72w ago - Over the weekend PlayStation Vita developer
Virtuous Flame has made available OpenCMA, an open-source homebrew application that prevents the
PS Vita Content Manager from connecting to the Internet to bypass online and the latest OFW checks.
OpenCMA r1 for PS Vita /
OpenCMA r2 for PS Vita /
OpenCMA r3 for PS Vita /
OpenCMA r4 for PS Vita /
OpenCMA r4 for PS Vita (1.80 Fix) /
OpenCMA r4.5 for PS Vita (Unofficial) /
OpenCMA r5 for PS Vita /
OpenCMA r5 for PS Vita (Mirror) /
SVN /
YifanLu's OpenCMA GIT
To quote, roughly translated:
Open CMA by Virtuous Flame prevents the PS Vita Content Manager Assistant from connecting to the Internet. The PS Vita comes with a system to copy save files that requires you to be connected permanently to the Internet.
This system is here to force you to update the Vita when a new version is available. In addition, it might be inconvenient for you to be constantly connected when you want to copy your files from and to the Vita. This patch is here to help you with this situation.
Installation:
- extract the archive in your CMA folder (program files/Sony/Content Manager Assistant by default)
- quit the CMA if it is running on your PC
- execute "run.bat" (you need to run it in "Admin mode" on Windows 7
- That's it, now the CMA should run without requiring to be connected to the Internet
Changelog:
Finally, from
wololo (linked above): I tested it myself, and it works fine, although Virtuous Flame told me it might still be unstable. It is not yet guaranteed that this tool will be enough to prevent the console from upgrading its firmware without your consent, but hopefully this should help.
As a reminder, if you want to keep using the CMA normally, a firmware upgrade is compulsory every time Sony says so. Since every firmware upgrade comes with a new license and a new Terms and Conditions contract, it means that Sony can progressively change the contract you agreed with when you initially bought your Vita, and entirely lock you out of some core features (such as backing up the games you bought and your save data to your PC) if you refuse the new contract.
The OtherOS lawsuit in the US has also shown that Sony can remove any feature they want from the system you bought, and not be afraid of any legal consequences. This patch is also useful for these kind of unfair situations.
From
jd8531 (via wololo.net/2012/09/07/release-open-cma-1-80/):
We knew it was awful when firmware 1.80 rolled out disabling Open CMA. Everyone hard at work has made a new patch to fix all the problem and it works!
This release has some new features as well as some bugs but it's working. To use this you MUST have the official CMA already uninstalled. You can download the patch here (wololo.net/downloads/index.php/download/1252). All credit goes to Virtuous Flame for his new version and special thanks to chesethief and ind3x-gosu from the forums with helping me on this.
HOW TO INSTALL
The following tutorial by me and is also included in the download with more details and troubleshooting (just follow Jd8531's tutorial text file).
1. Download the patch and extract the files to your desktop
2. Run "CMASetup"
3. After installation open the folder openCMA_vita_180 and copy everything to where the official CMA is installed at -->(C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony\Content Manager Assistant).
4. Run (<-DOUBLE CLICK)the "set.dll" file (run everything as administrator)
5. Then Run the batch file named "run"
6. It should load everything within the window and it'll install CMAWatcher and CMADownloader in that same folder.
7. Run "CMAWatcher", it should open and close quickly (you might not even seen it open)
8. After that let it rebuild the database if needed
9. You are all done!
I was able to successfully copy psone, psp game saves ect without internet on either the PC or VITA with no error. Sorry mac users this is so far windows only and something is in the works. You can find the /talkforums thread here (wololo.net/talk/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=13999), and enjoy a youtube video showing it working below:
Other files related to VHBL, etc... still need to be tested but this is still good news for everyone who uses open CMA regularly. If you are having errors you can try replacing the psp2-updatelist.xml with these specific ones or the second set of steps in the Tutorial:
Note: DO NOT close CMA on your computer while it is running on the Vita or you will have to install everything again.
Update: OpenCMA PS Vita 1.80 Fix (via wololo.net/2012/09/10/updated-open-cma-fixes-errors/): A new version of the Open CMA for Vita 1.80 has been made to easily fix the errors a lot of people have been receiving. (This also fixes the music/video bug!)
You can download the newest version above or alternatively if you already have the other one installed you can replace the psp2-update.xml file with the correct one corresponding to your appropriate region at the bottom.
Tutorial for the new version:
- Extract the archive in your CMA folder (program files/Sony/Content Manager Assistant by default)
- Quit the CMA if it is running on your PC
- Execute "run.bat" (you need to run it in "Admin mode" on windows 7
- That's it, now the CMA should run without requiring to be connected to the internet
Its recommended that you do use open CMA when the vhbl files come out. Open CMA for those who do not know is the content manager to copy files to the vita and back but without any internet connection unlike the official Sony CMA. It will also not sneak a patch or do a forced firmware update on your device if one comes out and it will not send any data to Sony about whats being copied, edited, transferred or crashes.
Open CMA 1.80 (via wololo.net/2012/09/07/release-open-cma-1-80/): We knew it was awful when firmware 1.80 rolled out disabling Open CMA. Everyone hard at work has made a new patch to fix all the problem and it works!
This release has some new features as well as some bugs but it's working. To use this you MUST have the official CMA already uninstalled.
You can download the patch here. All credit goes to Virtuous Flame for his new version and special thanks to chesethief and ind3x-gosu from the forums with helping me on this. How to install:
The following tutorial by me and is also included in the download with more details and troubleshooting (just follow Jd8531′s tutorial text file).
1. Download the patch and extract the files to your desktop
2. Run "CMASetup"
3. After installation open the folder openCMA_vita_180 and copy everything to where the official CMA is installed at -->(C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony\Content Manager Assistant).
4. Run (<-DOUBLE CLICK)the "set.dll" file (run everything as administrator)
5. Then Run the batch file named "run"
6. It should load everything within the window and it'll install CMAWatcher and CMADownloader in that same folder.
7. Run "CMAWatcher", it should open and close quickly (you might not even seen it open)
8. After that let it rebuild the database if needed
9. You are all done!
I was able to successfully copy psone, psp game saves ect without internet on either the PC or VITA with no error. Sorry mac users this is so far windows only and something is in the works. You can find the /talkforums thread here, and enjoy a youtube video showing it working below:
Other files related to VHBL, etc... still need to be tested but this is still good news for everyone who uses open CMA regularly. If you are having errors you can try replacing the psp2-updatelist.xml with these specific ones or the second set of steps in the Tutorial:
Japan: http://www.mediafire.com/?8v8kf91h5kjx2nr.
US version :http://fus01.psp2.update.playstation.net/update/psp2/list/us/psp2-updatelist.xml
EU: http://www.mediafire.com/?x8epwbv6l25amq6
EDIT: All the errors seem to be related to the psp2-updatelist.xml file, so just replace that with one of these below corresponding to your appropriate region:
US: http://www.mediafire.com/?8v8kf91h5kjx2nr
UK: http://www.mediafire.com/?gwyky82s2jwlfy5
EU: http://www.mediafire.com/?x8epwbv6l25amq6
JP: http://www.mediafire.com/?8v8kf91h5kjx2nr
AU: http://www.mediafire.com/?gna6fs6f9f9o41j
SA: http://www.mediafire.com/?8hfohuwhc1wsho6
Update #2: Open CMA 5 (Compatible with all 2.00+ Firmware) by
Virtuous Flame is now available above with the details as follows:
What is Open CMA?
Open CMA is the content manager assistant to copy files to the Vita. Open CMA is the same as the official Sony version but modified, so that you can copy files without any internet connection unlike the official Sony CMA which requires a constant internet connection to the Sony Servers, something that can be inconvenient It will also not sneak a patch or do a forced firmware update on your device if one comes out and it will not send any data to Sony or their servers about whats being copied, edited, and transferred. Open CMA also does not collect data regarding crashes.
In General it:
1. Allows offline transfers on either PC or Vita.
2. Allows lower firmwares to transfer. (Open CMA 5 works on 2.00+ Only)
3. Disallows the sending of information to Sony.
4. No contact to Sony's servers.
5. Open CMA prevents CMA from auto updates or mandatory updates.
6. It also allows you to transfer anything black listed, it doesn't check their servers to confirm if its on the PSN.
7. Lets you copy Homebrew, ISO/CSO to use with an exploit with less errors.
How to Install VF's Open CMA 5
1. Download the latest verision of the Official CMA
2. Apply VF"s Open CMA 5 patch in the same folder as the official one
3. Run .bat and then setdll.exe
I tried adding game_bg_overlay=0 to the config.bin file but that didn't work either. There used to be a view mode called "Game list (user backgro...
(Not talking about import ....)
To quote via http://wololo.net/wagic/2012/01/20/vita-hack-skfu-finds-new-vulnerabilities/#more-3890: Few hours ago, developer SKFU (known for his work on the PS3, but also recently for some investigations on the Vita security) posted a screenshot of his Vita showing some HTML in what is supposed to usually show official messages from Sony’s updates or packages.
Knowing SKFU's passion for everything network-related, I'm assuming he's doing some tests using some local DNS changes... or maybe he managed to put some of his own files in an official package? That would be exciting.
In previous tweets this week, he mentioned he found 2 potentially usable vulnerabilities on the Vita
VITA is back to life, since last tweet found 2 new possibile vulnerabilities. If it runs good, news in blog this evening!
That was, however, 2 days ago, and his blog wasn’t updated since then, so I’m assuming he ran into a few issues. (the “back to life” comment refers to the official 1.52 firmware which bricked his Vita…or appeared to do so... which turned out to be that the battery had to charge for almost 24 hours before the Vita accepting to turn on, for some reason)
Obviously lots of this experimentation will probably not lead to anything, but for now, every bit on info on the internals of the Vita is interesting. Let’s keep digging
Also from SKFU (linked above) is an update on the recent PlayStation Vita 1.52 Firmware status below, as follows:
Ok guys we tested the possibilities on firmware 1.52 for a few days now. What I can confirm is the following:
• Tech4's exploit still works
• Wololo's HBL still works
• Everything I research atm didn't change from 1.50 to 1.52
If that is fine for you, there's no reason not to update. Anyways, I have to mention that this can change without a firmware upgrade!
If you are online with your PS VITA, it can download and install silent updates for any application which runs in usermode and has nothing to do with system critical modules.
The good is, those updates are removed once the system is restored to the current firmware, so it would not be a major problem to remove a fix.
- SKFU
More PlayStation 3 News...
Wasn't it actually 1.51 as it was released around that time?