Slashdot Mirror
Sony Has Lost the PS3 Hacking War
YokimaSun writes "Sony may have dealt a major blow to the PSjailbreak sellers, but the release last week of PSGroove, an open source version of the hack, has now opened the floodgates of ports to mobile phones such as the Nokia N900 and Palm Pre. The final kick in the teeth is that a port of the exploit has been released by Waninkoko of Wii custom firmware fame for the Dingoo Handheld, which is a homebrew console that is very popular amongst emulation fans. It makes you smile that you can use one homebrew console to hack another to get homebrew on that console. Awesome."
pudge notes that you can apparently do the same with a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator (YouTube video).
The hack exploits a bug in the USB code on the PS3. A firmware update will render every single one those hack versions useless.
That's nowhere near a victory of any kind.
You're making a whole lot of assumptions. Following the news of this exploit, there's been no evidence of reaction from Sony beyond the lawyer attacks on distributors. It's true the commercial product is designed for backups (which may be used for piracy, but aren't necessarily), but it does allow adding other code - including homebrew. There simply isn't any around yet. I've been looking into the code injected to see if I can figure out a way to replace it with a Linux bootloader, and so far, this looks doable (but far from easy).
So, 1) this is not *just* used for pirating. 2) that is not all it allows. 3) you're the first I've seen spouting the rumour of people being banned from PSN for this. 4) Sony went right ahead and "ruined" the console months ago.
Sony have taken a surprisingly long time to react on the firmware side of things - they were quicker than this to kill Other OS when they weren't even threatened and knew the attack would have no positive effect.
I have been effectively banned for much less reason, however - insisting on keeping functionality I bought the machine for. SCE started the attack on me back in April, and I'm trying to regain what they've unrightfully removed.
If SCE had any interest in goodwill, they could release an update that reenables Other OS. Contrary to some spurious claims, the function required no extra work on their part - they only made changes to it to prevent Linux from getting "too good" at graphics, which is frankly laughable. It also didn't need removal to fit newer features, as it only existed on models with larger flash in the first place. If Other OS continued working as it should, I'd have no reason to spend so much effort on these exploits.
Unshockingly enough, Sony crushed a commercial seller of a PS3 mod device like a bug. Even if the law weren't probably unfavorable to the sellers, Sony probably could have just tied them up in injunctions forever anyway. Shocking.
Equally unsurprisingly, halting the distribution of some OSS software is going about as well as the fight against DVD Jon's little toy did. It's totally unwinnable, and Sony hasn't shown many clear signs of even trying. Shocking.
However, it isn't clear how much this matters. This isn't CSS, where the system was set in stone, millions of un-patchable, non-internet-connected hardware units were already in the wild, and team DRM pretty much just had to suck it up. Those were the good old days.
Sony controls the Playstation Network, and can enforce minimum software versions for access, or punitively lock out units. Even for offline users, individual game disks can mandate, and include, upgrades to a higher version. Sony has, certainly, lost the game against anyone content to just pick up an old PS3 fat on ebay and enjoy a pirated copy of every PS3 game to date, all for ~$200. You'll have to stay offline, and avoid games with mandatory upgrades; but not a bad deal on the whole, I can certainly see a fair few takers.
However, unless this USB hack is seriously powerful, exploiting some basically unblockable fundamental flaw in the PS3's design, all PS3s that ship more than a few weeks from now, are updated(manually or automatically) to the next firmware revision, or wish to play newer games or use newer peripherals, or play online, are back in Sony's camp. And, unlike a DVD or Blu-ray disk, where the plaintext copy, once created, is eminently playable on all sorts of 3rd party devices, general purpose computers, and whatnot, PS3 games are pretty much only playable on PS3s, pending substantial advances in computing power that will allow emulation. This isn't "hack once, run anywhere." Each individual PS3 is controlled separately, and the success of the hacking device depends on how many hackable PS3s remain in the wild, a variable over which Sony has substantial control...
Those who have used them have already been banned from PSN and multiplayer games. What a great way to ruin your expensive console.
Not everybody's idea of an enjoyable gaming experience involves trading insults with hormonal 15 year-olds, nor does $300 meet everyone's definition of "expensive." Jailbreaking is appropriate for anyone who either doesn't care about online features, can afford two consoles, or both. I suspect that's a not-insignificant portion of current and potential owners.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Pardon? I have no interest in either pirating OR homebrew. I just want to load the games that I bought onto the console to improve load times, avoid disc damage from handling, and keep all my games available at all times. What's the point of a 250GB drive it all I have on it are dinky PSN games?
I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.
"These hacks are fully detectable by PS3 and Sony." Only if the system is online....which most people already know and thanks to the ability to download the ps3 updates to a usb means you never have to connect your console to the Sony servers. "this is just used for pirating purposes" Welcome to the game of consumer desire and business ethics. You can buy something now and it is not legally your property. You are not allowed any freedoms with something you paid your money for. If this jailbreak allowed people to get a whole console for free then I would have some sympathy.....but as the Xbox community has already shown that the console...is only a computer. And a computer has the potential to do alot....even if it isn't in the original design. Hell, if it wasn't for hackers you wouldn't have the computer you sit in front of. Sony will not listen, the industry will not listen.....hackers ALWAYS listen...and they deliver hand over fist. Be mad all you want, the future of games are in the hands of the intelligent...and they numbers favor the hacking team. "Sony has lost the PS3 hacking war?" Yes...the fact Psgroove exist and works is absolute proof that the ps3 is hackable, and that Sony has gone to great lengths to prevent something that a bunch of "criminals" ,who are no better than pedophiles in some peoples eyes ,were able to accomplish. Now comes the flood of "homebrew" apps that will add value to a system and unlocks the potential for something greater. "What a great way to ruin your expensive console" you mean what a great way to keep revenue out of the pockets of billionaires who don't care for the consumer, only the stock margin and their own personal well being......
I'm a full time linux user and I also own a ps3 for two years now. However, I never tried to install linux on it because it does it's job well for what I can't do on my linux system - play games. I wouldn't be surprised if most slashdotters that posted so far don't even use linux on their desktop let alone own a ps3. So what's up with the hate?
From your point of view they took away a feature you never used. Now imagine Dell forced a new BIOS that would disable Linux from booting on your PC. Because "nobody uses linux". What would you say then?
I bought the PS3 for 3 things, linux, movies and games.
I used my PS3 as a thin client mostly. But also as a media center. But now thats no longer possible.
Now that there is no unhacked console left, maybe the consolization of PC games will slow down a bit. And maybe Sony will finally release the PS4, so that PC graphics can finally move ahead. It has been 3 years since Crysis. PC games have been stalled in terms of graphics because the better the graphics are on the PC version the more difficult it is to port to the old tech on the consoles.
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
"And the latest report is that the next firmware update is going to disable the USB ports"
BULLSHIT.
Sorry, but I have to call this one out for what it is.
The USB ports are how the controllers are used during certain updates or if they're out of power. The USB ports also are how you plug in things like the Playstation Eye, a peripheral that Sony themselves sell and are relying on for their "Move" push.
They will not now, nor ever, disable the USB ports, this is some sort of forum echo-chamber nonsense or an outright troll that's somehow gained credence.
Especially when an update to their USB driver will destroy this jailbreak just as well.
Nah... I have followed the Wiiscene for quite some time (including the demise of TehSkeen, Marcan's whiny rants,etc ) and some "scene" guys are angry at Waninkoko/Wiigator, etc because they release stuff allowing to run backups.
See, there is a certain segment of the WiiScene which are a bunch of Mother Theressas and the only mention of backup launcher gets their panties in a bunch.
Other segment just do not see software itself as "evil" or bad and use whatever tools there are to increase the functionality of the console (as other person commented in this story for the PS3, it is good being able to rip your games into a USB drive).
And of course there is people who use such tools to steal software.
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