Major Changes In the Wii Scene

First off, I would like to apologize for neglecting the Wiibrew site. With this in mind, it's time to fill the news page as a lot has happened.

Up first is the D2Ckey.

From www.metriodmods.com

There was a time when all those with the dreaded D2C chipset mourned over the fact they were unable to play backups or use GC homebrew. This all changed Oct. 10th with the release of the D2Ckey. With a simple 31 wire install your D2C Wii is now unlocked. You can find more information at http://www.d2ckey.com

Next big thing in the Wii scene was the dump of a demo kiosk copy of Super Mario Galaxy. The whole Wii community was left scrambling when a new "modchip detecting" protection was found. In reality, the game was not detecting chips, rather required a new patching method that current chips could not provide. While D2Ckey chipped Wii's were safe with their 31 wire installs, Cyclowiz, Wiikey, Wiinja, and open source chips were left in the dust. Since then all retail chips have seen updates to address this problem. Links to these updates will be posted in the download list.

Prompted by the SMG issue, the modchip scene has thinned out. The only retail modchips with apparent continuing customer support are the big 3: Cyclowiz, Wiikey, and Wiinja. None of the other 'retail' chips have yet to come back into the scene with an update. On a sad note, the open source scene has just met the end of one of the best open source chips, Wiifree. YAOSM has been handed the torch, which they have definitely earned, and is now at the forefront of the open source scene right along OpenWii which both have updates for the SMG problem.

So, just to reiterate, the only chips working with SMG are:

D2Ckey

Wiikey

Cyclowiz

Wiinja

Datel Drive Doctor

OpenWii

YAOSM

The Wii Scene is now balanced with working mods for all versions of the Wii on the market. How long will this peace last? Only time will tell.

That's right, after "leaving" the scene what would seem like countless times, we again find that he will NOT be leaving this time either.

This is great news for all of us who use custom firmwares from the M33 team.

This new was posted at lan.st by user Mathieulh, and here is what he had to say:

"Not quite a surprise but I rather make it official, after much reflexion Alex decided to go on with the M33 project, although you should not expect as regular updates as there used to be, for instance the M33 will be updated to future kernels only when believed necessary, thus no 3.72M33 planned (we are waiting on future official firmwares and keep improving M33's features from now on.)
About the releases you should either check the m33 website, exophase.com, the maxconsole forums, Dark_Alex's website or the lan.st forums, or any other news site you see fit (although the previous ones are likely the ones that are getting update the sooner)

Cheers"

Well this is great new for the homebrew scene, and hopfully we will be able to see some more great M33 custom firmwares some time in the near future!

Alright, we just got our hands on custom firmware 3.72 HX-2. And now it gets even better, yes its the 1.5 kernel add-on by developer Dark_Moon!

Ok guys, what this little tool does is help us unlock our PSP's even more. For those of you who dont know, a lot of homebrew is made in the 1.5 kernel, now when first installed 3.72 HX-2 DOESNT have that kernel. BUT thats where this comes in, its the kernel add-on!

Ok so here are some notes by Dark_Moon, and also how to install this.

Instructions :

1. When you have installed the firmware 3.71 m33 and the kernel addon download this file and open MS_ROOT. Then copy the PSP folder to the root of your memory stick.
2. Run the app, and press Square. Now the program will start to dump the addon. The dump is on ms0:/psp/game/update/km. Copy the km folder to your hd.
3. Install 3.72 HX. Later copy again the PSP folder that contain this app to the root of your memory stick.
4. Connect the USB (Flash0) and copy the backup done before in the root of the flash0. Run de app again and press X. It will copy the reboot150.prx and all will be done!

So there you go, now guys before you use this be warned that this can be unsafe to try if you are not careful. So read the instructions carefully and enjoy.

Download: 3.72 HX-2 kernel add-on

Yup guys thats right it seems that _HellDashX_ has giving us a update on his custom firmware.

There are a lot of changes that have been made this time around, the underclocking has gotten easier, and there are now two updaters to keep you from all the messing around with the PSP from last time. But thats not all, just take a look at the change log.

• Contains the latest 3.71 M33-3 changes.
• The file vshctrl.prx IS NOT the one from Dark_AleX,It's coded by me after reversing it 100%.
• The exported functions from the vshctrl.prx are the same like the 3.71 M33-3 SDK,plus two more:
• int vctrlVSHEraseIsoCache(con st char* path) -> Lets you erase the cache from an iso created by the CF.
• If the parameter is empty "",it will erase the whole cache,not just from one iso.
• The iso cache will not be created in the memorystick. It will be in the flash1.I made this function to test stuff faster.Gives a 0 if it deletes correctly else it will give -1.
• int vctrlVSHMakeCFDirs() -> Lets you create the custom firmware directories,in case you dont have them(GAME150,GAME372…) in the memstick.Good if you have a pandora memstick and cant format the ms but dont want to create all directories by hand.
• Only one vshctrl.prx for both psp models.In 3.71 M33-3 and others there was a vshctrl for the fat and an other one for the slim because they have slight changes.This new vshctrl will detect if you got SLIM or FAT.
• Other non important changes in the code.

So with that said a few other thing to note, since with this update there are two updaters make sure you get them right.

The mini updater is for those of you who are at 3.72 HX-1, and the full updater if this is you first time using the firmware.

So make sure you use the right one, also its a good idea to read all notes that come with this firmware.

So with that said give _HellDashX_ a great big thanks and enjoy.

Download: 3.72 HX-2

It's awesome how little has actually changed within the internal design of the console, obviously some components have changed but the general layout remains the same after two years.

Here's what's interesting: the CPU, GPU and eDRAM die all seem to have gotten smaller, but at different rates. The CPU sees the biggest reduction in size, the new core being about 75% the size of the old one, while both GPU components are around 85% the size of their predecessors.
It's possible that all three chips are now 65nm, or a mixture of 65nm and 80nm.Needless to say, the chips are all smaller, which should yield some nice power savings.

Ok, we are trying to get this site up and running again as all of you know.  So we have a question for everyone. Do you want us to post news just concerning Homebrew for the Xbox line (which is few and far between) or post articles concerning just about all Xbox and 360 news?

 This can make a change to the site and we want this site to suit every person's wants and needs. So post a comment and tell us what you want.  

 Also, we are posting new forum rules. So everyone have a look at them and see what you think.

Wow, it has been a while since we last heard from DAX but here is some news from him. We now have update 3 of some of his latest work. It has fixed some of the major issues people have been complaining about and most of all, it shows DAX might be around a little while longer.  

 3.71 might not have the best themes yet but i hate seen some that are pretty nice.  So, time to get out your PSP to upgrade.

Thanks  majik2007 for the heads up.

Requirements:
- 3.71 M33 1 or 2

3.00-3.03: kd/popsman.prx, kd/meaudio.prx, kd/pops.prx, vsh/module/pafmini.prx
3.10-3.30: kd/popsman.prx, kd/pops.prx, vsh/module/pafmini.prx
3.40-3.72: kd/popsman.prx, kd/pops.prx, vsh/module/pafmini.prx, vsh/module/libpspvmc.prx

The files must be decrypted. (use square in psardumper). Support for encrypted&packed files is planned for the future.

3.71 M33-3 plus popsloader Download

3.71 M33-1 Download

Alright guys there is now a new firmware out! This time around you might not be thanking DAX. But think again, this new firmware has been reverse engineered for DAX custom firmware.

But thanks to _HellDashX_ this version has a 3.72 in the name. 3.72 HX-1.

Alright guys here is a little info about the firmware from the official thread of the release.

"First of all,a big thanks to Dark_alex

Thanks to him I learned alot.

_HellDashX_"

Ok with that said lets all give a big thaks to _HellDashX_ ,and also DAX, And Coolj.

(Also i great big thanks to mice R nice ~(_"> for the heads up )

So why not give this new firmware a try!

Download:Custom firmware 3.71 HX-1

Well, heres two things i never thought i would see together. Seems ESPN and Microsoft have teamed up to provide all Xbox 360 owners (connected to Live) to enjoy ESPN content. This is awesome news.

"ESPN and Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement that will add high- and standard-definition full-length games, television shows and video game programming to Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360. Effective immediately, fans of all ages can access a growing catalog of marquee sporting events and timely programming, including full-length NCAA college football and basketball games, Summer X Games 13, "World Series of Poker," "The Contender," "Madden Nation" and much more on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading high-definition video download service.
"Establishing this relationship with Microsoft on Xbox 360 provides an innovative way to reach our target demographic through this dynamic next-generation entertainment console," said Matt Murphy, senior vice president, Digital Video Distribution, Disney and ESPN Media Networks. "This agreement embodies our mission to deliver the best sports content to fans, and does it through an exciting and robust platform that reaches millions of people."
Through this agreement, Xbox LIVE users can download a variety of popular events and shows available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace each week, highlighted by the best matchups from the world of college football and basketball.
For video gamers, ESPN content on Xbox LIVE will include the 2006 and 2007 seasons of "Madden Nation," an ESPN reality series taking fans inside the world of Madden NFL football competitive gaming. Additional programming will include the 2007 "World Series of Poker," the 2007 season of "The Contender," the full-length high-definition surfing documentary "Down the Barrel" and some of the best college football bowl games."
     "This is a natural fit for us, as so many Xbox 360 owners are huge sports fans," said Ross Honey, senior director of the media and entertainment group at Microsoft. "We are dedicated to providing our diverse community of Xbox LIVE users the premium entertainment content they want, and partnering with ESPN is a great example of our continued dedication in the video-on-demand space, especially in high definition."
Currently offering more than 3,200 hours of premium entertainment content from more than 30 studios and networks, Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the only online service offering downloadable movies and TV shows in high definition. More information about the great ESPN content being offered on the service is available at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/moviestv/?WT.svl=nav."

This is very nice for us sports fans. Just thinking about baseball games, football games, and every other sport on my Live account one day will be nice. Out of area Sports games while traveling will be a breeze now. We will see more in the upcoming months.

This is opening the doors for a lot of other TV companies to bring in their shows.

Alright, like the title says its out! After a somewhat long wait we can now all enjoy this great emulator, and even with savesstates!

Here is the info about the release straight from StrnmNrmn's blog.

"The most significant new feature is savestate support. You can now save your progress at any point, via the Pause Menu (accessed through hitting the Select button). Savestates are written out to the memory stick, and consume around a megabyte per slot. You can load up a savestate at any time from the Pause Menu, or via the front end (hit the right shoulder button to swap from the rom list to the savestate list.)

It's taken a LOT longer to get R13 out than I had hoped. I can't quite belive the last release was in June! I'm hoping now I've got this release out of the door I'll be able to get back to making small, more frequent releases."

Ok with that said here are the download links so you can l enjoy this great new update, for this already great emulator

For PSP kernel 1.5: Download

For PSP kernel 1.0: Download