New, updated, improved and modern Custom Firmware
for the PSP
and PS Vita
's ePSP
.
Simple to use and full of unique features, ARK CFW
aims at keeping the PSP
experience fresh. Being a successor to PRO
and ME
,
ARK
is now the most feature-complete CFW
for the PSP
, having all features from classic CFW
as well as unique and exclusive new features not found anywhere else.
Core
system heavily updated from traditional CFW with new exclusive features.
Inferno 2
Driver compatible with all formats (ISO
, CSO
, ZSO
, JSO
, CSOv2
and DAX
).
Popcorn
controller for custom PS1
games. Compatible with PopsLoader
V3 and V4i.
Built-in No-DRM
engine Stargate
, fixes many anti-CFW games. Compatible with npdrm_free
by qwikrazor87.
Plugin
support for PSP
games, PS1
games and VSH
(XMB), including the ability to enable and disable plugins per-game
.
Region Free
playback of UMD Video
on all PSP models. Change the region of your UMD
drive on-the-fly.
Compatible with all PSP
models on firmwares 6.60
and 6.61
.
Compatible with all PS Vita
models on firmware 2.10
up to 3.74
, either official firmware or via Adrenaline
.
Compatible with 6.60
Testing Tool
Firmware and Testkit
Units.
Compatible with 6.60
Development Tool
Firmware and Devkit
Units.
Can be fully installed and booted on memory stick in compatible models via Time Machine
.
Can be used to unbrick any PSP using Despertar del Cementerio
in combination with a Pandora
or Baryon Sweeper
.
Minimalistic
: only 6 files installed on PSP flash, CFW extensions are installed on memory stick.
Resistant to soft-bricks
, easy to recover from bad configurations with a new and improved Recovery
app.
Custom game launcher
with built-in game categories, file browser, FTP
server and client, modernized look and more.
Fully configurable via the XMB
.
Compatible with PRO Online
and Xlink Kai
.
Compatible with Legacy Homebrew via eLoader
and Leda
. Compatible with the KXploit format.
Compatible with cIPL
and Infinity 2
bootloaders for permanent CFW.
ARK
on PSP
via Infinity
and/or on PS Vita
via Adrenaline
: https://youtu.be/bE8mw7RRqGo
Build script will allow you to use the correct SDK that ARK was built with.
./build.sh
./build.sh --debug
make
Use -h
or --help
to show all available flags
For an easy deployment of ARK on a PSP connected to the internet, you can follow this video
The instructions are as follows:
ARK_01234
folder into /PSP/SAVEDATA/
folder.ARK_Loader
folder into /PSP/GAME/
folder.ARK Loader
. It will install ARK modules on PSP Flash and boot the CFW.
FLASH0.ARK
from /PSP/SAVEDATA/ARK_01234
to prevent flashing files every time you reload the CFW.ARK Loader
when you boot up the system after you've fully turned off or hard reboot the device to re-enable ARK
.
6.61
. Does NOT
work with Testing Tool
or Development Tool
firmwares.Infinity 2
instead.ARK_newIPL
folder to /PSP/GAME/
and run the program.
6.60
and 6.61
, including Testing Tool
firmware. Does NOT
work with Development Tool
firmware.Infinity 2
instead.ARK cIPL
folder to /PSP/GAME/
and run the program.*RECOMMNEDED* If already using another CFW with Infinity < 2.0.5, use chronoswitch to reinstall 6.60/6.61 OFW (Offical Firmware). If you do not when launching Infinity it can just lock your PSP up causing Infinity to not work properly (not harmful, just not properly). Then proceed with intructions. You can still bi/tri boot your CFW afterwards.
EBOOT.PBP
(or EBOOT_GO.PBP
renamed to EBOOT.PBP
if using a PSP Go) from the Infinity
folder found in the ARK download into /PSP/GAME/UPDATE
.Infinity
app using Official Firmware to run the initial installation. If you previously had and older Infinity installed when prompted to update please do, as our Infinity version includes the ARK patches to autoboot.Infinity
a second time to configure autoboot by selecting ARK within the Infinity app. Run the ARK CFW again to activate. ARK will now be automatically activated on boot up.
ARK_01234
savedata folder or memory stick.ARK_Full_Installer
to /PSP/GAME/
and run it from ARK
.ms0:/SEPLUGINS/
, which is used as the default ARK path when no savedata folder is available.
Time Machine
allows to boot the 6.61
firmware and ARK
entirely from the Memory Stick.Despertar del Cementerio
allows to revive a bricked PSP when used in combination with a Pandora
or Baryon Sweeper
.DC-ARK
you must first format the memory stick leaving enough space for the boot sector. You can use PSP Tool
to do this.CFW
to install DC-ARK
(ARK itself or any other).ARK_DC
folder to the /PSP/GAME/
folder and run the installer from the XMB
.Advanced VSH Menu
to create a Pandora
battery.Pandora
or Baryon Sweeper
in combination with your newly created Magic Memory Stick
to boot up Despertar del Cementerio
.
Recommended
: download a PSP
game from PSN
(demo of Ape Quest
, Locoroco
, etc) to have a valid PSP
license available during installation.Official Firmware
as long as the console has a valid PSP
license obtained from PSN
.ArkFast
from this link: https://github.com/Yoti/ArkFast-4/releases/latest/.start
button to install the Sasuke Commander
minigame with ARK
.launcher
.exit
from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher
, press L+R+Down+Start
. Works on PSP
too.XMB
and limitations with PS1
games.
NoPspEmuDrm
from here: https://github.com/LiEnby/NoPspEmuDrm/releasesVitaShell
from here: https://github.com/LiEnby/VitaShell/releasesARK_01234
folder to ux0:pspemu/PSP/SAVEDATA/
.K.BIN
from PSVita/Standalone/
into ARK_01234
.NPUZ01234
from PSVita/Standalone/
into ux0:pspemu/PSP/GAME/
.VitaShell
and use the Refresh Live Area
function for the ARK
bubble to appear.exit
from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher
, press L+R+Down+Start
. Works on PSP
too.XMB
and limitations with PS1
games.
ChovySign
: https://silica.codes/SilicaAndPina/chovy-signPSP
game from PSN
, the free demo of Ape Quest
or LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
is recommended.ChovySign
project to sign ark_loader.iso
from the PSVita/Standalone
folder.ARK Loader
in QCMA's folder as NPUZ01234
(i.e. /Documents/PS Vita/PGAME/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/NPUZ01234
).PBOOT.PBP
from PSVita/Standalone/NPUZ01234
to the loader generated by ChovySign: https://github.com/TheOfficialFloW/Trinity#installationARK_01234
savedata folder into /Documents/PS Vita/PSAVEDATA/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
.K.BIN
from PSVita/Standalone
folder into ARK_01234
savedata folder.ARK Loader
and ARK_01234
savedata folders using QCMA
.exit
from a game or homebrew back to the custom launcher
, press L+R+Down+Start
. Works on PSP
too.XMB
and limitations with PS1
games.K.BIN
, either build one yourself or open an Feature Request
.
Adrenaline
(https://github.com/TheOfficialFloW/Adrenaline).ARK_01234
folder into /PSP/SAVEDATA/
folder.ARK_Loader
folder into /PSP/GAME/
folder.K.BIN
from PSVita/Adrenaline
folder into ARK_Loader
game folder.Adrenaline Bubbles Manager
to create an autoboot bubble for ARK Loader
: https://github.com/ONElua/AdrenalineBubbleManager/releasesAdrenaline
in any way.
H.BIN
from the savedata path.ARK_01234
except PARAM.SFO
, SAVEDATA.BIN
and K.BIN
(ICON0.PNG
can also be ignored), into the hacked savedata folder.K.BIN
if you are running on an ancient Vita firmware (there's plenty of kernel exploit sources in ARK-2 and ARK-3 for reference).freemem()
algorithm in the kernel exploit file (K.BIN
).
There are three ways to update ARK:
System Update
feature in the XMB. Requires your PSP/Vita to be connected to the internet.UPDATE
folder to /PSP/GAME/
and run it.ARK_01234
folder and (on PSP) run ARK Loader
again to install new flash0 files.There are various ways to recover from a bad installation, usually result of bad configuration
or misbehaving plugins
, which may lead to crashes
and even bricks
.
This option allows you to boot up a Recovery App
with settings and plugins completely disabled to prevent issues. You can use this app to change settings, plugins and use a file browser for various recovery operations.
The Recovery App
is installed on Memory Stick
located at /PSP/SAVEDATA/ARK_01234/RECOVERY.PBP
and can be changed to just about any homebrew in PBP
format.
To load into the Recovery App
you must hold the R trigger
while turning on the PSP
console or running ARK Loader
. You can also do the same when running any of the Bubbles
on PS Vita
, either Adrenaline
or Standalone
(except for ARK-X
).
If the Recovery App
is unavailable (i.e. Full Installations
), or for a better/easier diagnostics, you can run ARK
in Vanilla Mode
, which temporarily disables settings and plugins when running ARK
or booting any game.
This will load the XMB
as original as possible but you can still use features such as the VSH Menu
or XMB Control
(which will let you reconfigure all your settings and plugins), it also works for games.
To enable Vanilla Mode
simply hold select
and/or start
during bootup or gameboot to disable settings and plugins respectively.
The effect of Vanilla Mode
is temporary and goes away on the next game boot or reboot unless you enable it again.
For any PSP
user that has a Permanent
installation (i.e. Infinity
or cIPL
), you always have the option to boot the console in Official Firmware
mode, which completely disables all Custom Firmware
functionality until the next full reboot.
If the console is Bricked
and none of the above helps recovering the system, the last resort is to use a Pandora Battery
or Baryon Sweeper
in combination with a Magic Memory Stick
.
You can find steps to install Despertar del Cementerio
for Pandora
models in this document.
For Baryon Sweeper
users, you can use this tutorial: https://www.psx-place.com/threads/update-baryon-sweeper-unbrick-psp-1000-2000-3000-psp-slim-04g-07g-09g-psp-street-11g-model.32503/
The default VSH menu packaged in ARK_01234
is a simplified, easier to use version of classic VSH menus.
To have a more classic VSH menu with more advanced features you can select the Advanced VSH Menu
from within the simplified VSH menu.
Some of the features available in Advanced VSH Menu include:
And more.
Installing on PSP Flash:
WARNING
: for advanced users only, do not attempt this if you're not familiar with the PSP flash.
By default, ARK's VSH Menu is installed on the Memory Stick (in /PSP/SAVEDATA/ARK_01234/VSHMENU.PRX
).
This has the limitation that you won't be able to access VSH menu without a memory stick.
If you want to permanently install VSH Menu you need to copy VSHMENU.PRX
to somewhere on your computer and rename it to ark_satelite.prx
,
which you can then copy to PSP's flash0:/vsh/module/
, you can use the VSH Menu itself to enable flash0 via USB. The final path should be flash0:/vsh/module/ark_satelite.prx
.
You can also achieve the same result by using the Full Installer
.
NOTE
: even if you install VSH Menu on flash0, the one installed on Memory Stick takes precedence in loading.
The easiest method to install a plugin is to simply copy its .prx
(and other files/folders the plugin needs) to its default installation folder (typically /SEPLUGINS/
folder) and navigate to it using the File Browser
(built into Recovery Menu and Custom Launcher). Upon opening the .prx
file, you will be given the options to select the runlevel, or type the game ID, where the plugin loads.
From there you can use the XMB
or Recovery Menu
to configure or remove your installed plugins.
Alternately, you can manually install plugins by creating a file called PLUGINS.TXT in the /SEPLUGINS/ folder and/or ARK's savedata folder.
If coming from PRO/ME you can Import them from the Advanced VSH Menu
section.
To install plugins use the comma-separated format (CSV). Where the header is: runlevel, path, switch. A few samples:
You can enable plugins on more than one game:
You can use the following keywords to enable a plugin:
You can use the following keywords to tell ARK when the plugin loads:
all
/always
: if either of these keywords are used, the plugin will always load.psp
/umd
: plugin should only load on retail games (UMD/ISO/PSN).homebrew
: plugin should only load on homebrews.game
: plugin can load on both retail games and homebrews.psx
/ps1
/pops
: plugin only loads in PSX games.xmb
/vsh
: plugin only loads in the XMB.launcher
: use this if the plugin should only load in the custom launcher.game ID
: if you specify a game ID (i.e. SLUS000000
), then the plugin will only load on that game.You can also disable a plugin on certain games where they might be problematic. To do so, just add a disable line for the specific game ID after the enable line. For example, enable cwcheat on all retail games except for GTA LCS (US) and GTA VCS (EU).
Some noteworthy plugins that are compatible with ARK include (but not limited to):
You can use the XMB and/or the Recovery Menu to easily handle CFW settings. However if you prefer you can also manually handle the settings yourself.
You can create a SETTINGS.TXT file using the same format as PLUGINS.TXT to enable/disable some CFW functionality on different parts of the system. Configuration settings you can use in ARK include:
overclock
: use this for better performance at the expense of battery time. Sets CPU/BUS speed to 333/166.powersave
: use this for better battery life at the expense of performance. Sets CPU/BUS speed to 133/66.usbcharge
: enables USB charging wherever you want.launcher
: replaces the XMB with a custom menu launcher.disablepause
: disables the pause game feature on PSP Go.highmem
: enables high memory on models above 1K.
You should only use this on homebrew runlevel as retail games were not meant to use the extra memory,
and this can cause issues with cheat devices or other plugins that expect games to have their data at specific memory addresses.infernocache
: enables cache for Inferno driver, improving performance of some games.oldplugin
: enables old plugins support on PSP Go (redirects ms0
to ef0
).skiplogos
: skips the coldboot and gameboot logos.You can use the same runlevels as used in plugins to tell ARK when the settings take effect (all/always, umd, homebrew, game, pops, vsh).
For example, you can overclock to highest CPU speed like this:
Another example, overclock only on games, use powersaving on VSH:
This also allows you to enable settings on specific games:
ARK comes prepacked with a very powerful launcher with a built-in file browser and highly customizable.
Some of its features include:
Playback of ISO and all CSO formats with PMF video preview.
Playback of UMD game discs.
Categorized and organized game menu by PSP Games, PSP Homebrew and PS1 Games.
Ability to scan savedata folders for games.
Compatibility with old VHBL, ARK-2 and TN-CEF file names and folder paths.
Ability to copy, move or delete entire folders.
File browser has built-in FTP client, allowing you to browse and copy files from another PSP.
FTP server and client can run simultaneously.
Ability to mount UMD Video ISOs using the file browser.
Ability to extract .zip files (up to highest compression) and .rar files (standard compression).
Ability to edit text files (.txt, .cfg or .ini).
Ability to install Plugins via the file browser.
Different background animation effects.
And more.
You can however change it to whatever you please. You can change the theme used by both the custom launcher and recovery menu by replacing THEME.ARK with your own.
You can install themes within Custom Launcher (and Recovery Menu). Just place the themes
folder anywhere on your PSP and use the file browser in the Custom Launcher to select which theme (THEME.ARK
) you would like to install. By selecting it a submenu will pop up asking to install it or to preview the theme without installing.
Orbs are animations and not part of the actual Themes
Theme: ARK_Revamped
Theme: Red
Theme: Ubuntu
Theme: Peace Walker
Theme: Matrix
Theme: Material Dark
Theme: GX Classic
Theme: Jurassic Park
Theme: Classic
Theme: Blue 2
Theme: Blue
Theme: Black
Theme: BadgerOS_Sprunk
Theme: BadgerOS
Theme: CyanogenPSP
Theme: Windows 7
Theme: Windows XP
Theme: Yokai
Aside from the default launcher provided, there have been many other custom launchers created by scene members, some better looking, some with more features, some more simpler, but all of them with personality, dedication and love from the community.
Here is a list of all popular menus for ARK:
ONEMenu by gdljjrod: https://github.com/ONElua/ONEmenu/releases
vMenu by neur0n: http://www.mediafire.com/file/7acb5mhawx4gr9t/vMenu_ARK.7z/file
yMenu by wth/yosh: https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B0kWUCdtGmJwLUhRUlNJSWhMWVE
gMenu by gbot: http://www.mediafire.com/file/oou5490qc99vr7d/gmenuARK.rar/file
138Menu by gbot: https://wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=33511
pyMenu by Acid_Snake: https://wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=21942
You can find a collection here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-Launchers
Note: some of these menus have not been updated or supported by their developers in a while, they may not work well with modern ARK or real PSP hardware.
Despite being a relatively new Custom Firmware
for the PSP
, ARK
has quite a history that goes back to the early days of the PS Vita
scene.
ARK
is a CFW
that started as a port (more like rewrite) of PRO CFW
to the PS Vita
(named PROVITA
) created by the original Team PRO
members (Coldbird
, Liquid Snake
and Neur0n
).
After the original team left, the source code of PROVITA
was handed over to me (Acid_Snake
) and my long time scene friend qwikrazor87
.
We quickly began a huge process of rewriting and restructuring code, more specifically a much more robust dynamic patching algorithms that would work on any 6.6X based firmware (including all Vita's ePSP firmwares). Thus ARK-2
was born.
Soon after, qwik, thefl0w and I began working on PSX exploits
, which resulted in TN-X
and ARK-3
(never publicly released).
Because the original PRO CFW
hasn't been updated or maintained in a while, and it has become a little bloated and hard to work with, I decided to start working on porting ARK
to the PSP
since the core elements of the CFW
are compatible with PSP
6.60
and 6.61
with minor changes.
After lots of work getting the same ARK
binaries to properly work on both PSP and Vita, I am proud to announce that the release of ARK-4
is finally here!
ARK-1
: original port/rewrite of PRO CFW
for the PS Vita
. Codenamed PROVITA
. Source code can be found here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-1-PROVita-ARK-2
: dynamic patching allows it to work with most of PS Vita
firmwares. Source code can be found here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-2ARK-3
: device-specific runtime allows ARK
to run in multiple scenarios (ePSP
and ePSX
). Source code can be found here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-3ARK-4
: ported to the original PSP
. Huge amounts of improvements and fixes over previous versions.Note
: this is a simplified changelog
, for a full version you can visit here: https://github.com/PSP-Archive/ARK-4/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
Team PRO
(the original developers of ARK): Coldbird
, hrimfaxi
(aka. Liquid Snake
) and Neur0n
.
The Ancient Gods of the PSP Scene
: mathieulth, davee, Proxima, zecoxao, among other tinkerers.
qwikrazor87
for being such a genius and all his hard work with kernel exploits and ARK-2.
TheFl0w
(aka. Total_Noob
) for his advancements and research in CFW development and overall contributions to the scene.
meetpatty
for his excellent work in fixing bugs and adding important features like cIPL and DevKit support as well as porting Time Machine
and Despertar del Cementerio
.
Codestation
for his incredible work improving CSO speeds and creating the ZSO format.
Krazynez
for his amazing work on Advanced VSH Menu
and other bugfixes and features.
pyroesp
for his excellent work improving VSH Menu
and refactoring code.
TheSubPlayer
for all the wonderful themes made for the custom launcher.
UnkownBrackets
(maxcso) for his help understanding the DAX format and Inferno speed hacks as well as creating the CSOv2 format.
Zer01ne
, noname120
, astart
and other devs that have blessed me with their knowledge and wisdom.
Zecoxao
for his great work creating dumpers that would allow us to archive rare firmwares.
balika
for his research in porting M33 to modern firmware that has helped improve compatiblity in ARK.
hrydgard
for the PMF player as well as being an inspiration for the custom launcher.
Every other giant shoulder I am standing on.
ARK comes with no warranty whatsoever. It was designed to be noob-proof, however it is possible for the universe to create an even greater noob capable of using ARK to destroy the Earth (or his PSP). I cannot be held responsible for this.
ARK may cause ejectile malfunction if your hard drive is not hard enough.
If this software malfunctions, you can turn it off and on again.
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