Modders Release Open Source PS3 Hack

[Logan Westbrook]

Modders Release Open Source PS3 Hack

A revised version of the PS3 USB hack has found its way onto the internet, free to anyone who wants it, and has the technical skills to build it themselves.

While Sony is doing its best to ban sales of a USB mod chip for the PS3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103070-Sony-Heads-to-Australian-Courts-Over-PS3-Modchips], the information on how to make a free, open source version has been released online. Anyone hoping to use it to play pirated PS3 games however, is going to be in for some disappointment.

The hack, called the PSGroove, is very much Do-It-Yourself, and must be downloaded, compiled and then transferred on to a compatible USB microcontroller. The PSGroove is almost identical to the PSJailbreak, but its ability to play pirated games has been removed, meaning its only function is in the development and use of homebrew software.

This is probably two world firsts rolled into one. Not only is it a mod chip that you can make yourself, but it's a mod chip that is provably not intended to enable piracy.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-opensource-psjailbreak-blog-entry]





Permalink

 

[Asehujiko]

I wonder how much difference this is going to make in terms of sony throwing a hissy fit and suing everything in sight.

Not much I presume because everybody playing free homebrew games is one person not buying sony's licensed games instead.

 

[Adzma]

Does this mean everyone who claims that people use Jailbreaks soley for piracy will stop? Nah probably not.

 

[z3rostr1fe]

How to reduce the number of PS3 Game pirates? It's simple! Developers should make the BEST AAA GAMES! By abiding a simple thing, those people at Sony should not think of pirates that much.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Doesn't matter now. Sony will shit a brick and try to block this.

 

[GiantRedButton]

Good for the airforce who uses them for calculation, and all those hombrew games, now that sony forced people to remove linux if they ever dare to go online and if they buy a new ps3 to replace a broken one.
Same thing with r4 realy, there are a ton of homebrew games someone even started porting sc and it looked good.
But if it enables piracy everyone gets angry and says those features aren't important^^

 

[Delusibeta]

I'd imagine that it'll take a few days before a PSGthistimeit'sforpiracy is released. Still, good on them to attempt to blow a hole in the "all console modders are pirates" myth.

 

[Megacherv]

They'll try to block this, but I don't think that they'll ban for just homebrew software.

 

[AngryMongoose]

How the law deals with this chip will be interesting to see.

 

[DazZ.]

It's open source... it will take less than a week for the pirated games functionality to get implemented into a version somewhere.

 

[Hayate_GT]

there's a typo at the end..."provably" isn't a word i heard of b4...

 

[DazZ.]

there's a typo at the end..."provably" isn't a word i heard of b4...

Provably is a word, "b4" isn't.

 

[Uber Waddles]

How to reduce the number of PS3 Game pirates? It's simple! Developers should make the BEST AAA GAMES! By abiding a simple thing, those people at Sony should not think of pirates that much.

A smarter, long term business strategy would be to make cut the focus of Triple A games, and work more on lesser games and new IP. A simple cut back in the budget for graphics (oh teh noez my space marine isn't as shiny!!1!!one!) would allow for gameplay innovation to skyrocket.

Instead of worrying about how pretty games are, a game thats moderately pretty with good gameplay will win a more reliable fanbase over then making repeatedly shotty products till your fanbase ignores you (ex. Halo. While not "shotty" per say, Halo has more recently stagnated. Theres only so much a developer can do before the well runs out). If you look at the consoles, a lot of really great games were released on the PS1, PS2, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, GameCube, and original Xbox BECAUSE of the graphics restraints. Making cutscenes now usually requires motion capture technology and LOTS of shadings to render in high definition. A process that takes up a ridunkulous ammount of money. Even one cosole cycle ago, they didn't have to worry about the graphics, so they were able to focus that money into gameplay (causing innovation, non-linear gameplay, better story telling, etc). If people would get their heads outta their ass and stop caring if a game looks good or not, we would get a hell of a lot more innovation.

Congratulations, you made me go on my "Graphics are killing the industry" rant today. =p

Back to the matter at hand, lets just clear the air. Most modders who are going to mod their game consoles aren't doing so for HomeBrew. While there are quite a few who probably are, Im willing to bet that most of them want to mod their consoles to play pirated games. Im willing to bet most of the people who download and install this hack are doing so hoping that another person will be able to use that as a base to crack the DRM and distribute it.

While I can see Sonys uproar about this issue, I think they need to take a page from Microsoft. Dont get too worked up about it, just have random or annual system scans. If it sences something is there thats not supposed to be their, ban their console from using Online, ban their profiles, or brick their consoles. All things Sony can legally do. AND if they can't legally do it, nothing is stopping them from updating their ToS and EULA.

 

[Jared]

Thats one way to work around Sonys Legal Band down under. can imagine now will spread like wildifire

 

[Unrulyhandbag]

there's a typo at the end..."provably" isn't a word i heard of b4...

Provably is a word, "b4" isn't.

indeed, it's an adverb of prove.

On topic; this doesn't have the lv1 panic hypercall does that mean the thing is only installed while it's plugged in, or like the other one it stays installed permanently? If it stays installed won't it get you just as banned as the commercial version?

I'm all for homebrew and it's a shame that most homebrew devices also unlock the host machine to the degree that its allows full on piracy.
There are plenty that don't do this but they are usually introduced after most people have abandoned the platform anyway, like the DS homebrew carts that are just coming out long after R4 destroyed the market and Nintendo is moving on to the 3DS.


But, to be frank, there's no way homebrew can compete with the sort of titles that the commercial market are pushing so why not have a locked down and unsupported Homebrew mode anyway. If I want a crap word processor, a side-scrolling shooter copied from one 15 years old or an alarm clock on my PS3 where's the issue? oh right... emulators, those games that won't work on modern hardware and are not sold any more are a serious problem for the industry.

 

[Unrulyhandbag]

*snip*

Congratulations, you made me go on my "Graphics are killing the industry" rant today. =p

The real question is why you are acting like its developers fault. Its gamers fault graphics are so important to the industry, look at all the people who rant the wii sucks because its graphics are not as good, but it has allot more innovation in half of its games then the entire line up on the ps3 or xbox360. a small part of the community rants about more innovation, the majority rant about wanting sequels and graphics, well not so much rant as actually buy the games. Rant all you want, you can write a 20,000 page theses on why graphics are pointless, and the industry will look at the one guy who purchased a graphics heavy game and know his opinion is more important. (this is you don't buy low graphics high innovation games just ask for them allot, and the other person buys games)

Want more innovation, buy innovative games. Nothing else is going to work.

no. the industry has made it's own hole.

By marketing games as a leading edge of technology, overstating the importance of graphics a way of one-up-manship and only pursuing the latest methods of game creation they have made a situation where people believe 2d is bad, turn based is boring and shiny graphics are everything.

This method of doing things is as old as the industry itself; it makes sense to smear the competitor when you have legitimately got a C64 game to run full palette without using all the memory, your BBC micro game supports 3d objects with colours painted on them or you have legitimately created a whole new type of game. But it's an attitude that should have been toned down in recent years when new games have been gradually moving the graphics forward and new game types are pretty uncommon.

 

[Unrulyhandbag]

*snip*

Congratulations, you made me go on my "Graphics are killing the industry" rant today. =p

The real question is why you are acting like its developers fault. Its gamers fault graphics are so important to the industry, look at all the people who rant the wii sucks because its graphics are not as good, but it has allot more innovation in half of its games then the entire line up on the ps3 or xbox360. a small part of the community rants about more innovation, the majority rant about wanting sequels and graphics, well not so much rant as actually buy the games. Rant all you want, you can write a 20,000 page theses on why graphics are pointless, and the industry will look at the one guy who purchased a graphics heavy game and know his opinion is more important. (this is you don't buy low graphics high innovation games just ask for them allot, and the other person buys games)

Want more innovation, buy innovative games. Nothing else is going to work.

no. the industry has made it's own hole.

By marketing games as a leading edge of technology, overstating the importance of graphics a way of one-up-manship and only pursuing the latest methods of game creation they have made a situation where people believe 2d is bad, turn based is boring and shiny graphics are everything.

This method of doing things is as old as the industry itself; it makes sense to smear the competitor when you have legitimately got a C64 game to run full palette without using all the memory, your BBC micro game supports 3d objects with colours painted on them or you have legitimately created a whole new type of game. But it's an attitude that should have been toned down in recent years when new games have been gradually moving the graphics forward and new game types are pretty uncommon.

Right because the industry forced players to buy the fps high graphics game in droves over all the low graphic games and such. and blue alians secretly run all governments in the world. Im sorry to be derisive, but till you can realize its the consumers who buy games im not going to waste time debating your flawed views of paranoia.

Like it or not marketing is an extremely important factor in most peoples purchasing decisions and if you portray all computer games as been cutting edge pretty things using the latest tricks then eventually you will create that mindset and in turn game that don't fulfil those mandates will struggle.

it is up to consumers to buy the games regardless of whether they fit or not, but the industry need to stop focusing on triple A games and start persuading people that things off the cutting edge can also be good.

 

[Dogstile]

*snip*

Congratulations, you made me go on my "Graphics are killing the industry" rant today. =p

The real question is why you are acting like its developers fault. Its gamers fault graphics are so important to the industry, look at all the people who rant the wii sucks because its graphics are not as good, but it has allot more innovation in half of its games then the entire line up on the ps3 or xbox360. a small part of the community rants about more innovation, the majority rant about wanting sequels and graphics, well not so much rant as actually buy the games. Rant all you want, you can write a 20,000 page theses on why graphics are pointless, and the industry will look at the one guy who purchased a graphics heavy game and know his opinion is more important. (this is you don't buy low graphics high innovation games just ask for them allot, and the other person buys games)

Want more innovation, buy innovative games. Nothing else is going to work.

no. the industry has made it's own hole.

By marketing games as a leading edge of technology, overstating the importance of graphics a way of one-up-manship and only pursuing the latest methods of game creation they have made a situation where people believe 2d is bad, turn based is boring and shiny graphics are everything.

This method of doing things is as old as the industry itself; it makes sense to smear the competitor when you have legitimately got a C64 game to run full palette without using all the memory, your BBC micro game supports 3d objects with colours painted on them or you have legitimately created a whole new type of game. But it's an attitude that should have been toned down in recent years when new games have been gradually moving the graphics forward and new game types are pretty uncommon.

Right because the industry forced players to buy the fps high graphics game in droves over all the low graphic games and such. and blue alians secretly run all governments in the world. Im sorry to be derisive, but till you can realize its the consumers who buy games im not going to waste time debating your flawed views of paranoia.

Like it or not marketing is an extremely important factor in most peoples purchasing decisions and if you portray all computer games as been cutting edge pretty things using the latest tricks then eventually you will create that mindset and in turn game that don't fulfil those mandates will struggle.

it is up to consumers to buy the games regardless of whether they fit or not, but the industry need to stop focusing on triple A games and start persuading people that things off the cutting edge can also be good.

Marketing focused on triple A games? Sorry, i can't hear you over the sales at steam XD

OT: So, how soon before sony goes "OH TEH NOES THEY CAN'T DO THATZ WE SHOULD SUEZ THEMZ!"?

 

[Loonerinoes]

To whoever did this:

I salute you!

Seriously...this is the kind of news that's just plain brilliant to hear. I doubt anyone in the industry will have the savvy to roll with this and build upon it, but regardless...faith in filesharing potential +1 because of this.

 

[Rad Party God]

Whatever, it won't be long until someone comes up with a "jailbreak" of some kind to be used with this.

Actually, I'm starting to wonder why are they taking so long to do it already...