Sony kills Henkaku with new PlayStation Vita firmware 3.61

Sony has issued a firmware update for the Vita and PlayStation TV, killing the landmark Henkaku exploit.

Firmware 3.61 was pushed out to Sony’s handheld console and streaming box over the weekend, wololo.net reported, so those wanting to keep Henkaku will need to decline the update.

“Again, to make it clear: if you want to use HENkaku, do not update to 3.61. The hack is patched in this firmware, and there is no downgrade possible, no ‘trick’ to make it come back for you,” the website wrote.

The Henkaku exploit was a pivotal moment for the Vita homebrew scene, granting full access to the handheld’s hardware for the first time. Previous hacks mostly granted access to the PSP sandbox instead.

In addition to this relatively unfettered access, Henkaku also allows users to install their own software.

Some of the more prominent software available via Henkaku includes SNES, Genesis and GBA emulators, an early Nintendo DS emulator, FTP tools, ports of Quake and Doom, the PSTV whitelist and the RetroArch emulator.

Want to get in on the action? Check out our guide to installing Henkaku on your PlayStation Vita or PSTV.

Feature image: Sergey Galyonkin via Flickr