Upcoming TN-V4 release and recently revealed exploits: FAQ

As usual with a Ninja release, my email and PM inbox at /talk get filled with questions. Everybody (including me) is anxious for the release. You bought the game (or didn’t for some reason), then what happens next? Here is a series of the most frequently asked questions I’ve had since yesterday.

Disclaimer: I did not test the exploits or TN-V4

All the information I have on the exploits or on TN-V4 is second hand at this point. The information comes from very trusted people of the scene so I have no doubt it is true: I know the exploits are real, and I know TN-V4 is real. What is much less clear to me is how much testing has been done of the exploits in combination with TN-V4. TotalNoob has distributed a “tool” to port a given exploit to his CFW, and this is the tool we trust to know if an exploit is compatible with TN-V4 or not.

Should People on 3.00 go with King of Pool, or should they upgrade to 3.01 and get 101-in-1 megamix (or hitman reborn for JP)?

To clarify again, the King of Pool exploit runs TN-V4 without a problem, but has been patched in firmware 3.01. If you’re on 3.00 and have King of Pool (or have the possibility to buy it since it’s apparently cheaper), then I’d say go for that. King of Pool also has the benefit that it is the game that was used by hackinformer and mathieulh to test TN-V4, so we have 100% confirmation that TN-V was fine tuned for this exploit. Just keep in mind that you can’t upgrade to 3.01 if you plan to use the King of Pool exploit.

In my locale, 101-in-1 megamix is sold in a bundle with another game, will that version work with the exploit too?

It seems some store in Europe sell 101-in-1 megamix as a bundle with another game. Although this makes it more expensive for you to get the exploit, I believe the game is the same, and the exploit will work for it. Of course, if you can get a version that is not a bundle (and therefore less expensive), you should choose that one IMO.

People with Asian (HK, JP…) Vitas using a US/EU account report they cannot start a single player game in 101-in-1 megamix. Will this impact the exploit?

It seems the game gets confused when running on a console which confirmation button is circle instead of cross. This prevents people from starting a “single player” game in 101-in-1 megamix.

According to THE Z, this does not impact the exploit (see video below). It seems the exploit triggers as soon as you load the savedata, so it seems there is no need to start an actual single player game for you to run TN-V4. That being said, it is unacceptable that Sony sells you a game which doesn’t work, so I strongly suggest you contact them for a refund (Edit: people tell me that depending on the mood of Sony’s Customer Service, you might also lose the game when they refund you… so, don’t do it, or wait until after firmware 3.02) .

Do you recommend people on firmware x.xx to update to firmware 3.xx ?

It’s up to you. Being on 3.01 will let you use the PSN for a while, until Sony patches the exploit. If you want to stay on firmwares below that (TN Did state that firmware 2.12 lets the PSP emu use more Ram, for example, which will benefit emulators such as Daedalus for the N64) , this assumes you can download and install one of the exploitable games for that firmware. Techniques to access the PSN while staying on a lower firmware are described here, and we have an up to date list of games that will run TN-V4 depending on their firmware, thanks to The Z:

What’s up with Urbanix, I heard it can run TN-V4 up to firmware 3.xx?

The Urbanix thing is a long story. Basically it seems you can probably use the Urbanix exploit to run TN-V4 up to firmware 2.61 (even thought Sony had patched it long before that firmware, it seems another exploit variation was found recently. But Sony patched that again in firmware 3.01. They also had patched a function in firmware 3.00 that will make it impossible for Urbanix to run TN-V4 in 3.xx)

I live in AU/NZ, there is no exploit for me, am I sc***?

First of all, let me remind you that hackers do not choose where the exploits are, or what store the exploited games are available in. It sucks that AU/NZ got sc*** this time, but unfortunately it happens.

That being said, if you are on lower firmwares up to 3.00 included, the same solutions described above are open to you, such as getting King of Pool for 3.00. alternatively, you can use a US account (I explain here why I think it’s a good idea). I realize this is not convenient for many people. We are discussing solutions and potentially a new release for you guys, but at this point I cannot promise anything

I wasn’t able to get the game. It is too expensive/I was out of town/I don’t have a credit card/Random excuse here…

Sorry. That’s the way these hacks work. As I type this, you still have time to get the exploited game. The last release of TN-V was one year ago, and we cannot predict if/when the next one will be. although this is “only” a hack for the psp emulator in the Vita, this is by far the biggest release of the scene for the past 12 months. My personal opinion is that you should do everything you can to get this hack. Sure, you might want to give it up in a few weeks when Sony updates their firmware, so you don’t lose your PS+ benefits or whatnot, but you’d rather have to be able to make the decision then, than just not have the choice because you ignored this release.

I got the game. My Vita’s ready. When will the files be released?

I don’t know, this is up to TotalNoob. I am following up with him. Typically we would release the files for such an exploit just after Sony pulled the game from their stores (which I believe will happen on Monday), but again, it’s up to TotalNoob. As I stated above, I was myself not given access to the files, so no need to ask me, I cannot give them to you, and I am waiting like everyone else.

So we just need to wait then… Anything I need to do in the meantime?

Buy, download, install the game, and make sure it runs!!! So many people buy the game and leave it in their download list, thinking they’ll be able to download it later… don’t do that! Sony can remove the game from your download list and prevent you from installing it!

What happens when Sony updates their firmware to 3.02 or something similar?

Eventually, Sony will update their firmware with a patch that blocks the usermode exploit, and potentially the kernel exploit as well. At this point, you will be faced with the choice of updating your firmware to keep PSN access (and lose the exploit), OR to disconnect your PSVita from the PSN, and not update. Note that a tool named OpenCMA lets you copy files from your PC to your Vita without having to update your firmware.