Digital Foundry vs. PSJailbreak

By Richard Leadbetter Published 20 August, 2010

How PlayStation 3's security has been compromised and what it means.

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It's real. Almost four years after its launch, the PlayStation 3's much vaunted security has finally been completely and unequivocally compromised. Within weeks, if not days, PS3 users willing to pay an exorbitant premium have the option of copying all the games they own - and any they don't - onto hard disk, and nothing stops them from spreading them across the internet. The question is, how can Sony fight back? Can new firmware updates keep the platform holder one step ahead of the hackers?

As sample "PSJailbreak" hardware circulates around shops and modship suppliers around the world, further details emerge, giving us some idea of how the system works. From that we can extrapolate the scale of the task facing Sony as it embarks on what must surely be the biggest damage limitation exercise in its recent history.

This attack on PlayStation security consists of both software and hardware. A USB dongle is attached to the PS3, and pressing the eject button on the console while it cold-boots causes the code on the stick to override the console's typical launch procedure. Based on views of the XMB seen in the now numerous YouTube videos, the dongle appears to inject elements from debug PS3 firmware onto the retail unit. The option to install PKG files, available only on development and test units, now works on the retail machine. From here, the main tool to "backing up" software is added to the machine.

While you may not have heard of a PKG file before, the chances are that you've installed plenty of them on your PS3. Just about every kind of program you download from PSN is in the PKG container. Once downloaded, the PS3 decompresses the data and installs it onto your PS3. On development and test/reviewer units, so-called "unsigned code" is routinely distributed on disc, via download or on USB flash drives in PKG format. The only difference between this and a regular PSN download is that the code is not encrypted, allowing for easier distribution of unfinished or review copy games (only Sony's mastering labs can encrypt, or "sign" code).

The fact that the Install PKG option now appears on a retail unit gives us a strong indication as to how the new "Jailbreak" works as it's almost certainly not present in the regular firmware. It suggests that elements of the bespoke system updates used on the debug PS3s are being injected into the memory of the retail unit. But how?

There are two potential explanations here. First of all, whoever is behind this is extremely clever and has isolated an exploit that allows for the injection of code over the USB port. More likely is that the USB-based tools Sony uses to test and recover PS3s with corrupt firmware have been leaked and reverse-engineered for more nefarious ends. PlayStation 3s locked into "factory service mode" have been popping up every now and again for years, and the PC-side software that runs the USB dongle was leaked a while ago.

Now it would appear that the hardware has also been "liberated" from Sony's repair and test labs. This may sound somewhat implausible, but in a world where PS3 Slim photos circulate months before the launch and final units appear in a Philippines marketplace, anything is possible. Besides, the exact same thing happened with the tools used to service the PSP just prior to the PSP-2000 launch in September 2007.

In terms of the make-up of the dongle itself, pictures posted online of the internals show a basic USB device - what looks like an innocuous 48-pin microcontroller chip on the tiny PCB and not much else. It's quite astonishing to believe that the makers are asking for a colossal $130+ for such a tiny piece of tech, and it's almost certain to be reverse-engineered, ripped off and duplicated by the Chinese mass-suppliers within days of hitting the market.

The software side of PSJailbreak is publicly available to download, installs onto a debug PS3 and throws up few surprises. It's an extremely basic tool that rips off every single file on a game disc onto the internal HDD or else onto a USB flash drive or hard disk. It does appear that some of the encryption Sony uses on the files is stripped away (hashes on encrypted files change drastically), but the executable still won't work without the USB dongle in place. When selecting a game to run, the machine drops back to the XMB. From here on out, we can only speculate but it's reasonable to assume that the chip then diverts all major disc functions to the device where the game-rip lies.

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Comments (117) 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • INSOMANiAC #1 1 year ago

    What it means = People stealing games.

  • drumbaby #2 1 year ago

    I'm guessing a mandatory patch for PS3 that detects what is on the HDD of whoever downloads it, and if this consists of anything, from ANY PS3 game, that shouldn't be there, the PS3 is rendered temporarily inert, subject to criminal investigation.

  • George-Roper #3 1 year ago

    Well yeah, of course its going to result in that but i'd get a whopping big HD replacement and play all my games direct from the HD without having to have a disc in there.

    If one thing does my head in about the current gen consoles, over PC gaming its the requirement to stick media into a slot before you can start. Give me a one-use code with my retail purchase that updates my PSN/XBL account so that I can access a fully HD installed game without having to put a disc in the drive and i'd be just as happy.

    Edited by 1 at 20/08/10 @ 22:22

  • karooo #4 1 year ago

    Don't let GT5 suffer Sony :(

  • SYS64738 #5 1 year ago

    Aye. I consider this a bad thing for the future of the PS3, no matter what the 'homebrew' crowd say.

  • Pirotic #6 1 year ago

    Next months news - PS3 game rentals jump 5000%.

    I'm not even sure it works out any cheaper when you factor in most of the best PS3 games are now available on the classics label anyway, and the system isn't region locked. So meh.

  • Dolly #7 1 year ago

    Great article, presenting lots of new info. Thanks :)

  • metamorphic #8 1 year ago

    Good article; this debunks many of the misconceptions people have had and raises the more important points. What I found most integral:
    "Additionally, over the longer term, there is nothing to stop Sony from introducing brand new forms of encryption and execution on the way that future games boot."
    "This of course precludes PSN access, and in the fullness of time this approach will stop newer PS3 games from running as they will be reliant on software elements found only in the newer firmware."
    This would mean all newer PS3 games, whether it be GT5 or KZ3 or any other game, will be inaccessible with this "hack". So, people would be stuck offline and unable to play the newer games, many of whom will redefine the PS3 and could be the best ever games on the console. This is exactly why their price is so high:
    "Bearing in mind that PSJailbreak is retailing for upwards of $130, there's a very strong possibility that this may well be the most expensive and short-lived hack ever made, and factoring in the simplicity of the hardware, the very high price seems almost reminiscent of a smash-and-grab raid on users intent on piracy no matter what the cost. The makers of PSJailbreak are charging so high a price because the window of opportunity in terms of exclusivity and the longevity of the hack itself is potentially very small."
    And this, I think, sums up everything.

  • Lord_Gremlin #9 1 year ago

    The truth of the matter is, piracy on PS3 won't worth the effort for 99,999999% of audience.
    Edited by 1 at 20/08/10 @ 22:45

  • Incarta #10 1 year ago

    Even if I did want to steal my games, paying $130 for something that prob' won't work in a few weeks, or will be a hell of a lot of effort to keep working, is surely madness?

  • Dizzy #11 1 year ago

    "Even if I did want to steal my games, paying $130 for something that prob' won't work in a few weeks, or will be a hell of a lot of effort to keep working, is surely madness? "

    Well as long as you don't update any new firmware.

    I am sure that next week you can buy a PS3 in Hong Kong with 100 games on the HDD and the dongle. You can probably even do it today.

  • timewarp87 #12 1 year ago

    I bet Sony buy a boat load

  • timewarp87 #13 1 year ago

    Interestingly, Geohot's PS3 blog is now invite only. Anyone reckon he's behind it ?

  • thefjk #14 1 year ago

    Cmon Sony take them out!

  • metamorphic #15 1 year ago

    @timewarp87
    It's been invite-only for a couple of months; he has nothing to do with it. This was produced in HK.

  • Vertius #16 1 year ago

    So...it's $130, Sony will circumvent it quickly, you can't play any online games or modes, and eventually a firmware update will be required to play new games that you wouldn't be able to download.

    You'd have to be daft to go near it.

  • Osmond #17 1 year ago

    I think because this is the first generation of home consoles to be truly broadband connected (unlike sonys playstation1/2 etc..) enabling automatic, fast firmware upgrades etc. plus the horsepower ,technical and complicated insides of the systems themselves ,has made it allmost impossible for the hackers to stay on top long and make console piracy UNtechnical and rampant like previous gens. (and its far more easier for sony/microsoft to thwart them ).

  • dsmx #18 1 year ago

    Still it has to be said 4 years of unbreakable encryption for games is really impressive well done sony you've made some of the best security known to man.

  • timewarp87 #19 1 year ago

    I wonder if it improves load times playing it from a drive rather than the blu ray

  • makeamazing #20 1 year ago

    Yeah i echo what other people have said really, anyone who is stupid to buy this when you can get lots of quality PS3 games for £10 would be an idiot. Anyone who does, i reckon it will be patched within the week (if needed by Sony) and then it will be basically useless device anyway and wasted money.

    I guess Sony are looking into it first, but i think its disgraceful that companies like this dongle lot can sell this crap on the market and get away with it... hope Sony get their lawyers onto it pronto (and to the people who are selling it).

  • KratosXtreme #21 1 year ago

    I like how a lot of people are distorting what was written in the article. I'm a Sony fan but I hate fanboys of any type more than anything.

    1: Sony will observe this hack and then release a new firmware that will break the hack. Then Sony will make sure that you need that new firmware to play Gran Turismo 5 for example. Now in return the hackers will pick up that new firmware, hack it and then release it.

    This is the same situation the PSP has been in for years. Everytime Sony would release a new firmware for the PSP it would break the hacks and you couldn't play a lot of new games. A few days later(sometimes hours) the new firmware would be hacked. If you look back at the news articles it often takes Sony weeks or months to put out new firmware. It is usually hacked within days.

    In other words the fanboys making statements about "ROFLZCOPTERZ YOU WONTZ BE ABLEZ TO PLAYZ ZE NEWZ GAMES LIKE GT5ERZ" are a bunch of retards that need to realise Sony can hold off the hackers for a few days before the new firmware is hacked and the new games can be played just like the PSP.

    2: The fanboys have also twisted the facts about the Jailbreak device.

    This jailbreak device isn't anything special it is just a USB dongle with a program on it and an attacked IC. If you could reverse engineer the software you could replicates its functions with a USB dongle from Walmart. Even if you needed the IC for the dongle to function these devices would be shipping out of Chinese factories for $20.

    The reason they are charging so much for it has to do with the fact that once it is out on the internet and for free nobody will pay for it. The only way to stop this hack properly is a hardware revision just like it was the case for the PSP.


    All in all I don't think you should buy this device if you want to even use it in the first place. For those of you interested in using it, wait till it is replicated and selling for $20 or better yet wait for it to be reverse engineered and the software available for free.

    It's worth taking into consideration that in a few weeks this dongle will be worthless because you will be able to replicate its functions for a lot less or free. That is why it is so expensive, they are trying to make as much money as they can before what they made is replciated by others and sole for a lot less or given away for free.

    Like with the PSP when the hack ends up on the internet you will be able to put it on any USB stick. When a new firmware comes out on the internet it will be free and it will be updated in the few days after a firmware update.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 01:45

  • menschenfracht #22 1 year ago

    @KratosXtreme
    [link url=h ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle#Copy_protection
    ]http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle#Copy...[/link]
    That, and don't forget to take your pills today, you're overly anxious.

  • flanker22 #23 1 year ago

    "The truth of the matter is, piracy on PS3 won't worth the effort for 99,999999% of audience. "

    what effort, as far as hacks go the ps3 one is even easier than what we've seen on the 360 or the wii.
    it is literally plug and play, this kind of ease can potentially cause the system to spiral as bad as piracy is on the ds with flash carts. the wii and 360 hacks require at least require dissembling the console which is a mild deterrent.
    Edited by 1 at 20/08/10 @ 23:45

  • KratosXtreme #24 1 year ago

    Very intelligent argument menschenfracht.

    I can't wait to see what you retards have to say in a few months or years when the PS3 is in the same situation the PSP was in from a hacking perspective.

    It's going to be fun looking back isn't it. Are you a betting man? ;)

  • el_pollo_diablo #25 1 year ago

    @KratosXtreme

    "This jailbreak device isn't anything special it is just a USB stuck with a program on it."

    No it isn't. It's custom kit with (what looks to me like) an ARM processor soldered onto it.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 00:06

  • Praetorianer #26 1 year ago

    @KratosXtreme

    You're wrong. The software itself is already widely available and it does nothing on non-dev/debug versions of the PS3. Get your facts straight before you talk big.

  • metamorphic #27 1 year ago

    @KratosXtreme
    Utter rubbish. The PSP was already hackable from its early days, so your analogy is a rather stupid one, I might add. If you bothered to do your research or uh, read the article, you'd have known that this $130 "dongle" tricks the PS3 into thinking it's a dev tool, necessitating a restart. This, as DF said, is easily fixable by Sony with a newer code in both their newer games and newer firmware. It will only take mere days to patch it, not weeks.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 00:06

  • napalm68 #28 1 year ago

    If someone came up with a jailbreak to allow region free blu ray and dvd playback, I'd be all over it. But this. I'm sorry but no thanks.

    But it always seems to be the case with the sony consoles though - easier to hack for allowing pirated games, but hard to hack to allow playing multi region media (eg, the PS2 you could get I thinbk USB dongles to allow illegal, games to be played, but to play legitimate copies from other regions you needed something like the messiah. It always struck me as odd that the copy prevention circumvention was seemingly less important than region locking.

  • el_pollo_diablo #29 1 year ago

    @napalm68

    The PS3 is region free for games but I agree about the bluray / dvd locking though - really annoying. I suspect it's down to movie publisher pressure more than Sony though to be fair.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 00:36

  • LiamK #30 1 year ago

    Most Blu-ray films are region free. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than the DVD situation. (Although I have just found out that the Batman The Animated Series DVDs I have are region 1, 2 and 4, apart from the first volume. That fact isn't mentioned anywhere.)

  • hesido #31 1 year ago

    Ah Sony, you removed OtherOS for NOTHING.

  • CloisterBlack #32 1 year ago

    @hesido soooo true. in the end they got hacked from where they did not expect it

  • KratosXtreme #33 1 year ago

    @el_pollo_diablo

    It's nice to talk to somebody with some tech knowledge mate. From what I've read it isn't an ARM CPU though it is an Atmega IC that acts like an SoC. From what I can understand the function it provides is to osbcure the software on the USB. The software on the USB is encoded in a special file The software on the USB itself is not a known file. To make matters more complicated it won't even hex copy.

    It's a pretty decent protection procedure but it is useless somebody will find a way to copy it and then these devices will be shipping from Chinese factories for $20. Eventually it will also be reverse engineered and the software will be available for free.

    @Praetorianer

    The software is unavailable because the devices haven't begun shipping yet. Even if the software was available it would be useless at the moment as the file is unknown and the software can't be hex copied.

    The software that you are referring to dumps the games. Obviously you can't play the dumped games without the device.

    @metamorphic

    lol why does it matter when it was hacked if it was hacked all the same in the end.

    I didn't dispute the functions of the dongle I said the software on the device executes the procedure. I don't understand why you are nit picking on this?! Of course the software executes the procedure, without software it'd just be a bunch of computer chips.

    The funniest thing is you say the comparison between this hack and the PSP hack is stupid...

    From the article:

    "We've seen it before on Sony kit - the so-called "Pandora" battery for PSP that flips it into service mode operates on the same principle"

    Also look at:

    "Going forward we can expect the usual cat and mouse game between hackers and platform holder to unfold"

    Does that sound familiar? That is the same situation the PSP is in.

    Also from the article it suggests an entire motherboard revision may be required to defeat the hack:

    "it may well require a complete, brand new revision of motherboard to successfully defeat"


    So what they are basically saying is:

    The PS3 dongle hack is similar to the PSP pandoras battery hack in principle
    The PS3 hack may be a back and forth battle between the upgrades and the hacks(like the PSP)
    The PS3 may require a motherboard revision to defeat the hack(like the PSP did).


    Hmm no comparison to the PSP at all.

    Honestly I'm all for good debates and I can understand that you are frustrated but your acting like a dick. Read back your comments and read back what it says in the article.

    You pretty much said "this hack is good for a few days, Sony will patch the hack and it is impossible for the hackers to upgrade it to circumvent new firmware and play new games that require that firmware".

    Man trust me I can understand your not happy about this but please don't make shit up. What your saying is completely different to what the article is saying. To make matters worse you are making some pretty big assumptions. You say that this will be patched in a few days. Your going to look like a fucking idiot if it isn't.

  • Retroid #34 1 year ago

    I wish homebrew could be separate from piracy.

    Cool media players, emulators (of stuff I do own, cheers) & tools = \o/

    Piracy of commercial games = :(

    I have no interest in piracy. I'm a collector, I like the cases and I like knowing that the producers of whatever I'm playing have had some payment for it.

  • jambii267 #35 1 year ago

    Region free PS1/PS2 hack please, I'd like to play Chrono Cross again :(.

  • huhnscheibe #36 1 year ago

    Theres report that current PSJailbreak only work for current firmware (3.41).

    from neogaf

  • Zaiz #37 1 year ago

    I bet Sony can alter their own BIOS. You'd be suicidally retarded if you couldn't alter your own BIOS, since that little chip boots the whole machine. They'll change the BIOS, prevent the current hack, then begin fighting the anti-piracy battle.

  • SamHocevar #38 1 year ago

    The sad thing is that this might very well be the only way for me to do PS3 development at home.

  • napalm68 #39 1 year ago

    @el_pollo_diablo - I don't disagree - and I am thankful that games now are more or less region free. But The blu ray / dvd locking is annoying and something I'd be interested in circumventing. And yes, it definitely isn't Sony's fault that they lock it - they OK'd the games being region free, and most Sony blu rays are region free, and I'd expect now if it was up to them they'd not region lock. But I still find it most bizarre that region locking has always seemed harder to circumvent on the consoles than pirate material.

  • Bumbuliuz #40 1 year ago

    This is sad news, I hope Sony can kibosh this quickly.

  • SavageEvil #41 1 year ago

    Sony is probably already all over this one, seems that they made one hell of a system here. Now we know why they constantly sent out updates, to keep these idiots from stealing and causing the consumer harm. Man i have read some utterly stupid stuff in here, not sure why someone would want to advocate piracy. This guy said that he would buy the hack to spite sony, lol. Good one! I'm pretty sure that Sony's engineers will change the firmware to only go into debug mode if you have a digitally signed dongle attached to it. Firmware update that checks for the Blu Ray being in the drive when the game is booting and intermittenly while you are playing the game. If you get online with a hacked system Sony servers will tag your IP, log your system ID and send you a notice to cease and desist your actions.
    I'm sure that if we didn't have people bent of stealing that PS3 would have had full hard drive uploads, but since you can use existing equipment and the FAT32 sub system well yeah you know how quickly that will end up biting them in the ass. Hurry up and take care of this crap sony.

  • jimparis #42 1 year ago

    This is a really well-written article. Two things:

    1) The Pandora hack on the PSP, which utilized service mode and was released right before the PSP-2000 release, was not based on leaked or stolen Sony service mode. All of the code was reverse-engineered from "pre-IPL" code which was dumped with the use of the "Undiluted Platinum" dual-flash modchip, as well as some other software holes that had been previously found in the system. The service mode battery trigger was discovered nearly by accident (remove a battery EEPROM and it becomes a service mode battery). The signature check was subverted through some very clever cryptanalysis and code exploits. Some more information this hack is available in this talk by Tyranid.

    This PSJailbreak thing, on the other hand, seems to be based on a leaked Sony tool. This isn't certain but it is likely.

    2) It's a 44-pin microcontroller, not 48 :)

  • Kanselier #43 1 year ago

    One thing tells me this is not as bad as it sounds. Hear me out before you start pressing that negative button.

    Games. A Blu-Ray disc can house 25GB of data. I do not know how much space an average PS3 games takes on a BD but for the sake of conversation, let's say 25GB. Assuming one is a big player and he/she kitted his/her PS3 with a 500GB HD, that is 20 games until the complete HD is full with just games. No demo's, no DLC, no music, no photo's.

    As far as I understand, you need to have the orignal copy of the game. That eliminates downloading a game, as the PS3 can not run a copied BD. Furthermore, if via some way it is possible to boot a pirated game, how many people are tempted to download 25GB?

    This mod does not nearly sound as bad as the PS1 and PS2 mod. Yet, and let's keep it that way. Not to say that I would not love to see a method that let's me play PS2 games on my PS3 but that is another story.

  • Alestes #44 1 year ago

    Heh, I agree with you jambii267, being able to play Chrono Cross on the PS3 would be awesome. I wish the game could get a proper euro release as it was never released here.

    I also wish Sony could give us the option to install any game we want to the HD, and only use the disc to verify the game thingy, like the 360. The less strain there is on the laser, the better!

    I also wish Sony could give us back the OtherOS option :p

  • flanker22 #45 1 year ago

    @Kanselier
    ya thats true for only a handful of games, as you've noticed eurogamer actually shows game data size on the face offs and 90% of ps3 games fall well under 8GB. and HDD are only getting cheaper, 1TB drive is about the cost of 1 retail game.

    also because of used games, game trading, rental places, gamefly is going to allow ppl to rip games directly to console.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 07:15

  • orangpelupa #46 1 year ago

    i just wish it is really working in very low level.. direct to the low level system on BIOS.
    so sony wont able to block it with current hardware on market.
    so finally the homebrew in PS3 will blooming, just like PS2.

    about a year after my PS2 laser lens fryed, i still use it regularly lol. Because of the homebrews. Especially SMS.

  • jonsaan #47 1 year ago

    Why don't these people just feck off. What makes them tick? Surely they could be employed to do something useful instead of hacking games consoles?

  • bobmar360 #48 1 year ago

    Regardless of any Firmware update, they would be fools to make new games only run on this firmware, the vast majority of gamers DO NOT play online and they should not have to connect to the internet to update the firmware in their console

    Be a stupid move by Sony to do that....

    They need to look at a different approach, besides they already took the 'other OS' away which was way out order

  • Kanselier #49 1 year ago

    @Flanker

    Hmm, games are that "small". Did not expect that. Thanks for the info :)

  • Mydoom #50 1 year ago

    sounds like these guys spend alot of time in there basements whacking them self off working on this code,

  • Mydoom #51 1 year ago

    @ bobmar360 there is always a firmware update on new games. so if you want to play the game you have to install it either from the net or off the disc. been like this for ages
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 09:17

  • rodpad #52 1 year ago

    Kanselier - Most games are actually 3-7GB in size. Games which are over 8gb are in single digit numbers.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #53 1 year ago

    I suppose it would make that 500Gb HDD in my PS3 actually useful if I could dump my games onto it. Plus I wouldn't be running the risk of my BD drive breaking down during use. For those reasons alone, I would find this device useful.

    My only problem would be the piracy issue, which I do not condone, and the potential for online games to be subverted with altered code which provides gamers with an unfair advantage. No signs that this will be a problem yet but it always my first fear when this type of hack is unleashed.

    Still, after hacking my Wii and dumping all my Wii games to HDD so that I no longer need to have the disc in the drive to play them, I do find moving over the PS3 to play games a bit quaint in comparison. If I could do away with having to have the disc in the drive to play the game, I will be very happy indeed.

  • Dizzy #54 1 year ago

    "
    So I take it Sony's security is a lot better than MS's, considering people have been playing copied 360 games for ages. Slightly disconcerting, as most of the world's computers are running MS software.
    "

    Not really. The 360 hack is a hardware one, not a software hack.

  • des #55 1 year ago

    What it means=Sony is fucked...method is very easy,no need for opening PS3(warranty lost),no need for burning discs(discs + blu-ray burner=$$$)...plug&play thing

    No firmware update can patch this because people will not update and usb stick can also be updated...the ability to run unsigned code is huge...

  • riceNpea #56 1 year ago



    £130? its still better value then kinect

  • xentar #57 1 year ago

    this is a big news and a sad one. It was nice to know that PS3 owners are in it for the real value, not because of stealing. For Sony it may not be as damaging as it would seem. Microsoft Xbox 360 is plagued with piracy yet it sells games and has bigger attachement rate than PS3. For sony this may be good if they make money on the hardware so they sell couple of millions to scumbags using this usb dongle otherwise it wil be business as usual. remember, even Nintendo DS with its ease of pirating games is very profitable and the sales numbers for DS games are huge

  • Ryboy #58 1 year ago

    I don't think I could care any less.

  • amiga_dude #59 1 year ago

    The big shame from Sony view point that this couldn't of came out earlier in the year. As firmware update for the use of Move would of been a great incentive for people to install the update. Now the only big incentive left at the moment is Blu-Ray 3D playback and who has 3D TV?

  • jjolley #60 1 year ago

    At des:
    It's very likely that this crack will be bricked in days as per the DF article. People are forgetting the power of playing online, plus many newer games will need functions of the firmware. The other option for sony is to include special authentication on the internet for connected machines. They'd just need to have a 100 KB file that every game downloads, bit like certificates on the internet. It would mean you being online, but that's the age we're in now.

  • Nuada #61 1 year ago

    Jesus christ! Piracy isn't the only real use for this dongle. It has the potential to open up the system to a host of homebrew apps. What is it with some people that they willfully ignore this major piece of information? The issue of piracy is what's getting all the coverage but in reality it's not going to make a huge impact on anyone's business. Even scrubbed ISOs are just too big for most users to bother downloading, especially as the PS3 games are region free and generally available pretty cheaply from overseas. In reality what this'll mean is decent media players for the console, the return of Other OS & BC and tidy living rooms. All these damn 'concerned citizens' sound like those paranopid parents who see paedophiles around every corner and want cameras banned from public places and no unaccompanied men within 500 yards of schools.


    BY THE POWER INVESTED IN ME BY A TEXT POLL ON SKY NEWS I FIND YOU GUILTY OF...PIRACY!

  • TheTrueSpin #62 1 year ago

    I don't think this is a big problem for Sony. As Eurogamer have already pointed out, it probably won't be too hard for Sony to update the system to prevent the hack from working.

    Also, with many blu-ray games totaling 20+ gigs (with some games much more), just how many rips could you store on your HD? I only have 80gigs in total. The only option would be to but a new SATA drive (cost-£50+) and then this dongle (£100+). So, before I even start to try and pirate games, I have got to invest £150 - £200? Can't see it catching on.

  • Atropos #63 1 year ago

    If I was still a student I'd be excited by this news, but considering that I use my PS3 for games, music, movies and TV, I'd never jeopardize it's capabilities. Also, I surprised myself by thinking "I'd rather pay for the games anyway". I was an unrepentant pirate in my youth, but nowadays with a job and readily available demos so I can try before I buy, I just can't justify piracy to myself anymore. If that makes me a moralfag, so be it.

  • Nuada #64 1 year ago

    @Argentlupine
    A lot of them are, yes. Sure people use them from piracy but that's a long way from EVERYONE using them solely for piracy. I have an acekard cart for my DS that I use for Moonshell and running backups of my purchased games and Wiiflow on my my Wii for the same. I moved countries recently and like fuck I was going to carry all that extra luggage with me. And like I mentioned, I have a lot more space in my living room without all those boxes piling up. Your's is the same logic Insurance companies use for anally raping young men on motor insurance.

  • Bartacus #65 1 year ago

    Bad news for developers, good news for poor people games are far too expensive.

  • Collymilad #66 1 year ago

    It sucks that this has happened because the games industry doesn't exactly need this at the moment.

    However, one thing. A lot of people seem to think that being stuck offline will deter people, but it won't. I know quite a few people who had hacked 360's, and all they did was buy two and have one hacked, then use the other for the few games they wanted to play online (which they bought) See you spend £250 on a new console, but their logic was that you save a hell of a lot more than that because you're not buying most of your games.

  • amiga_dude #67 1 year ago

    The big question is this:-
    How long before others copy the design of this USB / Software and start manufacturing it them selfs?

    It seams a high mark up take place at about £100 a unit. I bet you could make and sell it at £30 and still make large profit from doing it.

  • gott_sei_dank #68 1 year ago

    I wonder if whoever did the cost benefit analyses of a simple plug and play fix versus a return to base policy for what shouldn't have been a problem (firmware upgrades) has kept their job. All for the sake of a few dollars for a few parts and the cheaper popular option has become the systems weakest link.

    Even if there were only a handful of the original Sony usb devices in the hands of trusted employees, in an age when corporate espionage can be conducted from many miles away it was naive to think that this knowledge wouldn't escape Sony's control.

  • el_pollo_diablo #69 1 year ago

    @Nuada

    The overwhelming majority of Modchip owners are in it for the free games. Far fewer care about homebrew. That's just a fact. So whilst you're right to say that it's a positive aspect of this news, and it totally is, you have to understand that it really is a very small footnote to the bigger story here. Maybe not to you, but there you go.

    :)

  • DoctorFouad #70 1 year ago

    I hope this doenst work like PSP hacks, if so than this is horrible for ps3 future...hopefully sony will react very aggressively, rapidly and effectively to this hack...

    piracy is stealing and must be severely punished

  • kimchibaka #71 1 year ago

    I'd absolutely love to install all my games to HDD to save my laser...anyone know why on earth Sony won't let me, and instead will force me to get one of these dongles to do so (assuming they continue to work)?

  • patchbox360 #72 1 year ago

    this won't effect sony at all, if anything it will help sell units by the millions, its the developers who won't get the sales revenue. The lost in revenue from piracy and the second hand market will be huge problem for developers, something has got to give.

  • oreillymj #73 1 year ago

    BTW - It would be easy enough for Sony to allow add the USB identifier of this device to a Blacklist that the PS3 won't recognise, so the contents are never read.

    Not a nice solution, but it's something that could easily be updated when you sign into the PSN. Now if this hack is as simple as a bit of software that could be pt on a USB memkey, then bviously Sony couldn't block them all, but if the device is imitating a piece of Sony hardware for system recovery, then it might be cheaper to disable those device ID's and issue a new h/w rev with a different USB ID.

  • timewarp87 #74 1 year ago

    Sony could bring out a game backup tool similar to XBOX allowing you to install games to your drive but requiring the disc for playback. I havent seen any video of this mod device installing from a backup blu ray, only of installing from original disc. If it is Sony's in house code that is being run then they could kill it with an fw update but then not everyone connects to PSN. Its a tough one for Sony!

  • dingo75 #75 1 year ago

    Well maybe we see the next generation of consoles faster now...

  • TeaFiend #76 1 year ago

    Has this actually been seen working on a retail PS3, not a test kit?

  • I\'mListening #77 1 year ago

    Oh God, more potentially console bricking frimware updates which I have the pleasure of waiting anywhere up to an hour to download

  • jjolley #78 1 year ago

    At Collymilad:
    I'm not so sure really. Many games are patched to fix issues and we can argue the toss as to if this is a bad thing or what, but that's the reality. I don't see why the authentication chip on the PS3 couldn't also be used to black list the device. Every USB device has an ID, that's how iTunes works with iPods as an example. I actually think this story is going to die very quickly, just because of the additional options Sony have for plugging this. Let's see how many I could come up with:
    1. The initial idea of authenticating via servers whenever games download updates or install.
    2. Checksums within the installers that read hidden blocks on the blu-ray disks.
    3. The chip that is used to authenticate the system time with the PS3, the one that had the bug whereby the year was out. This could be patched to exclude games from running whenever the dongle is installed.
    4. System checks within the firmware that trigger the blu-ray to check for inserted disks could be included.

    These are only ideas, but if I'm having them, you can bet Sony have already looked in to this.

  • Kovacs77 #79 1 year ago

    If you're the kind of person who'd pirate games because they're too expensive, then you probably currently get the majority of your PS3 games second hand from Game etc. If all those people get one of these dongles and start pirating all their PS3 games instead of getting them from Game, it'd affect the shop's profits but would have little effect on the developer's, unless I've missed the point of the industry's years of moaning about 2nd hand sales? People feel loyalty to developers, fine, but I'm not sure anyone gives a toss about Game's bottom line, do they?

    Also, people are overestimating the power of cutting of PSN access as a deterrent, there's thousands upon thousands of banned, modded xboxes out there that are still used to play pirated games on, they may not be able to get online but there's not many games worth buying for the multiplayer content alone is there. After each ban-wave, sales of 2nd hand, cheap consoles on ebay spikes as people grab something to play MW2 on and carry on using their banned console for everything else. I suppose the difference is that there's no such thing as a cheap PS3 yet, even 2nd hand they're in the £160-range.

    Out of interest, has there ever been a game released that can only be played on a console with a certain firmware? I know people with original 360s (20gb Premiums) that have never been connected to the internet so are still running on the original software, surely Sony or MS wouldn't stop those people playing a game just because of a lack internet access... would they?

  • Kovacs77 #80 1 year ago

    @PS_2010

    What difference does the spread of Blu-Ray burners have? You'd download your iso's or whatever from usenet, torrents etc, copy them onto a hard drive, then connect it to the PS3, disc burning wouldn't be necessary. Or are you talking about people selling copied games on market stalls? Because those guys already have Blu-Ray burners, lots of them...
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 17:48

  • albinac #81 1 year ago

    i wouldnt be surprised that sony leaked the information about the dongle and its back doors to the playstation3 so it could be pirated. that means they could sell a lot more playstations than they are at pressent. think about it for a minute for 4 years they have been underselling compared to the nintendo wii and the xbox360 has managed to stay ahead of sony and now with the redesigned xbox peeking the interest of the consumer even more so in the usa. they are loosing the console race this gen and sony dosent like this.also the move is close to retail but it is exspencive for a complete set so they will need an angle, hence a hack for the ps3 arrives very suspiciously.this is just a hypotheticle idea but for me its starting to make sense.

  • Corletha #82 1 year ago

    Piracy didn't exactly ruin it for PS1 and 2 either. Piracy is bad, but this appears after the point that Sony starts making profit on the hardware. Coincidence?

  • FunkeeFresh #83 1 year ago

    Can't imagine it catching on with the 130 price tag... Plus the fact that the majority of owners will just have a PS3 for playing Fifa & COD... The only reason the iPod jailbreak is so popular, is because its free, easy and doesnt push the boundries of piracy.

    It does leave the question, Why cant sony provide these services on the console? Especially with Playstation Plus adding a "premium" service, which has yet to prove its worth! If it provides extra income for sony, surely they can pay the engineers to add some applications or services to the console!

  • Red-Moose #84 1 year ago

    I t may catch on, but Sony can just as easily update the firmware (as they can and will do as they only issue you the game sunder EULA licensing, etc., ) for say, Gran Turismo 5. GT5 may only run on this new firmware and you can choose to not install the game+required firmware or else do it. It's not like it needs to be online to update - you will just be stuck at July 2010 for PS3 games.

  • SilentNinja92 #85 1 year ago

    The benefits wont be huge.

    The psp is a popular hack becuase not many games really have decent online play so hackers dont care if they cant access it.

    PSN is a big part of the ps3 though and theres no doubt that they will be scanning ps3s for this exploit, and those ps3's using it will be turned into a giant paperweight.

    good thing too. Games for these consoles cost so much to make and theyre of such good quality I dont want to see that end becuase of a few nerdy hackers who have nothing meaningful to do in their lives.

  • SG79 #86 1 year ago

    The PSP was/is a different animal. When the vast majority of the platform's titles are watered down console ports, and a lot of the good exclusives ended up on the PS2 (R&C, GTA etc.), the legitimate market largely ignored it eventually. Look at the hardware numbers in the west now.. pitiful. I'm one of those people, and I finally sold my PSP in 2006 when T5 DR ended up on the PS3 via PSN.

    By comparison, it's a healthy platform in Japan because the software is there. The PS3 doesn't have that problem, neither do other consoles.

    Piracy affected the DC, yes. However, bear in mind that it happened fairly quickly in the worst possible case with self booting pirated software. The problem was compounded by the fact that hardware sales were sluggish post-western launches and never improved.

    The PS3 is nearly 4 years old and 3-4 million units apart from its closest competitor.

    Edited by 2 at 21/08/10 @ 19:53

  • xPreatorianx #87 1 year ago

    INSOMANICA says : "What it means = People stealing games. "

    People who don't mod really are stupid aren't they? Yes people will pirate that is what comes of any platform that has the means to do it. PS2,xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, Wii, Gamecube. Hmm I'm leaving out something aren't I? Besides the PC....ooh that's right soon to be PS3 in a matter of days.

    Anyways yes piracy is gonna happen, but the real feats with modding consoles is the huge home brew scene behind it. Not the people who pirate. Modders do the modding for home brew not for piracy. They do it to run their own code and make the system better then it was before.

    Sony always brags that the PS3 can do "everything" well now it can. If the homebrew scene takes off you will be able to do anything you could possibly want. Screw pirating I want more! Native MKV support, Full native Media server support, Emulator support, hell the sky is the limit.

    For a good modding scene look at the original xbox. People use those for cheap and reliable media centers and they can be used to play classic games.

    So quit the shit about "this just means piracy." When it actually means something a lot more beneficial to even sony themselves. If you don't have the intelligence or the knowledge on modding don't put your 2 cents in, because really they are worthless as hell.
    Edited by 1 at 21/08/10 @ 20:57

  • el_pollo_diablo #88 1 year ago

    @ xPreatorianx

    My apologies for copy and pasting one of my own earlier posts but I feel obliged to do so after your (needlessly aggressive) rant. So here it is:

    "The overwhelming majority of Modchip owners are in it for the free games. Far fewer care about homebrew. That's just a fact. So whilst you're right to say that opening the PS3 up to homebrew is a positive aspect of this news, and it totally is, you have to understand that it really is a very small footnote to the bigger story here. It IS about piracy. Clearly not to you, but to many, many others."

    The fact is - you're the one coming across as naive here. This is about the real world use and application of these devices. And hey, I'm someone who knows a bit about the mod scene myself. But I'm not going to defend cracking systems under the pretence that it's to allow pissy little media player add-ons when we all know what it's really about for the majority of gamers.

    Or am I just stupid?

    And in response to other posts, I'm pretty sure Sony are not pulling the strings here to boost sales. :)

  • RKOwned #89 1 year ago

    Couldnt this kill their software sales that are already not that big?

  • IvorB #90 1 year ago

    Thanks for a great overview of the situation, Richard. I'm 100% behind Sony engineers on this one. Go go, Sony engineers! And make it quick.

  • gandhimaster #91 1 year ago

    I think its sadly ironic that without Sony's own software/hardware etc this hack couldnt happen. They had all this security to stop the thieving bastards from hacking it, and one of their own leaks out the equipment to do it.

    Homebrew my arse.

    Use the things you buy for what they are made for, or buy something else.

  • azix2 #92 1 year ago

    So which survey are you guys using to conclude that most ppl hack their consoles for free games?

    lol @ gandhimaster
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/10 @ 06:24

  • rascoj64 #93 1 year ago

    Buying the games is not an issue, if the usb dongle would give me the time to play the games I'd be interested.

    The fact that the games are 50Gb in size, and ablity to resell games makes gaming cheap and priacy on ps3 a redundant.

    Having a 1TB hard drive with 20 pirated games on it that would take a year to download over my 2mb broadband connection is the crappest piece of piracy I've ever heard of!!! A total waste of time!

  • TeaFiend #94 1 year ago

    As much as there are people who want homebrew systems, the vast majority of people who go through the process are after cheap/pirated games. Do you think most R4 owners wanted to run a different OS and some games on their DS? Back in the day of chipped PS2/Xbox, do you think the vast majority of people who visited that market to get it done were after a better video player or were they after the cheap games that came bundled with?

  • monkfishjoe #95 1 year ago

    I'm heartened by the amount of anti-piracy comments on the site. I remember back in the days of the PS1 EVERYONE was pirating games!!

    It's nice to know that the mood has changed and the vast majority are anti-pirate. It does have such a negative impact on the industry. Look at the baron wasteland that is PSP development and tell me that this is an overall good thing?!

  • Downside #96 1 year ago

    Xbox is hacked to death? Orly?? The vast majority are untouched by dirty hands. Same for this ps3 hack, even if Sony must be kicking themselves over the 'boot from USB' option in the bios...

  • chibber23 #97 1 year ago

    People likening the PS3 situation to that on the PSP are missing one vital fact. In order to enjoy alot of what the PS3 has to offer you need to be online, online play is just a small part of the PSP - if Sony can detect this hack and kick you off the PSN/brick your consoles ability to go online then the price of piracy is far higher on PS3 than PSP. What's the betting we see cross game chat launch inside the firmware that destroys this hack as some extra incentive to download it?

  • IvorB #98 1 year ago

    I wish people would shut the f**k up about "homebrew". What world do you live in? You think these dudes who created this thing and are selling it for 130 big ones are doing it for "homebrew"? Do you think the Chinese gangsters that are gonna pick this up and replicate it by the million are doing it for "homebrew"? Will you realise that hardly anyone gives a toss about "homebrew"?

    Also what's all this about firmware updates taking an hour? Mine take under ten minutes.

  • Bibbo #99 1 year ago

    Heh, Very suprised how simple it was to do in the end. 4 years is a damn good run of being secure.

    Thw Wii has to be the worlds easiest to mod now. All you need is a freakin' SD card.

  • KratosXtreme #100 1 year ago

    BTW this device has already been cloned if you are interested in getting it DO NOT BUY IT YET. When the clones from the Chinese shops start going out in the next few days you won't have to pay 130 Euros it will come down to around 20 to 30 Euros.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/10 @ 12:51

  • Scuba_Steve #101 1 year ago

    I would say Sony's 1st defense will be to shut down the "PS Jailbreak". After all if it relies on stolen/leaked code, unlike standard modding/jailbreaking it doesn't make this thing too legal. stolen code is stolen code!.
    In saying that it would be nice sometimes just to boot from HDD, but I see it still won't do what I really want... PS2 games on my PS3!!!

  • timewarp87 #102 1 year ago

    If Sony can fix it before GT5 is releaed and if GT5 requires a mandatory f/w upgrade which is installed on the disc, then that would be a big step and excellent damage limitation as Im sure GT5 will be a big seller. Hell, if all new games come with an f/w patch on disc..

  • smithdown #103 1 year ago

    I've never played pirated games, out of inorance of how to do it rather than moral principles. I'll be honest and say that, having just bought a house I am rather poor and I would consider this, if it weren't for the fact that it would more than likely kill my PS3 which I love dearly. Plus it would take money from devs who could really do without another attack on their industry what with the ongoing financial crises. Plus games are so cheap nowadays that, people in the UK at least, have very little excuse for pirating. I just picked up Mass Effect 2 for £12 brand new for heaven's sake! Support developers and they will keep bringing us great games, simple as that. Pirate and we'll get nowt but dross...
    Unless it's CoD in which case pirate away!

    Edited for typo
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/10 @ 15:32

  • CyCaboose #104 1 year ago

    @ PS_2010

    I doubt it is relevant if people have a blu-ray burner or not - these games are being played from the hard-drive, so people can either rent/borrow a game and copy it in their own PS3, or download a game onto their PS3's hard-drive. This looks very simple.

    Plus pirates have been copying PS3 games and publishing them on the internet since Day 1, waiting for this day when the PS3 gets hacked - so yeh the library of games are already out there online if you know where to look

  • koreaboy #105 1 year ago

    Hear me out on this.
    I have a PS3 that is version 3.41. I have ordered the dongle from OZ Mod Chip.
    It has cost me 178.00 Australian to have it purchased and sent to Korea.
    I have a current collection of 85 PS3 games. I purchase a 1tb exrenal HD for 100.00
    I backup all 85 games, trade them in for a new PS3 and a little extra cash.
    I never plug in my old PS3 to the internet keeping it at 3.41, and play all my old games.
    I use my new PS3 for any new releases, and internet game play.
    Total cost to me 278.00. Advantages 2 PS3s
    disclaimer: this is only in theory not in practice, do you see any downside?

  • funkateer #106 1 year ago

    "I have a PS3 that is version 3.41. I have ordered the dongle from OZ Mod Chip.
    It has cost me 178.00 Australian to have it purchased and sent to Korea.
    I have a current collection of 85 PS3 games. I purchase a 1tb exrenal HD for 100.00
    I backup all 85 games, trade them in for a new PS3 and a little extra cash.
    I never plug in my old PS3 to the internet keeping it at 3.41, and play all my old games.
    I use my new PS3 for any new releases, and internet game play.
    Total cost to me 278.00. Advantages 2 PS3s
    disclaimer: this is only in theory not in practice, do you see any downside? "

    The downside is that you paid 278 dollars, 178 of which is paid for illegal stuff that hurts the industry.

  • rhinoxious #107 1 year ago

    Just trade in your old games and buy new ones, I mean how much spare time do you have to be playing more than a couple of them anyway?!

  • koreaboy #108 1 year ago

    Well, I have been around a couple of console generations now, and I like to go back every now and again and replay some games. I agree that of the 85 games I currently have some will never be replayed, but one never knows, also if its just an issue of storage space, why not have a full library of games. I play sports games online with friends all other games do not need an internet connection for. So in short a hacked PS3 for all games prior to this date, and a new unhacked PS3 for all new games, if Sony kills the hack with a software update.

  • nevarran #109 1 year ago

    Piracy is to be free. For people who cannot afford to buy all the games they want to play (or any game).
    If you have to pay 180 bucks for a simple USB dongle - that smells like a crime to me. And I'm not intending to be part of any crime.

  • jarek98 #110 1 year ago

    I'm just thinking about one detail - I have not seen any proof, that using this dongle you can actually play a pirated game.
    You can play a game you have previously "backed up" from a legitimate source to your hard drive - and that's that.
    There is no information how to move such a "copy" from one console / medium to another.
    You can create your "backup" copy directly on an USB drive, but only if the resulting file size will not exeed 4 GB - what is much to little for most games anyway.
    I really hope it is just another "fake" jailbreak and all evil it will make is that it will allow people to make "backup" copies of rented games.

  • funkateer #111 1 year ago

    "The legality of the item in question is still up in arms atm, your not case modding anything, not doing anything to invalidate warrenty, rumors are still there that its sonys code."

    It doesn't matter. It's asking money for copy protection circumvention, which is illegal.
    If a court doesn't rule it's illegal, it'll be just because of a technicality, but the laws are quite clear on this.

  • mukki #112 1 year ago

    good article!
    I do think this hole will be patched or future games will be...
    still quite an interesting development

  • Marshall2008 #113 1 year ago

    Even if Sony do patch this out it won't be long before the hackers pump out updates to get around it. Just like the psp. The rule of thumb is don't update your firmware.

  • Marshall2008 #114 1 year ago

    If the modders can make a case for home brew then they might get an exception in the law in the USA just like the iPhone jailbreakers did. If they don't get an exception you can bet that Apple will use this to make iPhone jailbreaking illegal.

  • Skurmedel #115 1 year ago

    jonsaan: What makes them tick is the challenge. If you have ever tackled a really hard programming problem you would understand. You might not approve, but you would understand. I can understand why people try to hack FBI just for fun. Some people climb K2; it's the challenge.

  • captain-future #116 1 year ago

    There are two (legal) applications for a modchip:
    a) play imported (bought) games
    b) enhance the hardware by use of "homebrew" software

    a) is not relevant for games: games are virtually code-free on PS3. only question would be: does it make the PS3 code-free for Blu-ray movies?

    b) is relevant.

    --

    All other reasons are just to "not pay" for games. Which is sad. It's quite ironic this device might be the biggest reason for more hardware sales of PS3 for Sony. Just not in a good way.

  • moxpearl #117 1 year ago

    Let people do what they want with something tangible they have purchased.. next people will be saying we should only HIRE consoles.


    BTW you guys realise that the BIGGEST cause of grief to sony and microsoft is the second hand game market.. that is the giant thorn they have in their sides.. piracy is small fry compared to that