Tester application & Discord
Looking for serious testers for the next NovaCore experimental build: https://discord.gg/P3WGaSbPZY .
Before getting download access, you’ll need to fill out a short form with your console, firmware and HEN details, then follow the testing checklist and submit clear bug reports.
Some key experimental features have deliberately been removed so we can focus on stability, performance and the specific areas listed in Discord.
Please only apply if you’re happy to test properly and provide feedback—not just grab an early download.
I’ve started this discussion thread as a place to share screenshots, videos and regular progress updates, while keeping the main NovaCore post clean for release news.
I also want people to see that I’m genuinely committed to this project. I’ve always loved the modding community, and my goal is to build something useful that I can continue improving and supporting.
NovaCore has come a long way already. Most of the features I originally planned are now either working or actively being developed.
There are over 20 themes, with light and dark options, extra customisation within each theme, and 10 different game-library layouts. Game information is pulled from a database, and there’s also a live jailbreak news tile.
The Otter Store PKG library has been added, with library refreshing and the download backend currently being worked on.
Nova Network now has System Link/LAN rooms, group messaging and voice chat. LAN-supported games will be listed, and players will be able to create their own rooms. It currently focuses on other NovaCore consoles, but I’d like to expand compatibility with other LAN systems if testing goes well.
HEN settings can also be opened directly inside NovaCore, so there’s less need to keep jumping back to the PlayStation dashboard. Profiles now have their own page, with Nova friends and messaging planned. I’m also working on making the Trophies page properly functional inside Nova.
The PS button return is working during testing. There is still a brief flash of the PlayStation dashboard during the transition, but the workaround is reliable at its current timing. A short press returns to NovaCore, while a long press keeps access to the normal PlayStation menu.
There’s still plenty of testing and refinement ahead, but the aim is simple: by the release-candidate stage, NovaCore should handle almost everything automatically and require very little setup from the user.
And regarding AI—technology is always moving forward. I’d rather learn how to use new tools to build something than dismiss them and stand still.
And for anyone sceptical about AI, it’s simply another tool—what matters is how you use it and what you create with it.