Rumor: Sony Fighting PS3 Piracy With Install Keys

[Eclectic Dreck]

God, I hope this isn't true. It already takes as long (on average) for my new PS3 game to start the first time as a PC game. I don't think a code would be the final straw, but there isn't much further I can be pushed before my PS3 becomes a blue ray player with a terrible remote and nothing more.

 

[TheAmazingHobo]

1995 called, they want their DRM-tech back
.... oh come on, somebody had to make that joke.

On a more serious note:
I really hope this is just a rumor, seeing how this solution appears to be solving none of the actual issues and would mean added inconvenience for those who buy their games legally.
From my understanding of the technical aspects of Sony´s problem, there is literally nothing they can do to fix it, at this point.

Edit: Okay, that last statement is obviously wrong.
What I meant was: nothing that would no completly alienate their customer base and trigger a MASSIVE arms race between Sony and those interested in hacking the PS3.

 

[Irridium]

This will spawn more pirates then it stops.

If its true, Sony will prove that they are fucking idiots.

 

[Danpascooch]

What fucking idiots.

Seriously? limited installs?

Does this mean you need to be connected to PSN to play anything? It must mean that since it has to be "registered"

So now not only do you have to be connected, and enter a serial, but you also can't install more than 5 times?

Speaking as someone that has implemented this kind of system on PC software, I don't think it's that bad.

Firstly, to use most key-registered software you don't need to be connected every time you run it, just the first time, at which point a key file is generated that is locked to the machine, and the install-count is decremented. Neither is there any reason to insist the disk be present (although isn't that what most games do anyway?)

It's fairly simple too to make a system that allows the installation to be removed and the install count incremented again to allow you to move the licence from one machine to another This is a big security hole though, as the key file can be copied before this process and recreated afterwards. So once you're allowing uninstalls, you do need to make sure the software at least periodically checks in with the database to ensure it isn't being used after installing.

Keygens are *not* a way round this kind of security - keys don't work until they've been created and registered as a sale on the database, so unless you get very lucky and hit on a key that belongs to someone else but hasn't reached its install count, you're not going to get anywhere.

In my opinion, this kind of defence against casual piracy is fine and a good balance between security and intrusiveness. Obviously nothing is perfect, but the more someone has to work (and install potentially damaging software) to play an illegal version, the more you're forcing them to admit they're doing something wrong!

custom firmware makes it completely useless.

The custom firmware will let you run the game without entering the key.

 

[Flatfrog]

In my opinion, this kind of defence against casual piracy is fine and a good balance between security and intrusiveness. Obviously nothing is perfect, but the more someone has to work (and install potentially damaging software) to play an illegal version, the more you're forcing them to admit they're doing something wrong!

custom firmware makes it completely useless.

The custom firmware will let you run the game without entering the key.

That's kind of my point. You won't stop someone that's determined to run a game illegally, but what you can do is force them to take fairly drastic action to do it. The danger of piracy isn't the hard-core, it's when it becomes routine and straightforward, which makes it much easier for people to rationalise what they're doing - as with movies and music. Downloading a simple crack is one thing, but changing the firmware of a console is a much bigger deal.

I think a one-off requirement to enter a code is a pretty small thing and a lot less intrusive than other measures. Having said that, I do think other posters are right that it seems likely to hit the second-hand market pretty hard - if I were a retailer I'd lobby pretty hard to have some simple way to test a code and find out how many installs it had remaining.

 

[Danpascooch]

In my opinion, this kind of defence against casual piracy is fine and a good balance between security and intrusiveness. Obviously nothing is perfect, but the more someone has to work (and install potentially damaging software) to play an illegal version, the more you're forcing them to admit they're doing something wrong!

custom firmware makes it completely useless.

The custom firmware will let you run the game without entering the key.

That's kind of my point. You won't stop someone that's determined to run a game illegally, but what you can do is force them to take fairly drastic action to do it. The danger of piracy isn't the hard-core, it's when it becomes routine and straightforward, which makes it much easier for people to rationalise what they're doing - as with movies and music. Downloading a simple crack is one thing, but changing the firmware of a console is a much bigger deal.

I think a one-off requirement to enter a code is a pretty small thing and a lot less intrusive than other measures. Having said that, I do think other posters are right that it seems likely to hit the second-hand market pretty hard - if I were a retailer I'd lobby pretty hard to have some simple way to test a code and find out how many installs it had remaining.

You realize custom firmware is the exact thing this is in response to right?

Let's look at the ways someone can currently pirate on the PS3:

Method 1: Custom Firmware.

THAT IS IT.

Let's look at the things these annoying as fuck registration codes don't cover (as in, offer ZERO DEFENSE AGAINST).

Method 1: Custom Firmware.

Somebody at Sony doesn't know how to put 2 and 2 together, they are going to implement an incredibly annoying system that literally does nothing other than annoy the fuck out of paying customers.

 

[TheGuy(wantstobe)]

In my opinion, this kind of defence against casual piracy is fine and a good balance between security and intrusiveness. Obviously nothing is perfect, but the more someone has to work (and install potentially damaging software) to play an illegal version, the more you're forcing them to admit they're doing something wrong!

custom firmware makes it completely useless.

The custom firmware will let you run the game without entering the key.

That's kind of my point. You won't stop someone that's determined to run a game illegally, but what you can do is force them to take fairly drastic action to do it. The danger of piracy isn't the hard-core, it's when it becomes routine and straightforward, which makes it much easier for people to rationalise what they're doing - as with movies and music. Downloading a simple crack is one thing, but changing the firmware of a console is a much bigger deal.

I think a one-off requirement to enter a code is a pretty small thing and a lot less intrusive than other measures. Having said that, I do think other posters are right that it seems likely to hit the second-hand market pretty hard - if I were a retailer I'd lobby pretty hard to have some simple way to test a code and find out how many installs it had remaining.

At the moment on the PS3 it's as simple as putting a file onto a USB and plugging it in to get working backup managers. That's just as simple as d/loading a cracked .exe and replacing it.

 

[milkkart]

meh it won't work, even if there weren't a bunch of other ways around this hacked firmwares make it a non-starter.

it probably will discourage your average no-knowledge joe from going out and buying 2nd hand though because that does way more to damage profits than piracy. manufacturers know it, devs know it and you can bet your balls they've been trying to come up with a way to stop it that won't totally piss of their customers. you HURRR DEM PIRATES ARE KILLING THE GAME INDUSTRY tards hand it to them on a silver platter.

drm has never worked and will never work, you just can't beat the ingenuity of some guy trying to break shit for fun. the history of gaming (for that matter the history of all created works) pretty much shows that. the best you can hope for is to make it kind of inconvenient and that's usually for technical reasons unrelated to the original DRM anyway. piracy doesn't even make much difference regardless, look at the playstation and ps3, massively pirated and still massively successful.

Haha I'm sure Sony WANTED this to happen. They were going to implement this at console launch, but fans were too against it so they axed the idea.

So now on the PS3 I get all the no-trade in value of a PC game except the game's aren't 50-90% cheaper. Sounds pretty terrible.

you what? guessing you haven't bought anything for pc lately. we get boned with a 10-20% rrp increase.

[small]of course we can always get that five finger discount from bittorrent. [/small]

 

[Jumplion]

1. Everybody calm down and stop overreacting as if somehow Sony is actively doing this right now. It's just a rumor, and most likely not true.

2. HOLY FUCK-MOTHERING SHIT, SO HELP ME GOD SONY, THIS BETTER NOT BE TRUE, I SWEAR TO GOD.

Like I said before, this is a lose-lose situation for everyone, especially the legitimate consumers. I don't think Sony should just give up on the whole situation, but they are heavily overreacting to the situation, which only makes things worse.

 

[zmanu]

Let's look at the things these annoying as fuck registration codes don't cover (as in, offer ZERO DEFENSE AGAINST).

Method 1: Custom Firmware.

Not quite as simple. If they really do this, the code checks are likely going to be on the game disks. Which means that, just like on the PC, each game needs to be cracked separately. Someone has to do the work, and right now, the number of people willing to do that is much, much smaller than the number of active crackers on the PC. And any users would have to download a modified package from the crackers, which are criminals and may steal your PSN ID. Which has your credit card data stored in it. It does have a chance of slowing down casual pirates. But, of course, other checks done by the games themselves would do the same thing. Like, call undocumented syscalls with random data. The real firmware does nothing on that (well, future firmware shouldn't, at least), but the CFW has poke functions added there somewhere, and random pokes are not something a system survives for too long.

I think the rumor is half true. They'll definitely do something extra outside of firmware updates. Something that only targets piracy. I hope they're smart enough not to do exactly what the rumor claims, but yeah, it's Sony, masters of the worst April Fools prank ever. But one thing is use: fail0verflow and geohot would certainly not help working around systems like that.

 

[SyphonX]

Proving once again, that "anti-piracy" and DRM measures are simply all about control in the marketplace. Piracy isn't "rampant" on the PS3, and I'd hardly call it a problem. But hey, let's say it is, ask no questions, and implement a control device that will destroy an entire industry overnight.

Sure, no conspiracy there, not at all.

I've been saying this for years, and I'll continue saying it:

There is no technology (viable; within reason) available in the world that can stop piracy. It may only slightly "deter" someone, namely the chronically lazy. Nothing exists. It has never been more than price-gouging regular customers, and creating Orwellian strategies in the game industry.

 

[theriddlen]

Maybe Sony should try this

Lenslok!

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

Unique install key for every copy, I can live with. God help me if they put an installation limit.

 

[Exort]

I am sure Gamestop could find keygens for the games just like everyone else.

Then Sony can sue Gamestop.

 

[SpaceMedarotterX]

Wow, it's like I'm really on /v/

Yup that's what this thread pretty much reminds me off, all we need is a spoiler tag with No Gaems and it's pretty much the same.

 

[Weaver]

you what? guessing you haven't bought anything for pc lately. we get boned with a 10-20% rrp increase.

[small]of course we can always get that five finger discount from bittorrent. [/small]

I only buy games on sale, generally on steam. I find within 6 months of release games have appreciable discounts. On consoles even 2 years after release on plenty of games the price is the same or only a few dollars cheaper.

 

[milkkart]

you what? guessing you haven't bought anything for pc lately. we get boned with a 10-20% rrp increase.

[small]of course we can always get that five finger discount from bittorrent. [/small]

I only buy games on sale, generally on steam. I find within 6 months of release games have appreciable discounts. On consoles even 2 years after release on plenty of games the price is the same or only a few dollars cheaper.

afaik thats generally to steer you towards that big shelf marked 'pre-owned' heaving with massive juicy profit margins for the shop. also maybe its different where you are but here a year from release you're looking at at least £10-15 off a new copy, which is still a bit of a rip off compared to the £20-30 off a second hand copy.

 

[Stormz]

If it's true, I won't be buying a ps3 that's for sure. After 5 installs your 70$ game becomes unplayable? interesting idea.

 

[Adzma]

The funny thing is, none of this would have happened had they not overreacted and removed OtherOS. Removing that one feature pissed off a lot of people, as will this key system if it turns out to be true.

 

[Dys]

[HEADING=1]*repeated face desks*[/HEADING]

SONY, JUST LET IT GO!

They won't, this is the company that destroyed their flagship mobile phone (the xperia x10) because they were so afraid of people discovering exploits in the bootloader they refused to make the promised updates publicly available. Sony are their own worst enemy.

....It's a real shame, too....I rather like my ps3.

That is an absolutely incredible idea . . . . . to effectively kill the sale of PS3 games. I understand Sony is still butt hurt the only reason anyone bought a PSP was to play emulators and other means of free games but the PS3 is in no danger of seeing any kind of real piracy on the level of the PC, PSP, Xbox 360 or even the Wii for that matter. I've looked into modding a PS3 due to ummmm "my deep love of linux" *snicker* and it's just not worth the effort.

They are obviously idiots for considering this DRM, but with the root key, it's going to be just as easy to pirate for the PS3 as anything else (except probably computer).

I disagree. Unless you have a Blu Ray burner or the technical know how to transfer files from your PC to your PS3

The PS3 has a standard 2.5" HDD in it. It can be easily taken out and connected to a SATA port, or even an E-sata port if you had an adapter. It would be a trivial matter to store games on it, a 500gb HDD costs less than the cost of a single game[footnote]In Australia....$110au (~$110US) for a PS3 game, really puts the absurd cost in perspective.[/footnote]. Also, PS3 games don't take up the full space on bluray disc (except for a select few), so would could fit a huge number of games on a HDD (they would also load faster than games that aren't installed to the hdd).