Vita 3.60 All-in-one Hacking Guide

The PS Vita 3.60 is now widely hacked thanks to the HENkaku hack. There’s lots of things you can do with you PS vita 3.60 but it can easily get confusing. Here’s a full guide with details on all features and functionality, ranging from the basics of installing the hack, to the most precise customization features.

This page will be kept up to date as new methods get revealed to get the most out of your hacked PS Vita

What if my PS Vita is not running firmware 3.60?

The original HENkaku hack required a PS Vita running firmware 3.60. However, h-encore was released for firmwares 3.65/3.67/3.68 which are now hackable as well. We explain below what to do if your console is not running on firmware 3.60.

• If your PS Vita is on firmware 3.57 or lowerIf your PS Vita is running on firmware 3.57 or lower, you can manually update it to firmware 3.60 in order to run the HENkaku hack. Beware to not use Sony’s automated update system, as it will update your PS Vita to the latest official firmware, which is not compatible with HENkaku. How to update your PS Vita manually to firmware 3.60.
• If your PS Vita is on firmware 3.61 or higherIf you are running on firmware 3.61, 3.63, 3.65, 3.67, or 3.68, you can now install h-encore to run native hacks.

Basics: Hacking your PS Vita 3.60

(this section is specific to firmware 3.60)

• install the HENkaku hack on your PS VitaTo hack your PS Vita on firmware 3.60 you need to go on the official HENkaku site http://henkaku.xyz on your PS Vita Browser. From there you can press the install button and the hack will be installed on your PS Vita, along with a utility (VitaShell). VitaShell lets you install PS Vita homebrews in the .vpk format, and also runs as an FTP Server (with the “Select” button) so that you can copy files from and to your PS Vita (you’ll need an FTP client such as Filezila installed on your PC). Our HENkaku FAQ gives more details on the installation and troubleshooting
  • how to fix error C2-12828-1If you run into issue C2-12828-1 while trying to install HENkaku, try this article: how to fix error C2-12828-1
  • Other issues installing HENkakuOther details for troubleshooting HENkaku can be found on our HENkaku FAQ
• Permanent CFW: Henkaku EnsoIf you’re not happy with having to re-launch Henkaku every time you reboot your console, you can install Henkaku as a permanent Custom Firmware on your PS Vita. It will persist through reboots and shutdowns of your console. In order to install Henkaku Enso (a process you only need to do once), just go to the official Enso page and follow the process. (It basically involves installing and running some homebrew once)
• Can you get banned by Sony for using HENkaku?Although nobody has been banned for using a PS Vita hack so far, there are concerns that this might happen eventually. Some people recommend “disguising” your homebrew files (in particular VitaShell) to avoid raising suspicions. Other recommendations include using a different account than your normal PSN account, on the console where you are running HENkaku.

PS Vita homebrews and Emulators

• Where to download PS Vita homebrews and emulators
  • Up to date list of emulator downloads for PS Vita
  • Up to date list of Homebrew (games & apps) downloads for PS Vita
  • Vita Homebrew Browser is a homebrew that lets you browse for and install other homebrew, very useful!

• How to install PS Vita homebrews and emulators (.vpk files)PlaystationHax have a great video tutorial showing you how to install your homebrews:

• Streaming Games from your PC to your VitaYou can play your PC Games on your PS Vita Screen thanks to homebrew moonlight: Guide: How to Get Moonlight working on your Vita

ePSP Homebrews and emulators

• Why would I want to install PSP homebrews on my PS Vita?The PS Vita, thanks to its embedded PSP emulator, gives you out of the box access to a wide variety of PSP homebrews and indie games, via PSP homebrew loader VHBL.
• Where to download PSP homebrews and emulators for the PSP Vita
  • Up to date list of emulator downloads for PSP (compatible with PS Vita)
  • Our extensive PSP Homebrew database should fulfill most your needs for PSP Homebrews on the PS Vita

• Adrenaline ePSP Custom Firmware on PS Vita 3.60Adrenaline will let you run PSP homebrews and PSP plugins on the PS Vita 3.60.
• (Alternate to Adrenaline) How to install VHBL on PS Vita 3.60VHBL is a required tool to run PSP homebrews on the PS Vita 3.60. We explain how to install VHBL here.
• How to: Download, install and use PSP Homebrews with VHBL on HENkakuIt can be confusing to know where to download PSP homebrews for the PS Vita, due to how VHBL has evolved. Check our tutorial on PSP Homebrews for VHBL here.

Hacks and Customization

• SD2Vita: Hardware mod for Micro SD Card supportSD2Vita is a driver that lets you use a micro SD Card with your Vita. This gives you great storage for a cheaper price than the expensive proprietary memory cards. In order to use SD2Vita, you need a micro SD adapter which can be bought for cheap.

  Backside of the adapter

• All in one tool VitatoolboxUtility VitaToolBox lets you do a bunch of cool things with your PS Vita: update registry settings (e.g. to swap the O/X buttons), delete your PS Vita’s history (to avoid sending unwanted logs to Sony’s servers), swap your memory stick to another account, dump your IDPS, or switch to IDU mode
• Memory Card account SwappingUtility memcardswap lets you swap accounts on a memory card without having to format it.
• (PS TV) Whitelist trickThe PSTV Whitelist is a trick on the PS TV that lets you play more Vita games than the device normally lets you. The PS TV has a whitelist of games and will refuse to start a given Vita game if it’s not in the compatibility list. This prevents you from playing Vita games that would normally play just fine on the PS TV. This trick solves that, by making ALL Vita games compatible on the PS TV. This also includes applications such as Netflix!
• Custom Themes and Bubbles
  • How to install Custom Themes on the PS VitaTo install Custom Themes, you can use Redsquirrel87’s PS Vita DB Theme Installer. Alternatively, hackinformer have a good guide on how to install custom themes.
  • Customized LiveArea Bubbles with Bubble StudioYou can create your own PS Vita Bubbles with this Bubble Studio tutorial.

Hacks and Customization (Advanced)

• Activate your PS Vita offlineSony have made it difficult to activate your 3.60 PS Vita. You might need an activated PS Vita for multiple reasons, including running some specific tools or games. Although the solution is not perfect, MLTActivator lets you activate your PS Vita without accessing Sony’s servers. Use at your own risk.
• How to mod PS Vita Games and SavedataIt is possible to mod PS Vita games for the purpose of fan-translation, cheats, or more. Hacker Major_Tom explained how to mod vita games and Savedata here. A good example of this is the Persona 4 Golden undubbed project.
• Registry Hacks (O/X button swap, etc...)You can edit your PS Vita’s registry to Swap X/O, find your PSN Credentials, Fake your PS Vita’s region, make CMA backups without a linked PSN account, etc… Hackinformer have a detailed guide.

PS vita backups and PSP/PS1 isos – A note about piracy

Running PS Vita backups (pirated Vita games) is technically possible on PS Vita 3.60. We do not provide any links on how to run such “backups” here on wololo.net

Running PSP and PS1 isos can be achieved with Adrenaline CFW on a PS Vita 3.60.