Rumor: Sony Suspends Two PSP Games Over Vita Homebrew Exploit

Hevva

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Aug 2, 2011
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Rumor: Sony Suspends Two PSP Games Over Vita Homebrew Exploit



Hot Shots Tennis and MotorStorm: Arctic Rift have apparently fallen foul of Sony's mission to protect the Vita from hackers.


Having spent Wololo.net [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106865-Sony-Breaks-Out-the-Lawyers-Over-PS3-Hacks], if true, would seem to show them in action.

Here's the skinny: Over the past two weeks Sony pulled a pair of PSP games called Hot Shots Tennis (lovingly dubbed Everybody's Tennis! in Europe, insert joke about Communists right here) and MotorStorm: Arctic Rift from the PSN, ostensibly for, as the company explained to Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-27-everybodys-tennis-motorstorm-arctic-rift-suspended-from-psn], "software stability improvement."

The unofficial version of this story, however, is that both games contain features which allow players to run unsigned code in the Vita's PSP Mode, which could be used to play homebrew titles on the Vita. In an open letter to Sony, Wololo.net's writer explains how this loophole "could allow people to run software that would be extremely dangerous for [Sony's] business, such as 20 year-old 8 bit games and 154 different versions of Pong."

While the word "suspended" suggests that Sony intends to restore the games once their software is suitably stablized (and, perhaps, the homebrew exploit hole removed), the two remain offline at time of writing. According to details of the exploit on Wololo.net, the hole does not allow for any incursions into hackery, crackery, or any other kind of criminal activity.

While Sony's official response is to be expected within the next few weeks, we've a window here for a little chat about what its treatment of these games signifies for the company moving forward. Will moves like this deter hackers, or only entice them to spend more time fiddling with firmware in an effort to defy Sony? Does Sony really have a choice, given how rampant piracy was on the PSP? It's worth remembering at times likes these that the Sex Pistols' manager was beside himself with glee when the British government banned God Save the Queen on its release; he was correct then in suggesting that making something harder for people to get only makes them want to get it more. Humans are fickle creatures, and pirates more fickle still. Of course, the entire conversation is nullified somewhat if it does transpire that Hot Shots Tennis and MotorStorm: Arctic Rift are simply suffering from software problems unrelated to homebrew exploits. Do let me know what you think, Escapists.



Source: Joystiq [http://wololo.net/wagic/2012/03/25/dear-sony/]




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RaikuFA

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Jun 12, 2009
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As long as Gravity Rush isn't affected.

I don't play sports games anyways.
 

Kevlar Eater

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Sep 27, 2009
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Why bother with 154 different versions of Pong if the original was uninteresting (in my opinion)?
 

gigastar

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Sep 13, 2010
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Im banking on Sony shutting down possible Homebrew opportunites.

I doubt Sony can keep hackers off the Vita for as long as they kept them off the PS3, but im damn sure theyre going to try.
 

thisbymaster

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Sep 10, 2008
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So they don't want features added to a device so people will buy it? This is there marketing strategy?
 

Lunar Templar

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Sep 20, 2009
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LOL

good luck with that, the hackers will, again get into it and break it open and then, 20 year old 8-bit games on the go!! maybe even 16-bit o.0
 

Sylveria

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Nov 15, 2009
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And in a few months there will be a hack for custom firmware on the Vita that lets you play every game under the sun on it. It's like the war on drugs, stop wasting money on a battle that can not ever be won
 

Darkmantle

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what do you mean piracy was rampant on the PSP? I thought only the PC had pirates? what is this madness of which you speak?
 

Toilet

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Feb 22, 2012
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Oh Sony, keep on delaying the inevitable. The Vita will fall to the hacking community soon enough and go the way of the PSP. (Which if I might add becomes the best handheld console ever if you load it up with emulators, homebrew and all the eboots and ISO files you can find.)

Darkmantle said:
what do you mean piracy was rampant on the PSP? I thought only the PC had pirates? what is this madness of which you speak?
I really hope you are being sarcastic, the whole appeal of owning a PSP is downloading some custom firmware and playing all kinds of free downloaded content. Right now my PSP has a GBA Emulator, Cave Story, regular PSP games and many Jap Imports that are impossible to get.
 

Darkmantle

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Toilet said:
Oh Sony, keep on delaying the inevitable. The Vita will fall to the hacking community soon enough and go the way of the PSP. (Which if I might add becomes the best handheld console ever if you load it up with emulators, homebrew and all the eboots and ISO files you can find.)

Darkmantle said:
what do you mean piracy was rampant on the PSP? I thought only the PC had pirates? what is this madness of which you speak?
I really hope you are being sarcastic, the whole appeal of owning a PSP is downloading some custom firmware and playing all kinds of free downloaded content. Right now my PSP has a GBA Emulator, Cave Story, regular PSP games and many Jap Imports that are impossible to get.
That was entirely sarcastic my friend :p be at ease.
 

Toilet

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Feb 22, 2012
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Darkmantle said:
Toilet said:
Oh Sony, keep on delaying the inevitable. The Vita will fall to the hacking community soon enough and go the way of the PSP. (Which if I might add becomes the best handheld console ever if you load it up with emulators, homebrew and all the eboots and ISO files you can find.)

Darkmantle said:
what do you mean piracy was rampant on the PSP? I thought only the PC had pirates? what is this madness of which you speak?
I really hope you are being sarcastic, the whole appeal of owning a PSP is downloading some custom firmware and playing all kinds of free downloaded content. Right now my PSP has a GBA Emulator, Cave Story, regular PSP games and many Jap Imports that are impossible to get.
That was entirely sarcastic my friend :p be at ease.
Ah, sarcasm is hard to interpret over the internet.
 

Fearzone

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Dec 3, 2008
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I'll give Sony the same advice I gave for the PS3: only worry about controlling online content through PSN (or SEN). Then it is fairly easy to checksum system code and make sure everyone is playing by the same rules. Outside of that, it is okay to make it somewhat difficult to root the device, but accept that it is going to happen and plan accordingly. For people who aren't planning to connect to PSN, their device is their own. There, Sony, now send me your address and I will send you my consultation fees.
 

Darkmantle

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Foolproof said:
Darkmantle said:
what do you mean piracy was rampant on the PSP? I thought only the PC had pirates? what is this madness of which you speak?
Tell you what - you find a single instance of a developer saying they are abandoning the PC to work solely on the PsP and only the PsP after the PsP's piracy became an issue, and I'll concede thats a valid point. Otherwise, you concede its the stupidest fucking point in the world.
After you find me a story of Ubisoft putting incredibly intrusive/always on DRM on their PSP games, of course. As that was my point, not this strawman "OH THE DEVS SHOULD GO TO PSP" shit you're trying to construct my statement as.

I do not concede either point, this isn't the ME3 ending, I can choose whatever option I want.
 

Beautiful End

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Feb 15, 2011
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Ehhhh...even if all that is indeed true despite Sony's lack of info about the matter, pirates are still gonna find a way to hack the Vita. Somehow. We'll all be surprised, then we'll find it quite normal.

Such is the circle of life. Gaming life. Whatever, you get the idea.