PSP Hacks: Tips & Tools For Your Mobile Gaming & Entertainment Handheld

Want a little more use out of your PlayStation Portable (PSP), but don’t know how? Well O’Reilly has a solution for you thanks to writer C.K Sample III’s PSP Hacks: Tips and Tools for Your Mobile Gaming and Entertainment Handheld. The book features over 50 tips, tricks and hacks from various subject ranging from taking apart your PSP to hacking the colour of your handheld’s activity LED.

The book is actually a great companion for PSP owners as it features more in-depth information about the product itself than what’s offered in the owner’s manual that comes bundled with the handheld. Most, if not all, of the basic “how to” procedures are covered in the book.

PSP Hacks is separated into six chapters with several tips, tricks and hacks for each of them.

The first chapter is “The Basics” and includes insightful items on basic PSP procedures such as managing your handheld’s saved games to keeping the device sparkling clean.

The second chapter, “PSP Gear,” is dedicated to creating custom hardware for your portable gaming console. You learn how to create your own protective case, recycle well-known items for UMD disk storage and construct a wireless antenna, among other things.

The third chapter, “Multimedia,” features various tips on expanding your PSP’s multimedia capabilities. Readers will not only get tips on how to add audio, video and pictures on their PlayStation Portable, but they’ll also learn how to use the handheld as an ebook and comic book reader, as well as how to use the device for map viewing.

The fourth chapter, titled “Games,” is devoted to the gaming aspect of the PSP. The hacks in this chapter more or less covers the multiplayer aspect of the handheld by offering such tips as how to play games over the Internet and how to experience multiplayer gameplay using a single UMD disk. The chapter also explains how gamers can use homebrew software on the handheld.

Chapter 5, dubbed “Networking and the Web,” encompasses tips on how to exploit the networking capabilities of the device. Here, you’ll get the scoop on various online items that can be useful for PSP owners. Among other things, readers will learn how to create a personal Web portal formatted specifically for the PlayStation Portable and how to use the unit to control your home.

The book’s final chapter is named “Eye Candy” and is dedicated to tips and tricks that will help embellish the look of the system. The chapter includes hacks detailing how 1.5 firmware owners can change background images and how to change the colour of various LEDs on the handheld.

Like previous books in the O’Reilly Hacks series, PSP Hacks features three complexity thermometer icons that indicate the ease of the hack. The three levels are; beginner, moderate and expert, which technically means that this book is accessible to all, and bears no prejudice to your expertise level.

Head on over to O’Reilly’s to view five complimentary sample hacks from the book. The suggested retail price for PSP Hacks is $41.99CDN, but you can easily find the book for less than $30CDN through your favourite online retailer. A must have for any PSP owner.

Andre Barriault writes for Gaming Cult, an independent Web site dedicated to the world of gaming, entertainment, and technology