Hollow Knight PS Vita 1.0 cuts loading times
PatnosDD has released Hollow Knight PS Vita 1.0, with shorter room transitions, fewer memory crashes and reduced stuttering during combat. Released on November 2, the update promises considerably less headaches.
This is an unofficial adaptation of Team Cherry’s game, using patches applied to your own PC copy. The biggest changes is the CPU workload and memory management, two areas where the Vita has precious little room to spare.
Improvements and loading times
According to the developer, room loads that previously took more than 20 seconds now finish in a few seconds in most areas, depending on available RAM. Unnecessary memory cleanups during transitions and respawns have been removed, and unused assets from previous areas are freed more effectively.
The garbage collector spreads memory cleanup across multiple frames now. Enemies, NPCs and other world objects also use less CPU time, with lighter particle effects and fewer hitches when moving, attacking or breaking objects.
Game data uses a compressed archive, roughly halving the installation size. Fonts load only for the selected language, saving around 20 MB of RAM depending on the language.
Version 1.0 also fixes the front touch controls for Quick Cast and Quick Map, disappearing hit effects and inconsistent grass textures. Sound effects and music quality have improved, alongside fixes backported from the latest PC version.
Looks complicated, but really isn’t
The installation instructions require a homebrew enabled Vita, the ioplus plugin and a 500 MHz CPU overclock. NoTrpDrm is optional for trophies.
Install the VPK, then use the PC patcher to process your game files. Running APPLYPATCH.bat produces HollowKnightVITA.zip; extract its contents into ux0:app/HKVT12222/ and replace the files when prompted. The estimate is 10 to 25 minutes for patching and around 770 MB for the resulting Vita files.
One important detail: although the README describes both Steam and GOG, the 1.0 release currently includes only the Steam patch alongside the VPK. GOG owners should wait for a matching package or updated instructions.
The game remains capped at 30 FPS, with reduced textures and possible drops in busy scenes. Audio can still stutter around loading screens, and long sessions may benefit from a restart.
Links
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