Scene developer Evilnat has been hard at work on a new iteration of his 4.89 Custom Firmware for the PS3.

The next version, 4.89.3, is for all intents and purposes, ready, and the developer stated he hopes to release this new update sometimes this week. Among other things, it will feature lots of updates to xai_plugin (a plugin that adds a lot of features to the XMB), possibility to Dump the EEPROM, and possibility to activate the PS3’s 8th core.

https://twitter.com/xXEvilnatXx/status/1617415073940504578

What is CFW 4.89.3 Evilnat for PS3

Evilnat CFW is a Custom firmware for your PS3. It adds customization features to your hacked console.

A CFW adds multiple features for tinkerers, in addition to what a HEN provides.

In particular, Evilnat CFW includes the Cobra tool, which allow the following:

• Region free BluRay
• ISO mounting for BluRay/DVD/PS1/PS2/PS3*
• Mounting ISOs and games over network
• ISOs can be split and still mounted, to bypass FAT32 4GB file limit on USB
• PS1 backup discs work just like retail discs
• Launch any PSP ISO using the Cobra PSP Launcher (compatibility is not 100%)*
• Launch PS2 ISOs on any console (HDD only, software emulator is not 100% compatible)
• Never requires a real disc in drive
• Boot Plugins (apps that run in the background on boot)
• Dynamic firmware spoofing for mounted backups (apps don’t require updates for every firmware update)

CFW Evilnat 4.89.3: What’s new

Here’s what we can expect from CFW Evilnat 4.89.3, based on some comments from the developer over the past few months:

• New options added in xai_plugin:
  • Dump EEPROM
  • Dump SYSCON Error Log
  • Dump Token Seed
  • Update xai_plugin
  • Enable/Disable PSN Protection (when syscalls are enabled)
  • [Toggle HDD Space] (Unlocks/restores 8% extra total space on the PS3 internal HDD)
  • [Enable VSH Debugging] (Enables debugging vsh.self)
  • [Swap Kernel] (Swaps between CEX and DEX Kernels from CoreOS)
  • [Enable FTP] now shows current IP if it is available
  • [Spoof IDPS] (Spoofs IDPS in LV2)
  • [Spoof PSID] (Spoofs PSID in LV2)
  • [Dump SYSROM] (Dumps SYSROM on HDD or USB)
  • Improve OtherOS menu (like Rebug Toolbox)
  • [Convert to CEX/DEX] and [Check TargetID] added in xai_plugin. Now you can convert your PS3 to DEX/CEX and check your current TargetID through the XMB
  • Options [Enable OtherOS] and [Boot OtherOS] added in xai_plugin. I need more testing and maybe I’ll need some testers who want to test it with flasher on NAND.
  • [Dump Flash] (Dumps current NOR/NAND)
  • [Toggle Plugins] (Enables/disables Cobra plugins)
  • [Enable FTP] (Enables FTP server in port 21)
  • [Disable FTP] (Disables FTP server)
  • New menu structure

https://twitter.com/xXEvilnatXx/status/1613044174952996864

• Possibility to enable PS3’s 8th Core (SPE)
• Named 4.89.3 PEX. “PEX means Ported dEX, because I have ported DEX Kernel and some modules from 4.84 to 4.89. “
• Modules and Kernel from 4.84 OFW DEX are functional in 4.89 CEX

https://twitter.com/xXEvilnatXx/status/1612081141598588929

We’ve seen that beta testers have already confirmed a lot of things work as expected, including PS1/PS2 backward compatibility for original PS3 models, SSDs, Linux, and more. Let’s hope beta test goes smoothly and we can see a release of Evilnat’s 4.89.3 CFW this week.