PS Vita Video Out: Initial Analysis
I’m sorry readers. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me on my PS Vita video out endeavors. I’ve been bus with travelling, gaming, and other tasks. I’ve actually had this update ready for you guys for almost a month, but just couldn’t find the time to write it.
The most practical way to go about this project was to use something that we already have, and make something out of it. On the PS Vita, there is a MIPI signal that is readily utilizable (the signal that the 3dsvideocapture guys use). The signal used for HDMI is a TMDS signal. Thus, we wanted to convert a MIPI signal to a TMDS one.
There were two problems that were encountered during the analysis.
How Practical Is It?
Despite what some of you would prefer, this most likely isn’t going to be plug-and-play. You will have to do some installation yourself. Maybe some simple soldering, but probably not much. I would love it as much as you would to not have to do work to get video out on my PS Vita, but it’s the reality of the situation that makes it so that you’ll have to.
Cost (Production and End-User)
This is probably the most important factor of the entire project. Here are the factors for the cost of producing the hardware for the mod.
- Cost of the converter chips
- Development board
- Spare Vitas for testing
- Miscellaneous bits for each board
- Manufacturing
- Shipping and customs charges
- Software development time
- Labor
All of this will add up to upwards of $125k, and a very uncertain investment.
The cost for the end-user isn’t set yet, but there is a goal. Ultimately, the cost of the whole the mod should be less than that of a PlayStation TV (Vita TV). Especially so if Sony lets us play all of our games.
The thing is, it may seem like this is it, but there is more. I have a hunch on another way to approach this. I’m not sure if it will work, but if it does, the cost will rocket down, and the practicality will improve.
On a side note, I’m currently holding a $10 US PSN code giveaway. If you’d like to enter, click here.
Special thanks to Josh_Axey for figuring a lot of the factors and costs.
That’s all for now from me, The Jay Doctor. Use the comments for your thoughts. Also, feel free to follow Wololo and I on Twitter using the handy links below.
Nice work!
A W E S O M E
Katsu will be missed…2014-2014
Personally, I didn’t wait around. I just went ahead and bought the modded PS Vita video out. If you really want TV Out that badly, then I would advice you to buy the modded Vita.
Continuing to milk this video out story as always I see 😉
What ever happened to your “source” who was “gauging interest”?
And I see you’re finally coming to reason and saying what I’ve been saying four months ago when you’ve been hyping up this video mod craze.
You mean this guy?
http://linkedin.com/pub/bart-blaner/1/953/ab2
And I do realize that the mod isn’t going to be easy. I’ll do my best to make something out of it though.
I like the part where you take all my research and months of telling you how it is not a sensible idea, and then pass it off as yours with a mention of ‘special thanks’.
Pretty cool read. 10/10 would read again.
I think you may have missed the point, but thanks for your input none the less. Your comment understands none of the context involved in the issue at hand.
If I wanted money, I would have asked for some. Do you see any reference to me and wanting money or free things?
I was unhappy with the use of “a lot of” instead of “all of”. Something tells me most people would feel the same having their work passed off in that manner.
I tackled this as a research project to see if it was viable to produce a product that a general consumer could readily use with the intent of having the whole thing open source, PCB design and all. I am an open hardware advocate, so cut the ***.
You know nothing about me or my contributions, so perhaps you could refrain from attacking me personally next time.
If you do actually want to know the story, you can feel free to message me on the forums any time.
Also, could you please educate me on what entitles you to the information I gathered with my time and equipment that is paid for with my own money? I’d really love to know. Open information is available because people are kind, not because you are entitled to it.
Might I also add that it’s not people like me – who are doing the work – that are bad for this scene. It is people like yourself. The ungrateful, entitled, abusive end user. Ask yourself a simple question of logic: “Why did he not disclose the information himself?”
You’ll probably come across the answer of the information not being ready, or not being useful.
If you think talented developers and researchers aren’t holding their cards close to their chest or holding unfinished work back, then you’re a bigger idiot than you convey here.
Yifanlu why can’t you release your firmware you had when you had your native exploit that was not blocked
Seriously, you need to go re-read the articles and posts around that.
+1
And as I have been saying, even if you find a cheaper method via another supplier, or via use of a custom FPGA solution, or even pixie dust, the real issue remains the infeasibility of having end users that can either install it, or get it installed for a price that isn’t the same as an off the shelf SCE console. As I said, why do you think the USB solution exists as it is, and at it’s current price and difficulty to get installed for an average consumer.
Maybe there is another way to get the video on a tv than hdmi?? And by mipi you are talking about the organisation?? Then this is a dsi signal? I’m fairly interested in those type of things and i’d like to try it on my side just to pass time.
Also i’ve been checking out the way the touchscreen works and it’s communicating by i2c with the vita.. So i’ve found the protocol manual on the web and bought another touch screen that i’ll get soon. I hope to get some results and (maybe) find a way to use the vita with a mouse 🙂
Take in mind that i’m a total rookie and that my results will probably end in a total failure.. 🙁
Could probly use like android tv out box like HTC tv out box. Or parts from a vita tv
Sounds interesting. Good luck.
Yes, DSI lanes. You should find I2C on the touchscreen bus and the LCD bus (but you probably know this). Good luck.
Just wanted the vita cfw hack so that we can play vita games without buying.
People like you are the main reason I hope that never happens. PSP has a ton of games that never made it overseas, and tons of franchises that were left to die because you think you’re above paying for something that cost money to make.
Too bad it doesn’t work that way in reality. Piracy can actually be linked to keeping the PSP alive when it was struggling. With piracy and proper emulation, people were still buying the hardware despite the lackluster games. Plus, people like him aren’t exactly great contributors to the gaming financial pool as it is…
Frankly, I think it’s idiotic to keep thinking that the Vita will suffer if people crack it open. It already is suffering. It’s just an indie *** to Sony. Unfortunately, to properly crack it open to proper homebrew, piracy would be enabled. Who cares at this point, Sony has made it clear they’re not going to assist localizations like they did on the PSP and devs are already making it clear they don’t care about the western market because Sony doesn’t care.
There’s a *** ton of later PSP releases and most of what didn’t make it here had nothing to do with piracy but everything to do with localization costs and a small market having even a smaller market for niche games.
Let me clear something up for you, Did piracy kill the PSP? No it did not as more people ended up buying the hardware but the software sales if anything went down, Why does this matter? Well just look at the Wii.
It sold like crazy but no one was buying games so 3rd parties simple decided to not support the WiiU since they would very likely end up at a loss again.
I also would like to point out what made Playstation famous to begin with. All dat JP games.
I know SCE promised AAA quality games on the go and it is possible but they are so set that GFX = sales, So they figure no one would be interested in PS3 quality any more.
I personally love JRPG’s and am happy with what the Vita is becoming but I also understand these kinds of games are not for everyone and unfortunately many western devs think that since they can’t push PS4 quality graphics that no one would buy the games, To me it has always been gameplay first then story and finally graphics.
This is how I see it at least.
Hey :-> I totally agree with you here!
yeah Japanese games used to be top quality. But with the *** Xbox 360 brodude community becoming a norm, worldwide Japanese developers have started to werternize their games and now they don’t have that charm anymore. Look how brodude Metal Gear has become.
It amazes me that developers AND publishers have come out to talk about how they didn’t want to make PSP games because software sales were too low, especially in USA, and people STILL deny its what lowered support. Vita on the other hand has high software sales which is what prompted Xseed, Bandai, and Nisa to start localizing as many vita games as they could. Vita has more games planned for it than 3DS, and allowing piracy will stop that.
Haha yea Will. That’s why Monster Hunter, GT, GoW, GTA sold like hot bread for PSP.
Piracy does affect games but not as much as some point it out. Or maybe you can tell us how the above mentioned games managed to sell millions when PSP unlocking (piracy) was achievable even by a hobo watching a YT tutorial.
MH sold because of japanese sales. Japanese don’t pirate because consequences are much stricter there. GT, GoW, and GTA sold because that was at the point when piracy was still not as high as later years when you didn’t even need to run out and buy the exploit game which were normally small hard to find titles.
*** 2 was released on Steam only because PSP version of *** 1 sold nothing due to piracy
Piracy was florishing then. By the time GoW released, there were pandoras batteries everywhere. You have no idea what you’re talking about bud.
And around itouch and droid gamers shifted from psp. but still a tuff market umd probly cost as much and memory cards. But the psp I think I heard was easier to crack then the ps3. Ps3 dude works fo google now so cool.
it would be intelligent to let another 2-3 years until a kernelmode (cfw) hack,unless you want these games and no more?
im saying wait for more aaa games
There wont be anymore AAA games. Which is sad. The Vita is already dying, so why not finish it off with a native Vita Kernel Exploit? At least it will come to an use lol.
Sony said less first party games, they didn’t say no AAA games, and the Vita isn’t really dying, it’s a good platform for indies
and any sort of native exploit is easier said than done.
This is just plain untrue… apparently sony has SOMETHING that they are working on 1st party wise, although who knows what. And you can’t definitively come to that conclusion until sony comes out and says “Hey! We are no longer making vita games and are handing development over to indie devs!” *crickets*
They already said that lol
Lol, at least someone is being honest lol. But seriously guys, the Vita is kinda dead. At first when the Vita launched. I was against a Vita CFW, because I didn’t want the support to die out. But looking now at the way Sony is treating the Vita. I kinda want this device to get hacked. At least it would come to an use, rather than being a 200$ doorstep with indie games.
That’s not a very smart comment to make around here at all.
Hack is not the only solution to have homebrews. Sony have just to release a free sdk with limited options only for pro devs.
So everybody can do free apps and if you want to do a big game you have to pay a devkit ^^
If Sony do this we can have a lot of good free games or apps on the store and someone can make an emulator with all the power of the ps vita and share it on the net.
I think Sony can sell a lot of PSV if they publish a free sdk.
But don’t dream guys Sony just want to make money not have a good open device for indie devs.
Ever heard of PSM SDK 2.0 :/
That^ It has Unity support and iirc more of the Vita will be available soon since there are going to drop the “must be playable on all PSM devices” ***.
Correct me if i’m wrong of course.
Unity for PSM is the most fun I have had sitting down, for a while.
When you take the ability to create great games easily and run them on the Vita, the only motivation that is left for gaining homebrew – or more – on the Vita is the challenge.
PSM SDK is for PS Mobile you can open your app with your Vita but is very limited.
Unity is a good thing to make games for PSV but a real PSV SDK can be nice to do some usefull apps like emulators, PC remote play and good stuff like this ^^
Would it be easier to make those external or go with dvi instead of HDMI? It wouldn’t need the encryption at least
To be honest. The only thing that can save the Vita. Is a native PS Vita hack. At first I was against this idea because it would bring piracy and kill off new games. But look at it now… Sony has given up on the Vita, and devs don’t want to invest their money in Vita games anymore.
So yeah, the only thing that can save this is a native PS Vita Hack. It would be sick to have a Vita version of CXMB.
more about psvita-utp out and iphone emulator+jb for pc
They said less first party titles they never said they will stop making vita games.. Only in the usa vita gets no love even here in the philippines their are a lot of vita owners in my school if us devs support the vita then look at the sales go up ea doesnt give a *** about the vita infinity ward etc
Indie as main game isn’t true
PSM is not even world wide
So if sony going all out on indie then it’s should be worldwide
Oh wait the main topic isn’t even about CFW
How did comment lead to that i wonder………
Main topic
Just as i about to buy a vita tv you come up with another video out news =_=
Still want a vita CFW thought
So i can do this that,etc any not being limited by sany
Hey Jay is this attempt of yours based on OLD Vitas? which have the necessary chips for built-in TV capability as confirmed by Muneki Shimada. Because the Slim version is stripped of it.
It’s a study of mine, and yes it is based on the original Vita.
No there is no easily available means to get video out and no the port in it’s current production state is not for video. All of these quotes from people have been taken way out of context and hyped up by people writing ‘click and bait’ articles.
I am just wondering what the heck Sony is going to do about the Connection Port on top of the Vita???? It was clearly placed there for SOMETHING yet you never hear anything about it making it a big waist. Least they could do is see about making it a HDMI Connection, or make a Adapter for HDMI capabilities.
It was already confirmed by Sony it is for TV-out. But they decided to sell another Vita version just for that 1 single use. Vita TV.
My guess is that Vita sold so terrible that Sony just said : screw the existing tv-out port. Vita is sinking fast. Let’s make another one and advertise it as a dedicated Vita for TV, so we can atleast recover our money invested in PS Vita’s.
It may have been for some sort of adapter long ago in the production cycle – but it is NOT for video in it’s current form. And yes, I have confirmed it myself.
You’re talking about something you don’t understand. Everyone has been so sorely mislead about the “accessory port” and the possibility of video out my some means beyond an FPGA or custom chip that you all don’t know which way is up.
Take my word for it.
Well all I can do is wire it to anader vita tought it be used to unbrick a vita.
?
but what about this?
http://wololo.net/2014/01/31/vita-hdmi-output-mod-yet-another-amazing-achievement-by-katsu/
That’s exactly what this is about, katsu has stated he would not release his stuff, so other people are investigating the possibilities to reproduce it. It turns out it would be too expensive to design/manufacture
His was achieved in a similar fashion anyway. It was public misconception and language barrier that proliferated it as a cheap solution. Also, this research was geared around a product for consumers, not a design for enthusiasts.
well clearly,every 4-7 months sony releases a aaa game,also afer they sed less aaa titles,there was another announcement that said more and more first party develpors
Seems that the PS Vita 1000’s mystery port has been investigated, and that mods are out there for it now..to enable video-out on the PS Vita (original model):
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ps-vita-video-output-mod-review
http://hackinformer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/4.jpg
Maybe somebody has a test unit that had built-in video-out? There were some of those for Developers. Might be able to reverse engineer what was done to establish the video-out port on a Developer’s PS Vita:
Have you actually read or properly looked at what you posted there?
Was thinking the vita got nice speacial firmware.