What is it?
Important: The PSP has been fully hacked on all firmwares, so you probably want to install a Custom Firmware rather than HBL. Custom firmwares are much more flexible, have more features, and are easier to install than HBL. This page remains online for historical/archive purposes, but generally speaking, its content should be considered obsolete.
This page is the official Download page for Half-Byte Loader. If you have questions please check the FAQ. For the latest news about Half Byte Loader, check the HBL Category on this blog.
Half-Byte Loader (HBL) is an open source Homebrew Loader for the Sony PSP. It allows to play fan-made games on any PSP up to firmware 6.39. HBL allows to run emulators for the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Sega Megadrive, NES, Super NES… and many other applications.
Downloads
If you have a firmware below 5.03, we suggest you upgrade to 6.20 and install TN Hen.
Additional downloads
If you’re looking for good homebrews that run on your PSP, don’t look any further, those are 15 games and utilities that will keep you entertained for hundreds of hours.
How to use
Check the README.txt file in the zip file 🙂
More Info
HBL is a work in progress and sometimes it might fail to load your favorite homebrew. However we believe it is harmless for your PSP and I personally test my work on several PSPs before releasing it. We are also confident that this program cannot “brick” your psp and it will not void your Sony Warranty.
HBL is open source, the compiled versions I provide are a compiled version of the sources available freely here
Need Help?
If you have questions/issues please go to the official forums
Want to Help?
HBL is a work in progress and we need your help. Bug reports, test reports, and code patches are welcome. I also accept donations if you want to support my releases.
fantastic thank you
“HBL is currently the ONLY way to play homebrew games on any PSP that has a firmware >= 5.50, and especially on the PSP Go.”
Pandorable psp’s may disagree 😛 But I’m just nitpicking 😉
lol 🙂
I am SO happy that this works with some emus
Picodrive works ( no sound tough)
s9xTYLmecm (snes emul) works, but slow FPS’s
NesterJ (nes emul) fully works
SMS ( fully works)
mame emul and neo geo ones dont work :c
** neo geo pocket does 😀
@Lampworker : true but I’m assuming people who have a pandorable PSP won’t come on this page anyways 😀
Were getting so close to getting daedalusx64 to run 🙂 on the current rev (65) it freezes upon loading roms 🙁 Maybe you could look into this when you get time (personality i think you’ve earned a well deserved break.)
Were getting so close to getting daedalusx64 to run 🙂 on the current rev (65) it freezes upon loading roms 🙁 Maybe you could look into this when you get time (personally i think you’ve earned a well deserved break.)
hope we get to see all homebew to work on it andi heard that some one is making chickhen r3 wich can be run in this exploit is it ture if it’s ture you are a rockstar for me dude
Good job, HBL Team 😉 Half-Byte Loader’s running more and more homebrews in newest revisions 🙂 This is AWESOME! 🙂
Woooo!
PSP SLIM V3004 with Oficial Firmware 6.00 working with the homebrew fceu-psp.
Super mario bros 1,2,3 working!!!
¡Thank you very much!
hey.. i’m havin’ some problem here ^^ the moment i start HBL a red colored text appeared it says that: Unable to open GAME folder (syscall issue??)
-> Using a cached version of the folder’s content.
What does that mean?
What should i do?
please help! ^^ thx
restart the HBL as many times as needed until the message goes away
Good job, but hbl don’t work on all homebrews.
ok thanks wololo
Hey! wololo i did it 10 times and something happened on the tenth trial: it says: Test scelodon
— success
–failed
–failed
why is that?
and it returned to the previous problem… about that syscall issue …
aww man i thought i could play Homebrew games ….
help please ^^ thx
Scelodopen *
man where i put hbl file in my psp???
please help any working gba emul hombrew ,,,,,,,,,,,,cab any one help
uhh…. i tried to use the HBL Rev66 Beta Debud Version and my problem changed … everytime i start HBl it starts to freeze before it loads the Menu … i know it’s Normal (I Guess) but i tried to start it many times and the same result ….
well good luck wololo and more power ^^
Hi, first of all, thanks a lot!! You guys have done an awesome work!! I’m really looking forward to this =D
I tried the Pataton 2 Exploit and it loads the h.bin with no problem….
However, I’m having a problem when loading HBL rv66 and rv65, they simply wont load T_T. However the r31 does load, but freezes on the menu.
I have downloaded both (r65 debug and non debug), none of them load, my PSP just turns off after 20sec or so…. And what is worst, the debug version wont create a log so I can’t send it in and help in the debugging process T_T.
My PSP is a 3001 OFW 5.55 (the PSP that came with the Assasin’s Creed Pack).
Thanks again and keep up the great work =D
@serpistica, you have posted on the last 2 pages ive been on lol, maybe its just a coincidence. Anyway the answer is so simple, SO very simple… just go to the hbl forum (btw this link was posted on both of the pages you asked questions on -_-) http://advancedpsp.tk/foro_es/viewforum.php?f=39 and stop asking on these pages xD
Wololo, Thanks! This is truly excellent work!
But, I have a silly question for you:
How many times do you think you have heard the Patapon Theme song?
I have been following the HBL loader since it was leaked…
I think I have heard the Patapon theme at least 1000 times, if not more!
I noticed in Revision 65+- you thank fanjita and noobz. Did they help with the HBL or was that just due to the eloader concept? I remeber the GTA LCS eloader fondly. That was my introduction to homebrew, and since I saw the “dark side”(or “light side” depending on how you look at it) I have never looked back. Do you think something like DevHook again?
Keep up the great work and I am really looking forward to Wagic 0.12 on my Go!
Thanks for the great help! I’m going to make more videos for n00bs who don’t know what they are doing lmao
Regards,
Banshee
@serpistica: you have an old save file. Download the new one from this page and stop spamming every forum/blog related to HBL.
@Dillenger: Fanjita kindly contacted me and sent me the sources of the N00bz eLoader. Some of the code of the HBL comes directly from the n00bz eLoader.
It was easier back in these days, because there was no syscall randomization, so we cannot entirely reuse the noobz eLoader, just a few concepts. The HBL would have been 100% complete a long time ago if syscall radomization wasn’t in the way 🙁
The GTA:LCS eLoader was also my introduction to homebrew, the N00bz era is full of great memories for me 🙂
I’ve played Doom with hbl, but then I’ve got a lot of errors!
Test scelodon
– success
–failed
–failed
when arrive the iso-loader???
*smacks Peppe 46 REALLY hard across the room!*
………..*now kicks him.*
IT DON’T WORK! WOLOLO, YOU MUST TEST ON ALL TYPES OF PSP’S UNTIL YOU RELEASE A HBL!!!! POOR, VERY POOR!
@sda: This revision has been tested on a Phat and on a PSPGo, so before insulting my work, make sure you have all the correct files AND if you still have a problem submit a proper bug report (dbglog + what you see on the screen)
Also if you want me to test on all types of psp, please don’t hesitate to offer me the same model as yours so that I can complete my collection. I’m accepting money donations as well.
Well T.O.M.E works on my PSP3000 at 6.20 😉
However i can’t seem to get Wagic to work, sticks on Lopping HBL Treads.
Johnny
It’s a great job guys. I test master system emulator on my PSP 3010 6.20 and work’s, but without sound. It’s really awesome! Great progress.
hello nice work guy but i have a problem.i want play counter strike but it writing this:Looping HBL Thread.what is this?thanks for reply
geez, posted on the wrong page last time :/ You should post r70 (although im not demanding it lol), this one is missing a file. I know its not a huge update or anything but its still important
RedCloud, revisions 69 and 70 are identical, the file that was missing is just important for compiling on linux
wololo and all who helped, amazing work.
has anyone gotten snes emulators to run on psp go 6.20?
it work on pspgo
these guys who have spent alot of time on this hbl loader .. really apperciated .. ive been with the hbl project from when it was first released and all i can say is WOW the dev team is great .. and the rest of the team that is helping out any way possible is fantastic alot of work has gone in to this ….
all cause of this i am able to play almost all the classic games i grew up on
again u guys ROCK!! keep up the great work!!!