PS4 Release: PS4-HEN-vtx 2.1.5 (release 1.0331), adds more payloads support

image by @aldostools

Developer Echo Stretch, along with BestPig, has been updating PS4-HEN-vtx regularly. The alternate homebrew enabler is available for multiple firmwares for the recent PS4 Jailbreak. What started as a “temporary” measure is now a good alternative for folks who want/have to stay on their current firmware, and if GoldHEN isn’t available for them.

This new release supports more payloads, thanks to payload guest. The developer also mentions they’re now working on WebRTE support.

Why an alternate Homebrew Enabler for all firmwares is a good thing

Popular CFW GoldHEN has been ported to multiple new Firmwares for the PS4, following the release of the latest PS4 Jailbreak on firmwares 11.00 and below. But developer Sistr0 is only human, and has to prioritize some firmwares over others, with each release*.

Now, in theory, with GoldHEN now available on multiple firmwares (9.60, 10.00, 10.01, and 11.00 were added recently, on top of course of 9.00 and several firmwares below that), one could say that it is ok to update to the next supported firmware and call it a day.

For many reason, some people won’t, or can’t upgrade to another firmware.

In particular, some folks are stuck on a given firmware, and cannot upgrade their consoles due to the “NoBD” issue:

Your PS4 is said to be “NoBD” if its BluRay drive is missing or has been damaged. If you have such a “NoBD” console, you probably already know (or will soon discover) that you cannot update your PS4 Firmware anymore. This is annoying for multiple reasons, if only for the fact that there is no legit technical reason for this limitation on the PS4 firmware. You could still technically use the PS4 for a lot of other things, including digital game downloads, but the PlayStation gods have decided otherwise.

It’s up to the community to fix this mess, and make it technically possible to update your firmware to the latest and greatest, by bypassing a few checks during installation of the firmware. These techniques are typically referred to as “NoBD updaters”.

Adding a kernel exploit for lower firmwares gives users additional ways to eventually upgrade their console if they need to. This is just one of the benefits of porting a given exploit to multiple firmwares.

What is PS4-HEN-vtx

If you match the description above and have been desperately waiting for GoldHEN, then PS4-HEN-vtx is the next big thing and I recommend you give it a try. The “vtx” here stands for “Vortex” who was the original developer. As far as I know, PS4-HEN-vtx was actually the base for GoldHEN, and so, even though GoldHEN has evolved significantly since the vtx day, many of the features are similar.

Currently EchoStretch and BestPig have the Homebrew Enabler ported to all firmwares from 7.00 to 11.00 included.

Features:

• Homebrew Enabler
• Jailbreak
• Sandbox Escape
• Debug Settings
• External HDD Support
• VR Support
• Remote Package Install
• Rest Mode Support
• External HDD Format 7.xx Support
• FW Version Spoof to 7.02
• Debug Trophies Support
• sys_dynlib_dlsym Patch
• UART Enabler
• Never Disable Screenshot
• Remote Play Enabler

I’ve updated PS4HEN to support more payloads using payload guest. Currently, I’m working on WebRTE, which involves a lot of offsets. I’m halfway through, with @bestpig help.https://t.co/iQheVOIapl

— Echo Stretch (@StretchEcho) August 23, 2024

GoldHEN of course remains king of the “CFW” on PS4, with more features than VTX. In particular, GoldHEN has an integrated FTP Server, cheat support with an official database, plugin support, and more.

Download and install PS4-HEN-VTX

You can download the version that matches your firmware on the github’s release page: https://github.com/EchoStretch/ps4-hen-vtx/releases (pick the one that matches your firmware)

For details on how to run the PPPwn exploit you can check our PS4 jailbreak page. For any specific issues with PS4-HEN-vtx, get in touch with Echo Stretch at the source link below.

Source: Echo Stretch

* Normally I’d say that open sourcing GoldHEN could fix that, but Sistr0 has been quite vocal that open sourcing his stuff has bit him in the back before and he doesn’t intend to do it with GoldHEN while he is actively working on it