System freezes after launching game from virtual GC (version 1.0)

[BoomerNT]

Problem can be reproduced as following:

1. Dump a retail game card to ux0:iso. Remove physical game card.
2. Load virtual MMC and insert virtual GC. VitaShell can read gro0: of virtual GC without issue.
3. Launch game via bubble.

System freezes after step 3 if the physical game card slot is empty. The red LED besides game card slot keep flashing when system freezes. The only possible way to recover from freeze is force reboot by pressing and holding power button.

However, if any physical game card presents in the slot, there will not be any problem. For example: Dump game A. Eject physical card of game A. Mount game A to virtual MMC and insert virtual GC. Insert physical card of game B. Launch game A. No issue will happen.

[BoomerNT]

However, the frontend will not allow any operation besides dumping if a physical game card is inserted when the frontend loads.

The only possible way to prevent freeze is: Run frontend without physical card Mount and insert virtual GC Insert any physical card Launch game from bubble

[vpauly94]

This does not happen with all games: Persona 4 Golden, Tales of Hearts R and Freedom Wars work without a physical card inserted. However, Persona 4 Dancing All Night and other games (e.g. the game @BoomerNT didn't mention) have this problem, it froze when saving the save data before the main menu in the case of P4DAN. (I had the latest update and some free DLC installed fwiw.) God Wars 2 freezes after starting a new game (and also had an update installed). Ys Memory of Celeceta freezes after starting a new game. PS4DAN was released at the end of 2015 in Europe and God Wars 2 2016, so maybe it is a "new" check that was added? Probably not as Ys Memory of Celceta is from 2014. Wouldn't have made sense if it worked, but putting in an sd2vita is not enough to replace a gamecard for those particular games.

[BoomerNT]

@KaschWarckaterus

I tested with Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection Japanese version, which was released in 2013 and required firmware version 2.11. Therefore it is definitely not something "new".

Inserting a 3.61+ physical card can avoid freezing. Seems that it is because some minor, game-irrelevant commands are not emulated by psvgamesd and passed through to physical card, which gives correct response.

[motoharu-gosuto]

I will try to test it with the games that are mentioned. I have a question though. Do any of these games have grw0 partition?

[vpauly94]

The games I tested didn't have one.

[BoomerNT]

@motoharu-gosuto Neptunia PP only has a gr0: partition and nothing else. According to comments on Reddit, the English version of this game, which requires FW 3.12, has the same problem too.