Getting Started

[Raikalo]

I've been surfing the psx forums for a few hours now, trying to get some organized information about how to get started hacking a ps3. I haven't been able to find anything that really explains what I should do to get started,

I DO know that it uses USB dev boards, that v3.41 PS firmware is better than v3.55, and various other bits of information that have been repeated continuously over the forums. What I don't understand is what the best methods are, what USB board I should get, how much should I expect to pay for supplies, what exactly is happening when a ps3 is hacked/jailbroken, what the differences are between the ps3key, psgroove, psjailbreak etc. I'm bad (e.g. new) at soldering and I hardly know anything about programming, but I'm pretty good with hardware and general computer knowledge.

I'll understand if someone posts a million links, tells me to search better, and calls me a noob. I swear, I tried. There's just so much information that I don't really know where to start.

[stock2255]

Some of the developments in the past few weeks, have made usb dongles, and being on 3.41, irrelevant. With these new developments, all you need to get started, is any usb flash drive. There is a post by D'SIGNER, in the PS3 Game Backup forum, that has tutorials on everything to get you up and running. You can find it here: http://psx-scene.com/forums/f187/cus...-here-d-76406/

Basically, your going to update to the official 3.55 firmware from Sony, going to install kmeaw firmware in recovery mode, than use the LV2 package. Kmeaw's firmware adds additional features to the official firmware, that lets you run homebrew and backup managers, where you can make copies of your games, (or download them online if thats what you want). Theres a pkg file that is run after you start up the ps3, and than you can open up any of the managers and play your games. Don't worry about any usb dongles, psGroove, Jailbreak, or anything, go to that post, read it a few times, and than follow it.

[Raikalo]

I'm gonna go read that right now. Thanks a ton for clearing all of that up.

The scene moves so fast sometimes, it's easy to get lost

[Raikalo]

Following the link you gave, say I installed Kmeaw's 3.55 CFW. If I wanted to downgrade from the CFW to the OFW 3.55, could I just download the official from sony's site and install it from a usb drive without any problems?