Installation & Setup

To install and run PKGi PS3, you must have a "jailbroken" PlayStation 3. This means your console must be running either Custom Firmware (CFW) or PS3HEN, which enables the installation of custom, unsigned .pkg files.

Prerequisites

  1. A PS3 running CFW (e.g., Evilnat, Rebug) or HEN.
  2. A USB Flash Drive formatted to FAT32 with an MBR (Master Boot Record) partition table. (The PS3 cannot natively read exFAT or NTFS from the XMB Package Manager).
  3. An active internet connection on your PS3.

Installing the Application

  1. Download the Release: Navigate to the project's GitHub Releases page and download the latest pkgi-ps3.pkg file.
  2. Transfer to USB: Copy the pkgi-ps3.pkg file to the root directory (the top level, not inside any folder) of your FAT32 formatted USB drive.
  3. Insert into PS3: Plug the USB drive into one of the front USB ports on your PlayStation 3.
  4. Install via XMB:
  5. Turn on your PS3 and navigate to the Game column on the XMB (XrossMediaBar).
  6. Select Package Manager $\rightarrow$ Install Package Files $\rightarrow$ Standard.
  7. You should see pkgi-ps3.pkg listed. Select it with X to begin the installation.
  8. Launch: Once the installation finishes, the PKGi PS3 application will appear on your XMB, specifically under the Network tab (not the Game tab).

Initial Setup (Providing a Database)

By default, PKGi PS3 comes with an empty database. The application does not contain any download links. You must provide a text file containing the items available for installation.

There are two ways to populate the database: manually via USB/FTP, or automatically via URL syncing.

Method 1: Manual Database Creation (USB/FTP)

  1. On your PC, create a plain text file named pkgi.txt.
  2. Add your content to this file following the strict Database Format Requirements.
  3. You must place this file in the application's user directory on the PS3's internal hard drive: 
    /dev_hdd0/game/NP00PKGI3/USRDIR/

How to transfer it:

  • Via FTP: If you run webMAN MOD, multiMAN, or Irisman, your PS3 has an active FTP server. Connect via FileZilla on your PC and upload pkgi.txt to the path above.
  • Via USB File Manager: Place pkgi.txt on your USB drive, open a file manager homebrew (like Irisman or multiMAN), and copy the file to the USRDIR path above.

Note: If the USRDIR directory does not exist yet, launch the PKGi PS3 app from the XMB once, let it load, and exit. This forces the PS3 to generate the application data folders.

Method 2: Automatic Database Syncing (config.txt)

If you host your database file on a web server, you can configure PKGi PS3 to download it automatically.

  1. Create a file named config.txt on your PC.

  2. Add a url parameter pointing to your hosted database. For example: 

    url http://my-server.com/my-games.csv

  3. Transfer this config.txt to /dev_hdd0/game/NP00PKGI3/USRDIR/ using FTP or a File Manager.

  4. See the Settings Configuration page for detailed instructions on managing multiple URLs.

Common Installation Pitfalls

  • Error 80029567 during PKG install: This usually indicates your console is not running CFW/HEN, or HEN has not been enabled for the current session. Enable HEN and try again.
  • App shows "ERROR: pkgi.txt file(s) missing": Ensure you named the file exactly pkgi.txt (not pkgi.txt.txt) and placed it in /dev_hdd0/game/NP00PKGI3/USRDIR/.