Inside the PSP

fogez writes "We have seen numerous hacks for the PSP in the last couple days, but have you see what is inside this marvel? This might scare off many new PSP owners, but if you are curious and want some direction, this article is a good place to start. See the PSP laid bare, from LCD to wireless network card. BTW, any attempt to imitate will result in a void warranty :)"

Comments

Obvious?

[Upaut]

"Sony explicitly outlaws any modifications to their PSP. If you don't believe me, check out page 15 of the manual where they state, "No authorization for the analysis or modification of the system, or the analysis and use of circuit configurations, is provided.""

Not much of a legal threat. I take it this simply mean the obvious - that Sony voids the warranty if we start moding. Outlaws might of been a bit strong in this context, prohibits would of been a bit better. Not that Sony will have a black van show up in front of a teenager hackers door...
Nice pice of technology, all things considered. Next all we need is for someone to tinker with the buttons to increase the sensitivity of the leftmost button on the right side, which I hear from many is significantly less sensitive then the rest, which adversely affects game-play.

First line of the article

[bonch]

The PSP has redefined handheld gaming.

Uh...it has? Because it plays movies/music and browses pictures?

What aspect of handheld gaming has been "redefined" because of this?

Not only have these things been done before, but the PSP hasn't redefined anything other than the idea of selling PS1 games I already own. I'm sure it's a nice system. But it's not redefining handheld gaming, other than redefining the phrase "customer service" (Sony says you're shit out of luck over dead pixels, unlike Nintendo who will happily fix your unit).

I heard these same overhyped comments about the DS, which actually does do some pretty cool things (which also had been done before).

Re:First line of the article

[Total_Wimp]

Uh...it has?

Yep, it has, just like the iPod. The iPod was little more than a copycat product as far as technology was concerned, but it delivered just about exactly what people wanted, which was something that had somehow eluded previous products.

The PSP does almost exactly the same thing. High quality 3D gaming, a bigger screan, better controls, more expandability and more media do not, in and of themselves, make this product genre redefining. Delivering almost exactly what people are looking for does.

The real proof will be in the demographic numbers. If Sony hits a big market beyond kids then it will be a redefining product by definition. If it cuts into the handheld DVD market then it will be a genre redefiner. If Nintendo files chapter-11 then it will be a redefiner. If none of these things come to pass then it was just a really cool product.

TW

Re:Rights

[Total_Wimp]

I doubt it will ever be illegal. We're a nation of tinkerers. Your dad and mine took apart their cars. Our grandfathers took apart their houses. We take apart our computers.

People will be able to convince the old timers that reverse engineering code ("you mean like spies?") is criminal and they'll be able to convince our dads that copying and selling a patended machine is criminal, but our dads and grandpas wont stand still for a law the won't let them take the cover off of something they own. They may not understand electronics, but they understand ownership. They may not want to take the cover off of their TV but they'll be damned if someone trys to tell them they can't.

TW

I Got Yer "Authorization" Right Here...

[ewhac]

"While taking apart the device is not technically reverse-engineering, Sony explicitly outlaws any modifications to their PSP. If you don't believe me, check out page 15 of the manual where they state, "No authorization for the analysis or modification of the system, or the analysis and use of circuit configurations, is provided."

Very funny. Fortunately, as we all know, Sony does not have the right to make, much less enforce, this request. "Authorization" for opening and/or modifying the machine is embodied in the receipt from the retailer. Sony can void your warranty, of course, but you knew that when you started unscrewing the thing.

Let us not take such histrionics seriously; it gives people the wrong idea.

Schwab

Redefining Handheld Gaming?

[billstewart]

Let's see, you're holding a small thing with a screen on it, twitching your thumbs for a long time, and making noises unless you use a headset. To me that sounds like you're following the *same* definitions of hand-held thumb candy that have been around for a long time, but the picture's better :-)

Wireless is potentially a real change - if it's doing things with multiplayer games that you couldn't do before in the handheld space, that's somewhat new, though they've been done with console/pc-based games, so the main new feature is that you can play them from somewhere other than at home, as long as there's a WiFi connection you can use. I assume it's supporting downloadable games as opposed to just cartridges, though they could do things with Memory Stick if they wanted, and that's a bit of a change, but as long as the prices are similar, it's not really much change.

Cell-phone wireless data standards would be more revolutionary (if less compatible) - you could do game things like EA's Majestic or whatever it was that have location-dependent clues or interaction, or could do things with nearby people or provide portable games that let you talk to the people you're fragging\\\\\\\\cooperating with the way wired games let you do, or you could exchange pictures of where you are when you're somewhere other than your basement.

But building tools that can be used for cool games is one problem - writing games that actually turn out to be cool, or turn out to be popular, is a much different skill, and can be a lot harder to get right.

Anarchy isn't crime or destruction

[billstewart]

Using the hardware for something new and creative that the designers never thought of is anarchy in action. Finding ways to use it that escape the "intellectual property" model the games companies want is also anarchy in action.

Disassembling somebody *else's* PSP is criminal. Disassembling your own is merely art. Or Boredom in Action.