A real reason to buy a PS3???
Commodore128
A few months ago I got all excited knowing that there were folks working on cracking the security of the PS3 by looking for gaps in system security. After all, this is how the original Xbox was hacked, and how the 360 has so far been opened up to the world of homebrew software. Voiding warranties, getting your solder iron out of the closet, buying a specialized chip, and maybe even busting out the cash for some specialized tools for the job was par for the course as the modding solutions for these systems were intense to say the least. At least that’s what I thought until this week I learned of a new solution that I just thought would never come for current generation systems; A USB pluggable solution for breaking through security in order to run unsigned code without breaking a warranty, opening the system, or burning a hole in your kitchen counter with your soldering iron. Sounds ridiculous right, I mean these are the most secure machines in the world. Well it would appear that someone has done just that with the PS3 jailbreak solution. Be still my beating heart.
Now let’s not get our hopes up here, I don’t believe anything until I can see it in person (Oh and there’s also that little lawsuit from Sony that’s pending… might want to wait that one out before throwing down the cash). Even if this is true, it’s going to be awhile before a homebrew community really develops around it. And if and when that happens, I have a feeling I’ll be doing something I thought I’d never do: buying a PS3. In fact the PS Jailbreak claim is that it works on all PS3 SKUs meaning any old PS3 will do. Exciting stuff to be sure. Even if the current price listing is in the $120-$140 range for a cheap USB flash drive with two (probably miniscule) pieces of software. In fact lots of the discussion now that I’ve seen revolves around away to achieve the same results without buying the overly expensive (understatement) flash drive involved. I think if they found a way to do that then you can sign me right up, no question. This is exciting stuff folks to be sure.
Now before all of you condemn me for being a law-breaking piracy hound, hear me out. I have no interest in piracy for this thing. And I’m not saying that to cover my non-PS3 ownin heine. I’m interested in unlocking the true potential of the PS3. I want to run homebrew software. I want to see a community of independent developers launch projects around designing programs for the PS3. In my experience, homebrew communities are fantastic for opening the potential of the system. It’s what launched XBMC on the Xbox which has now made it to every conceivable platform on the planet. It’s also helped to inspire companies like Apple rethink their products (like Apple TV) to function more coherently as a media center. And that’s only one example.
You see folks I’m excited to see the PS3 find its inner self which I can then utilize for my own personal enjoyment. But one of the reasons I like it is because I think it’s a great example of what open source development can do. It also provides a platform for excellent coders and developers out there to get some experience with real hardware and the audiences of that hardware platform. And this means that all of us win. So I’m sure that there are many people out there excited about this product release who are in it for the piracy. But I have a feeling those folks are always going to be doing their best not to spend money. Those people also probably barely pay their bills and/or live in their parents’ basement.
So I say unlock it! There’s plenty of Cell Processor fun to be had. It’s like having a blank canvas with which we can all have some awesome fun. And it’s giving me a reason to buy a PS3, which is something I never would have done before. And that means pissed off Sony will be getting a chunk of my money they never would’ve gotten before.
I use my PS3 to watch sports that come on outside of my market. For instance, tomorrow's Alabama game against San Jose State is Pay-Per-View only, but it's also coming on ESPN3, so I'm streaming it. Other than having a fantastic library of games, the web browser makes having it worth it when you can't afford that horrendous price for a tuner card or the cable.
Commodore, but your fears to bed, this does infact work.
It's just pricey,
Also, the bad news is Sony is currently investigating the Australian devlopers and has already taken them to court.
The other news, is that the first official "clone" has been lanunched, and is only like $40.
I would get this for homebrew support (playing Snes games would work like it does on Wii, very smoothly with emulators), and the piracy. I honestly pirate because I am from a poor family. I usually can't afford a game ever, even used. We are usually pretty buried in debt that I don't even ask my mom for anything. An I am to young to get a job. I also really like the convience, like my Wii is modded, and I have an external drive hooked up to it, with about 23 or so games (like Metroid: Other M which I got around Aug. 29th :p), and I am glad I didn't buy it, it was terrible!
But homebrew is the other half I mod consoles, emulators are funner to play on TV then on a monitor. Although, I bought a flash cart for my NES so I could just put all roms on it, so I have gotten to the point where it is possible to play them.
Again on the piracy/homebrew note, my Wii is nice because I can play everything up to Wii on it. I have NES, SNES, GB/C GBA emus on it, and I can download Wii VC dumps (I honestly don't want to pay money again, for a game I bought when it first came out). And I can play Wii and GC backups, it has allowed me to experience new games I would never get to like jap games. For instance, I just started playing Xenoblade, which won't get a translation till next year.
So some don't like it, and others do. I think even if you don't want to pirate, it's nice to have it to legally backup the games you own, incase they get scratched or stolen. And homebrew support, which is the reason I love Wii and PSP. It's definetly worth it if you can get one.
That was rambly because I just got up and it's only 6:58 AM.
They've already shut this guy down and you can find the firmware for free online...I'm not telling you where.
Edit: I also wanted to say that when I got my first ps3, I was surpised at how much the software worked a lot like XBMC, I could watch my avi's on my ps3 without having to convert them to mpegs or some other format the console reads. It's a friggin DivX player, theres not a lot that the system won't play.
Also as far as this jailbreak goes, it's not really much of one. If the USE with the code isn;t plugged in, you read unsigned code. which if you have games saved to your HDD like the xbox fatty could, you have a buch of wasted space,,,try not to lose the use drive.
I've also noticed that it sems to work kind of like the ps2 mod. On the ps2 you had to put in a game, then open the drive door and put in the pirated game while the ps2 logo is on the screen. The big differnce is the game on the ps3 is saved to the hard drive, instead of doing a disc swap.
I'll be more interested in this when it's used to make a working ps2 emulator.
You guys rock and are clearly more on top of this than the old Commodore. Point taken Mr. K, I'm only partially joking when I say that I finally have a reason to buy a PS3... the biggest hurdle for me thus far has been price. But I love what is happening with the ESPN video streams (I wrote about this awhile back) and I'm glad to see Sony kind of thinking outside of the box to produce more relevant content for all of us. GoveyNet, I'm actually a huge fan of backing up games I've bought from the store. It's investment protection for one, it helps to keep all of your games localized in one place, and it certainly enhances the chances that you can resell your games for top dollar if you choose to do so. And Arkus, my man the resemblance to XMBC on the PS3 is exactly what I'm talking about when I say that it "inspired" the game companies to redefine their user experiences. Let's hope that trend continues...
Thanks for the contributions, and please email me if you have an hands on experiences with this that you'd like to share!
Or you could do what I do, use your cheap Wii as a little Linux capable system. :)
A firmware update came out yesterday that blocks the jailbreak. Anything before 3.42 will play the jailbreak, anything after will block it.
http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps3/index.htm
Scroll down to other, and note new for 3,42
Yeah I already heard about that one myself. Really sucks, but I already have 2 or 3 PS3's (well friends and family) that are still 3.41
Also, you can still update to 3.41 without Sony's servers, just google 3.41 update and you can download it off ps3hacks.com and what not.
Also, a lot of clones are launching pretty quickly, incase you weren't going to try the psfreedom/psgroove method.