Black XMB Background for Sony PSP

The PSP has a variety of colors as backgrounds including white, but unfortunately it doesn’t have a real black one. For black color enthusiasts, I present here a small image which can do the trick, and turn the white background into black (like the one shown above). It modifies the other colors as well.

Here’s the image:

01-12.bmp

I did not make this image. I found it in a random custom theme, so I grabbed it to use it as a standalone item.

How to do it (please read the Note below first):

1. You must have a M33 custom firmware, not the official one. If you don’t know what custom firmware is, you most likely don’t have it. Know more about it here.
2. Save the image above as-is to your PC. (right-click on it and choose Save Image As…).
3. Connect the PSP to PC via USB. Shut down the PSP. Then, turn it on while holding the R button. You’ll go into the M33 Recovery Menu. Choose Advanced, and then choose Toggle USB (flash0).
4. Browse through the PC explorer into your PSP memory stick. Go to /vsh/resource.
5. Make sure to copy your original 01-12.bmp to your computer (to a different directory of the saved 01-12.bmp) in case you need to restore it.
6. Copy the included 01-12.bmp over the original one. Confirm the replacement.
7. On your PSP choose Toggle USB (flash0) again, and then Back. Then Exit to return to the PSP’s XMB.
8. Done! You can now go to Settings > Theme Settings > Color, and choose the white icon. The background will be black instead of white! P.S. If you are using firmware 5.00 M33 or a later one, you may need to first go to Settings > Theme Settings > Theme, and choose ‘Classic’.

Note: Please keep in mind that by doing this you’re flashing content on your PSP. Although this process is almost always safe, it may cause issues including bricking your PSP. For this reason, I hold no responsibility for any harm that may happen from using this guide.