For a few days, the PS3 Dev Wiki was down due to hosting problems and a lot of information seemed to be lost, but thanks to the hard work of the Wiki’s admin defyboy and a backup from a member called TMAnd, only a couple of days work was lost, you can read about it on this thread.

So thank you defyboy and TMAnd for rescuing all those precious edits

I would like to point out, that the PS3 Dev Wiki is a community effort, without the work and dedication of a lot of developers and PS3 enthusiasts, the wiki would be quite empty, so if you are doing work on the PS3, keep it documented on the Wiki

You can visit the Wiki here:
PS3 Dev Wiki

I would like to give thanks to euss, deroad, defyboy, Lady Anne Blunt, sandungas and the many other editors who keep the Wiki alive.

A few days ago, we posted here a tutorial created by Glowball1, on how to create custom GameBoots, since then my Youtube tutorial slave HolmesInFive created a video Tutorial, making the whole process easier, here it is

HolmesInFive’s Twitter

It is a few days after the fifth anniversary of the PS3′s release in EU regions, i had it on preorder before the US release and i remember a couple of week after pre ordering the machine, Game sending me a letter, stating that the EU release of the machine would not have the Emotion Engine(EE), this was the first of a list of components/software that Sony would continually remove from the machine.

Now after reading that, you are probably wondering “what the hell is GregoryRasputin talking about and what does this have to do with a tutorial”, well its simple, around the time the PS3 Slim was released, Sony released a firmware, which wiped this GameBoot Logo from all machines, the logo in question is a sparkly “Playstation 3″ logo, which occurred between the user pressing X on the game pad to select a game and the actual game booting, it looked like this:

Now some of you might not care about it, some of you might not even notice that its gone, but for those of you that miss it, PS3HaX member Glowball1 has created an application and tutorial on how to restore the logo or create your own, here are some videos of what Custom GameBoot Logo’s look like:

Videos courtesy of Glowball1 and Faxtron

You will need the following tools to use in conjunction with the tutorial:

• Glowball1′s PS3_Gameboot.zip
• XMB Customize
• Any image editor that saves in png format – Photoshop is recommended

READ TUTORIAL HERE

Im sure a few of you know that i created a competition a few days ago, the competition was to create a Cold Boot for the PS3 and win a prize, some of you may have found the process quite awkward, or didnt know where to start, so here is a tutorial created by Holmesinfive:

This wont be important for everyone, or it might be more important than you think.

Previously when you wanted to deactivate a games console from PSN, you needed to do it via the console itself, now this was not possible, if you have a Jailbroken console as you wont be able to connect to PSN, or if your console is broke, or if you have game shared with someone, you cant very well go to their house and deactivate their console from your account.

This situation with accounts, became even more problematic, when Sony dropped the allowed PSN account slots/shares that one is allowed, from five to two, previously, the only way to get all consoles/slots cleared was to ring Sony, but since they dropped the amount of slots, they now allow you to do it via your computer, here is how, thanks to a video tutorial by HolmesInFive.

First go to this link and sign in, then follow the video tutorial:
https://account.qriocity.com/pc/login.action

Again to clarify why this might be important to you, as Sony changed the amount of shareable slots on a PSN account from five to two.

• Your console is broken, so you obviously cant connect to PSN to deactivate.
• You have a Jailbroken console, so cant connect to PSN to deactivate.
• You remained on firmware 3.15 to keep the OtherOS function, Sony has barred your access to PSN.
• You have game shared and the other people wont deactivate, also helps with those scammed through game sharing.
• You are getting a Vita and want to deactivate a slot, but cant do because of one of the above.
• You want to deactivate all consoles at once.

If you liked HolmesInFive’s video, you could subscribe to his Youtube channel, he also has a video on how to Jailbreak your PS3:
HolmesInFive’s Youtube Channel.

Or follow him on Twitter.
HolmesInFive’s Twitter.

PS3HaX Homebrew Developer deroad is always contributing to either the PS3 scene or the PS Vita scene, he has released a few cool PS3 homebrew apps, contributed to the PS3/Vita Dev Wikis and has written some awesome tutorials, here is one of them, which he has recently updated:

In computing, a system call (aka Syscall) is how a program requests a service from an operating system’s kernel. This may include hardware related services (e.g. accessing the hard disk), creating and executing new processes, and communicating with integral kernel services (like scheduling). System calls provide the interface between a process and the operating system.
(Wikipedia – System Call)

With PSL1GHT we can call all the 989 Syscalls.
it’s really simple to call one, but you need to know how many parameters it needs; there are some syscalls that needs just 1 parameter, there are others that needs 8 parameters.

You can find the list of syscalls with the numbers of the parameters here: Ps3DevWiki Syscalls

Once you know the numbers of the parameter that you need (and the type of the parameters if they are written), you are ready to call one:

first thing add the following include:

#include <ppu-lv2.h>

Then you can call the syscall:

lv2syscallN(number_of_the_syscall, parameters… );
Change N with the number of the parameters, and put the number of the syscall that you need to call with the parameters.
some examples:

Shutdown the PS3:
1)Look into the dev wiki and you will see that the syscall to shutdown the PS3 is number 379 ( sys_sm_shutdown ) and it wants 4 parameters:
2)So now i can call the syscall with 4 parameters:

lv2syscall4(379,SHUTDOWN_PARAM,0,0,0);
now on the wiki it says, that the shutdown value is 0×1100 or 0×100, so i will write:
lv2syscall4(379,0×100,0,0,0)

now if i call this on a stupid homebrew like:
#include <ppu-lv2.h>
int main(){
lv2syscall4(379,0×100,0,0,0);
return 0;
}

it will really shutdown the ps3.

now if you are not sure to completely understood this, i will make another example:
Get current time:
now this example comes from the PSL1GHT SDK:

this is the function that get the current time on the ps3.

#include <ppu-lv2.h>
s32 sysGetCurrentTime(u64 *sec,u64 *nsec)
{
lv2syscall2(145,(u64)sec,(u64)nsec);
return_to_user_prog(s32);
}

now it uses 2 parameters so it calls lv2syscall2, then it needs the parameters that will get the value sec and nsec. now, in this function you can see that it ask the return of this syscall; to call any return of a determinate syscall, you can simply ask it by calling:

return_to_user_prog(type_of_the_variable);

you need to define the type of the returning variable. in that case it was s32 (aka signed int).
so it calls:
return_to_user_prog(s32);

if it was a normal integer, you had to call:
return_to_user_prog(int);

to compile it correctly you need to simply add the following flags:

-llv2

Visit the official source here:
Welcome on PS3 Tutorials

Also visit the developers blog here:
/dev/ram0

The theme guru and PS3Hax member, Glowball1, is back with another awesome tutorial for all you PS3-theme lovers. His latest tutorial is how to create the video icon on the PS3 xmb (aka ICON1.pam).

Here is a video demonstrating the final result:

You can read the full tutorial at the read more link, or over here.

You can see all the other PS3-theme tutorials by Glowball1 HERE.

Most of you should already know what the E3 flasher is, for those of you who have been living in a cave and don’t know what it is, read this thread.

For those of you thinking of buying it, but unsure of how easy/hard it is to install Chris from ChrisTechTV has released a video tutorial on how to install the E3 Flasher.

At the moment the E3 flasher only supports flashing NOR consoles, so here is a compatibility list:

Finally the Video Tutorial:

Source ChrisTechTV Facebook

Ever had that dreadful ordeal with YLOD on your PS3 and just haven’t had a clue what to do, other than send it to Sony for repair, they of course will charge you an extortionate amount of money to repair your console.

Perhaps you have attempted to fix this problem yourself, but have found incomplete guides or non user friendly guides, well help is at hand, PS3HaX member Nichibotsu has put together an awesome guide on how to “Reflow”, here is a quote from his guide:

This is meant to be a complete guide on how to do a good reflow, and how to avoid YLOD coming back.
YLOD is the most common heat-related failure, and it’s caused by the solder cracking after repeated
heating to high temperatures. It should be noted that YLOD is a somewhat misleading term, depending on
model and specific solder points that break, the YLOD does not always present the same simptoms. It
sometimes shows up as what is called GLOD, where the failure is localized on the GPU chip. Please be
aware that this is a DIY method, it does not give 100% chances to get your ps3 back to work, and it may
even damage it worse if not done properly, so if you don’t want to take risks, take it to some shop and have
them make a Reballing on your system, that will fix your problem and is done professionally, but it will cost
you some money.

Source And Download Guide(.PDF)

Also when you fix your problem, it would be best to install one of Killerbugs fans, even if you dont have YLOD, his fans may help prevent you from getting that problem, you can buy them from here:

PS3 ezChill – External Control Edition
PS3Z EASY COOL HIDDEN CONTROL
PS3 ezChill
PS3Z EASY COOL EXTERNAL CONTROL

Any questions regarding this tutorial, go to the source.
Any questions regarding ezChill ask KillerBug

Here is my tutorial on how to install an IR adapter and optional extra USB port in your PS3 and a couple of tips on setting up a Harmony remote.

Items you need:
AUVIO™ Universal Remote Receiver for Playstation®3 (Costs $3 on Radio Shack website)
USB Hub
Dremel (Optional)
Female USB Connector (Optional)
Soldering Iron
Some Solder
Flux (Optional but preferred)
Some Wire
Hot Glue Gun
Drill (I used a 5/32″ drill bit)
Universal Remote (Preferably a Harmony)

Lets get started. Obviously first you will need to disassemble your Playstation all the way down to being able to take off the metal shielding on the bottom of the motherboard, there are plenty of tutorials on how to do this (Fat, Slim) so I will not get into that. Here is what you need to look for once you have the motherboards bottom shielding off.

Start by applying some flux to the USB pins and then soldering the wires to it like so.

The wires should be hot glued down and curved over like so, then you can replace the metal shielding on the motherboard and slip it back into place.

Now you will need to take apart your USB hub and remove the male connector and solder the wires from the USB port to it.

Next remove the female USB connectors and prepare the wires for the IR adapter and the extra female USB if you choose to do it.

Next solder up the IR adapter and sensor.

Now you can drill the hole for the sensor. I put mine in between the wifi antennas.

Now it is time to slip the hub, IR adapter, and IR sensor into place. I put the hub next to the hard drive, the IR adapter partially under the fan, and hot glued the IR sensor in the hole. I also applied hot glue to every open contact on the bottom of the IR adapter because it is going to be resting on metal. Don’t want to cause any shorts.

Now if you choose to do the extra USB connector you can put it next to the fan. Use a dremel to cut the hole. I used a crap load of hot glue to secure it in place.

Now it is time to set everything and tidy up the wires. I also put hot glue on the open contacts on the bottom of the hub as well to keep the metal on metal contact from happening.

When it comes time to put the lid back on, 2 posts are going to have to be cut off.

When screwing the lid back on remember the posts you cut off and not to shove the screws into those holes.

That’s it.

Now when you are setting up your Harmony remote (mine is a 688) for it you will want to choose “DVD”, manufacturer “Sony”, and the model number “BDP-S350″. You are going to need to customize the buttons if you want the “OK” and “Stop” buttons to work. All you have to do is make the command for the Stop button “Select” and the command for the OK button “Stop”. Update your remote and you are all set. It even works in Multiman.

The COBRA MANAGER itself didnt look very appealing to pretty much anyone. it also has a lot of complaints about it too, “comes with a slick UI” ..yeah..well it does now

After some FTPING [VIA ETHNET] into the COBRA directory, I found that the manager itself is just comprised of PNG files,[will explain more in a minute we have ALOT to cover]

Everything you’ll need will be in a RAR file.

What me and fffrage have accomplished we revamped the dull cobra manager to any skin you guys would like. fffrage created the templates, which you see, so please give him thanks. He did all the hard work. XD

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Now, for the tutorial.

PART 1:

To make things easier please make sure that the following programs are installed before hand.

The pictures MUST be in 1920×1080 for this to work. A quick google will bring up aload of images in that resolution. If you have a picture that isnt in 1920×1080 you can create it with Infan View.

1: Once you have the picture you want, load up Watermark Image, this is where you’ll be able to layer on top of the current image. Anyway, upload the picture you have chosen, untick “Resize Images” and “Use 3D depth map.”

Where it says Output Format make put it up to 100, then change the output format to PNG.

Click “File”, you’ll then be asked to upload the picture. Now click “Select Preview Image” This will bring up an image of the picture you have chosen.

IMPORTANT:

If the picture is of the wrong resolution and not [1920x1080] the teplate will turn your picture black.

Now, where it says “Image used for watermarking”.

It is best to keep everything in one directory so you know where it is. On your computer navigate to the “Templates” directory, select “Template 1″ and use that. So now you should have your chosen photo overlayed with the template youve just selected.

Once you’ve created the templates, you will need to rename them as

“back1.PNG”

“back2.PNG”

“back3.PNG”

Then FTP them into /dev_hdd0/game/CBUM01234/USRDIR/

Overwrite the exsisting files.

Below is an explaination of whateach of the templates do.

Templates Explained:

Template 1:

Load

Change mode [Games3 Blu-Ray DVD PSX PS2]

Copy

Delete

Template 2:

OK Cancel

Copys Disks To HDD

Template 3:

OK Cancel

Settings

As i am a very avid fan of Final Fantasy VII and to show my apperication, ive decided to go with a FFVII Based Skin.
You can use your own images, but they need to be 1920×1080 also in full colour.

[its due to the manager itself the wording doesnt show up properly if you use a white or light based background ] We havnt found a way to change the fonts, or the colours used yet, but once we/ i have, this will be updated to reflect these changes.

PART 2: MAKING BACKGROUND And ICON

These 2 must be in PNG format, the Background should be in 1920×1080, which should be named PIC1

Any Icon can be used but it has to be name as ICON0

PART 3: MAKING THE BACKGROUND MUSIC And MAKING IT LOOP.

Now open up Audicity select the audio you would like to use [MP3]
and drag the little finger icon across to where you’d like your music to finish.
Go to “Edit” “Delete” so you are now left with a part you wish to use as your background music.

If you would like your music to fade out select the end, 3 seconds will do, and then go to effects and select fade out.
Now go to “File” and “Export As MP3″ you will need to install the lame_enc.dll file, which also be included in the pack.

Once this is done

Fire up Goldwave, go to File and select “Save As” and select WAV. then scroll down and select ATRAC3 66kbs. Now click save.

Finally click on to GWAT.exe, drag and drop the pre-made X.wav file into it. Press “Goldwave” it will then say “X.wav looped” but it will save it as “Looped X.at3″

PART 4: USING PS3SFO EDIT TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE MANAGER.

Fire up FTP on your PS3 and whatever program you use, to FTP into it.

Go to the following directory /dev_hdd0/game/CBUM01234. (im not joking that is the cobra directory >_<) Now copy the PARAM.SFO to your computer. Load up PS3SFO.

It will complain about not being finished, ignore that. Load up the PRAMSFO file you’ve just ftp’d from your PS3.

Once this has loaded, it will display “COBRA MANGER” you can edit this to whatever you’d like. Putting / wont work though.

PART 5: THE FINAL PART.

Keep FTP open and have your PS3 connected. Navigate to /dev_hdd0/game/CBUM01234. Open this folder and replace the SFO file, add PIC1, also ICON0, SND0.AT3

Now go into USRDIR

You will see a list of:
EBOOT.BIN <- PROGRAM WHICH RUNS ON THE PS3

dvd.PNG <- DVD ICON

bd.PNG <- SAME AS THE DVD ICON BUT IN BLUE (yeah COBRA got lazy)

back1.PNG <- It has the box with those buttons which i explained up above

back2.png <- A box which displays where to copy your “digital goods” to.

back.3.PNG <- Settings

SOFTWARE USED

Watermark Image – for the image layering.

Goldwave to make the SND0.AT3 file [background music]

Sony ATRAC Codec

GWAT – to make the sound loop.

Audicity – to added fade out, and to cut parts out. (Thanks to linuxx for making the tune, and teaching me how to make proper SND0.AT3 files)

PS3SFO EDIT- to change the name of the loader.

Infan View – to change the resolution of photos.

FILEZILLA -FTP Program

PS3 ITEMS:

ICON0: this is the icon which displays on the XMB

PIC1: Adds a background to the program your about to run

SND0: Its the background music which plays in some games, you can add your own though.

LIST OF CHANGES:

The COBRA ICON to a more fitting one.

Added a background when the “Manager” is highlighted & audio which loops too. – these can all be changed to your liking.
(currently SHINRA BUILDING TUNE)

Changed the name of the manager.

Removed the normal to glassy versions.

This wouldn’t of been possible without you guys XD

http://www.multiupload.com/TWA1W8TOFI

http://ffffurage.imgur.com/II574#0iqTC
more skins = D

MAJOR THANKS GO TO:

FFFRAGE

LUNXX

This wouldn’t of been possible without you guys XD

So as most of you know, the PS3 Scene just recently celebrated the one year anniversary of the PS3 being hacked/jailbroken, many, many things have happened in that short year, many changes and break throughs, i have two reasons for creating such a FAQ, the obvious being all the changes, PS3 owners just getting into the scene, need help and guidance, i also seen a failed attempt at a F.A.Q on another site and i thought that mistake needed to be rectified, with a proper F.A.Q

(Q) Why Would I Hack/Jailbreak My PS3 ?
(A) Hacking your PS3, gives you so many new option’s, you will be able to use emulators, homebrew apps and game backups as well as being able to use Linux, after Sony removed the function in firmware 3.21.

(Q) Is there a firmware my PS3 should be on ?
(A) It seems the preferable firmwares are 3.15(For the real OtherOS), 3.41(The original “Jailbreak” firmware) and 3.55(the first CFW PS3), 3.55 is the favourite and most used.

(Q) What Firmwares cannot be hacked yet ?
(A) 3.56 to 3.70 are unhackable at the moment, perhaps it will remain that way, or perhaps we will see a break through in the future, only time will tell.

(Q) But when i bought my PS3, the firmware was above 3.55/My family member updated my console when i was out , how can i have Homebrew ?
(A) All hope isn’t lost, you can downgrade your consoles firmware with devices like progskeet, at the moment, this is rather a tedious process, involving soldering several wires to your PS3, but in the future we will have solderless models of these products, for information on how to downgrade, check this thread:
Noob Tutorial: How to downgrade/flash your PS3 from firmware 3.70 to 3.55 via ProgSkeet/Teensy++ and install 3.55 Kmeaw CFW

(Q) Downgrading was a pain, i don’t want to go through that again, is there a way i can protect my PS3 from accidental upgrading ?
(A) You can use Team Rebugs firmware spoofer, it spoofs the firmware, so that when someone attempts to update the PS3, via internet or disc, the PS3 tells them they are already on the highest firmware, as an extra precaution, you should remove your consoles access to the PS3, when you are not around, you can grab your spoofer, from the offical Rebug site here.

(Q) What other firmwares can i hack/jailbreak my PS3 on ?
(A) 2.76, 3.01, 3.15, 3.21, 3.40, can all be “hacked” using the PS Jailbreak USB Dongle or equivalent variants, information on the useable devices, can be found on my old F.A.Q, which you can view here.

(Q) CFW/MFW Or Dongle ?
(A) CFW/MFW is the way to go, dongles are more or less dead, apart from the Cobra USB dongle, but it too will become obsolete as its features get implemented into CFW/MFW, also with CFW/MFW, you do not need to do the start-eject combo that is needed with the dongles.

(Q) How do i install CFW ?
(A) If you aren’t already on 3.55, you will need to update to the official Sony firmware, then install a CFW via recovery, Pirate wrote a great guide, which you can read here:
[Tutorial] How to play and install Backups with Kmeaw CFW+PSN without risk of brick or itskamel’s NOOB JAILBREAK GUIDE
If you wish to stay on official firmware 3.41, the same method applies, but you will need to grab Team Rebugs 3.41 CFW, which you can find here.
Here is a video of Kmeaw being installed via the Recovery Method.

(Q) I see many different CFW/MFW, which one should i chose ?
(A) As i stated earlier, Kmeaw is the most popular CFW/MFW but there are other versions and you can take your pick, all installed the same way as the above method:
Team Rebugs 3.41/3.55 CFW
BobbyBlunt’s PS3HaX MFW
Thelostdeathknight’s PS3HaX MFW
varaques MFW
bitsbubbas NFW
bitsbubbas NFW With Cobra Implimentation

(Q) I want to test a different CFW/MFW, is it ok to install a CFW on top of another CFW.
(A) If you have Kmeaw installed, you can install Rebug over the top of it, but if you decide you don’t like Rebug and want to go back to Kmeaw, it is advised that you install the 3.55 Official Firmware, then install Kmeaw, as a precaution, i would advise that is done with all CFW changes

(Q) Ok so i have CFW installed, how do i run homebrew ?
(A) You will see in the game section, you will see “Install Package Files”, you will be able to install all your homebrew and backup managers from there, just a note though, the PKG files that you are installing, need to be on the root of your FAT32 formatted thumbdrive/external HDD.

(Q) Now that i have updated to 3.55 CFW, is there a list of working homebrew app’s/games ?
(A) Here are a few links:
Homebrew Games Collection(Maintained by manster)
Homebrew Emulator Collection(Maintained by Thelostdeathknight)
Homebrew Application Collection(maintained by GregoryRasputin(me)

(Q) How do i play my backups ?
(A) You will need a backup manager, the following are available(We recommend the PS3HaX endorsed multiMAN):
multiMAN For help, check the (Support Forum) Grab BDEMU2 here.
Rogero
Gaia
Iris
Open Manager(Firmware 3.41 Only)
Hermes Manager(Firmware 3.41 Only)

(Q) I have my games backed up, i now want to play online, how do i do that ?
(A) Currently there is no way to access the PSN server to play online, even if a new CFW came out, Sony would block PSN again with a new OFW, so your only real option, if you want both homebrew and PSN, is to have two PS3′s

(Q) What are my storage options for backing up games ?

(A.1) You can backups certain games to CD/DVD/BD disc’s, read here for more information.
(A.2) You can install games on the PS3′s internal HDD or use an External USB HDD, which needs to be formatted to FAT32, you can also use a FAT32 USB Thumb Drive, note that with FAT32 you are limited to games with single files under 4GB, if you prefer all your games to be on the internal HDD, you can get up to 1TB 2.5? HDD, or you can use the Xecuter PS3 HDXT method and have your internal HDD on the outside of the machine, the benefit of this, is that you can use 3.5? Sata and IDE HDD’s as internal storage.
Some more PS3 HDD Information submitted by ieder-zijn-meis(Thanks again)
- maximum height is 9,5mm (many 2.5? drives above 640GB are too high too fit inside)
– maximum PS3 filesystem is 1TB (512KB block size)
– maximum FAT32 theoretical size is 8TB, practical limit on the PS3 is 2TB
– 7200rpm can be used, as well as Flashdrives (although the 1/5th lower loadingtime of GTA5 can be considered too low to justify the higher pricetag of SATA Flashdrives.
– SATAII-300 can be used, although it will work on SATA1-150 speed interface.
– If using external 3.5? drives hooked up to the internal SATA, you’ll need an external powersupply (some drivebays include them).
– If on low budget or you like DIY: use a normal extension (male to female) SATA cable (and make sure it doesn’t get loose) and recycle the case + powersupply of an external USB harddisk (without using the USB connection/conversion).
– Don’t use RAID or SAN drives with (e)SATA interface, just a plain single drive with a bare SATA connector (many controllers don’t work without drivers/software).
– Games can be hardcoded for BluRay speeds (9MB/s) so sticking a 85~220MB/s harddrive inside will not speedup everything/allways (but most do).
– If you plan on exchanging the drive, download the full PUP of your FW you are using and put it on an USB Mass Storage Device formatted with FAT32 in PS3UPDATEPS3UPDAT.PUP and disconnect the LAN before re powering the PS3 (or you’ll bound to end up with the latest (3.55 now) unjailbreakable/undowngradable version).
– Use a good fitting X screwdriver, the screws fitted to the HD<>tray are made of very soft aluminum.

Here is a tutorial, by forum member Invi, on how to an External IDE HDD Case and use it as Internal Storage:
HowTo: Use an external IDE HDD Case to connect an Internal 3,5″ Sata HDD as PS3 HDD.

An image of the Xecuter PS3 HDXT.

Videos of different HDD expansion options.

(Q) Now that i am on 3.55, can i install Linux ?
(A) Follow this thread.

(Q) Ok im fed up with using my thumb drive, is there a way to download apps directly to the PS3.
(A) Yes,you will need to instal “Package Installer”, then you will be able to FTP the apps to the “packages” folder on your PS3, you can find more about that here.

(Q) Ok so i have backed up a game, i want to save that game to my computer as an extra backup, or i want to mod the game, how do i transfer it from my PS3.
(A) There are two methods, FTP, there are three of those at the moment:
PS3 FTP Server by CJCP
blackb0x FTP Server by blackb0x
OpenPS3FTP(Probably the most stable)
Alternatively you can use
Comgenies Awesome Filemanager
or
Simple Filemanager
multiMAN also has FTP and Filemanger options
if you cant use FTP, or have an External HDD, Comgenies Filemanager is the best choice.

(Q) I just bought a new game, tried to play it, but it says i need to update my firmware, what do i do ?
(A) Unfortunately, newer games being released, will be unplayable on current CFW’s, you may be lucky and get a patch, but the chances of those are getting slimmer as time goes on, so the only options you are left with, are update or buy a new PS3, this is the sad situation of the scene, until the scene developers release a new CFW, you will be unable to play the newer games you bought.

(Q) I want to be able to create my own Homebrew, is it possible.
(A.1) Yes, using the Open Source PS3 SDK, named PSL1GHT, you can create Homebrew, PSL1GHT was created by AerialX, read about it here.

(A.2) You can use the Official Sony SDK, it is reported that this is better for creating homebrew, than the open source version.

(Q) I backed up a few of my movies to .AVI and .MKV formats, but when i try and play them through Showtime, or stream them via PS3Media Server, i get a Cinavia warning, is there any way past this ?
(A) You can install this app:
Disable Cinavia Installer (3.41 & 3.55)(By Team Rebug)

(Q) Can play PS2/PS1 backups on my Jailbroken PS3 ?
(A.1) You can use this method, it lets you use Swap Magic to load PS2 backups on your PS3, the only consoles allowed, are those that are Backwards Compatible, this option also works on a non Jailbroken PS3, even with firmware 3.70
(A.2) You can use the Cobra USB dongle, to play PS1 or PS2 backups on your Jailbroken PS3, it is compatible with firmwares 3.41 and 3.55.
(A.3) You can use this method to play PS1 backups on firmware 3.41 and 3.55.

People who deserve thanks and respect, for making this great PS3 Scene what it is, without them, it wouldn’t really exist Mathieulh, RichDevX, GeoHot, The PS Jailbreak Team, KaKaRoTo, Hermes, klutsh, Amon-Ra, marcan, ThatOtherPerson, AerialX, Comgenie , NZHawk, CJCP, blackb0x, MohammadAG, gliitch, Kmeaw, fail0verflow, moogie, durandal, Snowydew, kaz, eussNL, robo hobo, squarepusher2, condorstrike, CrashSerious, graf_chokolo, glevand, jjolano, Mr.Goodfrag, samson, facanferff, DarkhackerPS3, lunuxx, deank, Rogero, uf6667, opium2k, Codename Rebug and any other person, who has also created a payload, made homebrew, or contributed to the scene, if i have missed your name, sorry

The other guys that deserve a big thank you, are the site admins, that work to keep you up to date with news and bring you those all important exclusives, the only decent English speaking PS3 Scene sites are listed below:
greg @ Dashacks
GaryOPA
Sennax @ ThePlaystationClub
And of course
Pirate , here @ PS3HaX

This is by no means finished, if you see anything you would like to see addressed, feel free to leave a post in the comments section

Im sure most of you already know about the Cobra USB device, that enables backing up and playing of PS1/PS2/PS3 games/ISO’s, we posted information about the dongle here.

So with all the awesome details, you are probably wondering how good the device is, that’s where these two great reviews come in, the first is by PS3HaX member gliitch, the creator of GAXMB(gliitch’s Awesome XMB), it is both a review and a tutorial on how to get started using the device, the other great review is by PS3HaX member Persian McLovin

gliitchs Review/Tutorial(Click to view)

Persian McLovin’s Review(Click to view)

We are in no way affiliated with the Cobra team, this article is created, merely to help our members make up their minds and with two awesome reviews, this should help a lot

Most of you have heard the news of the PS3 slim downgrade on firmware 3.70, helping those buying newer or updated PS3 slim consoles to the scene. At the moment push aside “soft modding” and its time to bring on the good ole’ soldering iron back out.

This new method of downgrading basically requires the soldering of a multi-console-compatible chip known as ProgSkeet (or clone) which you can find or purchase HERE…or you can use Teensy++ board if you still have those from the good dongle days. A solder-less ProgSkeet is in the works, more info here.

Now the original tutorial was released in a very technical form and in Spanish, but we at PS3Hax have got you covered, and are bringing you easy to follow tutorial that a noob can follow on. This tutorial is long, but it is more detailed than complicated, making sure your bases are all covered.

So lets get started, this tutorial is split into multisteps. You should also check out the posts made here, and the posts that will be made in this thread to get assistance. The following tutorial was modified from the original Spanish translation by Dospiedras1973, and the tutorial/images were modified from PS3Hax member Mattr92 tutorial over at his site: RootedSystem and and thanks to the many PS3Hax members that brought us the proper/native translation of the original instructions .

Highly advised you read this tutorial fully once, and then again and read the comments in this thread and the other threads linked above to get a GOOD understanding of what your getting yourself into and how the entire process works. Remember, this should be a fun and rewarding experience

DISCLAIMER: PS3Hax.net is not responsible for any damage caused to your system. We do not claim credit for this method, we simply have compiled and reorganized the information so it is easier to follow. I  kindly request for other sites to not rip this entire tutorial to their websites, but instead link to this page if you wish to share it on your webpage. This page will be actively updated so please keep checking back to find solutions to encountered/discovered problems.

STEP 1 – Preparation

STEP 2 – Some Background

STEP 3 – Installing ProgSkeet

STEP 4 – The NOR Dumping

Now the actual work begins and the part you all have been waiting for, the NOR dumping!

Step 5: Flashing your PS3

You have now successfully downgraded, and installed 3.55 KMEAW CFW on your PS3! You can check out our forums for more info on various homebrew, or drop by our tutorial section for more neat things you can do with your unlocked PS3 .

Problem Solving Tips:

Useful Resources:

Thanks to dospiedras1973, eussNL, and uf6667 for helping me refine/write this guide.

Hi, in this tutorial we will see how we can easily get a RTMP link from a simple page and then you may use it stream live TV channels. I alert that i’ll not give examples of pages in this tutorial, if you understand this tutorial, you will be able to reproduce the steps correctly in any link that you may have in hands.

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PS3Hax member Glowball1, who brought you the tutorial for custom XMB wave animation, has now brought another PS3 tutorial related to editing/modding of dynamic themes.

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PS3Hax member Glowball1, has posted a tutorial and video on how to modify your PS3′s XMB wave animation. Requires the use of a HEX editor. You can see the preview of the animations below, and you can read the full tutorial via read more link.

Tutorial (by Glowball1):

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Many people (the more advanced hackers), already know this but there still is some blurriness on what Linux OS works on 3.55 and what does not.  For those of you who are living under a rock the last few weeks, OtherOS was restored on post 3.15 consoles. OS is basically a program in which will let you turn you PS3 into a computer. It allows you to run some programs that you wouldn’t be able to without OS. Some popular ones are Linux and Ubuntu. Various information, tutorials on installing Linux can be found here.

And as of right now, it seems like the PS3 firmware 3.55 will run most OS out there. As you can see in the chart below, there are still some OS that have NOT been tested for the 3.55 firmware.

Chart from Gitbrew:

If you want Gitbrew to try an OS that is not listed, let them know. Also, if an OS is not listed and you are certain it works, message them and they will add it to the list.