PS Vita: No more PSN access for eCFW users on firmwares ≤3.35?
A few days ago I’ve written an article about PSP CFW users being unable to connect to the Playstation Store, if their PSP is not running the firmware 6.61.
It seems that this applies to the PS Vita’s PSPemulator as well, kind of…
If you are using a PS Vita that is running a firmware that is older than the most recent firmware 3.36, then you might have noticed that you are unable to connect to the PSN services.
Not only do the native PS Vita PSN connections refuse to work (due to not running PS Vita firmware 3.36), but also do the previously working PSPemulator PSN connections (via TN-V or ARK-2 eCFW) refuse to work as of now.
This has pretty much to do with the newly released PSP firmware 6.61, which seems to be mandatory for accessing the PSN services on the PSP (even with CFW). Since the PS Vita runs the PSPemulator firmware 6.60 up to PS Vita firmware 3.35, this applies to the PS Vita’s PSPemulator as well (once again, including eCFWs as ARK-2 or TN-V).
In the end this pretty much means that your PSP (Go) has to run a 6.61 (custom) firmware to access and use the PSN services, and that your PS Vita (TV) has to run a 3.36 (emulator custom) firmware to access and use the PSN services (from within but also outside of the PSPemulator).
The famous TN-V10 eCFW for the PS Vita firmwares ≤3.20 are based on the PSPemulator firmware 6.60, which every PS Vita firmware up to 3.35 runs. As of PS Vita firmware 3.36, the PS Vita is running the PSPemulator firmware 6.61, a firmware which has no (official & publicly available) TN-V build.
This pretty much means that to properly access and use the PSN services on a PS Vita, you have to update your device to version 3.36 (yes, not even 3.35 would be enough, since that one still runs the PSPemulator firmware version 6.60), which in the end has native PSN access anyways, due to being the most recent firmware.
It is currently not known if TN-V and ARK-2 can be fixed to re-enable PSN access on lower PS Vita firmwares, or if they have to be ported to firmware 3.36 to offer proper PSN access from within the PS Vita’s PSPemulator.
If Sony put as much effort into the PS Vita (games, accessories, apps, etc…)as they did into blocking cfw’s then the Vita would have at least a fighting chance
Yeah, thats what most of us have been yelling for a few years now…
But nope, blocking (e)CFW is the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD, according to sony…
Nope wrong oh wait i’m on 3.36 lol
When did i update to that? idk
Since I am currently on OFW 3.15 for the PS Vita, is there any point to even remain on this firmware. I’ve been holding back on updating. I do have a psp 3000 on 3.30 so I could always hack it later to play psp games. Any suggestion as to what you would do? Update it? Or keep it at this low firmware? I probably didn’t search hard enough to know that it was possible to access the PSN on a lower firmware.
Stay on 3.15 bud im on this firmware you have lots of mods that can be done.
wew is it a major ban hammer? or just the psp psn access?
No bans, just a simple error code excluding you from using the PSN services, until you update your devices to 6.61/3.36.
Man this suck I wanted to buy a PSP game on the store “Assassin Creed Blood Lines” Oh well. Anyway, Nice job TheZett
bumers guess i got to get psp go an d a new vita in april.
Thanks for nothing Sony. Smart move discontinuing Apps and services to your customers. Thank goodness for OCMA! 143 M8
now i understand what u mean i cant seem to update any of my games anymore no more game patches for lower firmwares ,, luckyly i use ps vita tv to download my digital games and not ps3 i can update the game there before copying over to pc,, but how about adhocs is it affected?
Oh, well, who really needs PSN? You could just play ISOs. I used to use PSN occasionally, back in the day, before I knew about PSP hacking, then I hacked mine, and have only used it a little (mainly when things go wrong involving a couple of legit EBOOT games I own, and the MHFU demo, for sentimental value) since. A lot of what I own, I don’t own, if that makes sense 😉 (cue Pirates of the Caribbean theme). Mostly ISOs… sorry, $0ney, though I have sorta payed for them via the overblown prices I payed for those EBOOTs that weren’t free offers…
I might be missing a trick here, but what’s wrong with spoofing 6.61 when inside TN-V?
Due to updated internet modules on the firmware 6.61, a simple spoof just wont do it.
And simply replacing the files with the 6.61 files will result in freezes.
Spoofing doesn’t work as Sony has changed the way all systems connect to PSN. It can’t make the proper authentication with a simple spoof like back in the days. It has effected PS3 users with CFW below 4.66 as well.
Zoinks… Right when I pick up a vita.
Well i’ll be keeping an eye out for the next exploit.
Back in the day with PSP’s we did something with version.txt to fake firmware. Would this not work in the eCFW?
A simply FW spoofer wont work, since Sony has changed something major that prevents the PSP (<6.61), PS Vita (<3.36), PS3 (<4.66) or PS4 (<?.??) from successfully connecting to the PSN store.
So………SONY just blocked half of vita users of going to the PSN. AWESOME, JUST AWSOME ¬_¬
You know what… *** it. I still have my old PSP (which is now dirt cheap). After considering what I do on my Vita – I think I’m done with fiddling with exploits.
sigh why do tech companies try to be such dictators
give the users some freedom
so chould i stay on 3.35 or update?
Wait, I’m on TN-V 11 6.60 and it won’t let me setup my PSN account… It sounds like this isn’t supposed to affect my version, right?
Oh, nevermind. I thought it meant PSP firmwares under 3.35 couldn’t access it anymore, it means Vita firmware…
Is there a good chance of this being fixed in a Vita eCFW? I’d like to play Phantasy Star Portable 2 online with my Vita, but It seems to me like PSN access from PSP would be pretty much useless to most people, and therefore a fix will never be made. I don’t want to sound impatient, I would just like to know if it’s likely.
for you and others to follow:
Can it be fixed? Yes.
How? TN has to re-code it to work with 6.61 rather than 6.60.
Will it be fixed? Unlikely. Pester TN for a fix, or get a PSP and run 6.61 CFW. After the recent unauthorized release of TN-V11 TN will unlikely update it for compatibility.
He has a history of being a jerk in general and the only reason we woud have seen TN-V on 3.36+ is because he wanted to insult Qwikrazer’s 3.50 release since many users couldn’t figure out how to use it (mainly the fact they are too lazy to read or attempt to figure things out).
TN-V is great software. It is a fresh breath to a neglected Vita. I personally enjoy the nostalgia of the PSP, and having it on my PSTV is even better. TN does have skill in this regard. Fixing it for 6.61 compatibility wouldn’t take too much effort. Unfortunately, we are talking about a guy who wrote his PS1 exploit with malicious code to nail The_Zett simply because he hated The Z. Don’t get your hopes up. Even if he did update it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds malicious code against Qwik, Zett, or anyone else on his $&!+ list.
Oh… Alright then. Thanks for the info.
Hi ! I’m currently on 3.36 with a Numblast Exploit (running ARK-2, I don’t like TN-V). Is there any way to access to the PSN so I can buy & download Vita games ? That’s what I understood from this article. I saw the Airplane Mode Trick, but It didn’t work for me (dunno if it has been fixed, the article was quite old).
Thanks !