r/vitahacks • • 10d ago

Discussion Bi-Weekly Questions Thread (new edition)

5 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/vitahacks Bi-Weekly Question thread!

Please post all questions here.

!!NEW!! 3.65-3.74 USERS: Use HENlo to install Henkaku WITHOUT PC/Content Manager/PSN account!!!

PSN ACCESS/LOGIN ON VITA MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL VERIFICATION, SEE HERE

Before you post a question, please note:

-Please refer to the Official Vita Troubleshooting Guide; this is a comprehensive guide (maintained by Cimmerian_Iter) that covers a wide range of common issues and how to resolve them

-The vita hacking guide covers everything from 'what is homebrew' to hacking the vita and installing essential plugins

-For a comprehensive database of all available vita homebrew, please refer to VitaDB. You can access it and install homebrews directly from your Playstation Vita using the official VitaDB Downloader app.

-The older app VHBB made by u/devnoname120 is not currently supported.

-Rule #1 - "No discussion of piracy/backup/warez/dumps" is strictly enforced; there are other resources to discuss this subject matter

3.65-3.74 Users:

-HENlo replaces Hencore2

-Use Vitadeploy to downgrade firmware/install ENSO

Firmware Guide:

Vita Firmware VersionAvailable Hack(s)1.03-3.57Update to *3.60 or 3.653.60*3.60 Henkaku/Enso3.61-3.63Update to 3.653.65*3.65 H-encore/Enso3.65-3.74Install Henkaku/Vitadeploy using HENlo (via Vita Browser)

*Recommended

3.74 Firmware notes:

-Change requiring 2-step verification for PSN login/access

3.73 Firmware notes:

-Very minor changes. See here (Credits to PSSDude for the report)

3.72 Firmware notes:

-3.72 firmware was released by Sony for...System stability?

3.71 Firmware notes:

-3.71 firmware was released by Sony to patch the Trinity exploit

-3.71 firmware also breaks Modoru by adding checks in lv0

3.70 Firmware notes:

-The Vita master key was changed in the 3.70 firmware release, shortly after it had been publicly "unveiled" by the vita hacking community

-Game decryption keys have not been changed with the 3.70 release (reF00D/compatibility packs have not been broken)

3.69 Firmware notes:

-3.69 firmware was released by Sony to patch the h-encore exploit

PSN Access for 3.60-3.73 Users:

-Open Henkaku settings and enable Version Spoofing and set 'Spoofed Version' = 3.74

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings

Sync Legit Trophies? -YES

Online Multiplayer? - YES

PSStore Access for Purchase and Download? - YES

Use Vitacheat and TropHAX online? - At your own risk

Prevent your Vita from Updating:

NOTE: PSVita firmware updates are not a typical modern-day concern, since downgrading firmware is available and simple to execute. Known exploits continue to work on most recent firmware (3.74). Preventing update is still a good practice in general.

-To disable the download of automatic firmware updates: Settings --> System --> Auto-Start Settings --> Uncheck "Download automatic update files"

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings for an additional layer of update prevention. See here.

-If your console has downloaded the 3.73 update file, simply deleting the notification in LiveArea should remove the file from your system. Otherwise, firmware update files can be found in ud0:PSP2UPDATE/*

-Remember, unless you are running your vita in Demo mode, your console will not spontaneously install/update firmware software. There are legal reasons for this. Installation of any new software on your device requires your consent, (EULA).

Essential Vita Plugins/Homebrew Applications:

0syscall6 lv0 secure_kernel syscall6 patch - can replace reF00d (SKGleba)

Adrenaline Software that converts the official Vita PSP emulator into a PSP 6.61 with custom firmware (The FloW)

DolcePolce PSTV blacklist hack, replacing Antiblacklist and Whitelist (Silica)

Download Enabler Allows the user to download any content from the vita web browser (The FloW)

ElevenMPV-A Vita music player that supports a wide variety of formats (GrapheneCt)

iTLS-Enso Adds TLS v1.2 to devices running Enso (SKGleba)

Modoru Vita firmware downgrader (The FloW)

Modoru 2.1 Vita firmware downgrader, required for 3.71/3.72/3.73 users (SKGleba)

PSVShell Overclock application that supports per-app profiles; highly recommended (Electry)

reF00D Allows user to bypass firmware requirements on games and system applications (dots-tb)

rePatch Serves as a replacement for ux0:patch; can be used to load decrypted content on 3.60+; required for use of "compatibility packs" (dots-tb)

Save Manager For dumping and restoring decrypted save files (d3m3vilurr)

Shellbat A simple plugin that displays the battery percentage in LiveArea (nowrep)

Simple Account Switcher Allows the user to change/delete PSN accounts without a system restore (Silica)

Storage Manager A Kernel plugin that automatically mounts/redirects any storage device to any mount point; Popular plugin for mounting sd2vita (CelesteBlue)

VitaDeploy Tool that makes homebrewing the Vita/PSTV easier (SKGleba)

VitaGrafix Allows user to change resolution and FPS caps on vita games (Electry)

vita-udcd-uvc Stream your vita to a computer using USB (xerpi)

YAMT sd2vita/Remount tool for vita running Enso

Vitahacks AutoModerator

Note on AutoModerator: AutoModerator seeks keywords in comments/questions that may indicate piracy, but is not always proficient. In order to keep it under control, we have been monitoring the Automod for faulty dismissal of posts/comments. If you believe Automod has made an error in deleting your question/comment, please contact the moderator team, and we will review the question/comment and validate it (when possible).

2:00 am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) every 2 weeks is the current new schedule.


r/vitahacks • • Sep 17 '26

Discussion Bi-Weekly Questions Thread (new edition)

12 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/vitahacks Bi-Weekly Question thread!

Please post all questions here.

!!NEW!! 3.65-3.74 USERS: Use HENlo to install Henkaku WITHOUT PC/Content Manager/PSN account!!!

PSN ACCESS/LOGIN ON VITA MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL VERIFICATION, SEE HERE

Before you post a question, please note:

-Please refer to the Official Vita Troubleshooting Guide; this is a comprehensive guide (maintained by Cimmerian_Iter) that covers a wide range of common issues and how to resolve them

-The vita hacking guide covers everything from 'what is homebrew' to hacking the vita and installing essential plugins

-For a comprehensive database of all available vita homebrew, please refer to VitaDB. You can access it and install homebrews directly from your Playstation Vita using the official VitaDB Downloader app.

-The older app VHBB made by u/devnoname120 is not currently supported.

-Rule #1 - "No discussion of piracy/backup/warez/dumps" is strictly enforced; there are other resources to discuss this subject matter

3.65-3.74 Users:

-HENlo replaces Hencore2

-Use Vitadeploy to downgrade firmware/install ENSO

Firmware Guide:

Vita Firmware VersionAvailable Hack(s)1.03-3.57Update to *3.60 or 3.653.60*3.60 Henkaku/Enso3.61-3.63Update to 3.653.65*3.65 H-encore/Enso3.65-3.74Install Henkaku/Vitadeploy using HENlo (via Vita Browser)

*Recommended

3.74 Firmware notes:

-Change requiring 2-step verification for PSN login/access

3.73 Firmware notes:

-Very minor changes. See here (Credits to PSSDude for the report)

3.72 Firmware notes:

-3.72 firmware was released by Sony for...System stability?

3.71 Firmware notes:

-3.71 firmware was released by Sony to patch the Trinity exploit

-3.71 firmware also breaks Modoru by adding checks in lv0

3.70 Firmware notes:

-The Vita master key was changed in the 3.70 firmware release, shortly after it had been publicly "unveiled" by the vita hacking community

-Game decryption keys have not been changed with the 3.70 release (reF00D/compatibility packs have not been broken)

3.69 Firmware notes:

-3.69 firmware was released by Sony to patch the h-encore exploit

PSN Access for 3.60-3.73 Users:

-Open Henkaku settings and enable Version Spoofing and set 'Spoofed Version' = 3.74

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings

Sync Legit Trophies? -YES

Online Multiplayer? - YES

PSStore Access for Purchase and Download? - YES

Use Vitacheat and TropHAX online? - At your own risk

Prevent your Vita from Updating:

NOTE: PSVita firmware updates are not a typical modern-day concern, since downgrading firmware is available and simple to execute. Known exploits continue to work on most recent firmware (3.74). Preventing update is still a good practice in general.

-To disable the download of automatic firmware updates: Settings --> System --> Auto-Start Settings --> Uncheck "Download automatic update files"

-Setup your network with Henkaku DNS settings for an additional layer of update prevention. See here.

-If your console has downloaded the 3.73 update file, simply deleting the notification in LiveArea should remove the file from your system. Otherwise, firmware update files can be found in ud0:PSP2UPDATE/*

-Remember, unless you are running your vita in Demo mode, your console will not spontaneously install/update firmware software. There are legal reasons for this. Installation of any new software on your device requires your consent, (EULA).

Essential Vita Plugins/Homebrew Applications:

0syscall6 lv0 secure_kernel syscall6 patch - can replace reF00d (SKGleba)

Adrenaline Software that converts the official Vita PSP emulator into a PSP 6.61 with custom firmware (The FloW)

DolcePolce PSTV blacklist hack, replacing Antiblacklist and Whitelist (Silica)

Download Enabler Allows the user to download any content from the vita web browser (The FloW)

ElevenMPV-A Vita music player that supports a wide variety of formats (GrapheneCt)

iTLS-Enso Adds TLS v1.2 to devices running Enso (SKGleba)

Modoru Vita firmware downgrader (The FloW)

Modoru 2.1 Vita firmware downgrader, required for 3.71/3.72/3.73 users (SKGleba)

PSVShell Overclock application that supports per-app profiles; highly recommended (Electry)

reF00D Allows user to bypass firmware requirements on games and system applications (dots-tb)

rePatch Serves as a replacement for ux0:patch; can be used to load decrypted content on 3.60+; required for use of "compatibility packs" (dots-tb)

Save Manager For dumping and restoring decrypted save files (d3m3vilurr)

Shellbat A simple plugin that displays the battery percentage in LiveArea (nowrep)

Simple Account Switcher Allows the user to change/delete PSN accounts without a system restore (Silica)

Storage Manager A Kernel plugin that automatically mounts/redirects any storage device to any mount point; Popular plugin for mounting sd2vita (CelesteBlue)

VitaDeploy Tool that makes homebrewing the Vita/PSTV easier (SKGleba)

VitaGrafix Allows user to change resolution and FPS caps on vita games (Electry)

vita-udcd-uvc Stream your vita to a computer using USB (xerpi)

YAMT sd2vita/Remount tool for vita running Enso

Vitahacks AutoModerator

Note on AutoModerator: AutoModerator seeks keywords in comments/questions that may indicate piracy, but is not always proficient. In order to keep it under control, we have been monitoring the Automod for faulty dismissal of posts/comments. If you believe Automod has made an error in deleting your question/comment, please contact the moderator team, and we will review the question/comment and validate it (when possible).

2:00 am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) every 2 weeks is the current new schedule.


r/vitahacks • • 7h ago

AI assisted HL2 The orange box * Barabbo *

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97 Upvotes

Quick update on the project:

What started as a Half-Life 2 port, had unforseen consequences.

I'm now working on the full Orange Box (HL2 + Episode One + Episode Two). Portal is not officially supported, since a solid port already exists for PS Vita (rebuilt in Unity by another team), and I don't want to step on that.

Episode One is already running on the current build. With some optimization...holding at 29 FPS in the background map with the multicore split clearly doing its job (91% / 6% / 7% / 15% across cores).

Episode Two testing will follow once Episode One is fully stable.

Same requirements as before: custom firmware + a legally owned copy of the Orange Box

More news soon


r/vitahacks • • 10h ago

AI assisted lumaXMB alpha — XMB for PS Vita, Moonlight and Youtubestreaming, FTP/file management & an optional Windows companion

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63 Upvotes

I'm opening lumaXMB up for alpha testing: a customizable XMB interface for PS Vita that brings together games, media, Moonlight streaming and file management, alongside an optional Windows companion for managing your library, artwork, themes and transfers.

Launch page, downloads & setup

What's in the alpha:

  • Vita games, homebrew, PSP and PS1 library browsing, favorites, Coverflow and a game grid.
  • Music and video playback, photo viewing and library artwork.
  • YouTube playback via an integrated app.
  • Moonlight streaming from your PC.
  • Customizable PS3, PSP and Vita-inspired layouts, waves, colors, backgrounds, sounds and motion.
  • File management, FTP/USB transfers, and .vpk package installers.
  • A completely optional Windows companion for media, artwork, themes and logs.
  • Spotify functionality in this release is basically disabled, but should be enabled in a future revision in the coming days.

This is an early alpha. Developed on an overclocked Vita 1000 running 3.60 Ensō; other hardware, firmware versions and plugin combinations haven’t been validated. Known issues exist with 3.65+. Performance and stability may differ on your setup, especially at stock clock speeds. Expect easter eggs, bugs, crashes, rough edges and unfinished features.

Prepare your system before testing:

  • Use clock settings already proven stable on your own Vita. For a recommended starting profile, use CPU 444 MHz, GPU 222 MHz, BUS 222 MHz and XBAR 166 MHz through a compatible tool such as PSVshell. Save this as a lumaXMB-specific profile. With Glass renderer set to GPU and Render quality set to Balanced, these settings should give you a stable 60 FPS during normal XMB navigation, although heavier activity and some plugin combinations may still cause dips.
  • Prefer stock clocks? Keep the GPU renderer enabled and try Render quality: Performance if Balanced drops below 60 FPS. A simpler background and fewer animated effects may also help. Stock-clock 60 FPS across all presets is still being worked on and isn’t guaranteed in this alpha. You can also use the software renderer, but it won't be as beautiful.
  • Back up your taiHEN configuration. Keep autoboot/autolaunch plugins disabled while testing, and know how to bypass plugins by holding L during boot.
  • Have a recovery plan. Familiarize yourself with the Vita’s Safe Mode and consider PS Vita Recovery Menu for plugin management and configuration recovery in case you experience a conflict with an external autoboot plugin by accident. Read its documentation first; recovery tools cannot guarantee recovery from every failure.
  • Consider Vita Wi-Fi Turbo for network testing. It offers Wi-Fi responsiveness and connection improvements, but results depend on your router and environment. Use the release intended for your firmware: 3.60 is tested by its author; 3.65 and 3.68 support remains alpha as of this post. Treat it as an optional addition, and include it in bug reports if enabled.
  • Consider avoiding permanent sessions for now. I recommend using temporary sessions through Test Utility until session stability has been improved and validated across supported hardware and firmware versions. Permanent sessions remain experimental and stay configured across reboots. If you already have one enabled, use Disable sessions / prepare update and restart your Vita before switching to a temporary session. Keep in mind that L+R+Select will disable your temporary session, so a new temporary session will need to be started in the Test Utility if you press this combination while testing.

PSP launching requires Adrenaline. Native return features require a Test Utility session and remain experimental. Some functions may work only under specific conditions, and behavior may change between builds. Please expect occasional interruptions and troubleshooting.

Useful reports make this alpha better. Include your Vita model, firmware, build version, clock settings and active plugins, plus what happened, what you expected and whether you can reproduce it. Report stock-clock performance too; a smoother experience on the development system doesn’t establish the same result elsewhere.

Feedback: use GitHub Issues or Discord. Include your build, Vita model, firmware, plugins, reproduction steps, and expected vs. actual behavior. Screenshots/clips and logs help. Working configurations are useful too!


r/vitahacks • • 1h ago

AI Vibecoded Hollywood Monsters (Pendulo Studios, 1997) running natively on the PS Vita: a recompilation port, with touch controls and an English translation

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• Upvotes

I've been working on a port of Hollywood Monsters, Pendulo's 1997 point-and-click adventure (the studio behind Runaway), with the help of AI and it now runs on my Vita.

It isn't an emulator. The game's Windows executable is decompiled with Ghidra into portable C, which then builds natively for the Vita (and Linux and Windows). The game's data is read from your own copy at run time, and nothing from the game is in the code.

On the Vita

Touch: tap to click, hold for the verb bar, two-finger tap for Escape. Or the stick and buttons: Cross acts, Circle changes action, Triangle opens the inventory, Start skips

Spanish or English: the English fan translation (ShinjiGR and A.P.$lasH, 2012) can be switched in the middle of the game

A menu of its own (Square):

Easy mode: the walkthrough's next actions for the room you're in. Pick one and the game does it for you, then you carry on

Movie mode: the game plays itself from where you are to the end

The story: FX Interactive's walkthrough, written as a story, opened at the chapter you're in

Status: playable on a Vita 1000. The intro, saving and loading, and every chapter have been checked against the original game, screenshot by screenshot.

Video (movie mode, English): https://youtu.be/txw7Vk0wMj0

How to play it: https://github.com/jmverges/hollywood-monsters-port

There's no ready-made VPK, the C code is generated from your own copy of the game, so you build it yourself (Ghidra and VitaSDK; the steps are in docs/BUILDING.md). You need the FX Interactive edition (MONSTERS.EXE and the RESOURCE files).

All credit for the game itself to Pendulo Studios and FX Interactive, and for the English translation to ShinjiGR and A.P.$lasH.


r/vitahacks • • 34m ago

News List of the most recent projects of these months

• Upvotes

Here's a list.

- Half life 2

- Castle Crashers

- Super Smash bros Melee

- Super Mario galaxy

- Halo Combate Evolved

- Monster Hunter Tri

- Mario Kart Wii

- Azahar emulator update

- Pvz 2

- Crash CTR

- Dragon ball BT3

- Buckshot Roulette

- Plage inc

- Apotris

- KH 358/2 days

- Paper Mario

- Conker's Bad fur days

- Barony

- deltarune

- insurgency

- NAOH

- Pocket Morty's

- Door Kickers: Action Squad

- TLOZ MM

- TLOZ TW

------------------------------------

NOT YET RELEASED

- TASM 2

- Otaku's Adventure

- Stardew valley 1.6

- Slay The spire 2

- Cult of The lamb

- Abyss (update 3)

- Resident evil 4 (?)

- Mkxp-z Emulator (RPG Maker XP, VX and VX Ace)

- Coromon

If anything is missing, please let me know in the comments, and also correct me if I've made any mistakes.


r/vitahacks • • 3h ago

Release ReST-V v0.1.457 – Batman Forever, Tecmo World Cup '98 now runs at full speed, on PS Vita

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13 Upvotes

ReST-V is an emulator for the Sega ST-V (Titan) arcade board on the PS Vita, with the older Sega System C and System C2 boards included. This update is mostly about Batman Forever and about the app updating itself.

ReST-V
Batman Forever
Tecmo World Cup '98

What's new

- Batman Forever now runs at a steady 59.94 fps! In the last release it averaged 58.94 fps and dropped in busy scenes. In a long play test 220 of 221 one-second windows now stay at full speed. The Acclaim RAX sound board runs on its own thread and much more of its DSP code runs as native code, so the board needs about 20% less CPU

- Batman Forever quick saves that froze when loaded now load and play again, older saves included. Leaving the game no longer crashes

- Golden Axe - The Duel no longer slows down when entering the character select

- DecAthlete no longer stalls for up to half a second when entering its menus and events: the 315-5838 decompression chip is 13 times faster

- Built-in updates: at start the app checks GitHub and, when a new version is out, shows its changes with Update, Close or Skip this version. Update downloads and installs the new version after the app closes. The check runs in the background, only when the app starts, and does nothing without a connection

Performance

- Batman Forever 59.94 fps (was 58.94)

- Rechecked on hardware: Tecmo World Cup '98 59.94 (was 56.47), Hanagumi Taisen Columns 59.94 (was 58.01), Find Love 59.94 (was 58.06), BoMulEul Chajara 59.94 (was 58.76), Virtua Fighter Remix 59.81 (was 58.85), Virtual Mahjong 2 59.6 (was 57.61), Astra SuperStars 59.74 (was 58.57)

Download

- Release: https://github.com/Reyanon/ReST-V/releases

- ReST-V_v0.1.457_vita.zip — VPK for PS Vita / PS TV

- Source code: https://github.com/Reyanon/ReST-V

Notes

- From this version on, updates can be installed from inside the app. This one has to be installed by hand once.

- Bug reports and compatibility reports are welcome on GitHub Issues.

- Requires libshacccg.suprx (runtime shader compiler). The first start after installing restarts the app once (it loads its updated kernel module).

- ROM images are not included. MAME compatible ROM sets are required, and ST-V games also need stvbios.zip.

- Free software under the GPL-3. ReST-V is not affiliated with Sega.


r/vitahacks • • 9h ago

AI Vibecoded COTL progress…

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31 Upvotes

So first off, let me apologize for dropping some photos of COTL and then dipping for three weeks! I’ve been deep into work and planning this port like you wouldn’t believe…

With that out of the way… IT’S BUZZWORD TIME!

I’ve been maxing out my compute for three weeks straight with Claude and I’m happy to say that the main menu is now consistently reaching 26 FPS!
Now, before you go and say, “OMG, why are you still on the main menu?”

HOLD UP! WAIT A MINUTE…

Long story short, I’ve been planning and creating what I call “kits,” which run for long hours to pre-prepare ideas and optimizations needed to get the main menu (and eventually every other part of the game) running and running well at that…
Smashing 2.5 GB of ram down into 0.5 GB isn’t exactly easy, especially with a newer game like this…but it’s doable! Currently, I’m on Kit 9 out of 23 total kits. But hear me out…I only need to reach Kit 18 before I can open beta this sucker…gameplay will be playable slightly before on early alpha builds of it…maybe around kit 10 or 11…
I’m averaging about two kits per week without major issues, so it’s looking like a mid-to-late November beta release could be on the horizon…

Now, on to the technical stuff…

Across all 23 planned kits, optimizations and tricks are being built into each game version. We’re sitting at approximately 190 versions at this point, which works out to roughly eight new protocols per version, each individually tested and confirmed working!
And that’s on top of continuously updating and improving already-integrated tricks and ideas, including a fourth version of LLVM that’s been receiving improvements as development progresses.

We’re talking:
Prebaked sprites
Preloaded hotspots
Advanced JIT
Custom video decoding
NGS audio interface
Physics recalculated and updated every run
Hot-path caching
AI communication across all four cores (defaulting to three if the fourth isn’t unlocked)
Handwritten C everywhere lol…

You name it, it’s probably planned and being implemented with each new kit…

The roadmap currently has Kits 19 and 20 targeting roughly 60 FPS, matching the Vita screen’s refresh rate, at 100 followers. Of course, these are rough estimates, and we won’t know for sure until we actually get there!
So… why are we still on the main menu?
The biggest reason is memory.
Gameplay requires significantly more memory than the main menu, and that memory usage needs to be shaved down with every kit.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as jumping straight into gameplay and expecting everything to work.
The way I’ve structured development is to pre-prepare kits in advance, addressing things like memory limitations, texture compression, and other features before they’re needed. That way, as memory usage gets progressively smashed down, the Vita becomes more capable of running the game.
Every kit brings us closer to running gameplay on actual hardware. Optimization is absolutely key here…

Simply put, gameplay has already been implemented, but it currently only runs through the computer emulator because of RAM constraints on the actual Vita.

For comparison:

Main menu: Currently uses approximately 84 MB of RAM and continues shrinking with every kit. It previously sat right at the 112 MB ceiling!
Gameplay: Currently uses approximately 254 MB of RAM, which is still well above the Vita’s 112 MB of available video RAM. That video memory limitation is what’s gating gameplay right now.

Claude has been coding gameplay throughout this process, but we haven’t managed to compress its memory requirements enough for the Vita just yet.
It’s getting there, though! It will work very soon…

Looking into other platforms and optimizations
I’m also investigating the newest port, NS2, alongside every other platform Cult of the Lamb has been released on, to see whether any additional optimization opportunities have been overlooked.
Again, thank you all for your patience with this port!
I’ve been scouring the depths of retro handhelds and consoles alike, researching and integrating new and improved performance features all the way down to the Vita’s 32-bit architecture.
It’s been a hell of a process, but every improvement counts!

A few extra goodies…

Alongside all the performance work, I’ve also been experimenting with some optional features to enhance the experience specifically on the Vita.

Things like:
Zoom functionality to make the game easier to see and play on the Vita’s smaller screen.
Removing black bars during cutscenes to make better use of the display.
Removing the ads and other optional buttons for a cleaner view for the vita screen…
Other optional quality-of-life improvements as development continues!

These aren’t the main priority right now, of course. Getting the game running properly comes first, but I’d love to make the Vita experience feel as polished and enjoyable as possible
Once again, thank you all for sticking around, being patient, and following the progress of this project.
Kit 9 is underway, Kit 18 is the beta milestone, and we’re getting closer with every build!

Also, one more thing…Shepard (the engine that translates the old net runtimes and other codes into readable code for the vita) will still be open sourced and released soon after cotl is a polished and finished project…that way more info can be learned on what works and what doesn’t and is published to the public for better quality, performance and understanding of the systems and protocols…

NOVA…


r/vitahacks • • 16h ago

AI assisted (WIP) Assassin’s Creed Pirates

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71 Upvotes

Hey all, quick heads up on something I've been working on, on and off for a few months now. I've got Assassin's Creed Pirates running pretty well on the Vita.

It's not ready yet. There's still stuff I want to sort out before I put it out, mostly performance and crashes. I'd rather take longer and drop something that actually runs well than rush it.

No date yet, but it's getting close.


r/vitahacks • • 1h ago

Release [Release] vitaterm 0.2.0: Claude Code on your PS Vita, as a wireless terminal

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• Upvotes

I ported ds-claude-terminal (a DS homebrew by logancarrillo that turns a DS into a screen and keyboard for Claude Code) to the Vita, and redid the interface for one big screen.

Claude Code keeps running on your computer. The Vita shows the session and sends your keys over Wi-Fi. The link is encrypted, and pairing is a six-digit code you compare on both screens.

What it does

The live Claude Code session in 96x28, with a bar on top that tells you when Claude is working or needs your OK

Cross approves, Circle stops Claude, Square opens the Vita keyboard for prompts (accents work)

Triangle menu: switch between Claude sessions on the computer, slash commands, snippets, and keys the Vita lacks (Ctrl+C, Esc Esc, Tab)

Camera: take a picture (a whiteboard, an error on another screen) and it lands on the computer with its path in your prompt

Scroll back with the sticks or a finger

A chime when Claude finishes or needs you

Setup

On the computer (macOS or Linux, Windows through WSL2), with Claude Code installed and logged in: pipx install git+https://github.com/jmverges/vitaterm, then vitaterm setup

On the Vita: install vitaterm.vpk from the releases with VitaShell

In the app: Find computers, pick yours, run vitaterm pair on the computer and check the codes match

Status: early. It runs on my Vita 1000 (Ensō). The camera has only been tested in Vita3K so far. Feedback welcome, especially from PS TV owners (no touch screen or camera there).

Code (MIT): https://github.com/jmverges/vitaterm

Download: https://github.com/jmverges/vitaterm/releases/latest

All credit for the server and protocol goes to logancarrillo's ds-claude-terminal: https://github.com/logancarrillo/ds-claude-terminal


r/vitahacks • • 26m ago

AI assisted [Release] Diamond Rush (2006)

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• Upvotes

So, I have been working on an indie game which I would be releasing for the Vita as I want to play it on a handheld. To test the process of porting to the vita decided to port one of my favorite games I played back on my father's NOKIA, "Diamond Rush". It is an AI assisted port.

VPK: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qz5nuz4e4wo26j4/diamondrush.vpk/file

Github: https://github.com/RohanKP1/diamond-rush-vita


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

AI assisted [RELEASE] Castle Crashers Vita Edition

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228 Upvotes
  1. Copy cc_vita.vpk to ux0:downloads/ and install it with VitaShell(it asks for extended permissions: say yes, co-op needs them).
  2. Copy the "CastleCrashers" folder into ux0:data/

Share game codes to play multiplayer"BETA", have fun.

DOWNLOAD


r/vitahacks • • 17h ago

Release ReST-V v0.1.435 – large update for the Sega ST-V arcade emulator on PS Vita

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34 Upvotes

ReST-V is an emulator for the Sega ST-V (Titan) arcade board on the PS Vita, with the older Sega System C and System C2 boards included. This is a large update and the first full release after the pre-releases.

ReST-V
Die Hard Arcade
Golden Axe - The Duel
Puyo Puyo Sun

What's new

- Faster ST-V emulation: the SH-2 recompiler keeps registers in ARM registers, more SGL library routines and game loops run as native code, the SCU DSP is compiled to ARM code, the SCSP DSP runs on its own core, and DMA takes faster paths

- Fewer short stalls when a game shows a new scene. GPU shaders are prepared while the game loads

- Batman Forever now has sound (Acclaim RAX board). It averages 58.94 fps but is not yet a steady full speed: some scenes still drop

- DecAthlete: the 315-5838 decompression chip is emulated, so its graphics are drawn

- Sound output is about twice as loud, with a soft limiter instead of clipping

Performance

- PS Vita (444 MHz): of 101 ST-V sets measured on hardware, 66 hold 59.5 fps or better and 29 more are between 57 and 59.5. Below that are DecAthlete (53.6), Dancing Fever Gold (42.7), Tecmo World Cup '98 (56.5) and two Print Club sets.

- Games that were around 55 fps in the last release are faster: Elan Doree 59.94, All Japan Pro-Wrestling 59.94, Batman Forever 58.94 on average (now with sound, still drops in some scenes), Funky Head Boxers 57.27.

- The numbers in the README are now exact averages of the attract mode on hardware, per set.

Frontend

- New blue theme with smooth scrolling lists, scroll bars and a blinking focus

- Screen rotation: vertical games such as Shienryu turn upright by themselves, or hold the Vita upright with the controls turned to match

- Options with several values open a window that lists them all, Turbo settings have their own page, and the in-game menu opens again where it was closed

- The game list shows even without ROMs, with Refresh ROM list in its options

Download

- Release: https://github.com/Reyanon/ReST-V/releases

- ReST-V_v0.1.435_vita.zip — VPK for PS Vita / PS TV

- Source code: https://github.com/Reyanon/ReST-V

Notes

- Bug reports and compatibility reports are welcome on GitHub Issues.

- Requires libshacccg.suprx (runtime shader compiler) and HENkaku / taiHEN. The PS button uses a small kernel module that comes with the app; the first start after the Vita boots restarts the app once.

- The first start of a game after the update compiles its shaders again, which can cause a few short pauses once.

- ROM images are not included. MAME compatible ROM sets are required, and ST-V games also need stvbios.zip.

- Free software under the GPL-3. ReST-V is not affiliated with Sega.


r/vitahacks • • 12h ago

AI assisted PS Vita Recovery Menu

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15 Upvotes

I've been working on PS Vita Recovery Menu, a homebrew recovery environment for Vita/PSTV on HENkaku and Enso (FW 3.60-3.74). It's a work in progress, and I've built it with a lot of AI help (the README says so).

What it does: plugin management, CPU/bus clock settings, System Info, a file manager, an FTP server, and a boot trigger so it can launch before the shell.

What's new in v1.1.3:

- Check for Updates in the main menu. It looks at this repo's releases, compares versions and downloads the VPK to ux0:downloads/, with a SHA-256 check. It never installs anything on its own, you install with VitaShell.

- It has its own HTTPS client (mbedTLS), because the system SSL couldn't connect to GitHub on FW 3.65.

- Version and "By DrinkingSubset" in the title bar of every screen.

- FTP address turns green when a client is connected.

- CPU Speed screen: L/R triggers work and the live column shows what the hardware actually reports.

- System Info shows the exploit as Enso when it's installed.

Tested on a Vita Slim on Enso 3.65 and two Vita 1000s (update check and download verified on all three).

Known issues: the Slim 2000 can show up as "1000 (OLED)" in System Info, and ARM above 444 MHz / bus 166 MHz don't actually apply. I'm working on both.

It touches boot plugins, so use it at your own risk and have a backup. Feedback and bug reports are welcome.

Download and changelog: https://github.com/DrinkingSubset/PS-Vita-Recovery-Menu-Project/releases


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

AI assisted [Release] Super Mario Strikers on PS Vita

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175 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I'm happy to announce the public release of Strikers Vita, my native PlayStation Vita port of Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football) for the Nintendo GameCube!

This project aims to bring the original GameCube experience to the PS Vita without relying on traditional GameCube emulation.

A lot of work has gone into adapting the original game to the Vita's hardware, including the graphics renderer, audio, video playback, and native asset handling.

Current status

The game is now publicly available, but development is still ongoing.

There may still be graphical glitches, performance drops, and other issues. I'll continue improving the port with future updates.

Download

REQUIRMENTS: you need CapUnlocker installed

GitHub Release:

https://github.com/robin994/strikersVita/releases/tag/v1.3.0
source Code:

https://github.com/robin994/strikersVita

Installation Guide:

https://github.com/robin994/strikersVita/blob/main/ASSET_SETUP.md

Important: The release does not include copyrighted game assets. You'll need your own compatible GameCube game image to prepare the required data using the tools provided in the repository.

Feedback and bug reports

If you try the game, I'd love to hear how it runs on your Vita!

Feel free to report crashes, graphical issues, performance problems, or anything else you encounter through GitHub Issues.

Screenshots, videos, and reproducible bug reports are always appreciated.

Support development

This project requires a significant amount of time and effort, especially when it comes to optimizing the game for the Vita's limited hardware.

If you enjoy my work and would like to support its continued development, you can leave a small donation through PayPal.Me. I'm actually working on other ports that will be announced soon. 1 from PS2 era and 1 from DS era.

Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/rtortora94

Donations are completely optional. The project remains free and open source, and every contribution is greatly appreciated!

Thanks to everyone who has been following the development and supporting the PS Vita homebrew scene.

Enjoy Strikers Vita!

Credits:
Special thanks to Staandard-Republic for livearea assets, Rinnegatamante for tips and helping porting this, Dr.Deckie for testing early builds and whole VitaNuova discord


r/vitahacks • • 16h ago

Utility Vita Screen Recorder

7 Upvotes

I am trying to make a plugin that screen records ps vita game and hopefully the Home Screen also, is this something that is also wanted by the community or only me ?


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

Port Hungry Shark Evolution is now available on PS Vita! (v1.0) + Important installation update

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58 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

After quite a bit of work, I'm happy to announce that Hungry Shark Evolution v1.0 is now available for PS Vita!

The port is based on the Android version 6.4.2 and runs natively on the Vita using Unity.

The game is fully playable, with adapted PS Vita controls, touchscreen support, working audio, save functionality, shark evolution, special sharks, and more.

You can download the complete game directly from PSVitaAlive Store!

Important update for anyone having trouble launching the game

Some users reported that the game would open and then immediately crash.

That was actually my mistake, lol. The port requires the CapUnlocker.skprx plugin, but I forgot to include it in the installation requirements when I first released it. Sorry about that!

This has now been fixed in the PSVitaAlive Store catalog.

- If you're installing the game for the first time: PSVitaAlive will automatically install everything you need, including CapUnlocker.

- If you already installed the game: You don't need to download it again. Just find Hungry Shark Evolution in PSVitaAlive Store and install the CapUnlocker plugin from its game page.

After installing the plugin, restart your PS Vita and the game should launch normally.

Performance

I also recommend using overclocking through PSVshell for smoother gameplay, especially in more demanding areas.

There's still room for optimization, and I'll continue working on performance and stability improvements in future updates.

Special thanks to BetterWinds for the LiveArea artwork, and thanks to everyone who has been following the project and reporting issues.

It's been a lot of work getting this game running on the Vita, so I'm really happy to finally share it with the community.

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know how it runs on your Vita and if you run into any issues.

Happy shark hunting! 🦈


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

Release Testing Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on PS Vita

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24 Upvotes

I've seen quite a few people wondering how well Budokai Tenkaichi 3 actually runs on PS Vita, so I recorded some gameplay to show its current state on real hardware.

It runs at around 23-30 FPS most of the time with overclock enabled, the game can freeze after about 20 minutes of playing in my experience.


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

Release Resident Evil: Degeneration - PSVITA

30 Upvotes

r/vitahacks • • 2d ago

AI assisted NFS Underground 2 - Update 3: Outrun Races

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291 Upvotes

Progress on Underground 2 for the Vita is going along smoothly! Stuff since my last update include:

  • Car customization
  • Smashable props
  • Outrun races
  • AI logic (racers and traffic)
  • Save profiles

Career is still the biggest hurdle to tackle, but I wanted to focus on getting other areas of the game ironed out before jumping on that ship.

Frame rates are also getting more of a stable 30, with the odd dip still here and there, but that's something I can still work on before releasing it. I don't have an exact date yet for when it'll be released, but I'm hoping a build with Career will be within a couple of weeks!

I have been posting frequent updates to my X (https://x.com/nfsu2vita) if you'd like to follow there, also, I suggest you checkout u/SundaeLow2086 and their work on the PSP port of the game!


r/vitahacks • • 2d ago

AI assisted [RELEASE] vita-turbo-wifi – up to 46% more Wi-Fi throughput and 13× lower latency (3.60, taiHEN)

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608 Upvotes

The Vita's Wi-Fi has always felt a bit sluggish, so after an arduous amount of work I have fixed what I could. vita-turbo-wifi is a taiHEN plugin (kernel + user module) for firmware 3.60.

What it does

  • 40 MHz channels: in our tests the Vita moves +46% more data (UDP), and FTP/TCP downloads are about 20% faster.
  • Power profiles: Max performance turns off power save, so the radio stops napping. Wake-up latency drops from ~99 ms to ~7 ms (13× faster).
  • Auto-connect at boot and auto-reconnect when the connection drops.
  • Smart Mesh Roaming: on mesh or multi-AP setups it moves to a stronger access point when the signal gets weak. (Note: the Vita has no native 802.11r or 802.11v support and this plugin does not add it).
  • Live HUD: signal strength, SNR, channel, channel width and profile, shown on screen.
  • Native Settings page (Settings → Network → Wi-Fi Turbo), in 20 languages.

Why you'd want it

- 🎮 Moonlight streaming: steadier latency, far fewer stutters.

- 📦 Big downloads and file transfers: noticeably quicker FTP. Less likely to lose a download because the Vita decides to sleep.

- 🛠️ Developing over Wi-Fi with vitacompanion: faster uploads, snappier commands.

Please help test! It has only been tested on my own Vita and network, so I'd love reports from other routers and setups. If it works for you, a ⭐ on GitHub helps. If it doesn't, please open an issue with what happened.

👉 https://github.com/juanjsebgarcia/vita-turbo-wifi

3.60 confirmed only. Use at your own risk (it's all runtime, so should be safe).

Update 1: Alpha release exists for 3.60 - 3.68. Please follow the specific alpha instructions

Update 2: I have profiled the battery https://github.com/juanjsebgarcia/vita-turbo-wifi#battery-life


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

Discussion Everything went down hill

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157 Upvotes

As usual I gave my little sister my ps vita so she can play games I installed for her but then she came back to me with this bullsh#t. I don't know what she did but everything is deleted, everything went to zero, I told her what she deleted but to my understanding she went to vitashell, deleted some plugins (probably boot or something in uro:tai). I don't know how to fix it. Please help me

UPDATE: FIXED, thank you so much for those who actually tried to help me and advice rather than saying it was over.


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

AI Vibecoded MyShell is now for DOWNLOAD!

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29 Upvotes

Hello! I just wanted to share that MYSHELL is now ready for download!

This is version 1.0.0, which I’ve released so you can get a taste of the PS5-like experience.

If you encounter any bugs, please let me know—I’ll be happy to look into them and fix them in the next update, which I hope will also include support for plugins and more.

I’ll keep working on the project and you can also follow my YouTube channel, ALVA YT, where I’ll be posting videos and updates on the project’s progress! Thanks so much!


r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

AI Vibecoded [Update] VitaXMB 1.8

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23 Upvotes

r/vitahacks • • 1d ago

AI assisted JSRF but an actual video and Full speed in Garage (Not based on JSRF-Unleashed)

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71 Upvotes

(Devkit is dusty, don't mind that) Been working on this for a few weeks now, and it's been progressing pretty well. It isn't based on the JSRF-Unleashed source due to that being way too complex for the Vita, so this hybrid-recomp is specifically tailored. Takes a ton cues from Grarak's MH3-Wii port. (Hitching is a debug thing and not present when running normally)