Take a seat and listen, my friend, if you'd like to learn a bit of PSP Scene lingo. I'll try to cover most of the bases in one shot.
Definitions
------------------------------
Homebrew Literal def.-Something homemade(in contrast to something made by a company or in a factory)
PSP def.-Homemade games that aren't licensed(aka, "signed") by Sony. Because of this, they can't be run on a normal PSP without some sort of a "hack".
Why-Sometimes, when a company doesn't push their product to it's fullest potential, fans take it into their own hands and create their own software. Homebrew programs can add extra functionality and better entertainment value to consoles, depending on what you decide to get.
------------------------------
Downgrade Literal def.-To return to an earlier, less featured state.
PSP def.-To return to an earlier version of the PSP's firmware.
Why-The earlier PSP firmwares, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 were full of serious security holes. These allowed you to run
homebrew programs as if they were actually signed by Sony. Later firmware revisions, most of which added some new,
licensed built-in functionality, slipped in security patches that fixed these holes, preventing people from playing homebrew.
(see
Downgrading)
------------------------------
Firmware Literal def.-Software built into a device to give basic operating instructions.
PSP def.-The operating system of the PSP
Purpose-It's the core of the PSP. It contains drivers, fonts, settings, system information, and many more such things vital to the operation of the PlayStation Portable. It holds the system files that let you play UMD games, watch movies, listen to MP3's, and browse the web, among other things. Without it intact, the PSP is useless.
------------------------------
Bricking Literal def.-
(slang term)-To damage in such a way that the object is only as good as a paperweight from that point on.
PSP def.-Corruption to the PlayStation Portable's internal
firmware resulting in (currently) irrepairable damage that will stop the PSP from operating permanently.
Why-This is usually the result of a firmware adjustment/experiment gone wrong. It's nothing to worry about if you won't be downgrading or modifying the firmware. It's most often caused when a person writes garbage data accidentally to the PSP's firmware, preventing it from booting and operating correctly. Reasons people would want to modify the firmware would be to swap the X and O button settings(the Japanese variant of the PSP used O instead of X for menu navigation and selection and X instead of O for a "cancel" or "back" button), change the background wallpaper in the XMB system menu on a 1.5 firmware PSP, or change the PSP's version number to aid in downgrading. There is nothing to worry about if you are only going to be using the PSP for normal games.
------------------------------
XMB No literal definition. PSP def.-Shortened acronym for Cross(
X)
Media
Bar navigation interface. Most people would just refer to this as the PSP's system menu. If you see XMB, they usually mean that.
Why-I guess Sony wanted a fancy name for the navigation system in the menu.
------------------------------
Downgrading verb form of Downgrade, see above Why and How- This is done to return to an earlier version of the firmware to allow easier execution of homebrew programs. Currently, the only firmware version that can be downgraded to an earlier version is version 2.0. Firmwares 2.01 and higher can not run homebrew, nor be downgraded at this time.
How it is done:
A buffer overflow exploit was discovered in the 2.0 firmware around September earlier this year that could be used to run basic code on the 2.0 PSP(it works by flooding the PSP's memory, then before it can fully recover from the sudden burst in files, you slip some of your own code into the stream; the PSP wouldn't detect a thing and it'd continue running normally). It was used to temporarily change the firmware number(not the actual firmware, just the identifiying number) to 1.0 so that you could use the official 1.5 PSP firmware update, issued by Sony of Japan for Japanese PSP users around the time of the US release of the PSP, to downgrade to version 1.5. When an update program is launched on the PSP, the program scans the PSP's firmware for the version revision number. If the number was found to be higher than the update program's number, it will halt installation and report that your PSP's current firmware is newer than the firmware being installed. However, if you run the 2.0 number changer, the PSP's revision number will temporarily be changed to 1.0(the firmware will still be 2.0, the number is the only thing changed), allowing you to trick the update program into thinking it's running on an
older PSP, thus allowing you to replace the generally-secure 2.0 firmware with the homebrew-capable 1.5 firmware.
Why would anyone go through all this trouble? Well, Sony doesn't give you the option to "uninstall" an upgrade. Upgrades are permanent...kind of. They can't be reversed by any normal means.
------------------------------
*added by popular demand*
ISO Loader Technical def.-A program used to mount a CD image(A virtual clone of a CD or DVD) so that it can be used as if it were an actual physical data storage medium.
PSP def.-A software application that was created by one, Humma Kuvala, that allows 1.5 firmware PSP's to play ripped UMD game images off the memory stick. (Thanks sameerf)
Why-There are 2 main reasons why someone would want to use an ISO loader:
1.
It saves battery power
The PSP's default battery has an unusually short lifespan, even for a handheld. When you play a UMD game, the battery has to power a laser and 2 motors. This causes the large drain on the battery. If you play a game off of a Memory Stick though, because there are no moving parts and it's all software based, the battery drain is drastically reduced.
2.
It keeps games in better condition, longer
Everyone's scratched CD's before. If a CD is a virtual image though, it can't be physically damaged. With an ISO loader, you can just rip your UMD games to an ISO, play them off the Memory Stick, then throw the original into a drawer for safekeeping. No more ruined games!
Legality: ISO loaders are not legal! Many people have asked why, so I'll give you a simple explanation, much of which I learned from iball at PSPUpdates.com.
The PSP's UMD design is a patented copy-protection in itself. You can't simply throw a UMD into a DVD drive and rip it, can you? According to the agreement found in your game's user manual, and on the UMD itself, you MAY NOT bypass copy protection. If you use an ISO ripper, you violate your agreement's terms and are breaking the law. Although it is legal to backup your software according to the DMCA, you MUST do it in a way that does not violate a copyright protection measure.
Which is impossible.
Note: ISO loaders aren't always used for backup purposes. Some people use them for software piracy. I do not support PSP software piracy, and I encourage you, the reader, to NOT pirate. But, who am I to judge?
------------------------------
I hope this helps a bit.
Any other words you were wondering about? Post it, and I'll add it and the def. to this list.
My Web Site
Linear Mode
