Organ for 3.52 M33/3.71 M33

This theme looks so sleek, I had to put it up. Going to try it out now =).

Organ for 3.52 M33

Organ for 3.71 M33

Black Plates for 3.71 M33

Black Plates for 3.71 M33. Looks great, especially with a lighter background. Only gripe is that the battery indicator is quite irritating. Who needs it repeated on both sides of the time and date?

Edit: Here is the wallpaper that's shown in the preview picture above - link

Black Plates for 3.71 M33

GAIA for 3.52 M33 & 3.71 M33

GAIA for 3.52 M33 and 3.71 M33. Seems to be quite a few themes that are copying the Applecor style nowadays.

Do get the correct version depending on what firmware you are using. For users on 3.71 M33 and 3.71 M33-2, either install the usbdevice.prx fix or update to 3.71 M33-3 first before flashing any themes to your PSP.

GAIA for 3.52 M33
GAIA for 3.71 M33

Simplicity for 3.71 M33

Another theme released for 3.71 M33. Hopefully theme creators start moving away from the 3.52 M33 format, seeing as how the level of customisation with 3.71 RCOs look identical to 3.52 RCOs.

If you are on 3.71 M33 or 3.71 M33-2, please make sure you have already flashed the updated usbdevice.prx to prevent bricking. Users on 3.71 M33-3 are fine as the usbdevice.prx fix was included in the update.

Download Simplicity

Side note: I've got to update to 3.71 M33-3 soon =)

dAppleTv for 3.52 M33

Another great theme from delirumHAPPY. Just look at the screenshots and judge for yourself. This theme is for 3.52 M33 only.

Download the theme

Silk Fly XMB Theme

Presenting Silk Fly for 3.52 M33 and 3.71 M33:

I like the fact that each icon has a short description below it, for example the USB Connection icon has the words "connect to pc" below. The icons are also nicely tucked away on the left side and allow you to show off your wallpaper on the right side, like how it's done in the pictures above.

Here are my installation instructions for both 3.52 M33 and 3.71 M33:

For 3.52 M33
Just enter recovery menu and toggle USB flash0, then copy over the files to the respective places.

For 3.71 M33
Flash the updated usbdevice.prx first, else there is a random chance of a full brick.

Once you've done that, you can enter recovery menu, toggle USB flash0, and copy the files over like how you would on 3.52 M33.

Silk Fly for 3.52 M33: Download
Silk Fly for 3.71 M33: Download

Black Silk XMB Theme

Here's one dark looking theme for your XMB: Black Silk. It comes in two versions, one for 3.52 M33 and one for 3.71 M33, so download the correct version for your PSP's custom firmware.

Here are some pictures of the XMB Theme:

Some flashing instructions are included inside the RAR file, but I'll repeat them here again so you can read it one more time.

For 3.52 M33
Just enter recovery menu and toggle USB flash0, then copy over the files to the respective places.

For 3.71 M33
Flash the updated usbdevice.prx first, else there is a random chance of a full brick.

Once you've done that, you can enter recovery menu, toggle USB flash0, and copy the files over like how you would on 3.52 M33.

Black Silk for 3.52 M33: Download
Black Silk for 3.71 M33: Download

Applecor for 3.71 M33-2: Bugs Fixed

An updated version of Applecor for 3.71 M33-2 has been released. This version fixes some bugs that were present in the old version. However, I'm not sure what were the bugs, as I'm still on 3.52 M33-4 and didn't use this updated version.

If you're going to flash this to your PSP/PSP Slim, make sure that you've already applied the usbdevice.prx fix to prevent accidental full bricking of your PSP/PSP Slim!

Get the updated version here: Download

Warning for 3.71 M33-2 Custom Themes

Before all hell breaks loose, let me bring to you a warning.

WARNING!

USB flash0 access was supposedly fixed by Dark_AleX in his 3.71 M33-2 update, but it's actually not completely working. While the corruption issue has been fixed, USB flash0 access will at times mess up your flash partitioning, which will result in two things: Either your PSP can't boot at all, or you get an infinite BSOD loop.

Either way, you get....the Fully Unrecoverable Brick. And you can't unbrick it using Despertar del Cemeterio, for your information.

The best part? Seems no one really knows the reason why it happens. Some people flash over and over again and get away with it, others brick on their first flash.

So if you really really really really want to flash custom themes on 3.71 M33-2, you might want to come to me for help. All might not be lost even in the event of a brick.

Cheerio.

Applecor Theme for 3.71 M33-2

Guess what? Applecor has been converted for 3.71 M33-2!

For those who have never seen Applecor, here's how it looks like:

However, this release was buggy for some people. It was reported that the icons were not appearing at the correct place. Nevertheless, another good theme for 3.71 M33-2.

You will have to write to flash if you want to install this custom theme, as the paf.prx and vshmain.prx have to be copied to flash, cXMB won't load them.

By the way, you might just end up with the Fully Unrecoverable Brick I've been talking about if you flash this to your PSP. Chances of this happening are strangely random.

Get the updated Applecor theme for 3.71 M33-2 from this post.

Breakthrough in 3.71 M33 Custom Themes

Less than a week since 3.71's PAF and VSHMAIN files were cracked, and we've already got a new custom theme for 3.71M33 custom firmwares! Ok, it's not really new, but actually a conversion from the 3.52 M33-4 version.

Introducing: Schmilkenberries for 3.71 M33!

Quite a similar idea to the Applecor theme, if you ask me.

You will have to write this to your PSP's flash, so please be very careful. The flash on 3.71 M33 is weird...

Download this custom theme below. There are two different versions, one for the old PSP and one for the PSP Slim, so download the correct version for your PSP. And for those who think they can make their own custom theme, here's the 3.71 PAF and VSH editor.

Schmilkenberries for old PSP 3.71 M33: Removed by MediaFire
Schmilkenberries for PSP Slim 3.71 M33: Removed by MediaFire
Get 3.71 PAF editor: Download
Get 3.71 VSH editor: Download

Custom Theme for 3.71 M33

An interesting custom theme that I've found for custom firmware 3.71 M33: Mini Lines.

This theme looks a lot different from the other PTF themes that are available. While the XMB layout is still the same, the use of words as icons gives the XMB a very minimalistic feel.

IMPORTANT:
This theme can be used with cXMB, or it can be flashed straight to flash0. Installing straight to flash0 can only be done on 3.71 M33-2! On 3.71 M33 files flashed to the PSP will end up corrupted, which will probably brick your PSP. Once again, only flash to your PSP if you are on 3.71 M33-2!

For cXMB, make a folder "cxmb" in the root of your memory stick. Inside it, make a "vsh" folder, and inside the "vsh" folder, make a "resource" folder. It should look like this: ms0:/cxmb/vsh/resource. Place the RCO files inside that directory and you're good to go. The PNG files can be placed into your ms0:/PICTURE or ms0:/PSP/PHOTO folders and set as wallpaper.

Also, cXMB v2.5 has been released. It now features support for 3.71 M33. cXMB is a custom plugin, so install it the same way you would for any other custom plugin. Remember to enable it in the recovery menu.

Get the Mini Lines custom theme: Removed by MediaFire
Updated cXMB - v2.5: Download

Website with 100+ PTF Themes

Edit: Updated website link

I've stumbled upon a website with well over 100 PTF themes for your PSP! There are themes like Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy XI, Windows XP, Crisis Core, Neon, Loco Roco, and many other assorted anime themes. The PTF files are even available for direct download on your PSP! Of course, these PTF files are only for use with either 3.70 or 3.71 firmware.

This site is in Japanese, but it's pretty simple to navigate. Just click on the theme name, and then click the big button to download the PTF file. Go to the Theme menu on your PSP to activate the theme that you have just downloaded.

Here's the site: http://psp.themesup.net/

Enjoy customising your PSP!

English Translation for Sony's Theme Converter

An English translation of Sony's Custom Theme Converter manual has been done by zmcnulty of PSP Vault. Now even those who don't understand Japanese will be able to come up with their own custom themes for firmwares 3.70 and above.

The guide has all the information you need to make your very own custom theme, giving you the dimensions of the XMB icons that are accepted and how to put them all together to make your own PTF file for use on your PSP.

Get it now and start making themes: Download

Installing a Custom Theme on 3.52 M33-4

After promising you guys for the last 3 days, it's finally here: A guide on installing a custom theme on 3.52 M33-4. In this guide I'll be installing Gentix Remix.

Note: Never ever touch any files inside the kd folder. If files in this folder are tampered with, you might brick your PSP and then you'll have to use a Pandora's Battery to fix it.

1. Download the custom XMB file and extract the contents to a folder.

2. Make backups of all files that you will be changing. I cannot stress enough the importance of this. Without backups, you'll be unable to go back to the original Sony XMB, as well as flash new themes.

3. To flash the XMB files, connect your PSP to your computer, enter recovery mode, go to Advanced, and Toggle USB (flash0).

4. Copy the new files to the appropriate location on your PSP's flash. In this example, the two files paf.prx and vshmain.prx will go into the nodule folder. Try not to copy and paste the whole nodule folder into flash, instead copy and paste the files inside the folders.

5. Once the files are replaced, use the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray to disconnect your PSP. This is important as we do not want any corruption on your PSP's flash, which might lead to a brick.

6. Once it's safely removed, press Cross on Toggle USB (flash0) again. You should see a message saying "USB disabled". Now exit recovery mode.

7. If all goes well, your PSP should now be installed with the custom theme!

A video of the available theme colours

If your PSP doesn't start up and remains at a black screen, you may have a semi-brick. Restart your PSP and hold R to enter recovery mode, then restore the original files to flash before trying again. Make sure you're copying the files to the correct location and that you've copied all the files inside the custom theme package.

And that's it. If you need more detailed help with a certain custom XMB, leave your comments here or send me a mail at my Gmail account.

Get Gentix Remix at my file archive: Download

Custom Theme Converter by Sony

Edit: English translated manual released!

Something that no one expected to happen has: Sony has released an Official Custom Theme Converter for the PSP Slim. With this Custom Theme Converter, you can edit the XMB icons on the PSP Slim easily, and your custom theme can be selected in the Theme menu.

Looks like Sony has finally acknowledged that there is a strong interest in XMB customization. It's just too bad that on the PSP Slim you're limited to changing the XMB icons only.

While the application is in English, the readme file is in Japanese. So unless you've had prior experience making XMB icons, you might face a little trouble understanding the steps.

Grab the file from my file archive: Download
English translated Manual: Download

Installing Custom Themes on your PSP Slim

Now that 3.60M33 has been released for the PSP Slim, lots of people probably can't wait to get started on customizing their PSP Slim to look just like their old PSP.

STOP!

Before you end up bricking your PSP Slim, here's some information to get you started on PSP Slim XMB theme customization.

Most importantly, DO NOT flash anything to your Slim's flash! Sony has put some new protection in their firmware that might cause you to brick your PSP Slim if you flash any resource files to it. The way we are going to put custom themes on your Slim is via CXMB. However, don't expect fantastic looking themes like AppleCor, as there is currently no support for prx files until they are decrypted.

With that, let's get started on installing custom themes for the PSP Slim. Note that the custom XMB is going to be quite limited. You'll see what I mean soon.

Files you'll need
Upgrade RCO for 3.60M33
CXMB v2.4
And of course, your PSP Slim.

1. Get your favourite theme and copy out all the RCO files.
2. Extract the files from "Upgrade RCO for 3.60M33" into a folder, let's call the folder "UpgradeRCO".
3. Place the RCO files into the UpgradeRCO folder.
4. Run upgrade.bat to update all the RCOs to 3.60.
5. Install CXMB by placing cxmb.prx into the seplugins folder and adding the line "ms0:\seplugins\cxmb.prx" to your VSH.TXT file.
6. Copy the updated RCOs to ms0:/cxmb/vsh/resource.
7. Enter recovery menu (switch on your PSP and hold R) and enable cxmb.prx in the plugin menu.
8. Your custom theme should be working!

Here's a picture of a custom theme called Carbon Fiber on the PSP Slim:

Only the icons and battery have been changed. Custom fonts can be installed as well but it will crash the browser. As you can see, right now custom themes on the PSP Slim are really limited. But stay tuned, I'll bring you the latest news once XMB customization for the PSP Slim reaches the next level.

Download cXMB v2.4
Download UpgradeRCO for 3.60 M33