Byte Loader which lets you run homebrew on late-model Sony PlayStation Portables. Above you can see a PSP Go running Doom (a screenshot from the video after the break), which is a prerequisite for any cracked device. HBL uses an exploit in the game demo of Patapon 2, which is free for download. A crafted game save loaded onto a Memory Stick gets you to the loader when selected from the continue menu of the game. Right now this method works on all know firmware version 5.0 and higher. Who knows when Sony will take action to kill an exploit like this one.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlqaJmZJ7r8]

22 thoughts on “PSP Homebrew Using The Half-Byte Loader

  1. Wouldn’t it be a nibble loader? :) I’m sure this exploit will be patched pretty quickly – but it’s a worthwhile exercise.

    What would be better is if Sony allowed homebrew. I’m sure they’re already making money on the hardware – why not let people run their own code on it, too?

  2. The current exploit in use by the HBL has been around for about two months. Pretty sure you can actually still get the version of Patapon 2 required from the PSN too. Even if it gets patched via. Patapon 2, people are always finding small things like this in new game releases, the HBL is just a bin file loaded by the exploit.

  3. OMG a new psp exploit that is not showing some crap celphone pic and then right below that tells us it wont be released becuase of reason (a patches, b lawsuits, c its complete BS in the first place)

    props for not only doing it, but backing it up by actually releasing it and showing that your not full of crap

  4. I don’t know anything about the PSP Go but if it still uses UMD they don’t allow homebrew because as of mid-2007 they were charging $20,000 for each workstation system(computer not included, emulator devkit and license only)to develop for UMD, and then you had to print the discs through their DADC centers.

    I don’t know what they charge now, I don’t work there anymore, but I’m sure it’s still a butt load.

  5. I’m always impressed with game system exploits and the people who manage to do them, so nice work.
    I think I’ll keep my slim. Using that thing looks uncomfortable.

  6. nice hack. I havent hacked a psp sense 2.5 ithink and it was always a bitch every time they upgraded the firmware. you need to learn how to strafe. your doom skills suck. im not sure of the port you’re using but if its running on a dos emulator then you should running doom legacy and map the controls like a current fps, there’s support for multiplayer which would be sweet on psps

  7. Okay, I installed it. Now what? All the homebrew stuff I find is crap and emulators and roms are wonky at best with none of them older than 2009 (that I found) I couldnt even *find* an nes game or genesis or gba that I even wanted to keep.

    Hopefully someone will write a homebrew and emulator with a little more teeth.

  8. totally awesome to see my name on this site!
    i have a phat, slim, and a pspGO. people give them to me for no apparant reason. its amazing to see my favorite SNES games on the newest psp model!
    also using the HBL some people have been able to get the kernel keys and directly modify the font styling and whatnot.

    this exploit was patched in the latest update (firmware 6.30) which only new feature is the same as a the homebrew “game category” so we’re on the look out for a new exploit, and so the game continues!

  9. i got a psp 3001, signed homebrews like n64 emu, lamecraft, mind craft,bookr, file adhoc thing, light cycle game, psp go clock when in sleep mode, & i have the xmb version of half byte loader which successfuly (most of the time) lests me watch go tube! online. also have the ps vita app for my psp on hbl as well

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