Think
Sony PSP
games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download free homebrew
games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.
In this
tutorial we will be installing a homebrew game called SmashGpsp.
If you
are unfamiliar with this game, SmashGpsp is a PSP version
of the popular Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Brothers.
In other words, it's a lose PSP recreation of the Nintendo
game Super Smash Brothers by a very talented programmer,
mATkEUpON.
Get a Memory Stick
for your PSP:
Before you can load any data onto your Sony PSP, you must have a memory
stick to store the files onto. The PSP comes with a tiny 32MB card
that is only big enough to store a relatively small amount of files. If
you plan on watching video clips and installing lots of games on your PSP,
you will need to purchase a larger Memory
Stick Pro Duo card. These cards
come in several different sizes. Exact sizes vary depending on compression
rates and quality, but on average, you will need about 5MB for every 1
minute of video. Before you can use a brand new Memory Stick with your
PSP, you need to reformat it. If you don't know how to do this, here's
a quick tutorial on how
to format a PSP Memory Stick.
Download the game
to your computer:
As I mentioned above, we will be using the game SmashGpsp for the
purposes of this tutorial. The game can be downloaded from mATkEUpON's
website. He's the author of the game.
On the pages linked to above, you will find several
versions of SmashGpsp available for download. It's important
you download the right version for
your PSP. Here's some tips:
Download
a file that will work with the current version of
Firmware installed on your PSP. If you never upgraded
the Firmware on your PSP, then you may have version
1.0 installed and will need to download a 1.0 Firmware
version of the game (i.e.. SmashGpsp02b10.zip
[1.0 PSPs]
). The 02b is
the build version of the game, not the Firmware
version! To figure out what version of Firmware
is installed on your PSP, please read
the Firmware tutorial on this page.
You probably
want to download the newest version of the game.
However this will depend on what version of Firmware
is installed on your PSP. At the time this tutorial
was written, the latest version of SmashGpsp was
0.2b and was available for PSPs with Firmware version
1.0 and 1.5 only. A newer version of the game and
Firmware may be available as you are reading this,
but with each Firmware upgrade Sony has tried to
block people from using homebrew games. Most homebrew
PSP games work with Firmware 1.5 and under only. We
will say this one more time, most homebrew
PSP games work with Firmware
1.5 and under only.
If you get an error that says something like "The
data is corrupted" or "The game could not
be started" then
the Firmware version on your PSP is not compatible
with the homebrew game. Please check smashgp.gp32z.com for
the latest version of SmashGpsp that may be compatible
with your PSP's current Firmware version.
Make
sure the file you download ends with "psp" (i.e..
SmashGpsp02b15.zip).
This is because the author has ported this game
to several different platforms. Only a version
with "psp" in
the title will be compatible with your Sony PSP.
If for some reason
mATkEUpON's website goes down, please let
us know.
NERD
NOTE: Every time
you upgrade the firmware
on your PSP, you may need
to download a newer version
of this game.
Uncompress
the file:
The game will be compressed into a ZIP file archive. Most computers come with
a compression utility like Stuffit
Expander (Mac) or Winzip
(PC) and will automatically
"unzip" this file. Once you uncompress this file, you should find
two folders called "SmashGpsp" and "SmashGpsp%" as
well as a read me file from the author.
Connect
the PSP to your computer:
If you haven't already, you need to connect the PSP to your computer
with the USB cable that it came with. You will then need to put the
PSP into USB mode. Press the HOME button located on the bottom left
of your PSP and then scroll left to the SETTINGS column. Scroll down
to USB CONNECTION and press X.
The Memory Stick inside your PSP will now mount or connect with your
computer.
Copy
the game onto your PSP:
In order to play this game on your PSP, you must copy it into the proper
folder.
The correct file path is PSP > GAME . If you place
the game files anywhere else on the Memory Stick, it will not function
properly.
If the "PSP" and "GAME" folders don't already exist
on your PSP's Memory Stick, then you need to make two new folders and
name them in ALL CAPS. Just a reminder, the GAME folder goes inside the
PSP folder.
If you take a look at the image to the right, you will see where on your
Memory Stick you need to copy the two folders called "SmashGpsp" and "SmashGpsp%".
Play the game
on your PSP:
Once the game has finished coping onto your
Memory Stick
, you can then disconnect the PSP from your computer. From the main menu,
scroll over to the GAME column on your
Sony PSP
and then down to the Memory Stick option.
Press X, and a list of game files will be displayed. Scroll DOWN and
you should see the game you just installed.
Press X to
play it. Enjoy!
Pick you characters To pick between all 24 characters, you should do the following:
Open up SmashGpsp.
Choose your game type.
Once you are in the character screen,
dont touch any of the tokens. First, you should go to the second
page, look at the guys, and find out where they are located on
the 2x6 board. This way you will know where to put your icon
and won't have to guess until you happen to fall on the right
one.
Now that you know their locations, go back to the first
screen and choose the people off that page that you need. Now,
go to the bottom half and put the tokens in your invisible squares.
Dont worry if you choose wrongly, even though you can't see your
token, you can still pick it up again.
Start your fight
and have a blast playing the 18 custom levels.
Troubleshooting:
If you get a corrupted data error, chances are you downloaded a version
of the game that's not compatible with the current version of Firmware
installed on your PSP. To figure out what version of Firmware is installed
on your PSP, please read the Firmware tutorial
on this page.
eboot Loaders:
This guide doesn't detail eboot loaders, which you'll need for
some of the more complicated homebrew programs out there. This
tutorial is a good first step if you want to get your feet wet
in the world of PSP homebrew.
Bad
Code:
One quick word to the wise, do not
install anything on your PSP if you're unsure of the source. Malicious
code can kill your PSP.
Copy
Videos Off YouTube YouTube
prevents viewers from downloading files off their site. But there are
ways around this. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to rip video
files off YouTube.com and convert them for your Video iPod.
Mac
Mini RAM Upgrade Tutorial Want
to upgrade the RAM in your
Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped
down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you
can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to
your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knives.
Hack Your Apple TV with Boxee Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center and entertainment hub that can play movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr. All you need to hack your Apple TV so it can use Boxee is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.
How to Auto Follow People on Twitter
There's a way to auto follow your followers on Twitter. This auto follow Twitter trick can be pretty useful if you find yourself managing a Twitter account for a public figure, company or celebrity.
How to Explain Twitter
to Your Grandma As Twitter continues to gain in popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person. So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like "What is the Twitter?" or "Are you taking the Twitter?"
iPod
Alarm Clock Whether
you prefer to be woken by the scream of a rock star or the
French horn in a classical symphony, the iPod's Alarm Clock
can help you open your eyes every morning with style!
Rip
DVD's to iPod Video Need
something to watch on your iPod Video? Here's a tutorial that explains
how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible
MPEG-4 video files.
Install
Free PSP Games Think
PSP games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download
free games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.
Copy
Videos onto a PSP Can't
get enough of your favorite TV show or movie? Here's a short tutorial
that expalins how to add videos to your Sony PSP.
Format
a PSP Memory Stick When
you first purchase a Memory Stick for your PSP, you need to format
it before you can use it. Here's how.
iPod
World Clock
iPod owners might have noticed the World
Clock. Seemingly trivial but helpful at the same time.
Remove
iPod Scratches Got
a scratched up iPod Nano? Me too. After a few failed attempts to
get Apple to help me out, I decided to fix the scratches myself.
Here's how to remove the scratched from your iPod Nano for only
$4.
Search
Engine Submit
If you have a web site, then you know how important it is to get
listed in the search engines. Here's a collection of direct links
to the submission pages of all the best free search engines
on the net.
Add
GPS Info to Your Blog You
probably know what your zip code or area code is (at least I hope
so) but what about the GPS of your house? Here's how to find out
and add it to the metadata on your web site
Expose
the Exposé Blob Like
using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why
not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac
OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman.
Play
Commodore 64 Games Again Want
to play those old Commodore 64 games from the early 1980's? All
you need is the game ROM and an emulator. Here's a tutorial to
get you started.
Reset
iTunes Play Count Has
a crappy song crept its way into your ‘Most Listened To' playlist?
This tutorial explains how to reset the Play Count of one or more songs
in your iTunes library.
Email or 
feed.
Uncompress
the file:
Connect
the PSP to your computer:
Copy
the game onto your PSP:
How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma
Where to Find Free Mp3s
YouTube
prevents viewers from downloading files off their site. But there are
ways around this. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to rip video
files off YouTube.com and convert them for your Video iPod.
Want
to upgrade the RAM in your
Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped
down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you
can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to
your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knives.
As Twitter continues to gain in popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person. So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like "What is the Twitter?" or "Are you taking the Twitter?"
Whether
you prefer to be woken by the scream of a rock star or the
French horn in a classical symphony, the iPod's Alarm Clock
can help you open your eyes every morning with style!
Need
something to watch on your iPod Video? Here's a tutorial that explains
how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible
MPEG-4 video files.
Think
PSP games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download
free games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.
When
you first purchase a Memory Stick for your PSP, you need to format
it before you can use it. Here's how. 
Got
a scratched up iPod Nano? Me too. After a few failed attempts to
get Apple to help me out, I decided to fix the scratches myself.
Here's how to remove the scratched from your iPod Nano for only
$4.
You
probably know what your zip code or area code is (at least I hope
so) but what about the GPS of your house? Here's how to find out
and add it to the metadata on your web site 
Like
using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why
not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac
OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman. 
Want
to play those old Commodore 64 games from the early 1980's? All
you need is the game ROM and an emulator. Here's a tutorial to
get you started. 
