For support in English, ask for help at HENkaku on Discord.

If you appreciate this guide, we accept Donations.

Required Reading

HENkaku is an exploit chain for the PS Vita (TV) which will allow for the installation of homebrew applications to the LiveArea Screen. It is only compatible with the firmware version 3.60.

HENkaku is the first homebrew enabler for the Vita which not only allows us to launch native Vita homebrew, but also do it with ease! Something that other ex. The HENkaku web exploit is compatible with firmware 3.60 only but has since been ported to higher firmwares using different methods; 3.60 is considered the ‘golden firmware’ for the PS Vita with the most compatibility with homebrew and plugins and it allows for the persistent custom firmware hack Ensō. Ensō by yifanlu is a plugin that. The game was called an “underdog darling of the indie game scene” during its high-profile and protracted five-year development cycle. Fez designer and Polytron founder Phil Fish gained celebrity status for his outspoken public persona and his prominence in the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which detailed Fez’s final stages of development and Polytron’s related legal issues.

Note that the HENkaku exploit chain is not “persistent” (meaning it does not remain installed after a reboot). Fortunately, this is only a temporary restriction until HENkaku Ensō is installed on the next page.

In addition to running the HENkaku exploit, we will also enable access to “unsafe” homebrew which gives extended permissions to homebrew applications. This idea could be considered analagous to the “administrator” mode on a computer.

If you have a PS Vita 1000, you must also have an official Sony memory card (of any size) to follow this guide. This restriction does not apply to the PS Vita 2000 or PS TV as those devices have a built-in memory card.

What You Need

An internet connection on your PS Vita (TV)

Instructions

Playstation Vita Games

Section I - Launching HENkaku

Launch the browser and go to the following URL on your device:
- http://henkaku.xyz
Tap “Install”
Read the disclaimer, then tap “Install”
- If you get an error and cannot proceed, follow this troubleshooting guide
If the exploit was successful, you will now have a bubble on your LiveArea screen named “molecularShell”.
- If the exploit was successful but the molecularShell application is missing, perform the exploit again and press R1 when prompted to re-install molecularShell.

If you have just downgraded and have VitaShell in your memory card, HENkaku won’t install molecularShell as it will detect a pre-existing taiHEN config. This will not be an issue.

Section II - Configuring HENkaku

Launch the Settings application
Navigate to HENkaku Settings
Check “Enable Unsafe Homebrew”
Return to HENkaku Settings menu
Close the Settings application

Continue to Installing Ensō (3.60)

Custom firmware for PS Vita

HENkaku Ensō is the evolution of the HENkaku jailbreak that opened the PS Vita and PSTV to a new universe of customization and user created content. Install it once and your Vita will be permanently hacked--no need to apply it after each reboot. Just enable HENkaku, install the following vpk, launch it, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Does this work with firmware 3.61/3.63/3.65? No.

How do I use this 'vpk'? You need to install HENkaku first. Then open up molecularShell and press 'Start' to enable the FTP server. Then connect using a FTP client and copy the vpk to 'ux0:/data'. On your Vita, browse to 'ux0:/data' and select the vpk to install it. Then you should have a new bubble in LiveArea which you can launch to install ensō.

Will this harm my Vita? The short answer is 'not likely.' The long answer is that it does make permanent modifications to your system so there's always the chance that something goes wrong. However, we had months of testing done by over a hundred testers without any major problem so we are fairly confident in the code. Nevertheless, we will not provide any warranty if something wrong does happen so if you do not wish to take the risk, we recommend using the HENkaku offline installer as a risk-free alternative.

How do I uninstall ensō? First, note that you can 'deactivate' ensō without uninstalling it by deleting 'ur0:tai/boot_config.txt'. You can 'reactivate' it again by opening the ensō installer and using the Square option to fix the boot config. Otherwise, you can fully uninstall ensō with the Triangle option. Note that if you no longer wish to use HENkaku, you should clean up any installed homebrew before uninstalling ensō.

Help! I installed a bad taiHEN plugin and my Vita doesn't boot anymore! You can disable taiHEN plugin loading by holding L during boot.

Help! I messed up something else and my Vita doesn't boot anymore! You can reset all Vita settings (including non-hack related ones) from safe mode by selecting 'Restore the PS Vita System'. You can also enter safe mode by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery during a failed boot loop. Note this does not uninstall ensō but keeps it inactive. To reactivate it, you must run the ensō installer and use the Square option to fix the boot config.

Install Free Vita Games 3.60 Henkaku Tutorial Youtube

Can I see the source?Here is the source code and here is more information on who we are.