Last Updated: 15th January 2008 - Added 3.80M33 (and 3.80M33-2) firmware versions to table.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked, and see asked on forums across the internet, is ‘what can I do now that my PSP is running firmware x.xx?’. To answer this question, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a chart showing all the firmware versions and what the options are for that firmware.

This couldn’t have been done without some of the best resources available on the web, namely DCEmu and PSP Vault.

Note: The creation/release of the Pandora Battery has effectively rewritten the rules on what can be downgraded.

Originally, only certain firmwares could be exploited, and therefore downgraded. Pandora changed all this, and now any firmware version can be downgraded to the homebrew favourite firmware 1.5. I’ve not updated the table however, as it still applies to those PSP owners who either don’t want to use Pandora to downgrade, or don’t have access to creating one. Its also important for historical purposes to be able to see the changes and what could be performed with each firmware.

Firmwares listed as being downgradeable past firmware 3.50 require the use of the Pandora battery.

In most cases, being able to downgrade a PSP to firmware 1.5 is seen as the Holy Grail, as this allows the full use of homebrew software (i.e. kernel access).

⁽¹⁾ 2.71SE
Firmware 1.5 can be emulated from firmware 2.71 using special custom firmware versions called 2.71 SE-A/SE-B/SE-C, written by a developer called Dark Alex.

See TA-082 Fact List for more information on this.

Firmware 2.71SE is a custom firmware that combines firmware 1.5 and 2.71 to produce a master firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features (of firmware 2.71). You do need a PSP running firmware 1.5 to be able to upgrade to this version.

⁽²⁾ 3.02OE

Firmware 3.02OE (Open Edition) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.02 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.02OE, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running 2.71SE.

When 3.02OE was released, not all PSP’s could be downgraded from the official Sony PSP firmware to firmware 1.5.

⁽³⁾ 3.03

Firmware 3.03 downgradeable. Official Sony PSP firmware 3.03 is now downgradeable, meaning that all firmware versions upto and including 3.03 can be downgraded simply by upgrading to firmware 3.03 and then back down to firmware 1.5. It can also be homebrew enabled, using the HEN version by Dark_AleX, and can be emulated via Devhook

⁽⁴⁾ 3.03OE

Firmware 3.03OE (Open Edition) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.03 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.03OE, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running 2.71SE or 3.02OE.

⁽⁵⁾ 3.10OE

Firmware 3.10OE (Open Edition) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.10 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.10OE, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running 2.71SE, 3.02OE or 3.03OE.

⁽⁶⁾ 3.30OE

Firmware 3.30OE (Open Edition) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.30 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.30OE, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running 2.71SE, 3.02OE, 3.03OE or 3.10OE.

⁽⁷⁾ 3.40OE

Firmware 3.40OE (Open Edition) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.40 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.40OE, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running 2.71SE, 3.02OE, 3.03OE, 3.10OE or 3.30OE.

⁽⁸⁾ 3.50

Firmware 3.50 is now downgradeable, meaning that all firmware versions upto and including 3.50 can be downgraded simply by upgrading to firmware 3.50 and then back down to firmware 1.5. It can also be homebrew enabled, using the HEN version by Dark_AleX.

See PSP firmware 3.50 downgrader details for more information.

⁽⁹⁾ 3.51M33

Firmware 3.51M33 is a custom firmware created by team M33 (actually Dark Alex), created using the official Sony PSP firmware 3.51 as a base. To install, this firmware requires a downgraded Sony PSP. At the time this was released, PSP’s with firmware 3.50 or lower could be downgraded. Once firmware 3.71 was released, the Pandora Battery became available and could be used to downgrade any PSP.

⁽¹⁰⁾ 3.52M33

Firmware 3.52M33 is a custom firmware created by team M33, created using the official Sony PSP firmware 3.52 as a base.

⁽¹¹⁾ 3.70

Firmware 3.70 can be downgraded using the Pandora Battery created by Team C&D/Dark_Alex/Fanjita/Noobz.

⁽¹²⁾ 3.71

Firmware 3.71 can be downgraded using the Pandora Battery created by Team C&D/Dark_Alex/Fanjita/Noobz.

⁽¹³⁾ 3.71M33

Firmware 3.71M33 (Team M33/Dark Alex) is a custom Sony PSP firmware that combines the official Sony PSP firmware 1.5 and the official 3.71 firmware, to produce a master custom firmware, which can run homebrew while still being able to use the latest official PSP features. To be able to run (install) 3.71M33, you require a PSP with firmware 1.5, or a PSP running a previous Open Edition/M33 firmware release.

⁽¹⁴⁾ 3.71M33-2

Incremental patch to custom firmware 3.71M33.

⁽¹⁵⁾ 3.71M33-3

Incremental patch to custom firmware 3.71M33-2.

⁽¹⁶⁾ 3.71M33-4

Incremental patch to custom firmware 3.71M33-3.

⁽¹⁷⁾ 3.80M33
Firmware 3.80M33 released. This custom firmware uses the base official Sony 3.80 firmware.

⁽¹⁸⁾ 3.80M33-2
Firmware 3.80M33-2 released. Incremental Patch for 3.80M33 firmware release.

So, what does it all mean?

Note : Information below is left ‘as is’ from when it was originally written, or added to. With the release of the Pandora Battery tool, all PSP firmwares can be downgraded (to date, i.e. official Sony PSP firmware 3.80), so the notes below are really redundant.

Firstly, find out what your current firmware version is by looking under the System option on your PSP. Go to the > System Settings > System Information > System Software. This will tell you the current firmware version of your PSP.

Now look at the chart above, and find your current firmware version. As you read across the chart, you will be able to see what your current firmware options are.

Downgrading

If your current firmware has the option to downgrade, it means you can change the firmware version from its current state to an earlier firmware. The normal procedure is to downgrade the firmware version to 1.5. If you currently have firmware 2.70, you can upgrade to firmware 2.71 and then downgrade to firmware 1.5. Note: It is recommended that if you have firmware between 2.00 & 2.70 that you first upgrade to firmware 2.71 and then downgrade to 1.5.

Also, if you have a PSP with a motherboard designated with TA-082, you really need to look at the 2.71 SE firmware versions, as these particualr motherboards do have issues with downgrading. To check your motherboard version, check out this Wikipedia entry on the TA-082 motherboard.

Upgrading

Regardless of your current firmware version, you will always have the option to upgrade your firmware. If you want to upgrade to the latest firmware version possible, you can do this using the PSP’s in-built upgrade function. However, if you want to upgrade to a specific firmware version (such as 2.71), you will need to find the upgrade files on the web and apply them yourself.

Why wouldn’t I want the latest firmware?

There are a number of reasons why you wouldn’t want your PSP on the latest firmware version, the main one being that the latest firmware version does not allow you to play any homebrew. Homebrew itself is a whole other topic, and one which I will go into in detail in another post. For now though, assume homebrew means tha ability to play or use software written by third party developers to run on the PSP without the blessing of Sony.

If you have no interest in playing or using homebrew, you should ensure your PSP is kept upto date with the latest firmware version, as each release adds functionality to the PSP, and ensures you have access to the latest demos and games released for the system.

Emulating firmware

So whats firmware emulation? Simply put, firmware emulation means having the ability to fool the PSP into thinking the current firmware is a later firmware version than it actually is. Emulation is perfirmed uising software called Device Hook (or DevHook for short). This software laods up the emulated firmware from your memory stick rather than from the PSP’s inbuilt flash memory, meaning that it can be turned on and off as you require.

Currently, even the very latest PSP firmware version can be emulated using DevHook, meaning that you can have firmware 3.02 on your PSP and still be able to use homebrew software.

So who can run DevHook?

DevHook is itself homebrew, therefore you need a PSP capable of running homebrew software. Therefore if your PSP currently has a firmware version greater than 2.80 you cannot run DevHook. In reality, DevHook seems best run using a PSP with firmware 1.5, so if you can, this is the firmware you should aim to run on your PSP if you wish to use DevHook (or any homebrew for that matter).

Why emulate a newer firmware?

The reasons for wanting to emulate a later firmware than your current version normally lies in the fact that the latest PSP games require your PSP to be running a later firmware version. To circumvent this requirement, fooling the PSP into thinking it has that newer firmware installed allows these games to be played without actually upgrading the PSP.

Emulating a firmware also allows the user to have access to the functions that newer firmware has without removing the ability to play homebrew. For instance, firmware 3.01 added the PSP camera option to the menu system - without being able to emulate this firmware, PSP owners would not be able to make use of this option with upgrading their PSP.

Piracy

Probably the biggest concern for Sony, the ability for PSP owners to downgrade their PSP and emulate firmware versions is software piracy. DevHook allows PSP owners to not only play legitimate PSP games they own, but also play so called .iso games (ie PSP games that have been copied and distributed electronically). Whether or not you agree with software piracy, its something that does not help the PSP grow as a hand held device. DevHook should only be used to enable genuine freely available homebrew software to be played while allowing the latest PSP games to be played legitimately.

How to downgrade

I’m not going to talk specifics here, as there are a number of ways and means of downgrading your PSP (if currently on a downgradeable firmware). While the process of downgrading is relatively safe, bear in mind that anything that writes to the flash momory of your PSP is always going to have some element of risk. The current software available for downgrading your PSP has been refined and improved, and so long as you can follow the simple instructions, fairly painless.

There is only one real issue to look out for, and that is that owners of PSP’s with TA-082 motherboards should not attempt to downgrade

These sites talk in more detail about the downgrade process :

• Downdate Final Version For v2.50/v2.60 PSP Firmware
• Generic Downgrader for 2.71
• TA-082 Fact List

Which DevHook version?

Development of the DevHook software is ongoing, and there tends to be a batch of new releases of the DevHook software whenever a firmware upgrade has been released by Sony and then hacked by the developers. While I would always recommend you try and use the latest version released, be aware that there may be two or three releases in quick succession as problems are fixed.

You may find that newer releases of the DevHook software is designed specifically for one firmware version, or it may cater for a range of firmware versions. You can also run some versions of DevHook from the same memory stick, for instance DevHook 0.44 (emulating firmware 2.71), DevHook 0.51 (emulating firmware 3.02) and DevHook 0.52 (emulating firmware 3.03).

Choice of DevHook version comes down to personal preference, and which firmware versions you want to use on your PSP. If you are coming to the world of firmware emulation and homebrew for the first time, its easier to install the latest version and work back as and when you need to.

These sites talk in more detail about the DevHook process :

• All-in-One DevHook v0.51.0100 Package
• 3.01 Devhook Firmware Installer [EBOOT]
• 2.80-3.02 Devhook Firmware Installer 0.5b
• 3.02 DH Firmware Installer -Mod by BlackSkull
• DevHook V0.51.0100 Released
• DevHook v0.51 Launcher for 2.71 HEN-D

The Future

Sony have been quick to release two three patches to firmware 3.00 (taking it to firmware 3.03), none of which appeared to make firmware 3.00 any more secure. While Sony have managed (for the moment) to stop developers downgrading PSP’s with firmware 2.80 or higher, they have not managed to secure the firmware from being decrypted.
Whether the current firmware versions will ever be able to use homebrew, I do not know - at one time nobody thought it would be possible for PSP’s running any firmware higher than 1.5 and that was soon to prove incorrect.

If you are currently on a firmware such as 2.81, you may be considering upgrading your firmware to the latest version. This is perfectly valid, and at the moment you would not be losing out on anything. However, it is normally the oldest firmware versions that become homebrew compatible first, so its likely that homebrew (and potentially downgraders) would come to firmware 2.81 before firmware 3.03.

At the time of editing this, the latest firmware is 3.03 and there has just been a downgrader released by Fanjita, Ditlew and the noobz.eu team. See this post for more details on the 3.03 downgrader.

Note: Firmware 3.10 has now been released. This is the only secure, non-downgradeable firmware to date. It has however been decrypted, and is the basis for the custom firmwre 3.10OE by Dark_AleX.