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Portables (Games)

PSP Firmware Broken - Emulation for All 75

Posted by Zonk from the again-that-is dept.
ZiakII writes "Endgadget is reporting that the PSP firmware 1.50 has been broken." From the article: "a group called PsP-Dev have apparently confirmed successful a homebrew bootstrap on 1.50 (no word on 1.51 or 1.52). What's that mean for the indie developer/emulation/warez communities? Well, pretty much the same as before--use your hardware the way you want it. For SNES emulation, that is. Obviously." Tom's Hardware has the story as well.
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PSP Firmware Broken - Emulation for All More

PSP Firmware Broken - Emulation for All

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  • More interesting is the news about the uncompiled (Score:4, Interesting)

    by stoborrobots ( 577882 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @04:18AM (#12810691)
    programs found on shipping PSP disks...

    The Tom's Hardware article makes it sound like we can get both detailed info about the internal hardware APIs and the DRM systems used in the PSP by reading the P-code for some of the avaliable libraries on the disks...

  • Not Compatible with 1.51 or 1.52 (Score:4, Informative)

    by TheBashar ( 13543 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @04:39AM (#12810758)
    The article has been updated to indicate this is not compatible with firmware versions 1.51 or 1.52.

  • Hmm. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by schild ( 713993 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @05:01AM (#12810815) Homepage Journal
    I've commented on this at f13, but I have to admit - the prospect of playing movies at full res + enhanced homebrew webbrowsers, email clients, music players and various other web tools has me more interested than playing Final Fantasy II, which I commented on in my first post about this. It's one thing to get more games out of a gaming system, but it's another thing to actually expand functionality. Unfortunately, Sony will squash this with the next big title. Dead to Rights: Reckoning, Coded Arms, Armored Core, Death Jr., Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City - any/all of these WILL have firmware updates on them. Personally I'd skip games I'm looking forward to in order to keep my PSP working the way I WANT it to work.

    Assuming the linked hack is real - and we'll know on Wednesday 1PM EST...when they're supposed to post the "launcher" - then I'll be able to do anything I please with my own PSP. If Sony wants to forcefully drive a firmware update down my throat with GTA or Coded Arms, well, shit, I simply will never buy another UMD. There's too much use to be gotten out of the unit when homebrew code can run on it.
    • For GTA.. it worth buying another PSP just for it :)
    • Sony will squash this with the next big title. (future games) WILL have firmware updates on them. Personally I'd skip games I'm looking forward to in order to keep my PSP working the way I WANT it to work.

      Ah, I wondered how the PSP got updates. So when you insert a game with a newer firmware, it updates automatically? Does it go into a special mode for that, and how long does an update take?

    • PocketPC and Palms are thataway -->

  • but seriously, how big are the differences in the firmware, between, say 1.50 and 1.51? If it differs by a 2nd minor version, how much does it differ from the previous one, and how hard does it make to hack it, once you have the previous one hacked?

  • Good or bad? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Oldest European ( 886715 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @05:35AM (#12810914) Homepage
    Is this good for Sony, because they're going to sell more units?

    Or is it bad for Sony, because they're going to sell less games for it?

    Personally I think it is a good thing for Sony, even if they will never understand it. Hell I can't even understand why they didn't try to make it an open platform in the first place.
    • They probably make much more money by selling games (or the right to develop games) than consoles. I'm not sure the situation is equivalent to, say microsoft's. Because in microsoft case, the mind share they gain by having pirated versions everywhere is directly correlated to the number of licenses that legit businesses have to buy because everyone knows windows.
      Here there is no professionnal use, and if the psp gains market share because it can be modded to play warez games well it just means that everyb
      • I agree that you should be able to do what you want with your hardware... with the provision that it doesn't infringe on the rights of others. Writing and running homebrew stuff is fine. Piracy is not.
        Regarding the specifications bit, I wouldn't say that's fair. You should be *permitted* to do what you want, but I don't see why the company that sold you the device should help you. They want their device used a certain way, and make it easiest for you to use it in that manner. Beyond that, you're own your o
      • I bet they make a lotta bank on those overpriced accessories like MemorySticks, too.
    • Sony lose money on each PSP, remember? The screen alone probably costs more than US$200. They may be making a profit on the memory sticks, but I'm sure the smart customers are buying Sandisk anyway. With a device with this much potential, if this exploit is real, there are probably going to be a few people buying a PSP with no intention of buying any games, which is where the real profit is.
      -ReK

      • Re:Probably a bad thing (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        The screen does not cost close to 200 USD, i hope your sarcastic...
      • Console sales have not been a loss leader for some time. This practice and the reporting of it as a kind of 'console truism' are way out of date. While hardware sales seldom recover the full costs of engineering, tooling, etc that have gone into their design, they tend to recover the costs of manufacturing the units themselves. Consider that you can buy a new computer for $300 including all the basic goodies -- monitor, cd burner, etc, it's not unrealistic to assume that the PSP is sold at a marginal profit

    • Re:Good or bad? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) *
      "Hell I can't even understand why they didn't try to make it an open platform in the first place."
      1. Sony is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America
      2. Sony designed the PSP to (among other things) play movies
      3. They're still burned about the whole DeCSS thing.
      • Sony is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America
        Sony designed the PSP to (among other things) play movies
        They're still burned about the whole DeCSS thing.

        Exactly. Absolute best example of this:

        Burn a weird DVD. Maybe it has the wrong region, maybe it's in PAL... just something weird about it. Throw it in an Apex player that you got for $20 on sale at Best Buy. It plays the disc. Now throw that disc in a $300-$400 Sony DVD player + surround sound setup. Disc cannot be read.
    • it's good in long-term, it's bad for them now because they are pressed to make more money selling games, but in years to come it's good thing because PSP will be surpassed by something new and better.
    • Game companies make their money off of the royalties per game sold. They also hope to make money on the console its self, but they dont make nearly as much.

      If the primary use of the PSP is to play SNES games published between 10 and 15 years ago by a competitor they discount as being minor, what does that say about the games made by Sony today?

      END COMMUNICATION
    • They say that was what killed the Atari 2600, and caused the video game crash of '83. The platform was wide open, so too many games came out, flooded the market. None of the games were profitable, due to fierce competition.

      Of course, the consumer won out. Games could be had real, real cheap. So when a small Japanese playing card company decided to release their own system a year later, everyone said they were crazy. But, with the lockout chip, they kept most unlicensed games off their Famicom, and almost a

  • Unconfirmed (Score:2, Interesting)

    by SimplePaul ( 807846 )
    This is unconfirmed and there is little reason not to take it as fake right now.

    The only people to confirm it working are the people releasing it :\

    They announced it a few days ago and said "we will show it to you on the 15th of June at 15:00"... sounds like a clever ploy to get more hits on their website.

    This is not news. Yet.
    • Unconfirmed, mostly, however there are two things that make it rather likely: 1. It has been confirmed by a few seperate scene members 2. The group making the announcement are a generally well respected group within the scene. You don't go making announcements like that unless you have the goods (well not unless you really want your rep to take a nose dive). Although I agree, the delay seems a bit odd. Having said that, it could reasonably be considered to have been the case that: a. they mentioned it as s

    • June 15th at 15:00 for firmware version 1.50

      Gee, I wonder why they made us wait a few days.

  • Congratulations! (Score:3, Funny)

    by hobotron ( 891379 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @06:46AM (#12811115)


    You paid $250 to play ROMS!

  • Crackers and hackers always find ways to exploit.. (Score:3, Informative)

    by NZheretic ( 23872 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @07:42AM (#12811328) Homepage Journal
    OS integrated DRM and Steath "hiding" technique [slashdot.org]:
    Crackers and hackers always find ways to exploit the code to access or share protected content. There is not a DRM system that has not been cracked within months of widespread release.

    Read the rest of the linked post [slashdot.org] and discover why DRM technology is a potential risk to end users [computerworld.co.nz].

  • One would think... (Score:1, Insightful)

    by SoulMaster ( 717007 ) *
    ...that one of these days, a manufacturer would figure out that the best part of consoles/handhelds is that they are actually very versitile pieces of hardware. Personally, I think that the company that figures this out, and embraces it (by releasing all of the specs and shipping/supporting mods) will not only win the support of the modder community at large, but will also win the console war. Take TiVo as an example, they don't officially support mods to thier box, but they have forums for the mods built

  • Uh.. (Score:1)

    by skadus ( 821655 )
    How is it "Emulation for All" if it's only one version of the firmware that was previously unhacked?

    "Emulation for some, free plastic flags for everybody!"
  • For not supporting WPA on the PSP. I would have downloaded the PSP firmware updates if you did and wouldn't be able to run emulators on my psp.
  • PSP fanboys are going nuts over the fact that the PSP can emulate SNES games. Give me a break. The GBA and N-Gage have been able to do this for a while now, in addition to being able to emulate other classic consoles. But I guess the PSP still has hype. Eventually people will realize that it doesn't make for a practical portable, the hype will die down, and they will release that if they just play it around the house, then maybe they should just play their full sized console on a full sized TV.
    • I can't speak for the n-gage, but as far as the GBA, SNES emulation is sss-lll-oo---wwwww

      Im talking 1/2 speed on basic games, and forget sound, not to mention on the GBA you are missing 2 buttons. Also, due to the resolution of the GBA screen you lose a decent amount of the image to cropping, making some games even less playable then they already were due to the speed and button issues.

      SNES emulation on PSP when run in 333MHz mode is essentially full speed (50 - 60fps) with sound at the moment. And those

    • Re:You mean like a GBA and N-Gage? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Audigy ( 552883 ) on Tuesday June 14, 2005 @09:24AM (#12811934) Homepage Journal
      There's a small problem with your post...

      The SNES emulators for GBA and N-Gage are crap. I don't know about the N-Gage one, but the GBA one doesn't even have sound emulation!

      The closest I've come to good SNES emulation on a handheld is SNES9xj4u for my PocketPC. It can run some games full frames WITH sound. It just sucks that my iPaq 2215 isn't really made for game-playing... the buttons are too small. D:

      It's extremely exciting to know that the developer of SNES9xj4u is also working on PSP emulators (the first announced Gameboy emu for PSP was coded by this person) ...because I know they'll work well.

      Also, your statement about "maybe they should just play their full sized console on their full sized TV" holds no water for me. My PSP and DS both live on my nightstand. Every night, before I go to sleep, I have a 20-30 minute gaming session. If I fall asleep with the portable in my hands, who cares, it's plugged in. If I'm trying to fall asleep, it's annoying to have to get up and turn off the PS2/whatever before finally retiring for the night.

      I've beaten more RPGs that way... :) Also, these emulators will be sure to have save state functions, so playing games a few minutes at a time will absolutely be possible.

      It's pretty exciting. I'll finally get around to beating games like Final Fantasy V, Bahamut Lagoon, and possibly... hopefully, Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean.

      I really hope this exploit turns out to be real, but if it's not, it's just a matter of time before someone else figures one out.

      The PSP is the most ideal portable for SNES emulation at least that I've seen. The buttons are mostly in the right places, the screen is huge and beautiful, and memory sticks are perfect for storing ROMs and saves.

    • The GBA and N-Gage have been able to

      Disregarding the comparative quality of the emulators on those systems (which has been covered by other respondants), there's also a significant plus for SNES emulation on the DS or PSP... the control layout is closely analogous to the original SNES controller. D-pad on the left, four buttons in a plus shape on the right, two shoulder buttons, and select and start.

      I don't know how the SNES emulator for the GBA manages to shoehorn twelve available buttons into th

    • Re:You mean like a GBA and N-Gage? (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      There is one room in the house where portable is a good idea...
    • You are giving the GBA emulators alot of credit. I have a friend who plays with this stuff, and I was disappointed to see the emulation results on his GBA. Hellish slow frame rates to incompatibility with most games. And that's being generous.

  • For SNES emulation, that is. Obviously.

    Don't we have Game Boy Advance for that already?

    • Re:SNES Emulation (Score:3, Informative)

      by Audigy ( 552883 )
      Have you actually tried running the SNES emulator for Gameboy Advance?

      Try that, then come back and let us know how you do in games like Mortal Kombat, or even Super Mario World, where you need extra buttons that don't exist.

      Also, tell me what you think about the sound... oh wait, it doesn't support sound. ;)
    • Show me Chrono Trigger running on a GBA, only then will I cease to seek new emulators for new devices.
      • See my reply to the other guy who misinterpreted me in this thread. Nice name by the way, tell me, do you agree with me that Mega Man 3 is the best (of the originals)?
  • "That is the sound of inevitability."

    While it doesn't (yet) work with 1.51 or 1.52, it will soon enough. Plus, all many people were waiting for is for 1.5 to be cracked, as that's the one the U.S. PSP ships with. If you're not that interested in playing games on the PSP, you'll likely never be forced to upgrade your firmware from the stock 1.5, anyway.

    Okay, now, let the homebrew _hardware_ addon market begin!

    Has that keyboard been released, yet?
  • What I do not get is that engadget do not quote their source. They are only a second hand source of news, they are not the actual people who said this, yet they do not quote their source.

    Why? Well their only link is a google friendly link to a search on their site (no doubt anticipating people searching for 'upgrade firmware psp').

    Anyway, they should quote their source of 'apparently' etc.

    In fact reading the toms hardware article, it looks like toms hardware *WAS* the source for the engaydget article.

    SO
  • Its not confirmed, there has been fakes before so this could be one too. However it does look like this may be the one, we will see in a few days.
  • I am buying this thing, I doubt I will buy more than 3 psp games to go with it...I always dreamed of having a portable SNES, Final Fantasy III, all the translated Fire Emblem games as well as about oh 1000 or so other games on a 1gig memory card like some crazy game jukebox. That beats any single new game that comes out today.
  • And the best games on PSP are Nintendo games. That's comedy gold.
  • psp firmware broken, purchasers now own their hardware.

    running your own code on hardware you own ... such a simple early 20th century idea. maybe in another 50-100 years of DRM hell (not related to DLL hell), we might get back to the 1950's era of trusting one's machine.

    those who repeat history, often never remember long enough to benefit the next generation - ME.
  • Here you go 8 hours early. Mirror 2 wasn't corrupt download. Some of the others are. http://web.icoiig.es/ubalda/index2.html [icoiig.es]
  • called Freescale writes the drivers for Sony/Xbox. Some of us already have ps3 dev kits... At any rate, I don't honestly see the point in emulating a psp Aside from the possible use of the games on a powerful pocket PC, and even then the games wouldn't run very well on an Xscale. I could maybe see one of those really small sony laptops being useful for the purpose, the 1700 series or whatever it is. The point of having a PSP is to have a PSP, so when you're in the bar and your friend walks in, you get a

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