This information below is meant to serve as a guide to getting familiar with your PS Vita. Although there are some instructional pieces, it is not meant to be the absolute definitive guide to further modifying or adding additional files or programs to your Vita. Vita systems are modded, tested, and confirmed to be in working order when shipped. No responsibility is taken as to what can happen once additional items are downloaded or added onto the system, or when programs or firmwares are updated. As of the publish date of this page this information is current, however it is advised that one always does their own research before performing any further modifications. This guide does not speak for compatibility with future application versions or firmware updates. Please never upgrade the firmware!
Modded PS Vita Guide
Your “firmware” is the PS Vita equivalent of the Operating System of a computer. It allows the Vita to perform tasks and run games. Currently the most popular modded, or “Jailbroken” firmware is version 3.65, but the firmware version can range from 3.60-3.70 as there are a few different versions. Generally the higher the firmware is, the more you are able to naturally do with a system. However also keep in mind that as the firmware goes higher, less and less jailbroken programs are available for the system. Henkaku is the name given to the modding software that allows the Vita’s firmware to be customized. Think of it as the software used akin to “Jailbreaking” an iPhone
Enso basically “hardmods” your PSVita to keep it jailbroken after you shut down or restart the system. Without Enso, you would need to run an application before utilizing any sort of jailbroken program, and pretty much “Re-enable” the jailbreak after anytime that the system powers off. With Enso installed, you do not need to worry about always “Re-jailbreaking” your Vita.
SD2Vita is a revolutionary micro SD card adapter that sits in the game card slot of your vita. It allows a micro SD Card to be used as the main harddrive of your PS Vita. By default a 128 GB card is used for this mod, usually with around 85 -90 GB of free space to add more games onto as your desire. A bigger or smaller micro SD card may be used (64 GB – 256 GB) (with a different amount of free space available) if specifically noted or requested, however 128 GB is more than sufficient for this mod.
Vitashell is a file directory program that lets you gain access to all root folders and files on your PS Vita. From Vitashell you can move, copy/paste, and delete files as well as add files to your Vita via FTP or micro USB cable.
Autoplugin is a program that allows for many lesser modifications made to the Vita’s custom firmware. It also contains many pieces of software that can be installed to further optimize the performance of already installed jailbroken programs.
Custom Themes Manager is a program that lets you download and install unique themes and custom skins onto your Vita. This allows you to greatly customize the look and feel of your Vita’s display. Custom themes usually contain fun and exciting wallpapers, background songs, and icons. A few themes have already been installed onto your Vita, You can select which one you want to use, browse different available themes, and download additional themes through this program.
Shortcuts Enhancer further allows you to customize the look and feel of your Vita’s display by selecting which programs you want to link to the 3 shortcut buttons that appear when you hit the PS Vita home Button. Currently these shortcut buttons have been linked to three of the most popular Vita games that have been installed on your system, but you can use this program to change the look of the button, or which program is linked to that button entirely.
PKGj allows your to download and install PS Vita, PS1, and PSP games directly onto your Vita from your Vita itself! Additionally, the refOOd program has also been installed via Autoplugin, which allows your Vita to run games that may require a higher firmware without issue. This is where you can truly take full advantage of all that space on the installed Micro SD Card!
RetroArch is go to the all -in-one retro video game emulator solution. Through your RetroArch installation, you will be able to play Atari Lynx (complete US library installed), TurboGrafx 16 (complete US library installed), Gameboy Advance ( Over 160 of the most popular games installed) Gameboy Color (complete US library installed), Gameboy (complete US library installed), NES (complete US library installed), SNES (complete US library installed), Virtual Boy (complete US library and Japan exclusives installed), Gamegear (complete US library installed), Sega Master System (complete US library installed), Sega Genesis (complete US library installed plus all 32X games) right out of the box. Plus, other game files can be added for a variety of systems and platforms not mentioned.
Adrenaline is an emulator that turns your PSVita into a PSP. Adrenaline allows your to run PSP and PS1 Games, as well as select N64 Games through the N64 emulator (Daedalus) that can also be accessed through Adrenaline. Your Device has already been loaded with select PSP (5 games installed), PS1 (25 games installed), and N64 games (5 games installed) that can be played right out of the box (see the “Playing Games” section of this guide), and more games can be added by following the instructions located in the “Adding More Games” section below.
Tubevita is a custom-made Youtube App for the PS Vita. It takes the Vita’s native web browser that comes pre-installed and optimizes it for Youtube. It automatically fits the video to best fit the Vita’s screen, and best of all blocks all in- video ads that you typically run into within Youtube.
Simple Account Switcher lets you unlink any Playstation Network account that may be linked to your Vita, allowing you to replace it with yours. This is not something that is a standard feature on the Vita, so a jailbreak app is required to allow for this functionality. Although it is never recommended to sign into your account on a jailbroken device (can’t be too safe!), if you want to, simply launch the app, then link your account. Once complete, go into the actual Playstation Network settings via the settings app on the Vita, and sign in there. You will be all set!
Find and open the Adrenaline app from your homescreen. This is where you are able to play all downloaded PS1 and PSP games. Once Adrenaline launches, make sure you are in the “game” tab, and go down to “memory stick” and hit the X button. Here you will see all of the PS1 and PSP games that are downloaded to your system. Note- they will be mixed together in this list, and in no particular order. Find the game that you wish to play and press the X button to launch.
This is very similar to launching PS1/ PSP games. Find and open the Adrenaline app from your homescreen. Once Adrenaline launches, make sure you are in the “game” tab, and go down to “memory stick” and hit the X button. On the very top on the list of games that comes up, you will see an icon for “Daedalus X64” – click X to launch it. Upon launching Daedalus, you will see a list of games installed. Press X to select the game, and press X again on “Start Emulation”
Tip – Many of these games work better without sound, however, if you wish to put the sound on, you can go to “Edit Preferences” in the Start or Selected Rom Menu, and set Audio to “Synchronous”.
To play any of these retro systems, open the RetroArch app. Once launched, scroll over towards the right until you see the system you are looking for. You can then press the down/up buttons to scroll through all available games for that system. Find the game you want to play, and press the Circle button (for this app, circle is the action button). Press Circle again on “Run”. The system will ask you to select an emulator- you can select whatever one you desire. After pressing circle on your emulator of choice, press circle on the “Run” button that appears again, and your game will boot up.
All PS Vita games that are downloaded and installed onto your VITA via PKGj are available directly on the Vita’s homescreen. Simply select the game you want to play and launch.
To add more PSP or Ps1 Games, open up the PGKj app that is on the homscreen. After opening the program you can hit the Triangle button to go from the PS Vita game list to show PS1 or PSP Games instead. When you have found the game you wish to download, press the X button. You will see a download % status bar at the bottom of the screen once the download has started. Once the download is complete, you can either download another rom, or exit out of PKGj. You will then be able to play all PS1 and PSP Games in the Adrenaline App as instructed in this page.
To add more N64 Games, you must connect your Vita to your computer via a FTP client such as Filezilla. You must drop the rom file in the specified “Roms” folder located at the following directory:
ux0/pspemu/PSP/GAME/DaedalusX64/Roms
Please note that N64 emulation is an ongoing open project, and that not all games work perfectly. Generally, the smaller the rom file, the better the game plays. Disabling the sound as mentioned in this guide also helps to improve gameplay.
To add more games to these platforms, you must access the RetroArch Roms folder located in your ux0 folder via FTP. When you open the RetroArch Roms folder, you will see that each game platform has it’s own folder within the RetoArch Roms folder. Simply add the new game to the proper console folder (via FTP).
Once the new files have been added, open RetroArch and scroll to “Scan Directory”. Scan the folder to which the game you just added belongs to. Upon completion, you will see the new game listed alongside the other available games.
Note: RetroArch is also able to emulate many more consoles that what is listed. For a complete list of which systems can be emulated, please visit the RetroArch website. To add new roms for a new system, simply create a new folder in ux0/RetroArch Roms (via FTP) and entitle it the name of the system you will be emulating. You can then drop the rom files within that folder. As with adding new games, scan this new directory, and your new system will be listed alongside the others within RetroArch, so long as it is a console for which RetroArch supports emulation.
To add more PSVita games, open up the PKGj shop app that is on the homescreen of your Vita. Upon launch, available PSVita games for download will be listed. Once you find the one you want to download, select it, and take note at what the screen says in terms of what needs to be downloaded. Most of the time, you can simply just download the Game and Patch bundle.
Sometimes, if required, it will also ask you to download compatibility packs. If compatibility packs are needed, download the base compatibility pack first, followed by any additional compatibility pack if available. Then download the Game and patch bundle.
Once the game starts to download, it will show up in your LiveArea. Quit PKGj by pressing the home button as you would any other app. Wait for the game to finish downloading in the LiveArea, and then upon completion of download, follow the prompt to install the game. Upon successful download and installation, you will see the game available on your Vita’s homescreen.
Nope! Thanks to Enzo, your Vita is “hardmodded”, so there is nothing you need to do upon powering up or restarting your Vita.
Please NEVER upgrade the firmware! This will negate all modded data on your Vita, along with other potential complications.
To get back to the home screen, hit the home button. Some apps only require one press while others require two. You can then choose to suspend the program or close it out altogether, and go back to the homescreen.
Yes, as of this publication you are indeed able to play games online.
While it is safe to open any and all programs, there are a few that are installed only for sake of the jailbreak, and are not relevant at all in day to day usage. It is recommended that the following applications, if on your device, are not utilized to prevent any mishaps:
H-Encore
Modoru
Molecular Shell
3.65 Henkaku Enso Updater
You have full access to add more programs should you want to. Nothing is restricted.
Yes, you are still able to collect trophy’s from games. Even ones that you downloaded from PKGj!
This shouldn’t happen often, but never say never. If you Vita ever freezes, all you need to do is hard reset it by holding down the power button. Don’t worry – your system will still be modded once it has restarted.
Yes- Utilize Vitashell to see everything directly on the Vita, or use a FTP client such as Filezilla to see everything on your computer. To connect via FTP, open Vitashell while connected to wifi, and hit select. the system will display the needed information to connect via FTP.
All programs and rom files are at different points as noted above within the ux0 folder. See “Adding More Games” for the exact locations.
While yes, your Vita has the capability to still play physical games, removing the micro SD and SD2vita to play a physical game is strongly not advised. Once the vita is turned on without the hacked files in place on the SD Card, it could jeopardize your jailbreak as it prompts you to update the system, not allowing you to do anything further. If you want to play a game you have a physical copy of, the best advice is just to download it to your device via PKGj to avoid any potential issues.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a means to transfer files to and from one internet connected device via a computer. There are a number of FTP clients you can download, but the most popular one is generally Filezilla. It is very simple to use. All you need to do is make sure that your computer is connected to the same network as your Vita, then launch Filezilla. On your Vita, open Vitashell, hit select, and you will see your vita’s IP address and port. Enter that information into the top of Filezilla and hit “quick connect”. You will then be able to transfer files from your computer directly to where needed on your Vita. For more information, see one of the many readily available Youtube tutorials on Filezilla.