Unleashing the full potential of the PSTV and PS Vita

Back in the days when the PlayStation TV (PSTV) was announced, I was excited. The PSTV is basically a consolized version of the Playstation Vita (PSV), with some minor changes along the way. The specs are about the same, with some differences regarding the internal storage, but besides that, they perform equally. That said, the PSTV failed to deliver, where one of the main issues was that a big share of the PSV games was not compatible with the PSTV and therefore "blacklisted". This was mainly because of the missing front and back -touchscreen features from the PSV when playing with a PS3 controller, which was the official controller to use with the PSTV at that time. With the firmware update 3.10, the DualShock 4 controller - which has a touchpad - was supported on the PSTV, but this was not enough to fix the overall downsides of the PSTV and the huge list of blacklisted games. Another issue had to do with Sony's proprietary memorycard – used on both the PSV and PSTV - which was very expensive compared to a regular micro SD card with similar storage capacity.

The PSTV had a somewhat short lifespan and never really caught on and was discontinued in 2015/2016.

Concurrently with all of this, the modding scene saw a big potential in the PSTV, since it is more or less a PSV with some different features. The PSV was already a popular console for modders / hackers, and over time there have been some great homebrew apps developed, releasing the full potential of the unit fixing some of the biggest drawbacks.

Some years ago I did hack my PSTV with the software that was available at that time. But over the years there has been developed even more great software and hardware to truly turn the PSTV into a great home console.

In this article, I want to show my PSTV and PSV setup and describe what I have done to these consoles. It boils down to three major points. The firmware hacking and installation of homebrew software, the massive space increase thanks to the SD2Vita solution, and the external representation of the console thanks to my 3D printer (PSTV) and a trigger grip / case (PSV). Since both the hacking- and SD2Vita processes are similar on both the PSV and PSTV, I chose to mod one of my Vitas along the way.

Hacking a PSTV follows the exact same steps as hacking a PSV. This is because they are very similar in specifications and use the same software and firmware. The process of this is very easy and well documented. Besides being simple to perform, another great thing about the hack is that it can be done on the latest official firmware (v. 3.74), which makes it accessible for all users. Furthermore, it can all be done from the PSV / PSTV itself and doesn't require a PC.

In short, the hacking process covers the following points:

• Connect your PSV / PSTV to your WiFi and update the system firmware to the latest version (v. 3.74).
• Open the PSV / PSTV internet browser, and connect to http://jailbreak.psp2.dev

That's about it. After a couple of minutes, the PSV / PSTV has been hacked with custom firmware, and the next step is setting up the console with some awesome homebrew software. The process is very simple and easy to follow, especially because the "hack package" includes all the software needed to install further software. Just use one of the many guides online covering this process.

There is a ton of great homebrew software on the Vita, and here are some of the ones that I found most useful.

VitaShell lets you access all the files on the Vita and enables FTP connection with a single press of the Select button. This is very useful if you want to upload games to your Vita or tweak some files.

VitaDeploy is part of the "hack package". This is used to install another operating system and other homebrew software. VitaDeploy serves as a great tool in the beginning of the hacking / homebrew install process.

VitaDB Downloader is a database with a lot of homebrew software. Some of the games need additional files as a countermeasure to piracy. Besides great homebrew games, VitaDB Downloader also offers direct download of useful homebrew apps, like AntiBlacklist, which open up the PSTV to run PSV games that were previously locked because of the missing touchscreen requirement.

Custom Themes Manager lets you browse through, download, and install themes for your system. There are a lot of well-crafted themes to choose from, and the database is getting bigger.

Adrenaline turns the Vita into a PSP. This is useful to run PSP and PS1 games. Adrenaline offers analog stick support and custom button mapping, which is great for older PS1 titles that didn't have analog support. This feature works very well on the PSV, but the option seems to be missing on the PSTV. I would assume that there is a fix for that, but I have not looked into it. I experienced a minor issue with Adrenaline, where I would have to launch the app 2 times because it would close down after the first launch after a reboot. This can be fixed through VitaShell by adding the following line into the /tai folder ->config.txt

*KERNEL 

ux0:app/PSPEMUCFW/sce_module/adrenaline_kernel.skprx

PKGj is a database that lets you download games directly onto the PSV / PSTV. Remember to own an original copy of the game to avoid being a pirate! In PKGj there are tons of PSV, PS1, and PSP games.

Adrenaline Bubbles Manager can be used to create bubbles on the dashboard that serve as shortcut links for PS1 / PSP games. This makes it possible to boot up these games directly, without the need to go through Adrenaline.

As mentioned earlier, the PSTV and PSV make use of proprietary memory cards that are very expensive. Luckily there is a great workaround for this, with the use of SD2Vita. This hack, using YAMT, exploits the game cartridge slot so that the system can use this interface instead of the memory card / internal memory. Since the system is now fully opened up and games can be downloaded, there is no longer really a use for the game cartridge slot, which makes it a great option.

SD2Vita functions as a micro SD adapter, and there are 6 versions of the SD2Vita, named V1-V6. All the versions do the same, but it is recommended to use one of the later versions because of minor improvements that make the physical appearance of the adapter more compatible and easy to use. These adapters are very cheap, and I would recommend buying a V5 or V6. These are easy to mount and get up and running through VitaDeploy. In my case, I bought 2x 128GB micro SD cards, one for my PSTV and one for my Vita. This should be enough space for a lot of great games!

Now that my PSTV and PS Vita were hacked and full of great homebrew software, it was time to make the physical appearance shine. Some time ago I bumped into a PSTV stand on Thingiverse that was designed to place the PSTV in a vertical position and make it look like a small PS5. This is such a cool design! After downloading the STL files, I did some minor rework on the core / centerpiece of the stand, making it more stable by adding some material to the top back and lower front. After printing the 3 parts, I had to do some sanding to make the parts fit perfectly together and achieve a smooth finish on the side panels. I glued the parts together using superglue, added some bandage tape to the inside of the center piece to make the PSTV fit perfectly and to avoid scratches, and added a bit of nail polish to the PS logo to make it stand out. With that done, my PSTV mod was complete!

Regarding my PS Vita, I wanted to upgrade the comfort and protection. When it comes to handhelds, I am a big fan of grips that can be combined with a fitting carrying case. There are great options for this combo on the Nintendo Switch with the products from Satisfye and Skull & Co., but for the PS Vita, the options are limited. Luckily the solution is both cheap and great, with the products from Top Player, which offers a protective case for the system that also uses the back touchpad of the Vita and turns these inputs into L2 and R2 trigger buttons. Furthermore, there is another add-on that expands on the idea and uses the lower part of the back touchpad and converts this into L3 and R3 triggers. Finally, there is a carrying case that fits this setup perfectly, with and without the L3/R3 add-on. A small downside to the grip is that it is not compatible with a screen protector, since the front part of the grip can't align and be locked into place because of the thickness of a screen protector. Since the grip itself protects the front of the Vita, it doesn't really matter, but it could have been nice to be able to protect the screen itself.

That said, this trigger grip, combined with the Adrenaline app that supports dual analog stick remapping, makes the PS Vita a beast for experiencing PS1 and PSP classics. At this point I have completed the From Software classic Shadow Tower with this setup, and this is the perfect way to enjoy these older titles!