Project4 Open Beta 4 changelog

Homebrew developer Auraomega has released the latest build to Project4, an XMB replacement for the PSP. This is now the fourth release for the Open Beta.

A lot of new updates in this build. Auraomega highlighted a few of the more important ones: "a new config setup, music streaming, some new modules, a super speeded installer" among many others.

Here's the changelog for Project4, Open Beta 4. The build has a lot of bug fixes as well, which can be found after the changelog:

• Added a "faded" look to menus.
• Flash3 mounting in read/write mode.
• Added disc0:/ mounting in read mode.
• Split the fonts allowing for seperate main fonts and clock fonts.
• Fix background loading some files, this will be used in the next version more.
• Changed the way the album art is displayed, when a song is played with "Album.jpg" the image is placed in the centre of the screen with a black background surrounding it.
• Icons now have a transition effect instead of just appearing they now slide from each other, this can be turned off for a speedup or just to fit more with the theme.
• Added the ability to change CPU and bus speeds via the config, the default is 222 and 111, these can be lowered for normal use if the transition effect on icons is switched off.
• BSoD errors can be bypassed by pressing the 2 shoulder buttons and square, although users do so at their own risk, most of the time errors just stop functions working, but they could leed to some serious errors, use with caution.
• Removed sysDump for this version.
• Added an errorLog dump which dumps the information that appears when a BSoD occurs which means you can post errors even if you don't have a computer around at the time.
• Added an alternative load menu which can load files in different ways.
• Current options are:

o Extention Mode
o Hex
o Delete
o Rename
o Create Directory
o Copy File
o Paste

• Utilised the PSPs OSK.
• Icons can be linked to both folders and files for even faster use of Project4
• Date now added to the "Extended Menu", along with current folder location.
• A "Message Box" has been added to tell you what mode you are in, and when you have changed modes.
• Extended the filebrowsers file list to now show up to 10 pages, instead of the old 4. If anyone finds this value to low let me know so I can increase it further.
• Volume checking (thanks to sakya for helping with the kernel exports).
• Volume bar.
• Image viewer movement smoother as now uses both frame buffers and culling. This removes a lot of graphical glitches.
• "Extended Menu" now has the ability to change what loading mode ISOs work in, meaning you can load video and music ISOs (this is untested as I do not have any video or music UMDs, feedback on this would be helpful).
• Added a screensaver functions.
• System idle time can be changed for the screensaver, anything 0 or less will disable the screensaver completely.
• Sped up the change from the image viewer to the filebrowser / main menu.

Config updates:

• Default config 0 6 4 4 5 222 111 1 60 ms0:/PSP/EMU ms0:/PSP/GAME ms0:/PSP/APPS ms0:/PSP/MUSIC ms0:/PSP/EBOOKS ms0:/PICTURE 0 0 0 98 0 197 480 15
• First 5 options remain unchanged, option 6 and 7 are clock speeds, option 8 is for the transition of icons, opion 9 is for the screensaver time (in seconds).
• The strings are linked to folders, these can now also be linked directly to files such as M3U playlists.
• The next 8 options are coordinates, 16 for icons, 7 and 8 for the clock. X and Y respectively.

Bug fixes for Open Beta 4:

• Fixed yet another memory leak in the filebrowser.
• Fixed a bug in the "Low Key Music Player" which returned clock speeds to normal after first song (which defeated the objective of the function).
• Fixed the annoying bug where upon taking a screenshot, Project4 would return you to the previous screen to then return you to the "Extended Menu" when you moved next.
• Fixed a bug where if you where in a folder which had more files than its parent directory, and you droped down to that directory, the file highlight would be on a nonexistant file, and if you tried doing anything with it the system would automatically crash.
• Various fixes in the image viewer which I had neglected, it now runs significantly faster and smoother, and renders images without graphical glitches.
• Removed the buggy (and no doubt unused) theme flasher.
• Fixed transitions of icons which looks to be moving oddly, they may still appear to move oddly purely because its perspective.
• Fixed the bug where using the "Extended Menu" inside the image viewer would cause weird stuff to happen.
• The kernel option in the config now goes backwards as well as forwards.
• Clock speeds have been adjusted to work whilst playing music.

Auraomega also stresses that you need 3.xx kernel installed or else your unit has a high chance of bricking. Other important notes are included in the documentation provided in the archive, so be sure to read them.

Been waiting long? We're letting you know that Auraomega has recently announced the release of Project4 Open Beta 2. As the developer detailed earlier, the new of this XMB homebrew replacement carries several new additions and bug fixes including the addition of a screenshot function. As for the rest of changelog (Quoting the readme):

• Removed:

o e-Book reader and the HEX reader.
o pspdebug style font.

• Added:

o PSX loading
o Screenshot function
o Menu thread giving some background functions in Project4.
o New menu when launching games, gives the ability to select directly what kernel you want to load in.
o Added a function to load games in the background, although I've found none that work. Tagged as experimental.
o sysDump function which is called upon a BSoD, used to check system variables.

• Changed:

o Added intraFont
o The menu is now more advanced, you can select the location on screen icons go, and which folder they open when selected.
o Folders with a . in them can now be opened.
o Folders with lots of files in can now be browsed easier, instead of pressing select and up/down, just move around in the folder and the new algorithm will determine when you have run off the screen and act accordingly.
o Universal Installer modules have been tweeked slightly so they no longer cause issues with some offical Sony savegame loading.

As a further warning, Auraomega hasn't fully tested the application yet due to exams; Project4's other two testers have yet to try it either, though the developer states that it should run properly save for some graphical glitches We remind the readers that Project4 is still in the beta phase.

This release is intended for those who wish to test it out, or have a Pandora battery handy. If you're serious about giving this app a try, we strongly advise you to view the readme included with the file bundle for proper installation instructions. Also be sure to contact the developer if you run into any bugs.