PS3 hacked via USB dongle modchip

[prophetik music]

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/08/19/139235/PS3-Hacked-via-USB-Dongle

can't believe i didn't hear about this elsewhere than slowdot, but it's official - the first modchip works, and it includes online play.

i never updated my ps3 to the new non-extra-OS firmware (and, in turn, have never used PSN for multiplayer) because of my issues with sony taking away purchased features over the length of a console's lifetime. will i get this? probably not, particularly since blu-ray burners are so expensive, and there aren't any PS3 games i want to play that i don't already own.

this is it, though. the unbreakable console (which was, apparently, unbroken because no one wanted to bother with it and because it was too expensive to burn games, similar to the gamecube) has been broken. considering all the cash sony dumped into the blu-ray drive and the draconian copy protection included in it, i wonder what they're thinking now?

heck, i wonder if this would have happened if sony hadn't removed the Other OS option to begin with.

edit: fwiw, you'll need to go to the index of the link proved through slashdot, since psx-scene is getting absolutely hammered with pageviews (up by about 2000% from yesterday alone).

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

If it can be done, it can be undone.

Don't know why companies don't get this. Not to hammer on Sony specifically(this can be said about anyone really), but if you create a device that can do so much and then arbitrarily cripple that functionality, this is the least you can expect.

Next on the list, 3DS.

[PriZm]

companies are not stupid about this issue. copy protection, even though it can be circumvented, is still useful against a large user base that does not pirate games, be it by fear of repercussions or lack of knowledge

[The Phalanx]

Next on the list, 3DS.

Bet you $5 it'll be hacked within the first month of release.

[Thin Crust]

Wow, this is very old news. Sony is currently holding a trial against the makers of the PSJailbreak and I'm wondering how it will end. Of course, the technology is out there now and it's been recreated by a bunch of ripoff manufacturers. That being said, piracy is a crime and you deserve to go to jail if you pirate games.....or at least get a heavy fine. You should support the developers who work so hard to get you this entertainment medium.

Edit: We can confirm that all variants of the USB-hub emulating exploit (PSFreedom, PSGroove, PSJailbreak) are no longer functional in firmware 3.42

http://exophase.com/ps3/ps3-firmware-3-42-hits-network-update-18063.htm

[Halt]

Wow, this is very old news. Sony is currently holding a trial against the makers of the PSJailbreak and I'm wondering how it will end. Of course, the technology is out there now and it's been recreated by a bunch of ripoff manufacturers. That being said, piracy is a crime and you deserve to go to jail if you pirate games.....or at least get a heavy fine. You should support the developers who work so hard to get you this entertainment medium.

Edit: We can confirm that all variants of the USB-hub emulating exploit (PSFreedom, PSGroove, PSJailbreak) are no longer functional in firmware 3.42

http://exophase.com/ps3/ps3-firmware-3-42-hits-network-update-18063.htm

Although I do agree with you. I look at the iphone for example, and the 360s indie game marketplace.

The iPhone has all those cool ass apps. Even though its portable they are still fun. And then the XNA stuff, anso eats that shit up like no tomorrow. I wish more consoles were open source to a point where 3rd party devs could implement little things like apps and stuff.

[prophetik music]

Wow, this is very old news. Sony is currently holding a trial against the makers of the PSJailbreak and I'm wondering how it will end. Of course, the technology is out there now and it's been recreated by a bunch of ripoff manufacturers. That being said, piracy is a crime and you deserve to go to jail if you pirate games.....or at least get a heavy fine. You should support the developers who work so hard to get you this entertainment medium.

Edit: We can confirm that all variants of the USB-hub emulating exploit (PSFreedom, PSGroove, PSJailbreak) are no longer functional in firmware 3.42

http://exophase.com/ps3/ps3-firmware-3-42-hits-network-update-18063.htm

actually, thin crust, this only happened like two weeks ago. and i posted it the day it came out. so it's not really old news.

sony seized all of PSJailbreak's assets, but there's so many open source version floating around (for the blackberry, TI84 calculator, USB dev boards, and android, and supposedly a PSP kit is in the works) that it doesn't matter.

also, it doesn't matter if it doesn't work anymore in 3.42. as the psp has shown, there's a ton of custom firmware options that will be come available pretty quickly. there are a lot of people - myself included - that never updated past 3.2x, because they wanted to keep the Other OS option available. the PSJ hack allows me to get back online through that OS without being forced to update to use my console.

i think you're missing the point, though. yeah, this enables piracy, and that's not necessarily good. but what IS good is that now you'll be able to use the ps3 for tons of cool stuff that, since the removal of the Other OS option, you haven't been able to touch.

[Avatar of Justice]

i think you're missing the point, though. yeah, this enables piracy, and that's not necessarily good. but what IS good is that now you'll be able to use the ps3 for tons of cool stuff that, since the removal of the Other OS option, you haven't been able to touch.

I personally just want a box that plays video games and am annoyed with these super hackers who keep "liberating" consoles. It allows piracy, which hurts games' sales, which hurts all of us. Not to mention, it allows game hacking and cheaters online. If you want to run Linux, go buy a computer and leave game boxes alone.

[Thin Crust]

I personally just want a box that plays video games and am annoyed with these super hackers who keep "liberating" consoles. It allows piracy, which hurts games' sales, which hurts all of us. Not to mention, it allows game hacking and cheaters online. If you want to run Linux, go buy a computer and leave game boxes alone.

Amen. There's probably .01% of owners that actually used linux anyway.

And it doesn't matter what good it causes by allowing us to use the ps3 in unique ways, the fact is that it will mainly be used as a means to pirate games. AoJ is right. Piracy hurts game sales meaning that developers will not want to take a chance at a unique game that may or may not sell that well. So all we will get is the shooter genre that sells way too much for its own good.

[Schwaltzvald]

Holy shit, AoJ's and Thin Crust's posts read like something from the comment section on ign or gamespot.

Yes I'll admit I have had little use for Linux on the PS3 when I had it but it doesn't change the fact that Sony is willing to take away certain features from something I bought as a whole. I doubt more will be taken away and heck they've added a few other things that don't cost me money, but now these days when it comes to certain products, you don't "officially" own them it seems.

[Thin Crust]

Maybe I've been hanging around gametrailers too much.

[Schwaltzvald]

Maybe I've been hanging around gametrailers too much.

Let's put it this way, a lot of good can come out of piracy and slick hackers/crackers beyond the doom and gloom you and AoJ posted.

[Thin Crust]

Did you know that there have been studies that have shown that only 25% of people get their music by buying the CD or purchasing online legally? What do you think this has done to the music industry?

It doesn't matter what good can come out of it, the fact is that people (vast majority of people) will only use this for illegal means. And that's a problem that can't be justified by the little good that can come out of it.

[kitty]

Jailbreaking iPods and iPhones enables the use of pirated apps as well. I jailbroke my iPod to add functionality beyond what the iPod offered me. I'm following the PS3 hacks closer because I'm much more interested in the slew of homebrew software that can add much more functionality. Hell, maybe they can develop some way to play legit copies of PS2 games.

[Schwaltzvald]

Jailbreaking iPods and iPhones enables the use of pirated apps as well. I jailbroke my iPod to add functionality beyond what the iPod offered me. I'm following the PS3 hacks closer because I'm much more interested in the slew of homebrew software that can add much more functionality. Hell, maybe they can develop some way to play legit copies of PS2 games.

This should be emphasized.

As for the music industry, I've never shed a tear for it and surprisingly from the artists I've listened to I've yet to hear them bitch or moan

Did you know that there have been studies that have shown that only 25% of people get their music by buying the CD or purchasing online legally? What do you think this has done to the music industry?

It doesn't matter what good can come out of it, the fact is that people (vast majority of people) will only use this for illegal means. And that's a problem that can't be justified by the little good that can come out of it.

I bet these "studies" are dubious at best for one thing. The mere fact that you'd rather bunch both the good and bad into one bin and slap them as dirty, undeserving thieves is exactly one of many things that's wrong with the music industry as well as the tech industry as time marches on.

Hell there's a love/hate relationship with shops like gamestop, why are you not decrying their business as damning evidence of developers and publishers losing out money to used games?

[Avatar of Justice]

I just don't buy into the need to make the PS3 capable of homebrew code. There are plenty of things that are more portable, have microchips, and easily allow a user to run whatever code they want. Like, a laptop. If you've got the time and inclination to hack on a video game console, surely you've already got a regular computer. Why not go hack on those? I see my video game console as a black box appliance that lets me play BlazBlue online through voodoo mysticism. For me, hacking it to make it run homebrew is like hacking a microwave to run homebrew or hacking a blender to run homebrew.

I'm tired of hackers acting like if something has a micro processor in it it's their God-given right to run whatever code they feel like on it. When Apple sells you an iPhone, they don't intend to sell you a regular computer, they are selling you a magic phone box that runs what apps they say it can. If you don't like that, don't buy it, and go buy something that suits your needs more. Like an Android or a general purpose computer.

[Schwaltzvald]

I just don't buy into the need to make the PS3 capable of homebrew code. There are plenty of things that are more portable, have microchips, and easily allow a user to run whatever code they want. Like, a laptop. If you've got the time and inclination to hack on a video game console, surely you've already got a regular computer. Why not go hack on those? I see my video game console as a black box appliance that lets me play BlazBlue online through voodoo mysticism. For me, hacking it to make it run homebrew is like hacking a microwave to run homebrew or hacking a blender to run homebrew.

I'm tired of hackers acting like if something has a micro processor in it it's their God-given right to run whatever code they feel like on it. When Apple sells you an iPhone, they don't intend to sell you a regular computer, they are selling you a magic phone box that runs what apps they say it can. If you don't like that, don't buy it, and go buy something that suits your needs more. Like an Android or a general purpose computer.

Settle down old man, you might break a blood vessel or hip.

There's really no reason to not express curiosity or find ways to get more out of what we have in the first place. If you can custom work on a car to give you better mileage or redo-coding that makes applications work efficiently, all the more reason hackers and yes even crackers are welcomed.

I pity the fools who don't explore, ask questions and improve what we have today.

The wheel in the form of an idea has not changed since forever, but the actual wheel itself has changed many times over the course of humanity's existence.

[Ramaniscence]

If you bought an original XBOX and didn't mod it eventually, you did yourself a huge disservice.

Also: If I'm paying $600 for a piece of hardware, I'm going to do what I want with it. Especially if it falls within the instructed usage at the time of purchase.

If Sony doesn't want me opening my PS3, they shouldn't have sold it to me. Same goes for Apple and my MacBook Pro, same goes for Microsoft and my XBOX. Unless you're going to stand over me with a gun at my head, or plant an explosive device in it, I'm going to open it. It's mine. I've earned that much.

That is to say, I don't particularly expect to retain all my rights to using it having opened it. I don't expect Microsoft to take kindly to me installing shit they didn't approve on my XBOX. I'm not going to cry when I can't take it online anymore. I still think I have every right to open the thing up and do whatever I want.

[kitty]

If you bought an original XBOX and didn't mod it eventually, you did yourself a huge disservice.

Also: If I'm paying $600 for a piece of hardware, I'm going to do what I want with it. Especially if it falls within the instructed usage at the time of purchase.

If Sony doesn't want me opening my PS3, they shouldn't have sold it to me. Same goes for Apple and my MacBook Pro, same goes for Microsoft and my XBOX. Unless you're going to stand over me with a gun at my head, or plant an explosive device in it, I'm going to open it. It's mine. I've earned that much.

That is to say, I don't particularly expect to retain all my rights to using it having opened it. I don't expect Microsoft to take kindly to me installing shit they didn't approve on my XBOX. I'm not going to cry when I can't take it online anymore. I still think I have every right to open the thing up and do whatever I want.

This. Modding my consoles is something I'm interested in as a hobby. It's fascinating to me what these "hackers" can do with hardware. I also find the argument to "hack" my laptop really ignorant to individual interests in modding. I'm not going to leave a laptop in the middle of my living room next to my TV because its functions far outweigh banishing it to the living room. Hacking my PS3, on the other hand, lets me expand its functionality.

Avatar: Why should I spend money on something when I can get enjoyment and functionality for FREE, especially since it's not illegal? I'm also not going to lug around a netbook or laptop just so I can see a background picture on my iPod, have true backgrounding, or to move the icons for my apps around the screen as I see fit. It's unreasonable, irrational, and stupid. I also can't play PS3 games on a laptop, so your argument is entirely moot. And yeah, it is our right to run whatever code we want on it. And hell, if my blender can blend drinks AND cut vegetables I'd modify it if it was easy enough. YOU can go and buy your Android or get a general computer. I'll stick with my hobby.

[Kanthos]

Did you know that there have been studies that have shown that only 25% of people get their music by buying the CD or purchasing online legally? What do you think this has done to the music industry?

Studies done by whom? Anything done by the RIAA or any other interested party is inherently biased and should be dismissed out of hand (as should anything done by, say The Pirate Bay).

Also, the stats you don't mention are more important than the one you do. What category/categories defines the other 75% of people? Are you trying to say that 75% of people never pay for music anymore? That 75% of people either get music illegally/for free or don't acquire music through any means? It's not very clear from what you've posted.

Also, I'm not suggesting for a moment that illegal activities are good, but the music industry does comparatively little for artists and is using the legality of downloads as a smokescreen to cover up for the fact that it hasn't kept pace with increasing demands for services by the artists and more favourable deals for the artists. In any industry, if you don't provide a good product, you go under. The music industry is large enough and entrenched enough to have survived thus far, but unless it drastically adapts to today's landscape, it WILL fall. Downloads will not bring it down; they just hasten its destruction.

My issue with DRM, copy protection, limits on how many times I can install software, restrictions through firmware or otherwise on what I can do with hardware I have purchased is this: it assumes I am a criminal. I am penalized for wanting or needing to install my software multiple times on my own machine, if I reformat or buy a new computer, formatting the old one in the process. I'm penalized for wanting to move my music between devices that I own, without ever handing the audio files over to someone else. I don't appreciate being screwed by companies because I *might* do something wrong. And the argument that it cuts down on piracy is garbage; how often are copy protection systems hacked?

[Thin Crust]

My issue with DRM, copy protection, limits on how many times I can install software, restrictions through firmware or otherwise on what I can do with hardware I have purchased is this: it assumes I am a criminal. I am penalized for wanting or needing to install my software multiple times on my own machine, if I reformat or buy a new computer, formatting the old one in the process. I'm penalized for wanting to move my music between devices that I own, without ever handing the audio files over to someone else. I don't appreciate being screwed by companies because I *might* do something wrong. And the argument that it cuts down on piracy is garbage; how often are copy protection systems hacked?

And therein lies the problem. There are so many people who pirate and illegally move data around the net that companies do what they can to try and prevent it when in actuality, it is only the good law abiding people who get penalized for it.

And in case you guys haven't realized it, I have absolutely no problem with modding for the sake of your interest and changing features around. But there is a problem with illegally obtaining media that you didn't pay for. (Whether it is music, games, professional journals, or whatever else you can replicate over the interweb) Unfortunately for those people who are just curious to see what they can do, they will be lumped in with pirate group. It's not right, it's not fair, but that's just how it will happen.

[sefirosu]

I don't appreciate being screwed by companies because I *might* do something wrong. And the argument that it cuts down on piracy is garbage; how often are copy protection systems hacked?

This.

Your everyday computer user (probably) doesn't know how to hack/crack the protection systems but, at the same time, they probably aren't going to be selling or trading downloads illegally.

People that deal in illegal downloads will more than likely to know how to hack/crack the protection systems AND they're more likely to sell or trade the hacked/cracked files.

[kitty]

This.

Your everyday computer user (probably) doesn't know how to hack/crack the protection systems but, at the same time, they probably aren't going to be selling or trading downloads illegally.

People that deal in illegal downloads will more than likely to know how to hack/crack the protection systems AND they're more likely to sell or trade the hacked/cracked files.

You'd be surprised by the amount of "everyday computer users" who steal music and hardly know their way around a computer.

[BardicKnowledge]

Modding your console opens up so much functionality it's ridiculous. It's hard for me to justify the price of my Wii without all of the cool stuff I do on it now -- none of which involves running Wii games that I don't own.

Short list for those curious:

DVD Video playback

Rebalance Smash Bros. Brawl via fanmade patches

Enable use of the Wii Balance Board as a digital scale

Wiimotes as replacement for liquid levels

Awesome fangames

Ports of games

Original homebrew games

All this and more (I also play Jazz Jackrabbit and Quake 1/2 on my Wii now -- awesome)! In addition, it runs emulators for every system PSX and before, making it a great emulation box for your television...useful for playing games that will never be released on the VC (Final Fantasy 3j, Mother series, Seiken Densetsu 3, etc). Incidentally, I do own all of the VC games that I regularly play. That being said, it's still nice to have the emulators around to play Super Demo World: TLC and Super Metroid: Redesign now and then, among others.

Why would you _not_ do all of this awesome stuff with your console? I'm sure even more stuff is possible on the PS3 -- stuff that Sony explicitly allowed you to do on launch day with OtherOS that now no longer exists.

[Benjamin Briggs]

Bet you one gajillion dollars it'll be hacked within the first five seconds of release.

fixed.

seriously it's like nintendo WANTS us to pirate and emulate their games

I bet they're all sitting on chairs dipped in gold right now