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Sony Threatens PS3 Hackers With Legal Action
Eurogamer reports that Sony is going after users sidestepping the PlayStation 3's protection software. Firmware 1.10 and 1.11 have both been cracked, and as a result illegal game copies can be booted from the console. "Booting games and playing them are two different things, however; so far, hackers have not been able to get any of the copied games to run, nor have they been able to run homebrew software. Every hardware launch brings with it a race for hackers to defeat the system's protections, whether for the technological challenge, to run copied software, or to allow for homebrew games. Despite Sony's attempts to prevent its emergence, the PSP has a strong homebrew community - and hackers are doubtless hoping to establish a similar base for PS3."
They also want to prevent you from running Linux with full access to the hardware, because they won't get licensing fees if people play games that don't require that someone pay one. Preventing piracy [as much as possible] is of course a real goal, and important to protection of revenues. But this is just as significant, in the same ways.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
While I'm not the hugest fan of these sorts of "protections", I think game consoles are one of the areas where the manufacturer can make a decent argument for why they bother. While they're never going to completely shut out the dedicated and skilled people trying to find their way in, they can keep a pretty good lid on casual piracy, because console cracks are usually just to much work, even if someone else has already figure it out.
It's significantly different, from the average joe computer user point of view, than downloading mp3's or whatever. Once you have a cracked mp3, the file is easy to distribute and get at. Which is one of the reasons why music DRM is so dumb. The files are all pretty easily accessible online to anyone who wants to look at them. But with game consoles, downloading a game and putting it on a DVD generally isn't enough. You need to hack the console, sometimes through some software flaws, often through hardware modification. Even if the hardware mod is relatively easy, the need to crack the case is enough to keep most people out. If Napster required you to solder a chip onto your computer's motherboard in order to download music, it's doubtful anyone outside of tech nerds would've heard much about it.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Maybe you should try spending the cash you are using on piracy prevention to develop...*gasp*...games worth buying?
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This is where things get fucking stupid. Why homebrew applications are not ENCOURAGED is beyond me. Granted, it's not a massive number, but I would be willing to bet my car that if the big three made their consoles open to homebrew developers without any kind of sidestepping, hacking, or putzing around required, they would find the sales of their gaming consoles go up. Yes, there will be people that pirate games, but you know what? The people that want to pirate games WILL find a way. I am quite confident that people wouldn't say "What? Homebrew apps are ENCOURAGED? Well fuck that, I'm not buying that open system!" ::sigh::
Living With a Nerd
Like Nintendo and Microsoft do (and have done...)
Of course MS just bans your console from live (for now), and they go after modders...
Nintendo goes after everyone... with a big stick, just like Sony.
Imagine that.... acting EXACTLY the same. This doesn't alienate me from their playbase, because I'm not too cheap to buy games...
Homebrew my ass.
It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
This should affect retailers, not consumers. The liscencing is an issue, and as such it should be illegal for a retailer to either sell the game from an outlet outside the one it's region coded for, or to ship it from a location in the region to a consumer outside. What it shouldn't affect is a consumer physically travelling to the region in which the product is legal for sale, purchasing it, and bringing it back home with them. That's just ridiculous.
Even though your question is a moot point in this case, I will address it. In short, you cannot access the RSX directly. But here is why your question in this case is moot: The hack doesn't affect hyper visor functionality under Linux. It bypasses the copy-protection on the PS3. That is all it does and was designed to do.
To answer your second question, you can convince any publisher as long as you show them enough money.
In all seriousness, why don't you ask Sony on their new blog to allow region free gaming on ALL PlayStation games? Given their current need to win over the hearts and minds of gamers, if enough demand was shown on their new site I would be surprised if they didn't decide to implement it. The issue with the RSX chip is, unfortunately, in a sticky patent situation beyond the complete control of Sony or nVidia. The best bet there would be nVidia releasing a closed Linux driver for the RSX.