Hacking the PSP Blog

Use a keyboard on your PSP with piKey keyboard driver

Fanjita (you know, the BBC star) and harleyg (of downgrader fame) have just finished piKey, a sophisticated homebrew application for the Sony PSP: it's a keyboard driver that lets you use almost any keyboard (or similar input device) as a natural method of input on your PSP.

For the rest, we turn to the documentation included in the ZIP file.

Imagine being able to use your keyboard to control any PSP game or homebrew, and even the PSP's XMB menu and on-screen keyboard, automatically and without needing any changes to the other software. This is what piKey aims to give you. This is an early release, demonstrating just some of the possibilities. The open, extensible framework allows piKey to be extended with new plugins, to allow support for different types of input hardware, and different input environments on the PSP.

• Use with Dark_Alex custom firmware. piKey runs best as a plugin for Dark_AleX's custom firmwares.
• Use as a standalone by homebrew. piKey can also be run standalone by homebrew that needs to use keyboard input.

That's basically it. Now, for the usual PSP homebrew warning.
WARNING: piKey comes with an "installer." The installer will ask you if you wish to copy the pikey prx to flash0 and if you want it to auto run in 1.50 game mode. Writing to flash0 will seriously damage or brick your PSP if you don't know what you're doing. BE SURE TO READ THE user_guide.html LOCATED IN THE docs FOLDER IN THE ZIP FILE if you don't like bricked PSPs.

piKey comes with the following plugins by default:

• Input plugins
• IR - this plugin uses Monsti's IR keyboard library to support input via many different types of infra-red keyboards.
• SIO - this plugin supports input via Serial I/O cable. SIO cables plug into your PSP's headphone socket, to provide a serial interface. You can use the SIO plugin to simulate a keyboard via serial terminal, e.g. HyperTerminal on Windows. You can also use the SIO plugin to display debug information from other πKey plugins.
• Output plugins
• CTRL - this plugin simulates presses of the PSP's buttons, mapping selected keys on the keyboard to different PSP buttons. For instance, the cursor keys simulate presses on the directional pad (D-pad).
• OSK - this plugin detects when the PSP's built-in On-Screen Keyboard is active, and translates key data from πKey into the necessary button presses to enter that text into the OSK.

The user_guide.html in the docs folder in the ZIP file has configuration, usage, and troubleshooting notes (in English). Thanks to Fanjita and harleyg for this amazing PSP homebrew application.

Download piKey keyboard driver for PSP



Source: PSPUpdates

72% of PS2 Games Work on EU PS3s

Sony reveals that 1,782 titles are compatible at launch after firmware update.

Sony has confirmed that 72% of all PAL PS2 titles will run on PlayStation 3 from day one, despite changes to the hardware that made many think the number of backwards compatible titles would be much less.

A new firmware update - v1.6 - enables new owners of the console to play 1,782 of the 2,451 titles available for EU PlayStation 2s. The download will be available via the PlayStation Network from 12am on Friday or, if you don't have an internet connection (how are you reading this then?), on a disc available from Sony customer services.

Ahead of the European release Sony has launched a new website that highlights exactly which PS2 and PSone titles are compatible. Of the top 25 PS2 games of all time recently compiled by IGN, 17 are currently playable on Euro PS3s.

Even then, some of the games that are compatible may not run 100% properly. For example, according to Sony, games such as Kingdom Hearts and Twisted Metal Black run with "noticeable issues", although it's not currently known what the problems might be. However, Sony does offer advice to reduce the potential problems, by disconnecting non-essential USB peripherals, avoiding the use of 60Hz mode, skipping optional FMV sequences and limiting the number of non-network players to seven.

David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said that engineers had been working overtime to ensure PS3 delivered a "significant number of playable PS2 titles for the European launch".

However, while Sony is continually working to improve backwards compatibility, Reeves also added: "We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades, but as we have made clear before, in the future our resources will be increasingly focused on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, rather than on delivering PS2 backwards compatibility."

Rob Burman
March 20, 2007

Source: IGN