It’s funny I look back over this blog, which I started near the time I started my industrial placement at the company I am currently with and it seems like the gaps between in posts are getting bigger, to an extent where it looks like I’ve fallen off the surface of the earth at times.
But let me assure you, things have just been incredibly busy over the past few months, with more and more responsibility falling on me at work, the details I have to look over get ever more gritty. With my placement due to finish some time in August / September though things should sharpen up and this should get updated more, but bare with me as I will update as I can.
I start my final year in September with my final year project already decided and modules chosen I know what lies ahead and it looks like a busy period, so I take it I wont have much of a social life next year, but I’ll keep you up to date with what I’m working on, as I’ll probably be locked indoors anyway. But it does look like its going to be a case of all work and no play, hope it don’t make me a dull boy though… or is it too late for that 
“With my placement due to finish some time in August / September though things should sharpen up and this should get updated more, but bare with me as I will update as I can.”
Anyway, having been keeping up with technology news and being a PSP owner myself, something to note is of course the release of the PSP’s first MOD chip the Undiluted Platinum (Otherwise known as U.P.). The U.P. is a secondary Flash ROM chip (e.g. it allows you to store another firmware on your PSP), affectively allowing you to run both firmware 1.5 and the latest firmware from Sony and being able to boot into the one of your choice. For those not aware, the reason firmware 1.5 is considered the best firmware to have is because it allows you to run your backed up UMDs as ISO’s directly from the memory stick using “homebrew” (a term given to software programmed by non-Sony-licenced software engineers) programs & also allows you to use your PSP for many other things.
I hear you asking, “that sounds great, why then do you need the updated firmware?”, the reason is firstly because of new features that the higher firmwares give you (AVC Codec, Location Free Player, RSS Feed Reader, and soon PS3 compatibility with firmware 3.x if rumours are to be believed) and secondly, because all new games require you to have firmware higher than 2.0 to run. Even though there are ways to MOD the ISOs for these games allowing them to be played on a 1.5 firmware, inclusive of programs to aid you in running them, any games requiring firmware higher than 2.5 may not run as expected, simply due to the fact that the encryption on the system files for firmware versions higher than 2.5 have not yet been able to be decrypted, meaning any changes that affect game loading or running cannot be examined and ported for the 1.5.
This is where the U.P. kicks in, the U.P. gives you the ability to run unmodified ISOs (e.g. original backups) even if they are meant for PSPs with the latest firmware by utilising the required features from the latest firmware but still using its own flash memory which allows homebrew to be run. It also allows you to “Un-Brick” a previously “Bricked” PSP. But it comes at a cost, with a retail of $100 (Around £54) just for the chip alone, the installation is not particularly easy for someone who is not an electronic engineer and requires opening your PSP up and modifying the original circuitry and using solder and new wiring to intercept the signals so that they redirect to the U.P. This of course voids your warranty, and could leave you with a very expensive paper weight; it would could cost a further $129.95 (Around £70) (as quoted from modchipstore.com) to have the chip professionally installed for you.
“Unless you have a Bricked PSP, or are stuck with a PSP with firmware higher than 2.01, I’d advise you to stay put with firmware 1.5.”
This Leaves questions as to whether it is worth it, if like me you already have a 1.5 firmware PSP, to have it installed in your PSP at that price. My two cents is, that its probably not, its the first of its kind, meaning that it could hold some serious flaws when updates come from Sony and with progression as it is at the moment, it may well be that the updates will be decrypted and ported to be used on the 1.5 via DevHook making the need for the U.P. obsolete at literally no cost but time and patience. So unless you have a Bricked PSP, or are stuck with a PSP with firmware higher than 2.01, I’d advise you to stay put with firmware 1.5. I wont go on any further about it for now, but if you wish to keep track on progress of news to do with the PSP and the U.P., I would recommend PSP-Hacks.com a really good community site for those people who wish to take their £150+ that they paid for their PSP further.
Anyway, away from the world of console gaming and IT, I’ve been thinking of late about, consideration, if you look at the big picture it can be the difference between someone hating you, or someone appreciating you. Sometimes, however, in the heat of stress, or when things are overwhelming you, you forget about the considerations you would normally take. Yet, regardless of the “excuse” or the “reason” the reality is you always have to take others into account, it can make things in life a lot easier if you do, as you maintain a healthy relationship with those around you.
Really, it all stems down to thinking before you take action, to think about the consequences of the actions you take before you actually do them, I’ve mentioned it before in this blog, and chances are I’ll mention it again. Taking a step back to realise what you are doing can make the difference between an easy ride and a bumpy one. I just wish the general public would take this into mind more often as I know a lot of hurt would be spared if just one second was taken to think…
So to finish today, I’m going to end with a quote from a famous Greek Philosopher, who we all know that ties in well with what I have just mentioned, so in the words of Socretes…
“The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear.”
Post Tagged With: consideration, life lessons, modchips, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable, PSP, Undiluted Platinum.