So two years later there are much better modding methods that are easier and allow for greater functionality such as playing Vita backups. If you are on 3.60 or lower I suggest you follow this guide: http://wololo.net/vita-3-60-homebrewsem ... ing-guide/
Basically you update to 3.60 if not already on it and then a browser exploit can have the console modded soon after. I'g suggest installing the OfflineInstaller after so if the HENkaku site ever goes down you can still use your modded Vita/TV for years to come. You will need to re-install the exploit after each time you completely power off the console but the OfflineInstaller makes this as easy as doing a couple clicks.
The below should be used for legacy purposes only of for people wanting to remain on 3.20 fine with all it has to offer
I picked up a Playstation Vita TV mid-March 2016 and had many questions. There are lots of great guides out there but they are all scattered about. I'm sure there are others in the same boat as I so here is what I did to mod mine.
I am new to the Vita but not new to console modding. My PSTV came with FW 3.20. If your Firmware is higher I can't promise things will work the same.
Note: As of this writing Zload.net download links are down. I am pretty sure the tutorials I linked do not require them but posting in case you encounter this. I reached out to the owner of the site who said the links will be down for some time. If you need anything you will have to dig for mirrors.
Buying:
I originally just got the PSTV console only but then realized for $10 more I could get the Lego bundle with PS3 controller & 8GB Memory card. 1GB of internal memory is pretty much useless once you have more than a single PSP/PS1 game on the console so just get the bundle. Vita memory cards will run more than $10 alone. At the time of writing Gamestop has it for $60.
Note: Put the 8GB memory card into the PSTV before doing any of these steps. The PSTV will only use the memory card or its internal 1GB NOT both at the same time. If you do this all on the 1GB internal storage you will have to re-do all of the steps or copy the internal storage to the memory card after.
Blocking Updates:
Follow this guide from HackInformer to first setup Vita Update Blocker. This is so you can remain on FW 3.20.
Guide: http://hackinformer.com/2015/07/18/tuto ... e-blocker/
Activation:
Now we can activate the PSTV which is needed for running PSN downloaded games and because of that needed for TN-V & TN-X. You will need a PS3 that is PSN capable. Follow this HackInformer guide under the "Activating a PSTV" section to get the PSTV activated.
Note 1: The guide says to change the setting that says "turn off automatic updates" on the PSTV but you cannot actually do this as the option is greyed out until you sign into PSN. Instead look for the option "Download Update File for System Software" under Settings > System>Auto-Start Settings. Uncheck this.
Note 2: The guide says to download a game. I recommend the "Echochrome" PSP demo as it is free and is one of the few PSP demo's that WILL transfer to the PSTV from the PS3. Most PSP demo's will not.
Guide: http://hackinformer.com/2015/10/29/tuto ... -firmware/
TN-V:
TN-V is used for playing PSP games and can be used for PS1 games as well. Follow the guide from psx-palace to get TN-V installed as a bubble. This way you can cleanly boot TN-V right from the home screen and without having to first launch a PSP game.
Note 1: Some older guides say you need a specific PSP game like Patapon 2 and a specific save. I wasted money buying these games and then came across this newer guide that said I can use any PSP game including the free Echochrome demo as a base game. Save your money and use the demo. You should be able to do everything needed without having to buy one of the special games and without needing the special hacked game-specific save.
Note 2: I could not get Yahoo mail to work with the PSTV email app and Gmail seems to need a bunch of security settings turned off on your account otherwise you will see an error in the email app when trying to add the account for the first time. Free AOL accounts work just fine without having to change any security settings so use those if you have trouble.
Note 3: Be sure to use the TN-V11 files included in the guide. Based on a psx-palace post by user atreyu187 it seems a few versions of TN-V11 are floating around. Some are a leaked beta and others are patched to work. The ones in the guide inside the archive file "3.50_TN-V_BUBBLE" are the good ones.
Note 4: This guide includes the QCMA tool for transferring the content from PC <> PSTV. You will be using this tool a lot so get familiar with it. Make sure to refresh database often as well or the changes you make on the PC will not reflect.
TN-V Guide: http://www.psx-place.com/forum/tutorial ... -9059.html
AOL SMTP settings (should be default): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/883081
atreyu187 TN-V11 leaked versions discussion: http://www.psx-place.com/forum/playstat ... 64-12.html
PSP Games:
Now lets get some PSP games on the console. This is pretty easy. Follow this guide from Wololo for slipping the PSP game into the TNV save folder. Pay close attention to the file names, capital letters matter.
Note 1: If you wish to transfer over a lot of games installing and using Vita FTP may be easier. I linked a guide below. I used the method in the first linked guide as I only wanted to copy a few games.
Note 2: After you get the PSP game over, when in TN-V you can press Triangle and install it. After installing it asks if you want to delete the old file. It is safe to do this, will save space, and limit duplication so you don't have a HUGE TNV save folder.
Guide: http://wololo.net/2013/12/19/tn-v4-how- ... nt-2-of-3/
Vita FTP Guide: http://wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?p=368717
TN-X
TN-V can run PS1 games as well but the games I liked such as "Snowboard Kids Plus" (lol I know, I love this childhood game) ran pretty clunky in the native PSP-based PS1 emulator that TN-V has. That is where TN-X comes in. It runs games using the native Vita PS1 emulator so they run much better and support the Vita based options menu.
IMPORTANT Note 1: TN-X and TN-V cannot be installed at the same time the way the guides have them. They both have a "TNV" save folder that conflict. Each needs it's own folder as the contents inside are unique and only support one or the other. You need to rename the "TNV" folder from the TN-X tutorial to something else such as "TNX" or "PSX" and then place it under your PSAVEDDATA folder next to the previously placed TNV folder from the TN-V11 tutorial on the PC before transferring over. You then need to re-point the exploited PS1 save to the renamed folder using a Hex editor, I used HxD if you need one. This is detailed in the reddit post below by Tony_Otaku. It's actually pretty simple to do.
Note 2: "The Flow" has found a better way to run PS1 games on the Vita. The performance is the same as TN-X however custom bubbles can be made so booting to it is a lot easier. This however does not work on the PSTV at the time I wrote this. Proof of this is linked below where interested Vita or PSTV users can read up.
Note 3: I used Tekken 2 however had I read ahead I would not have. You have to either buy Tekken 2, Sports Superbike 2, or XS Moto. To boot into TN-X with Tekken you have to start a match and then wait while you lose. With the other two games you just load the save & select to start a race. Tekken 2 is also an older game that does not seem to support Analog so you have to start it with Digital controller mode and then switch to Analog in the options once you are in your TN-X game. The other 2 games are newer and should support Analog without this hassle. If you already own Tekken 2 I guess use it but if you are buying a game use one of the other two. Linked below is how each game is booted to TN-X.
Note 4: If you do use the US version of Tekken 2 the save linked in the guide will lead to a C1-2858-3 error. Use the fixed save linked below.
Guide: http://www.guidingtech.com/40356/instal ... d-ps-vita/
Custom PS1 Bubble (Vita Only): http://wololo.net/2016/02/10/ps-vita-3- ... l-exploit/
Proof custom PS1 Bubble is not working on the PSTV: http://www.psx-place.com/forum/ps-vita- ... -9372.html
Fixed Tekken 2 US Save: http://hackinformer.com/2015/03/12/quic ... c1-2858-3/
Reddit post to re-point save to renamed TN-X (TNV) folder: https://www.reddit.com/r/vitahacks/comm ... t_use_tnx/
How each of the 3 PS1 games boot to TN-X: http://www.psx-place.com/forum/general- ... -2271.html
PS1 Games:
If you are familiar with the PSP modding world you should be familiar with that is needed as far as getting or putting the PS1 game into an EBOOT format. If not read up. The earlier wololo guide I linked under the PSP section mentioned copying PS1 games over a different way. I actually used this wololo guide below and installed them via a INSTALL.ZIP inside my TNV save folder (the folder from the TN-V tutorial NOT the renamed one from the TN-X tutorial) like a PSP homebrew. It worked for me so try this. Again capital letters matter
Guide: http://wololo.net/2013/12/18/tn-v4-how- ... nt-1-of-3/
PSTV Whitelist
People should be familiar by now that Sony blacklisted some Vita PSN games that require touch controls or other vita-specific hardware like the camera. You can fix this though very easily to access all of the Vita PSN games.
Guide: http://wololo.net/2015/09/26/pstv-white ... eps-video/
END:
You should now have PS1 games booting via TN-X via one of the 3 mentioned PS1 PSN games. You should also have TN-V working via a bubble on your home screen and PSP games working through that. Last your PSTV should be able to run any vita game, even those blacklisted.
Custom PSP Bubbles:
I need to find a way to get PSP bubbles on my home screen from the game ISO's. There are many tutorials online I just need to try one though they all seem pretty complicated. Will update this guide once figured out.
Note: If you want to use TN-X you CANNOT use bubbleblower2. The two of them conflict and if you try you will have a non-working TN-X installation.
Proof of bubbleblower2 & TN-X compatibility: http://www.psx-place.com/forum/general- ... -9060.html
Reach out!
If any info is incorrect, unclear, links broken, etc. please let me know. I check my email often so reply or PM me even years from now. I will probably still have the needed files and can share them if links are down, it may just take a day or two. I wrote this for other new PSTV users. Nothing is that hard once you try it. This was from several days of playing around with my new PSTV but I could probably do this all in one Saturday morning if I needed to mod a fresh PSTV to this point.
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