Hacking the PSP

Hacking the PSP is a book for people who want to begin to explore the potential of the PSP -- both what Sony says it can do, and beyond. While experienced hackers won't find much hacking here to challenge them, newbies will find a good place to start. And even established homebrewers might find some of the DIY projects useful and fun. Be sure to click through to the full review for all the details on the pros and cons of this book.

With a title like Hacking the PSP, you'd expect this book to be aimed at hardcore hackers and homebrewers, but that crowd would likely find it too tame. While there certainly are hacks here -- of both the hardware and software varieties -- they are mostly of the sort a relatively new user could manage. And that's the real strength of Hacking the PSP -- its ease-of-use for those not necessarily familiar with hacking, but who might want to give it a try.

It's Not All Hack

With such a title, you might also expect this book to be only about hacks, or only about the "hacks, mods, and customizations" mentioned in the subtitle. And while you will find such things inside, you'll also find good, basic information on how to use a PSP for all kinds of things without hacking it. From better instructions on how to view videos and listen to music than the PSP user guide provides, to a rundown of some of the available utility software for making your PSP and your PC or Mac play nicely together, Hacking the PSP is actually a really good guide for the general user, as well as the aspiring hacker.

Keep it Ethical

Something I really appreciated about this book was its strong sense of ethics. The author is happy to provide instructions on how to downgrade your PSP's firmware to an earlier version for running cool homebrew software, but he isn't going to tell you how to get and run pirated games (though no doubt a smart hacker could figure it out easily enough).