Custom PSP firmware help needed.

[General Chaos]

This post is an extension of a question/discussion that is ongoing in the buy/sell forum but I thought it might be more appropriate to move it here.

I'm wanting to get a PSP and have it modded so that I can play backups and emulate Amiga, Genesis, PS1, GBA, and NGPC. I'm not too concerned about anything else.

Basically I'd like some advice on what firmware I should try to get to run all of the above. Right now I'm really interested in buying this limited edition Japanese slim model:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... otohosting

but I want to make sure I'll be able to have it modded with a firmware that can do everything I want.

Should I just go with a normal "Phat" PSP or will the slim (and a Japanese import for that matter) work with what I want to do?
Also, it’s my understanding that sometimes you have to “upgrade” custom firmware to be able to play the current retail releases. Once I get the PSP modded is it difficult to upgrade on my own?

Any and all help is much appreciated.

[MrPopo]

My understanding is as follows:

You want a PSP who's base firmware is less than version 4.x. That limited edition one might have the base version as 4.x, which would make it unsuitable. The reason for this is that Sony changed something that prevents people from putting CFW on the PSP (for now).

So you can start with a phat, or you can start with an older slim. I ended up getting the piano black standalone version. Now I have the m33 CFW version 4.01. This allows me to play all retail releases. Also, though I haven't had to do it yet, my understanding is that upgrading the firmware version is easy. If I recall correctly, the CFW actually has its own version of online upgrading that makes it pretty painless.

The one thing that might get you to consider getting a phat instead of a slim is that not every emulator has been properly ported to the latest firmware. There was a big paradigm shift between the 1.50 phat firmware and the 3.x slim firmware. In general it was a speed loss for most emulators, though recently they've been making improvements for the SNES emulator. I know the NES emulator has no problems, due to the simplicity of the emulated hardware, and the PS1 emulation is a hack of the built in stuff. I have no experience with any of the other ones you listed.

[cloudrat7]

You can use either psp fat or slim, I have both and have them running custon firmware. If you are planning on installing it yourself you have to have a magicgate memory stick and also a modded psp battery. It's a pain in the @$$ if you don't know what your doing, but it's easy actually. You can order the battery (it's usually called pandora battery) online . I had one laying around and i modded my own (just cut one connector when you open the battery up).

here's a program that'll let you install custom firmware easily.

http://www.pspmod.com/forums/psp-softwa ... -lite.html

[executioner]

Basically I'd like some advice on what firmware I should try to get to run all of the above. Right now I'm really interested in buying this limited edition Japanese slim model:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... otohosting

Very nice choice, I'm a monster hunter fanatic. That special edition has been around for a while it should work with custom firmware.

[bobbynewmarkiii]

I second Mr Popo - just go on google, it's easy to hack a psp from any firmware using the pandora battery hack and do it yourself... also I posted a link to an excellent guide in the 'hacks and mods' forum. Any recent firmware will play pretty much anything. you can;t go wrong with 3.71 m33 or 3.95 m33