Geohot Brings Other OS Support To PS3 With Custom Firmware

suraj.sun tips news that hacker Geohot is following through on his promise to fight Sony's removal of the "Install Other OS" feature on the PS3. He posted a video of the work he's done so far that shows a PS3 console booting into Linux. Quoting Engadget: "While it's not available to the public just yet, Geohot's 3.21OO custom firmware will apparently be simple to install and, as you can see in the video after the break, it works just as you'd expect and simply restores the 'other OS' option to its previous place. Geohot even says that the custom firmware might actually enable the other OS feature on the PS3 Slim, but he hasn't yet had a chance to try it out."

Comments

Ha.

[Anonymous Coward]

Say hello to 3.21.01 counter-updates from Sony soon. The battle doesn't end.

Re:Ha.

[WrongSizeGlass]

Is there a chance that Sony will learn something from this? Will they embrace this as a chance to let those who want 'Other OS' support bad enough have it? If they do it let's them off the hook regarding any warranty support for the 'fat' PS3's.

Re:Ha.

[cb95amc]

Learn something?......This is still Sony we are talking about isn't it?

Re:Ha.

[mejogid]

Which would be precisely the reason they made this change in the first place and does nothing but prove them right. If you want to stick it to the man (as with all piracy), don't buy their products, send them an email and maybe try to draw some media attention to the issue. Sure the impact might be small, but at least it's a positive one.

Pirating just convinces the corporations that stricter anti-piracy measures are the answer, and frankly they may have a point in this case given console vs PC piracy rates. If you don't think the game's worth what those who made it are asking for, show some self restraint and *don't buy it* rather than ruining things for the rest of us.

Re:Ha.

[Vanderhoth]

The PS3 was the only console not hacked for piracy. I bought my fat PS3 because of Linux support, Sony was underhanded and took that away. I think they deserve to lose out on some profits because of the disrespect they showed their paying customers. IMHO, no one hacked the PS3 because Sony was being semi-open and allowing people to use a piece of hardware the bought for something they wanted to use it for.

I won't be spending anymore money on Sony products or PS3 games in general, but I'm pissed off they took something I have already paid for away.

I sent e-mails and complained in forums and to the BBB. What I got back from Sony was a quote of Section 11 from the EULA saying they have the right to change the way their console, that's taking up space in my den, at anytime. The BBB sent me response saying "We're investigating".

Dispute what Sony did to screw me and all other PS3 Linux users over if you wanted to continue to hack the PS3 all you had to do was not update. So did what they do really effect someone trying to open the console for piracy? NO.

Re:Ha.

[sortius_nod]

The whole point of the removal was to thwart Gehot's efforts on the PS3 hack.

I'm not 100% on this, but I really don't see Sony taking this lightly. They want to remain unhacked, so this is the way they see fit.

To me, this expands the base of people hacking their console.

Re:Ha.

[MoonBuggy]

Hacking the PS3 to run 'backup' games would be a suitable punishment for sony imho

Which would be precisely the reason they made this change in the first place and does nothing but prove them right.

I'm inclined to believe that the 'Other OS' functionality did more to prevent copyright infringement than it did to assist it.

There are plenty of very skilled hackers out there who have no interest in copied games, they just want the freedom to use their hardware as they wish, or even just the challenge and the kudos for breaking a supposedly secure system. Once the work is done, however, it is often a relatively simple matter for the same exploits to be used by others to run copied discs.

By giving the hackers (used in the traditional sense of the word) what they wanted in the first place with the 'Other OS' functionality, Sony prevented them from needing to bother cracking the security, and that meant that the pirates didn't have anything to build on. As soon as Sony took that function away, we see exploits to restore it - I don't know how much this is linked to the DRM on the game discs, but my instinct would be that some of the work there has already been done now.

Re:Ha.

[Chatterton]

Sorry, but at the time he bought his console, he had access to the Sony network, can plays all of its bought games and OtherOS. Patching it's console mean that he keep access to the network but lose the OtherOS, not patching mean that he lose access to the Sony Network and some of it's games (how insist to access the network), but keep the OtherOS. In the 2 case he lose something that he had pay for.

Re:Ha.

[Vanderhoth]

If you choose not to update you can do whatever the hell you want with your PS3

Except use it to play newer games, new BluRay moves, Can't use the media server to watch movies I bought and downloaded and I can't access the PSN to retrieve any DLC I've paid for and need to re-download, sync my trophies, chat and the list goes on.

What I can still do with my PS3 if I don't downgrade it with the 3.21 patch is use Other OS, play PS1 and PS2 games (the fat has backward compatibility) and use the media server to play pirated movies and TV series.

So, the results are I won't be buy any new Sony products, I won't ever be buying any DLC, BluRay or downloadable movies again. This experience has taught me that at anytime any group can take stuff you've bought away so I'm not going to be wasting my money anymore. Sony has lost one paying customer and gained one proponent to piracy.

Re:Ha.

[marcansoft]

Quite the contrary, it's not ridiculous, it's true. Sony's good drive security prevented drivechips (which is where the money's at), and Other OS prevented homebrewers from exploiting the system, which inevitably leads to softmod piracy (which is usually developed by people piggybacking on homebrew hackers for all the hard work). Consoles are hacked for homebrew which is then abused for piracy.

I know quite a few console hackers, and until the Slim's release (no Other OS) the interest in breaking out of the Other OS sandbox was near nil.

Re:Ha.

[Vanderhoth]

Oh that's certainly true, but then I can't use it for the other reasons I bought it. BluRay, Games, Media Server, PSN.

If you think that's a choice here's one I posted later on in the forum. Would you like to be shot in your left or right knee cap? You have a choice and regardless of how painful it is you'll still be able to use the other leg or get a prosthetic one to use them both... Until Sony, I mean I decide to take that too.

Re:Ha.

[Bert64]

However by making copying games difficult, you reduce the usefulness of the device...
Back in the days of the Amiga, i knew lots of people who had a handful of bought and paid for games, and we would share those games between ourselves (ie copy them)... We were schoolkids and couldn't afford to buy all the games but between us we bought a fair few.
Had it not been possible to copy the games, we simply wouldn't have had them, we would have used another platform where game copying was easy. Very few of us had cartridge based consoles for instance, unless they were old ones where the games had become dirt cheap simply because we couldn't afford to have a big library of games.

Re:Ha.

[dr.newton]

There is no reason why you cannot keep running a previous Sony version, which still has Linux support.

Yes, there is. If you update, you lose linux support. If you don't, you lose the ability to play online games.

Nowhere in there is there an option to keep all the features the PS3 currently has. Sony will take something from you, and giving you the rock/hard place choice is not adequate to excuse this.

Re:Ha.

[Oldstench]

Not the case with the PS3 though. Games are region free.

Re:Ha.

[MoonBuggy]

I think you must've misunderstood my post. I don't doubt that most (but not all) modchips are used for copied games, and that the same goes for custom firmwares or softmods.

I also never suggested that the 'Other OS' feature made anyone more altruistic. I was simply theorising that many of the most skilled hackers are actually those interested in homebrew, not those interested in copying. Once the security has been breached, the copiers then pick up that work for their own ends. If the homebrew community doesn't need to crack the security, it is quite possible that the copiers don't have the skill to do it alone (as is demonstrated, perhaps, by the lack of cracks for the PS3).

As soon as Sony takes out this sanctioned avenue for the homebrew community, they are forced to crack security to reinstate it, as we are seeing here with this unofficial firmware. Once the security has been cracked in one way, it makes it much easier for the copiers to pick up that exploit.

Re:Ha.

[icebraining]

You forget to factor in the fact that console hardware is sold at a loss.

Actually, that's wrong.

Except that in some cases, the cost of copy protection can effectively kill the console.

See the case of Playstation vs Nintendo 64. The cost of copy protection was one of the main reasons that gave the victory to PS. The N64 cartridge system, although it virtually prevented any piracy, also meant the game copies were much more expensive and space limited. While I personally prefer my N64 to my PSOne, especially due to its more robust construction (having no moving parts in a major plus), it was a very bad business decision.
Of course, current copy protection are different, and don't rely on special hardware per-game copy, but they cost money nevertheless.

Remember that the PS3 (which is the less pirated console) only had one of the game on the top ten list of sales of 2009.

Again, there's always right and always wrong decisions, it's cost analysis.

Re:Ha.

[Sancho]

You also lose the ability to play some NEW games, as frequently, games require the most recent version of the firmware (at the time of the game's release.)

Which is a pretty big deal, frankly. Because PS3 games aren't advertised as "Sony PS3 with Firmware XX.YY" games. They're advertised as PS3 games.

Re:Ha.

[Inner_Child]

Sorry, I meant to say "lost" since these only apply to fat PS3s and they've stopped making them. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#Model_comparison

But if they lost money on the fat consoles only, where's the point in "shedding" people who bought them - they're not buying more fat PS3s, and what's done is done.

Re:Repeat After Me:

[WrongSizeGlass]

PS3 is a GAME CONSOLE, not a COMPUTER.

Then someone will have to release "Linux: The Game" pretty soon so it can run on the PS3.

Re:Repeat After Me:

[Anonymous Coward]

PS3 is a computer, just designed as a gaming device as opposed to a general purpose PC.

not on slim

[swanriversean]

I will be completely surprised if this works on the PS3 slim.
I understood that one of the ways Sony cut the price and reduced the size for the slim was that they did not include the IBM hypervisor that made the whole thing possible.
(see:
      http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-linux-ps3-1/
      http://www.osnews.com/story/22073/Why_No_OtherOS_Option_on_PS3_Slim_Sony_Answers
for a few more details)

Without the hypervisor, its just not possible.

Re:not on slim

[millennial]

No, that's definitely not true. The hypervisor isn't what made running Linux possible; it's what made it limited when it did run. The hypervisor is also actively involved in the regular PS3 OS. It's an essential part of the PS3, and they'd never build a retail version without one.

Re:not on slim

[PhunkySchtuff]

I don't believe they have dropped the hypervisor - that's one of the major security strongpoints and partly what has kept the PS3 from being totally pwned by now...
From the osnews article you linked, they say (with emphasis mine)

I’m sorry that you are frustrated by the lack of comment specifically regarding the withdrawal of support for OtherOS on the new PS3 slim. The reasons are simple: The PS3 Slim is a major cost reduction involving many changes to hardware components in the PS3 design. In order to offer the OtherOS install, SCE would need to continue to maintain the OtherOS hypervisor drivers for any significant hardware changes – this costs SCE. One of our key objectives with the new model is to pass on cost savings to the consumer with a lower retail price. Unfortunately in this case the cost of OtherOS install did not fit with the wider objective to offer a lower cost PS3.

What I read into this is that they don't want to keep updating the hypervisor drivers for OtherOS support with the major hardware changes they made for the Slim, not that they're dropping the hypervisor altogether...

Re:not on slim

[Eponymous Coward]

I don't know about this. Look at the history of the PS3 and you will see that Sony has been steadily taking away features rather than adding them.

Re:not on slim

[Megane]

Correction... it's a console that they're not manufacturing any more (they never supported OtherOS on the Slim), what significant hardware changes could there be with the Fat, which was the only model that supported OtherOS?

Well done Sony

[cyborch]

I hope you are happy Sony.

You made it this far without people building custom firmware. Now you've forced people to find ways to put custom firmware on the PS3. Next up is "indie" games followed by pirates followed by the game industry going back to PCs or over to other consoles.

Too bad. I actually liked by PS3. Hopefully something new will come along soon so I won't have to buy an xbox...

Re:Well done Sony

[NickFortune]

Too bad. I actually liked by PS3. Hopefully something new will come along soon so I won't have to buy an xbox...

There's a little known platform called a "personal computer". It works a lot like a gaming console, except that it isn't crippled at the hardware level by the OEM and has a wider range of software available. You can even install Linux on it :)

Seriously, I've never understood the appeal of spending serious money on a deliberately crippled computer, when I have a perfectly good one already. Doubly so from a company that even rootkits their audio CDs.

Re:Well done Sony

[Anonymous Coward]

Both the Wii and 360 have been easy to mod for piracy, you'll note that both units sell rather well. The NDS is the easiest of all to run copied games, it's not exactly a sloth in unit sales either. The PSP failed because the games went shit and peoples' tasted moved away from "real" console like gaming to quicker simpler offerings, just look at gaming on devices like the smartphones. Silly little cheap and cheerful games that lots of people love.

It's been suggested Sony may forced the issue to trigger a move towards piracy to sell more units, now that they're stripped down the hardware and are showing profits. Of course, they could just be dumb and believe they can control this fight. All they need to do is reinstate linux and give it a better video-driver to make the small army of techs bashing away on the device to go back to their caves. There's no point hacking it when it already allows decent control. The modders won't come up with anything, they're not skilled enough.

Re:Somethings messed up his MAC address

[WrongSizeGlass]

It says FF:FF:FF etc in the info screen. Thats not right. I wonder if his "firmware" has any side effects he's not letting on about.

You mean that maybe it stutters?

Re:Somethings messed up his MAC address

[Thanshin]

You mean that maybe it stutters?

First time I've ever missed not having mod points.

Re:Repeat After Me:

[Thanshin]

PS3 is a GAME CONSOLE, not a COMPUTER.

Mustang is a MUSCLE CAR, not a VEHICLE!

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

[PhunkySchtuff]

I don't know if America has anything like the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission but if you do, I'd urge you to raise this issue with them (and if you're in Australia, please get onto the case).

This is a simple case of a company changing the specs on a product that you have bought, after you've bought it and changing it in an adverse fashion. It is removing a feature that you have paid for and have possibly had for years, without offering any workaround or compensation.

Sony claim that the update is not mandatory, and that it is entirely your choice if you wish to install it or not, but the simple fact is that by not installing the patch, you lose even more functionality than if you do install it. No PSN. No Playstation Store. On online gaming. No access to new games that require this or a newer firmware. No access to bluray content that requires this or a newer version of the firmware. Etc.

Here's the text of the submission I made to the ACCC (you're limited to 1500 characters)

Sony have recently released a firmware update for the PlayStation 3 Games Console.
From what I can see, all this update does is remove a feature from the console. The feature removed is the "Other OS" support - the ability to install another operating system, such as Linux, on the PS3 and use it as a general purpose computer.

Sony claim that the update is not mandatory, however by not installing this update, you lose access to the PlayStation Network, so any games that require this for online play will no longer work. One of the main reasons for owning a PS3 is the online gameplay component.

More information about other features that will be locked out are here on Sony's web site: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/03/28/ps3-firmware-v3-21-update/

"Consumers and organizations that currently use the “Other OS” feature can choose not to upgrade their PS3 systems, although the following features will no longer be available; Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.21 or later Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings) Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.21 or later"

Re:Countdown to lawsuit

[91degrees]

It will be interesting though. This firmware update restores advertised functionality of the product. It will be hard for Sony to demonstrate that this infringes their rights.

Re:Inevitable, really

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

"Somebody", specifically "Sony".

I'm getting tired of this "But that insolent peasant just wouldn't know his place and show proper gratitude for the scraps he'd been given, so poor Sony was forced to retroactively remove a feature; let us all shed a tear for Sony." crap.

Interesting

[Reisrdok]

I bought PS3 mainly because of OtherOS. Now they remove it. Can I get my money back, the product does not have the features I paid for and wanted? Oh well. Probably there is a paragraph in sony EULA that allows them to do this. There's probably few lines about my soul too..

Re:Interesting

[PhunkySchtuff]

You're right, there is a paragraph in the EULA that Sony are using to justify this "upgrade" however if such an upgrade conflicts with the law, then I'm afraid that it's the law that wins out over the EULA.

Re:Interesting

[CronoCloud]

That's not entirely true. There's a DNS trick you can do to let you log into PSN with a 3.15 PS3. Just use this as your primary DNS: 67.202.81.137 its your PS3 that determines if you can use PSN, if it thinks you're fully updated you can use it.

http://www.yellowdog-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7266&start=90#p37713

http://www.yellowdog-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7266&start=150#p37842

Re:Australian Competition & Consumer Commissio

[Man On Pink Corner]

Reply from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission:

Crikey! Thank you for bringing this egregious behavior to our attention. Effective April 30, 2010, the Sony Playstation 3 is hereby banned for import, sale, and possession in the states and territories of Australia and surrounding lesser islands.

This is why you can't have nice things.

Re:Repeat After Me:

[La Gris]

Mustang is a horse. :)

Re:Countdown to lawsuit

[TheRaven64]

No it won't. If the firmware includes any of their code then it's a derived work of a copyrighted program and can not be distributed without their permission. What the code does will be completely irrelevant to the case. There may be a class action lawsuit from customers about removing functionality after purchase, but this will be an unrelated case.

Re:Somethings messed up his MAC address

[marcansoft]

Geohot has a tendency to overstate things to gain an ego boost and media coverage. In the case of the PS3, he is quite the novice. Throughout this whole saga, he's made numerous technical errors that he later had to correct. This is normal; he had no clue how anything on the PS3 worked when he started. Just don't be misled into thinking he knows exactly what he's doing.

He's not an idiot, and he's learning, but I wouldn't go anywhere near any custom firmware that he puts out at this stage. He can't possibly know what he's doing. Not yet.

Re:Inevitable, really

[Bert64]

Their console is in third place...
Their console is the only one which doesn't have rampant piracy...

Anyone else notice the connection?
I know plenty of people with xbox or wii consoles, most of which are modchipped to run copied games... Most of these people have a mix of copied and original games.
The few people i know who have ps3 consoles have a much smaller number of original games, and no copied ones...

Is Sony going to change their ads

[WormholeFiend]

from "It only does everything" to "It no longer does everything"?

Re:Countdown to lawsuit

[91degrees]

Yes. That's a very interesting EULA.

Where does it say "You may not modify the software in such a way as to provide the advertised functionality"?

And you are aware that contracts of adhesion don't give a company carte blanche to interpret it in whatever manner they see fit aren't you?

PS3 no longer a "computer"?

[HalAtWork]

Does this mean Sony can no longer sidestep EC import taxes?