Valve Unfazed by PS3 Hacks

[Deadlock Radium]

I like these news. I love Valve for this and a lot of other reasons.

 

[nipsen]

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

..well.. they didn't have:
1. MS folks running around looking like they were caught with their pants down
2. "Hackers" seeking publicity (for good or bad reasons).
3. The hack turning up as a direct result of the company's incompetence and customer-hostile stupidity.

..anyway - the ps3 hack doesn't work in the same way as the jig, or give you nearly the same amount of access. The latest news doesn't change that. So any developer suddenly finding out that their game is getting cracked yesterday.. they're just using this as an excuse.

Which I hope more people will do, because the Sony folks truly deserve everything they get, imo..

 

[nipsen]

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

First: Xbox wasn't dubbed the unhackable system.
Second: It was years ago. If they released a report saying, "Hacking Still an Issue With Xbox" no one would care because it is old news. Give it until November (very liberal guess) and by then no one will care that the PS3 is still hacked except for one story every other month saying a new update confused some hackers but they've broken it already.

..no. What it comes down to is that no one covering this has any kind of idea what actually happens. So they, like you, simply base themselves on myths they believe to be true.

 

[Dana22]

Every Valve game has been cracked long time ago. Its just that their games are so good, they offer so much additional content (free mods, editors etc.), and the distributing platform is so good (steam) that people will prefer to buy them and so piracy for Valve, and their sales, is irrelevant.

 

[Tipsythegza]

cause valves a boss, they doesn't afraid of anything.

 

[Waaghpowa]

snip

The other benefit with steamworks is cross platform multiplayer and co op. I have friends who have ps3's and love valve games but don't have the same time or technical know how to build a pc, so steamworks will help wonders with us playing the games we love to play, but couldn't play together until now.

 

[KEM10]

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

First: Xbox wasn't dubbed the unhackable system.
Second: It was years ago. If they released a report saying, "Hacking Still an Issue With Xbox" no one would care because it is old news. Give it until November (very liberal guess) and by then no one will care that the PS3 is still hacked except for one story every other month saying a new update confused some hackers but they've broken it already.

..no. What it comes down to is that no one covering this has any kind of idea what actually happens. So they, like you, simply base themselves on myths they believe to be true.

Where in my post am I making grand assumptions based on myth? Was the PS3 not called the unhackable system? Is the Xbox hacking/modding community not old news? Do we not see a story about a single update that might prevent some pirating every two months but ends up being to no avail?

Please tell me, I am curious.

 

[nipsen]

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

First: Xbox wasn't dubbed the unhackable system.
Second: It was years ago. If they released a report saying, "Hacking Still an Issue With Xbox" no one would care because it is old news. Give it until November (very liberal guess) and by then no one will care that the PS3 is still hacked except for one story every other month saying a new update confused some hackers but they've broken it already.

..no. What it comes down to is that no one covering this has any kind of idea what actually happens. So they, like you, simply base themselves on myths they believe to be true.

Where in my post am I making grand assumptions based on myth? Was the PS3 not called the unhackable system? Is the Xbox hacking/modding community not old news? Do we not see a story about a single update that might prevent some pirating every two months but ends up being to no avail?

Please tell me, I am curious.

Sure... You're assuming that a "hack" is the same on a windows-system as any other system. That it's absolute, security on or off. And that it automatically involves an easy way to apply patches in completely unrestricted ways. So you suggest that it's not going to be an issue once everyone just settles down and accepts that the system is broken. Apparently you're also taking Geohot's comments to support the idea that the system is now wide open.

It's much more complicated than that, and actually worming your way into the ps3 based on low-level code is not practicable. It will probably never happen that someone manage to write their own sub-routines. Instead it's going to be high-level hacks based on other high-level code, such as the leaked sdk.

Meanwhile, the reason why there's any controversy at all over this is partially because:
1. the hack doesn't actually allow either piracy or individual patches to specific games. It's very difficult to circumvent just the platform security encryption (..even if it's doable, it's not practical. "Practical" meaning: "possible to do without a large development studio and tools you don't have access to in even a very well-equipped basement, etc". It's not an easy target).

...and because
2. Sony is having a hissy-fit because someone made them believe they had stolen all their toys, and hoisted them up on a flag-pole.. that is so high you can't see the top. And Sony is now basically calling in their parents to outlaw flagpoles, as well as thieves and annoying people in general that are "stupid". They also have PR dudes that like to talk as if they know everything.

Meanwhile, the jig (on the xbox360) does make the system wide open, and completely exposed. And it is, like you say, not news because there's no drama around it. The drama and the fallout from the ps3 hack is all completely self-inflicted by Sony imps, though. So I hope they're really going to be punched around for a long time.

But speaking about the actual hack, and in terms of the mechanisms on the platform (and other things Sony folks don't know what is), the "hack" isn't actually breaking the system wide open. In practical terms it never did.

One example of that is the MW2 hacks - they existed before the ps3 hack turned up. Which of course doesn't stop IW folks from blaming the hacks on Ps3 platform security. While suddenly "platform security" becomes something that has to be asked of every developer.

And you get articles like the above, where publishers are asked in leading terms about something they don't know enough about. While the ones asking the questions know even less. Until it's all repeated until it's true on the internet.

Welcome to "new media", I guess..

 

[bladester1]

I see it now "PlayStation developers using Steamworks to protect games." I have no ill will towards Valve, I like them a lot, but for the love of god someone stop them before they take over the world!

 

[KEM10]

Spoiler: snip

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

First: Xbox wasn't dubbed the unhackable system.
Second: It was years ago. If they released a report saying, "Hacking Still an Issue With Xbox" no one would care because it is old news. Give it until November (very liberal guess) and by then no one will care that the PS3 is still hacked except for one story every other month saying a new update confused some hackers but they've broken it already.

..no. What it comes down to is that no one covering this has any kind of idea what actually happens. So they, like you, simply base themselves on myths they believe to be true.

Where in my post am I making grand assumptions based on myth? Was the PS3 not called the unhackable system? Is the Xbox hacking/modding community not old news? Do we not see a story about a single update that might prevent some pirating every two months but ends up being to no avail?

Please tell me, I am curious.

Sure... You're assuming that a "hack" is the same on a windows-system as any other system. That it's absolute, security on or off. And that it automatically involves an easy way to apply patches in completely unrestricted ways. So you suggest that it's not going to be an issue once everyone just settles down and accepts that the system is broken. Apparently you're also taking Geohot's comments to support the idea that the system is now wide open.

It's much more complicated than that, and actually worming your way into the ps3 based on low-level code is not practicable. It will probably never happen that someone manage to write their own sub-routines. Instead it's going to be high-level hacks based on other high-level code, such as the leaked sdk.

Meanwhile, the reason why there's any controversy at all over this is partially because:
1. the hack doesn't actually allow either piracy or individual patches to specific games. It's very difficult to circumvent just the platform security encryption (..even if it's doable, it's not practical. "Practical" meaning: "possible to do without a large development studio and tools you don't have access to in even a very well-equipped basement, etc". It's not an easy target).

...and because
2. Sony is having a hissy-fit because someone made them believe they had stolen all their toys, and hoisted them up on a flag-pole.. that is so high you can't see the top. And Sony is now basically calling in their parents to outlaw flagpoles, as well as thieves and annoying people in general that are "stupid". They also have PR dudes that like to talk as if they know everything.

Meanwhile, the jig (on the xbox360) does make the system wide open, and completely exposed. And it is, like you say, not news because there's no drama around it. The drama and the fallout from the ps3 hack is all completely self-inflicted by Sony imps, though. So I hope they're really going to be punched around for a long time.

But speaking about the actual hack, and in terms of the mechanisms on the platform (and other things Sony folks don't know what is), the "hack" isn't actually breaking the system wide open. In practical terms it never did.

One example of that is the MW2 hacks - they existed before the ps3 hack turned up. Which of course doesn't stop IW folks from blaming the hacks on Ps3 platform security. While suddenly "platform security" becomes something that has to be asked of every developer.

And you get articles like the above, where publishers are asked in leading terms about something they don't know enough about. While the ones asking the questions know even less. Until it's all repeated until it's true on the internet.

Welcome to "new media", I guess..

That was actually rather informative, thank you.
And, ya. "New media"

 

[PipBoy2000]

Jesus christ, the Escapist... Don't put Valve's logo on the main page for negligible news... I almost got a heart attack

 

[White_Hawk]

YAY hopfully valve will stop the annoying plight of hakkers for at least a small time on portal 2.

 

[A1]

XBox got hacked years ago. Wonder how they got away without this much publicity.

First: Xbox wasn't dubbed the unhackable system.
Second: It was years ago. If they released a report saying, "Hacking Still an Issue With Xbox" no one would care because it is old news. Give it until November (very liberal guess) and by then no one will care that the PS3 is still hacked except for one story every other month saying a new update confused some hackers but they've broken it already.

..no. What it comes down to is that no one covering this has any kind of idea what actually happens. So they, like you, simply base themselves on myths they believe to be true.

Where in my post am I making grand assumptions based on myth? Was the PS3 not called the unhackable system? Is the Xbox hacking/modding community not old news? Do we not see a story about a single update that might prevent some pirating every two months but ends up being to no avail?

Please tell me, I am curious.

Sure... You're assuming that a "hack" is the same on a windows-system as any other system. That it's absolute, security on or off. And that it automatically involves an easy way to apply patches in completely unrestricted ways. So you suggest that it's not going to be an issue once everyone just settles down and accepts that the system is broken. Apparently you're also taking Geohot's comments to support the idea that the system is now wide open.

It's much more complicated than that, and actually worming your way into the ps3 based on low-level code is not practicable. It will probably never happen that someone manage to write their own sub-routines. Instead it's going to be high-level hacks based on other high-level code, such as the leaked sdk.

Meanwhile, the reason why there's any controversy at all over this is partially because:
1. the hack doesn't actually allow either piracy or individual patches to specific games. It's very difficult to circumvent just the platform security encryption (..even if it's doable, it's not practical. "Practical" meaning: "possible to do without a large development studio and tools you don't have access to in even a very well-equipped basement, etc". It's not an easy target).

...and because
2. Sony is having a hissy-fit because someone made them believe they had stolen all their toys, and hoisted them up on a flag-pole.. that is so high you can't see the top. And Sony is now basically calling in their parents to outlaw flagpoles, as well as thieves and annoying people in general that are "stupid". They also have PR dudes that like to talk as if they know everything.

Meanwhile, the jig (on the xbox360) does make the system wide open, and completely exposed. And it is, like you say, not news because there's no drama around it. The drama and the fallout from the ps3 hack is all completely self-inflicted by Sony imps, though. So I hope they're really going to be punched around for a long time.

But speaking about the actual hack, and in terms of the mechanisms on the platform (and other things Sony folks don't know what is), the "hack" isn't actually breaking the system wide open. In practical terms it never did.

One example of that is the MW2 hacks - they existed before the ps3 hack turned up. Which of course doesn't stop IW folks from blaming the hacks on Ps3 platform security. While suddenly "platform security" becomes something that has to be asked of every developer.

And you get articles like the above, where publishers are asked in leading terms about something they don't know enough about. While the ones asking the questions know even less. Until it's all repeated until it's true on the internet.

Welcome to "new media", I guess..

It does seem that this whole situation is being blown way out of proportion by people who know little to nothing about what they're talking about. It's not all that surprising when you think about it. The media actually has a long history of this kind of thing. Making big things out of things that are not big.

 

[Shameless]

They say that because Steam was already hacked YEARS ago, so it won't matter

 

[Easton Dark]

Is anyone fazed by the PS3 hacks?

It won't stop people from developing for the console. It hasn't stopped them on the Xbox, that's for sure.

 

[Mikester1290]

Jesus christ, the Escapist... Don't put Valve's logo on the main page for negligible news... I almost got a heart attack

HAHAHAHAA! Yeah, same here, I had to just open the door and check it wasn't the apocalypse.

 

[A1]

I wonder if since Valve is now OK with the PS3 they will release Left 4 Dead 3/HL2EP3 on PS3...maybe a new orange-box type thing but this time made by Vavle?

I've been thinking that for a while now. They own the Left 4 Dead IP so there's nothing that's keeping them from bringing it to the PS3. We already have the God of War collection, the Team Ico collection, and the Sly collection. Why not a Left 4 Dead collection? Fortunately the people at Valve have already acknowledged the possibility of Left 4 Dead on the PS3. My guess is they are waiting to see how things go with Portal 2 first before making any decisions on that.

 

[Dys]

I expect the inclusion of steamworks on the PS3 is far more damaging than a a modders ability to hack it could ever be...

 

[Sentox6]

But speaking about the actual hack, and in terms of the mechanisms on the platform (and other things Sony folks don't know what is), the "hack" isn't actually breaking the system wide open. In practical terms it never did.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ps3-security-in-tatters

I recommend a thorough read of that article. The most succinct quote therein:

In effect, the PlayStation 3 is now the most vulnerable console on the market, even more exposed to hackers than the Wii and Xbox 360.

P.S.: What is this "jig" you refer to on the 360? The closest thing I can think of is a JTAG hack.

 

[Retardinator]

Whoever wanted to buy MW or MW2 on the PS3 to play it has already done it. These aren't lost sales or anything, it's basically... nothing. Hell, people who pirate those two games at this time might even be potential buyers in the future. The hackers who get their hands on such games now were planning to do so anyway, I don't see where the big panic is.

The problem is only going to be apparent with new games that come out, obviously. If anything, they should panic about MW25 and Black Ops 452.
As for actual hackers in multiplayer, this is what dedicated servers are for. Period.