- Dark Alex
Dark Alex (AKA Dark_AleX, DAX) is a Spanish programmer who writes
homebrew ed applications for thePlayStation Portable . Dark Alex, as well as other variations of the name, is apseudonym under which he works. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6397797.stm
title= Three hacker teams unlock the PSP
publisher=BBC News
accessdate=2008-02-17
last=Rubens
first=Paul]Custom firmware
Dark Alex's work for the
PlayStation Portable includes custom firmware, also known as "Open Editions", that allow the running of unsigned code such as homebrew applications and UMD backups, as well as specially convertedPlayStation games. [cite web
url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=72468
title= Investigating the PSP's PSone emulator
publisher=Eurogamer
accessdate=2008-08-05
last=Swann
first=Graham] .In July 2007 Dark Alex officially stopped his work on the PSP, citing perceived problems with
Sony as one of the reasons for his departure. [cite web
url=http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/03/psp-modder-extraordinare-dark-alex-calls-it-quits
title= PSP modder extraordinare Dark Alex calls it quits
publisher=engadget
accessdate=2008-08-05
last=Patel
first=Nilay] Some people even suggested Dark Alex was being paid by Sony not to release any more custom firmware, but Sony denied this [cite web
url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566451/20070806/index.jhtml
title= Sony Exec Talks New PSP's Upgrades, GPS Attachment, NYC Appeal And More
publisher=MTV
accessdate=2008-08-05
last=Totilo
first=Stephen] and it was later revealed that Dark Alex was "Team M33", who continued to make custom firmware.Other Homebrew
Dark Alex has also written homebrew applications besides custom firmware. His first homebrew app was called DAX Dumper. It was released April of 2006 and it enabled users to dump an image of the UMD disc in their PSP either to their memory stick or directly to their computer via USB. There were only two versions released as beta versions and has not been developed since.
His second homebrew app was called DAX ZISO Loader, which let users play PSP ISO images that were stored on a PC on their PSP via USB. This allows you play UMD backups if your memory stick is not big enough to hold an ISO image.
He made an app called PSP MAC Spoofer which allowed PSP users to spoof their PSP's MAC address in case their original address was blocked by the wireless router they wanted to use.
A plugin to make the PSP report a different firmware version than what was actually installed was created by Dark Alex as well. This plugin is used mainly to copy games from the PlayStation Store to the PSP without having the latest firmware from Sony.
He also released Time Machine. This program allows users to load a slightly modified 1.50 firmware on a Slim PSP which was impossible before. It requires a Pandora's battery in order to run so the 1.50 can't be installed to the Slim.
Dark Alex later went on to work with ahman and team m33 to develop IrShell, a shell program created for custom firmware.
Dark Alex's Custom Firmware Releases
*4.01 M33, M33-2.
*3.90 M33, M33-2, M33-3.
*3.80 M33, M33-2, M33-3, M33-4, M33-5.
*3.71 M33, M33-2, M33-3, M33-4.
*3.60 M33.
*3.52 M33, M33-2, M33-3, M33-4.
*3.51 M33, Wlanfix, M33-3, M33-4, M33-5, M33-6, M33-7.
*3.40 Open Edition.
*3.30 and 3.10 Open Edition Mix for Undiluted Platinum.
*3.10 Open Edition.
*3.03 Open Edition.
*3.02 Open Edition.
*2.71 Special Edition.
*1.50 Custom Firmware (proof of concept).All can be found on his official site.
ee also
*
PlayStation Portable homebrew References
External links
* [http://www.dark-alex.org/ Dark Alex's official website]
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