How to install homebrew apps, games, and plugins

How to install Homebrew apps, games and plugins on your PSP.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Installing Homebrew Games/Applications
Installing Plugins
Links to download homebrew

Introduction

I am writing this guide so I don't have to keep explaining this to people in the help section. This guide will assume you already have custom firmware installed on your PSP. If you don't have custom firmware on your PSP then check out the Mega-Thread for a tutorial on how to do that. This guide also assumes you understand how to use a computer and that you know what the root of the memory stick is. Show the spoiler below if you don't know. I am making this tutorial as easy to understand as possible. If you get confused by something re-read it again. Try to do exactly what I say on your PSP and if it doesn't work then send me a PM or reply to this with your problem.

Installing homebrew games and applications

When you download a homebrew application it will typically be in an archived file format. This varies but is usually .zip, .rar, .7z. Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 comes with a built in unzipper that will unzip a normal .zip file. But for the other two files you will need WinRAR or 7-zip. I prefer using 7-zip.

When you open a file using 7-zip the window will look similar to this:


Select all of the files and click 'extract'. Then click the button to the right of the destination address and select a folder you want to use. I prefer using Documents or Desktop for mine.


My example is actually a firmware upgrade but it's very similar to a normal homebrew app. I have a folder named RECOVERY and inside that is an EBOOT.PBP file. All homebrew applications and games will have one (1) folder and inside that folder will be an EBOOT.PBP file. There might be other files and folders in there and the eboot file will need them to function. You copy that entire folder to ms0:\PSP\GAME\. So it will look like this: ms0:\PSP\GAME\somehomebrewapp\eboot.pbp. If there is more than one folder (like this: \PSP\GAME\folder1\folder2\homebrewapp\eboot.pbp) then you need to copy the folder out of folder 1 and 2 and paste it into the GAME folder like in my example above.

If you did that correctly, when you turn your PSP on you can now go to the Games section on your PSP, scroll down to Memory Stick, press X, and you'll see your games and apps.

1.50 Kernel Homebrew Apps and Games

Some older homebrew apps might look like this: . If it has two folders and one has a % in it then you know it was made for the 1.50 kernel. It comes in this format because of the way the KXploit works (the method to load homebrew on a 1.50 OFW PSP). These homebrew apps can only be used on a phat PSP (PSP1000). If you have a phat PSP and you want to use these then you need 5.00 M33 CFW with the 1.50 kernel addon. Download the addon and copy the 150k_installer folder to your \PSP\GAME folder. Run the installer from PSP just like you would start any other homebrew app. See the above section if you don't know how to do that.

Now when you restart your PSP you can hold down the R button and enter the Recovery Menu to change the kernel modes. Click Configure and then go down to where it says "Game folder hombrew (currently 5.xx kernel)" and click that. It will toggle the kernel mode and allow you to play with old homebrew. You would then copy the two files to the \PSP\GAME\ folder and then start the app from the PSP like any other homebrew app.

I also think you can remain on the 5.xx kernel in the recovery menu and copy the 1.50 kernel homebrew to the \PSP\GAME150\ folder and play it that way. I would like someone else to confirm this for me though as I cannot remember if that is the way it works.

According to Oyabun, kxploited homebrew () will load on a 5.00 M33 slim using LEDA 0.2 or eloader, or a 5.50 GEN slim using eloader. You can read more about that here.

Plugins

Plugins are essentially homebrew applications that run in the background and add extra functionality. A few examples I can think of right now: fusascr.prx and dayviewer.prx. Fusascr.prx allows you to take a screenshot of your PSP anytime, anywhere and dayviewer allows you to modify the text where the date and time go.

Plugins go in a folder called seplugins. This folder is on the root of your PSP (see above if you don't know what the root is). A plugin file has a file extension of .prx. These prx files go directly into the seplugins folder. You will also see vsh.txt, game.txt, and pops.txt files in the seplugins folder. If not you can create them and leave them empty until you need to update them.

The txt files will include lines such as these:
ms0:/SEPLUGINS/fusascr.prx 0
ms0:/SEPLUGINS/dayviewer.prx 1
If there is a 0 after the plugin name then the plugin is turned off, if there is a 1 after it, the plugin is turned on. If there is no number after it then the plugin is turned off. Most plugins you download will come with the required text files. I recommend opening those text files and copying the contents to the text files you already have on your PSP.