Even though firmware 3.67/8 got hacked by TheFlow with h-encore a few weeks ago, games that required these firmwares weren’t playable on FW 3.60/5. Now, that’s changed as the #LetMaiDie project released their work!

What is #LetMaiDie?

VitaHEX, a PSVita developer, having fun playing a game that requires FW 3.67 on his PSVita running FW 3.60!

In simple words, the #LetMaiDie project is a game decrypting solution that allows you to run dumped games that require FW 3.67/8 on FW 3.60 or 3.65.

The need for #LetMaiDie arose from the fact that NoNpDrm doesn’t work by creating decrypted EBOOT files but instead tricks the PSVita’s DRM system to run games with fake licenses. It also arose from the fact that some people, myself included, stayed on Firmware 3.60 or 3.65 for HENkaku Enso or software that hasn’t been updated for FW 3.67/8.

As a consequence of the EBOOT being encrypted in NoNpDrm dumps, one could not change the minimum firmware required for games to run which meant that recent games wouldn’t run on FW 3.60/5.

#LetMaiDie is split into two parts, namely:

• FAGDec (what a name..) – A utility that lets you create compatibility packs for games. The compatibility packs include a decrypted EBOOT and decrypted modules.
  • Obviously, to create compatibility packs, your device must be on the firmware that the game requires. 
  • The file extension of these packs is ppk and they’re plain ZIP files. An example of a file name is “PCSG01030-03_670-01_00-01_01.ppk” (PCSG01030 is Persona 5 Dancing Star Night)
  • Compatibility packs work with all hacked firmwares. That means that one compatibility pack will work on FW 3.60-8 and any other hacked firmwares in the future, if there’ll be any!
• rePatch, a plugin that allows you to mod encrypted games.
  • This plugin has been around for quite a while but has recently been updated to work with compatibility packs.

MaiDump is a pretty old piece of software that doesn’t dump games properly on FW 3.67/8. That being said, it worked quite well back in the day.

The developers are CelesteBlue and dots-tb, two well-known figures in the PSVita scene.

How does #LetMaiDie work?

#LetMaiDie works with both NoNpDrm dumps and official games (digital/physical) and it applies the compatibility packs mentioned above via RePatch. To use compatibility packs, the process is quite simple:

• First, you need to have rePatch installed.
• Then download the compatibility pack for your game and place it in ux0:/repatch/(TITLE ID of your game)
• Open your game and enjoy!
  

  Like freeshop, pkgj is a tool that allows  for piracy and #LetMaiDie will probably make it more powerful. Fortunately, there are some legit uses for LetMaiDie

Without a doubt, the main use for this will be piracy and some compatibility packs are already uploaded on NoPayStation’s repository. Furthermore, the ability to install compatibility packs may soon be included in the highly illict pkgj homebrew, which is similar to Freeshop for the Nintendo 3DS.

It must be noted that FAGDec and rePatch could be used in a legal manner if you create your own compatibility packs and dump your own games. While it may be convenient to directly download pre-made compatibility packs, it must be noted that this is still piracy as they contain copyrighted material!

The decrypted EBOOTs in the compatibility packs could also be useful for game modders so that’s another legitimate use.

Conclusion

All in all, this is something that will benefit both people who get their games from shady means and those who get them legally.

What this project achieved is quite a feat and it’s been done pretty well but the documentation relating to it should’ve been stored in one place! Tweets aren’t good enough for describing your excellent work, CelesteBlue and dots-tb! 😉

If you encounter any issues, report them to dots-tb and CelesteBlue in the Issues tab of the GitHub link below.

rePatch GitHub link: https://github.com/dots-tb/rePatch-reDux0/releases/tag/2.71

FAGDec download link: https://github.com/CelesteBlue-dev/PSVita-RE-tools/tree/master/FAGDec/build

CelesteBlue’s Twitter (further updates): https://twitter.com/CelesteBlue123

Dots-tb’s Twitter (further updates): https://twitter.com/dots_tb