The complete PSP glossary.
A
Ad-hoc: The network process of connecting one PSP directly to another
Atrac3 and Atrac3Plus: Sony’s format of music similar to mp3 and wma
AVC: AVC, or Advanced Video Codec is a brilliant codec that allows better quality video to be put into a smaller file
B
Bière d’Alsace: Fanjita’s eLoader 0.9.6 Was a big bugfix over 0.9.5
Booster: The creator of DevHook
Brick: To brick someone’s PSP, key flash modules must be overwritten. If your PSP is bricked, when you turn it on nothing will happen except the little green light will come on.
Bock: Fanjita’s eLoader 0.9.7, the most current release. Supports wifi
Brown Ale: Fanjita’s eLoader 0.9.5 The first eLoader not called eBOOT Loader, can load many EBOOTS for 2.01-2.60
Buffer Overflow: A Buffer overflow is where the PSP is told that somewhere there is 2 byte’s of information to read. If more information is forced then it will also be read without checks. Hopefully at least, this can lead to a loader making use of that overflow.
C
C/C++: C and C++ are two commonly used languages for the PSP, C++ is the most powerful, but C is easier. They are used in conjuction with the toolchain.
Cache: Where webpages are stored in temporary memory. Helps speed up page loading.
Cheatdevice: The first thing to utilize the GTA exploit by Edison Carter. This allows you to change many aspects of GTA:LCS
Coding: Coding is the act of making programs for the PSP. They may be make in a number of languages.
Coldboot: The short video that plays when you turn on your PSP
Custom Firmware: A custom firmware is a firmware mod made by a developer. These are most likely flashed to the PSP. These add funtionality to your PSP e.g Wlan switch down at boot, go straight to DevHook
D
Dark_Alex: The man dehind the 2.6-1.5 Downgrader, 1.5-1.0 Downgrader and custom firmwares
Decrypt: If you decrypt something then you remove all protection on it and can edit it freely
DevHook: Device Hook, or DevHook for short is a revolutionary piece of homebrew that allows you to emulat any firmware without actually installing it. I guide to getting DevHook working can be found here.
Digital Signature: See: Encryption Key
Directory: A directory is just the correct name for a folder.
Ditlew: Worked with Fanjita on the eLoader, the other half of the team
Downgrading: Downgrading is the process of going down a firmware or two. This may be done because the lower firmware has more homebrew games that work on it. Currently only firmwares 2.00, 2.50 & 2.60 can downgrade. If your PSP is a TA-082 downgrading won’t work.
E
EBOOT: EBOOT.PBP is what an application/game must be called to run on the PSP.
eLoader: The eLoader is a device that allows you to use downloaded games on firmware 2.00 and above. It does not work on 2.70+ You can download it from this link: http://dl.qj.net/Alternative-eLoader…5999/catid/114
Emulator: An emulator is something that effectively turn your PSP console into something else. It may allow you to play (illegal) ROM’s for an N64 or SNES or any other console.
Encrypt: The process of encoding information so it can’t be changed then used
Encryption Key: This is Sony’s personal 128 Bit Key. It is virtually uncrackable, however Sony use this to sign EBOOTS and make them run on any firmware.
Exploit: An exploit is a bug in Sony’s code that may hopefully lead to a buffer overflow or underflow which could lead to homebrew on that firmware.
F
Fanjita: The other half of the eLoader team
FAT: FAT, or FAT16, is the format used in the PSP’s memory sticks by default. Sadly it round any file less than 4kb up to 4kb, which isn’t very space conservative. FAT32 however doesn’t do this.
Firmware: Your PSP’s firmware is almost like OS, its upgrading every time. However Sony also put more effort in to stop homebrew every time.
Flash0: Stores highly important system stuff. Cannot restore itself
Flash1: Stores system settings and stuff such as your background. Can restore itself it you currupt something
Flash: (N) The Flash memory of your PSP, where important system settings and files are kept. (V) To flash a PSP means to add, delete or change content on the PSP
Flash Dump: An exact copy of a part or all of the PSP’s flash
Flash Player: PSP’s version 2.70 and above come with a version of Macromedia Flash Player 6
G
Gameboot: The short movie that plays between when you click a game and when it actually begins
Gigabyte: 1024 megabytes, which is 1024 kilobytes which is 1024 bytes
GTA Exploit: An exploit in GTA that allows it to run unsigned code. Unpatched versions ONLY!
GUI: Graphical User Interface
H
Hello World: The simple program thats used for testing exploits and whenever a programming/scripting language is created, Nem created the 1st PSP one (I think)
Hex Editor: A hex editor is basically used to take apart, well, anything. From editing menu names to changing your font loaction, a hex editor will do it.
Homebrew: Homebrew is any game or application not made by a company to make profit. Homebrew is generally free of charge.
I
IDE: Interactive Development Environment, one program that group things such as a tool chain, an editor etc…
Infrastructure Mods: Like Ad-hoc, but rather than connecting directly to another PSP this goes via an access point
IRdA: The PSPs infrared system. Used in remote control programs
ISO’s: ISO’s are against this site’s policy. They are games that have been directly ripped from the UMD and put on the internet for anyone to download. They are VERY illegal
ISO Loader: A program the lets you load iso’s
J
K
Kernel: Kernel is a specific part of the memory in any device, you PC will have kernel RAM also.
It controls access to more major system functions, but also if we use kernel RAM in an app we will have more RAM to work with.
KXploit: KXploit is the trick used to get homebrew to work on 1.5. I was initially done by swapping the memory sticks, but now it is done by adding a percent (%) sign to the end of a homebrew’s name.
L
LocationFree: A Sony device that lets you stream all of your media content, TV, Radio etc… to your PSP. Works only with version 2.50 and above (emulated or flashed)
Lua: Lua pronounced Loo-ah is a simple scripting language designed for entry level games and applications. You can download luaplayer v0.17DK2 (most compatible) here and v0.20 (most features) here. Note, I suggest v0.17DK2.
M
Makefile: Makefile must be used to actually turn your surce code into an EBOOT, this is used with the PSP Toolchain.
Memory Stick: The memory stick (or ms0) is the little card you insert into your PSP. This stores information such as songs etc…
Mips: A type of processor
Modchip: The modchip (most famously Undiluted Platinum) allows you to unbrick your PSP, dual-boot your PSP, upgrade/downgrade at will and has a very nice recovery mode. You can’t brick a modchip.
MP3: The most commonly used audio codec
MP4: The format the PSP uses as standard for a/v
MPH: The creator of the MPH 2.00 -> 1.50 Downgrader
N
NAND: The Flash Memory that the PSP uses is called NAND Flash
Nub: The Nub or Analog nub is just a fancy name for the Analog Stick
O
P
PAK: Almmost like zip, a collection of files needed to make a game run
Param.Sfo: This file contains information on the thing it is attached to (region etc.)
.PBP: The PSP’s form of .EXE
PMF: Sony’s game video format, it can only be encoded using the leaked Sony UMD composer Tools
PMP: A homebrew media format that can stream brilliant quality content to the PSP in full resoulution using PiMP Streamer
POC: POC, or Proof Of Concept it used by developers to show something works, generally created after an exploit
Port: The act of porting a game invoves making it run on a different console to what it what coded for, for example, you may port a PS2 game to work on the PSP
Portal: A shell that runs through the PSP’s web browser
Prx: A file that contains important system functions.
PSP:PlaystationPortable
Python: Python, like Lua, is an interpreted language that needs an interpretation EBOOT to run. You can download the interpreter here
Q
R
Resolution: The number of pixels on something’s screen. The PSP had 480 horizontally and 272 vertically, thats 130,560 altogether.
Ripkit: A program that takes unnecessary files out of an iso to make it smaller
Ripped: If something was ripped from a UMD it doesn’t mean it was torn, it means simply that an exact copy was made and saved to a computer.
ROM:1 A ROM is like an ISO, although it is not from a PSP game, you may have ROM’s for a GameBoy game etc… ROM’s are illegal.
ROM:2 ROM or Read Only Memory is the PSP’s memory stick, or your PC’s hard drive, where information is kept.
Root: The root of your memory stick is not a folder. It is just the memory stick’s contents before you have entered a folder.
S
Sdk: Software development kit, See Toolchain
Shell: An alternative OS for the PSP to replace the xmb
Sircs: Sony’s iR protocol, used in most Sony TV’s, the PS2 and the PSP
Sleep Mode: A form of the Windows ‘Hibernate’ for the PSP
T
TA-082: A motherboard version identifiable by writing on the top left hand side of the inside of the UMD Drive. These PSP’s are not downgradeable
Tiff Exploit: An exploit present only in 2.0 that allows unsigned code to run through a buffer overflow in the TIFF image loading code
Toolchain: The PSP Toolchain is run in cygwin and it automates the process of compiling EBOOTs
U
UMD: A UMD, or Universal Media Disk, it the disk in the plastic casing the the PSP uses. Currently only large games companies can write to these. A UMD Holds 1.8 gigabytes of stuff
Unsigned: If an EBOOT is unsigned then it doesn’t have Sony’s encryption key built into it. Unsigned EBOOT’s can only be run via exploits on firmwares above 1.0
Updating: Updating is the process of taking you PSP up a firmware. However above firmware 2.60 there is no homebrew and you cannot downgrade. 2.80 is the most recent firmware
USB: Universal Serial Bus, the most common way of connecting a portable device to a computer, the PSP has a USB mini-B port, for which you’ll need a USB mini-B cable
User Mode: User mode it often unlocked a long time before kernal mode. This allows you to run homebrew games and write to the flash but not to use kernal features. *
V
VRAM: Video RAM, RAM designated to graphics. Mainly found in computers
VSH: VSH is an abbreviation of Visual Shell
VSH Mode: The Mode that the XMB runs in, halfway between Kernal Mode and User Mode, gives flash access etc…
W
WAB: The creators of the WAB Version changer, one of the first kernal mode Eboots
WAD: See PAK
WEP: A bad network encryption format
Wifi: Wifi is the PSP’s wireless feature, it comes in two versions, ad-hoc and infrastructure
WLAN: A WLAN, or Wireless Loacal Area Network is a home or business network that runs from a wirless access point (router)
WMA: Windows Media Audio, the default windows format for audio. Can be used only on 2.6+ after enabling via the settings menu. Will not work below 2.6 (unless you are in DevHook)
WPA: Also known as TKIP, a network encryption protocol, safer than WEP
X
XMB: The XMB, or Cross media Bar is simply the PSP’s menu UI
Y
YoYoFR: The creator of the current most popular emulator Snes9x TYL
Z
ZX-81: The guy that has made loads of the emulators you probably use, including the calculator one and PSP-VBA
*It is a common misconception that User mode blocks flash0 writing, however that is what Sony did by making it read-only. It is however writable in kernel mode as we then change the permissions to writable.
Elgato Systems announces a hardware encoder in USB Stick format that rapidly converts video files to the high quality H.264 (MP4) format for iPod, Apple TV, and Sony PSP. Turbo.264 accelerates exports by a factor of 4 on an Intel Core 2 Duo up to a factor of 10 on a Power PC G4. The rate of acceleration depends on the Mac processor type.
In January this year, Sony Ericsson even 
Sony has pulled back the curtain a little bit and revealed some new details about the God of War game coming to the PSP. First, we now know the game’s official title will be God of War: Chains of Olympus and that it will take place between God of War and God of War II.
The portable, digital nature of the PSP means that you can pack a lot of images and text onto a little stick and cart it around with you. Already many budding artists and authors are converting their work and making it available for free.
To really squeeze the most out of the PSP without paying for it, you’ll need to get into homebrew, and open up your PSP so you can run home-coded applications on it. Some Pocket Gamers will already have got into the 
ZX-81
