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Links back are appreciated. If you want your PSP hacking site linked here, contact me.

Also see:
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LiquidIce's PSP Go Hacks

PSP Hacks, PSP Go Hacks, News, and Info. Find out about PSP Hacks and tricks such as: Converting video to PSP format. Running homebrew software. Compile PSP Linux. PSP Home Control. PSP Swap Trick. PSP Web Browsers. PSP WiFi Functionality. PSP controlled car

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

PSP THUG 2 Exploit

*UPDATE*
This has been declared a hoax until code is released. All links to their site have been removed. Sorry for posting this BS in the first place.

http://www.psp-hacks.com/forums/about286.html

BTW, i'm with Fluff... if those guys actually do turn out to release something that opens the doors for homebrew, I will donate to thier paypal link as well.

--

Apparently, there is a Flaw in Tony Hawk Underground for PSP, which allows the execution of homebrew code. A group called PSP Stumbler tease us that they may have found a buggy way of exploiting the game.Take this for what it's worth. The links are provided below for your own inspection.

http://www.psp-linux.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=284&st=0&#entry2153

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Video/Audio/Image Content Distribution Channels on the PSP

Here is my unedited rant about streaming video content to the PSP. Take it for what it's worth...


Is it just me or are the big corporation missing out on a huge opportunity here? There are hundreds of these little gadget devices out there that have screen and speakers, and all of the new ones are coming out with Wireless Internet built in.

It only makes sense that the content creators figure out a way to get their content directly to the viewers and be able to charge them a fair price cutting out all of the middlemen.

I used to run one of the largest South Park Sites on the internet back in 1996 (yes I've been making webpages for quite a while now). Back then downloading video on the internet was not very exciting. It could take several nights of downloading on my 28.8 modem to get a full episode. And that was assuming you didn't get booted off the server half way through the download.

I bring this up because here we are in 2005. The internet has changed greatly. With all of the bit-torrent type protocols it is so easy to distribute content worldwide without breaking the bank on server fees. By just seeding all of your video content on a dedicated server, it is possible to have thousands of people viewing it within a few hours. The startup costs are minimal, and it does not take a genius to set up some .torrent files. Considering the average episode of anything is about 22 minutes long, and with advanced compression techniques such as Nullsoft's NSV or Microsoft's WMV codecs, it only takes a few hundred megs to deliver high resolution video across the net.

Back to South Park... Trey and Matt are smart guys. They have a good relationship with Comedy Central, and i'm sure they cash some nice check from them every week. But here they are broadcasting their episodes on Comedy Central, who chops up their episodes, and censors their content, and takes all of the advertising and merchandising revenues. Wouldn't it make sense for them to take their show to the internet and distribute it themselves on SouthParkStudios.com with some sort of distributed torrent mechanism? They would be cutting out the middlemen. They can get their own advertisers and they can broadcast their own content, keeping 100% of the profits.

Now before you say this is impossible, let me tell you that this is already being done. TVTorrents.com lets you download whatever episodes you want from their other members. Cartoon-Fridge.com also hosts episodes, but from what I can tell they are streaming everything from their own servers. And if you want to download South Park Episodes for free, they have them minutes after they air on southparkx.net and on IRC.

**UPDATE** Cartoon-Fridge has been shut down. (I am not suprised). However the owners of the site have a different site called http://craftytv.com/ where they have moved all of the cartoon content (if you are a member)

I'm not looking for the ultimate pirating site where I can download free version of all of the movies and music that I want, but I'd be willing to pay a reasonable subscription fee to be able to watch any of my favorite shows whenever and wherever I want. And, no 99 cents per show is not going to cut it. I want to pay a flat rate and have access to everything.

There could even be different pricing models.. For example if you are downloading a torrent on your PSP, you don't want it to be uploading all day, the batteries would be dead in an hour. So PSP users can pay a little more and only download while people with a hard connection have to upload and pay a little less to watch their content. The companies out there better get off their asses and figure out how to do this, otherwise someone else will beat them to it.

Yeah I'm talking about the cable companies: Cablevision.. Comcast.. etc..
and the networks... Comedy Central.. Cartoon Netowork.. Fox... etc..

And to the people that actually do all the work and make the content: Stop whoring your talents out to the advertisers and deliver your unedited art right to your viewers and fans.

This post will definitely piss off anyone who relies on these large companies for their well being, but honestly I don't care. I'm an American and I'm using my freedom of speech to say what I feel.
I don't pay over $100 a month for cable so I can watch crap and get bombarded with commercials that are broadcasted louder than the actual show. It's causing me to have to pull out my PSP every 10 minutes and adjust the volume on my TV with my PSP Home Automation Program.

I want an unlimited stream of content coming to me to entertain me wherever I go. And the PSP is the first device I have seen where this is technically possible. Now it's just a matter of getting the companies to agree on some rules and some fair pricing strategy to make this a reality.

Think this is a dumb idea? That's fine, but I will bet you that within the next 6 months when someone hacks the video player, and we will be able to start streaming video to the PSP and all of Sony's hopes and dreams of cashing in on this will be shattered, because they took their sweet ass time, and wasted months of development time with their MagicGate shit. Now I've been getting everything for free for months and it will be that much harder for you to convince me to pay for it.

for the record: I pay a lot of money to be entertained. (every month it's: $100 for cable, ~$20 for MP3s, $12 for Sirius satellite Radio, $20 for cell phone multimedia pack, $10-$15 for various MMORPGs, $10 for xbox live, $15 for blockbuster online, $12 for TIVO..., $?? on demand and PPV movies, ) the list goes on. So the greedy companies are already getting a lot of my money, yet I'm still not satisfied with the content they are delivering to my eyes and ears. Oh and lets not forget the initial costs to get these services started ($450 ipod, $1500 HDTV, $400 satellite hookup for my car, $50 for games, a $200 cell phone, $450 for PSP preorder, $200 TIVO). My point is it is not cheap and it's still garbage and I STILL have to watch these annoying commercials where they have the NERVE to want to charge me a few bucks more a month for RINGTONES@!!!! (yeah, I'm talking about you jamster..)


Step #1 unlock the video player and allow it to 'buffer' video content on the memory stick.
Step #2 build a web portal which shows all of the content available and requires a login to access
Step #3 construct a special browser link which launches the video player and starts buffering the video content.

If you have comments on this or ideas on how to make this video subscription service a reality leave me a comment, and I will contact you.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Read Magazines on your PSP

From psp-hacks.net, I discovered a site that has taken scans from magazines and put them into image files which will fit perfectly on your PSP screen. It's a really cool idea, but i would think it's only a matter of time before these guys get shut down by the publishing companies. Lets hope the magazines wake up and take advantage of this new distribution medium. It seems like Playboy is the only one catching on with this.

"Utilizing the "Photos" feature on your PSP and a small Duo Pro card, you can store a ton of these little magazines for later viewing.

Simply download the zip file, and unpack it to your PSP's photo directory."

Check it out at http://www.pspmagazines.com

Monday, April 18, 2005

Create your own spoofed DNS server for Wipeout

MooPS is a DNS/Web server that you run on your computer. It automatically forwards ingame.scea.com to the url of your choice.

PSP DNS Server Hack 1

     

PSP DNS Server Hack 2


Using MooPS, you have total control over your PSP browsing experience. After MooPS is installed you need to setup the server settings. Select the IP address you want Moops to listen on, then give it a redirect address to send your PSP to a different URL. Stat up your PSP and edit your DNS server settings to the IP address of your computer.

Thats it, click OK to save the settings.

Click 'Server' --> 'Start'

If everything is OK, you should see the following:

OK: Spoof Server
OK: DNS Server
OK: WEB Server
All services running: 4/19/2005 04:20:00 PM

Download MooPS Now
and be sure to read the readme.txt

Control Winamp from your PSP

I found a neat little program called BrowseAmp. You install it on your PC and it creates a mini web server. When you access the webserver through a browser it generates an HTML page that has special links that control the winamp player running on your PC.

Use your favorite Wipeout Browser Portal, and surf over the the IP address of your PC and you will be controlling the music coming out of your PC's speakers in no time!

Now someone just needs to come out with a cool skin that is formatted to the right size for the PSP screen. Download it at:
http://www.browseamp.com/

Friday, April 15, 2005

PSP Home Control 1.0

When the wipeout browser hack came out, I saw someone controlling XBMC from their PSP browser. It's great that you could control XBMC from your PSP, but what if your XBOX isn't on, and your TV isn't on, and your TV is not on the right input?? You still have to get up or find the remote and adjust all of that...

I've come up with my own solution...

Step 1: Setting up the DNS Hack


The first step was to be able to redirect the Wipeout Browser to any url I want. To do that I turned to MooPS, which is a DNS/Web server that you run on your computer. It automatically forwards ingame.scea.com to the url of your choice. Once Sony releases their browser this step can be skipped, assuming sony gives us an 'address bar' or homepage.


PSP DNS Server Hack 1

     

PSP DNS Server Hack 2

More info about MooPS
Download MooPS


Step #2: Controlling A/V equipment

PSP Controlling the WACI NX

By using a controller device called the WACI NX you could turn on the TV, turn on the XBOX, switch to the correct input on the TV, and send the PLAY command to XBMC all in 1 button press on your PSP.

PSP Tivo Control


PSP Home Control 1.0

PSP Home Control 1.0

PSP Home Control 1.0



So far I have the ability to turn my lights on and off. Have full control (Play, Stop, Pause, Menu) of my DVD player, TIVO, and High Def TV, all wirelessly from my PSP. I can also send commands to my PC running Winamp to tell it to Play Stop and Pause my music, or even browser my playlists.

To do most of the controlling I used this tiny little web server control box called the WACI NX. It's great because it has an HTTP and FTP server and uses regular HTML to issue the commands making it the perfect match for my PSP, which does not support any fancy Javascripts or DHTML. The PSP talks to the WACI NX via wifi through the network. In turn the WACI emits the IR signal to the TV through one of my IR Emitters, just as if I had pressed the button on the remote.



The WACI NX has a built in IR Learner so you can grab all of your remotes, learn all the button commands, and save them in the WACI to be played back and emitted later. You could even do macros so it sends out a sequence of button presses with a specified delay between each button press.

WACI NX IR Learner

WACI NX Event Manager

The pages it hosts are constructed using Layers and Div tags. I put an image map on the graphics and created some HTML pages which have special links which are crafted so that when the PSP highlights and clicks on a spot on the image map, it instructs the WACI NX server to send an IR signal to my A/V equipment or triggers it's relays to cut power on the lights.
Creating Image Maps in Dreamweaver
The actual links are name value pairs going to a script I made on the WACI NX. http://192.168.1.102/rpcpost.asp?method=IRSend&Param1=1&Param2=DVD&Param3=Play
That script is written to execute the IR Send then redirect back to the referring page. To change which command I run, I just change the url string in my link.

cuteftp asp

I'm sure that if you rigged something up you could do something similar with special software that runs on your PC. However, by using the WACI I have a dedicated piece of hardware that's only function is to send commands to my stuff no matter which interface I create to control it. Unlike Sony who hides their protocols, the WACI NX has an open protocol which you can access from just about any web programming language. I can program using, Flash, ASP, HTML, Javascript, C#, C++, and Java. It's great for developers, and fairly simple to get started using the provided sample code. For more info on the WACI NX you could check out waciworld.com

Step #3: Controlling Winamp

PSP Winamp MP3 Controller

Another web server you could set up is a plugin for Winamp called BrowseAmp. This program will set up a mini web server that uses the same kind of special urls to send commands to the Winamp player running on your computer. I've put together a skin that looks good on the PSP screen. I will post it on http://psphacks.blogspot.com

In the meantime, download BrowseAmp at:
http://www.browseamp.com/

browseamp - winamp mp3 controller



I have a lot more ideas on how to improve this system, but I am waiting to see what Sony does with the web browser first. Right now navigation is clunky because every button press causes the page to refresh. This is the same reason why PSPIRC keeps refreshing the entire screen. I want to explore sending the commands to the WACI using an IFrame or XMLHTTPRequest object, but AFAIK these basic HTML features are not implemented in the wipeout browser.

The PSP has a lot of potential in terms of just Web Apps. With minimal effort, Sony can unlock browser functionality on everyone's PSP's in the form of a network update. Until then we wait, and hope Sony does the right thing...




As Seen on:
http://www.slashdot.org/games/
http://news.com.com/
http://www.digg.com/gaming/
http://www.bluesnews.com/
http://www.pvrblog.com/

http://www.psphacks.net/forums/
http://forums.ps2dev.org
http://pspnetwork.net/forum/
http://www.pspforums.com/forums/
http://www.psp-hacks.com
http://www.psp-vault.com/
http://www.pspworld.com
http://www.pspgarden.com/
http://www.psphacker.com/

http://www.expectnothing.com/
http://portable.joystiq.com
http://keoshi.com/blog/
http://www.hardgame.net/index.php?zone=news&mod=noticia&id=17303&id_ficha=0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/

http://www.phalapatate.com/default.asp?xP=BlogLink&xM=1&xY=490
http://www.agodbey.com/index.php?mode=viewid&post_id=91
http://www.livejournal.com/users/liquidicepsp/5364.html
http://tech.sflare.com/archives/2005/04/16/psp-home-control-hack/
http://www.boredally.com/?postid=45
http://www.10500bc.org/archive/2005/04/17/links-for-2005-04-18/
http://gametz.com/forum/
http://www.gamescore.com.sg/forum/
http://unknownelements.com/forum/
http://gry.imro.pl/

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/
http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/

Thanks to GUIFX for the great font!

http://www.guifx.com

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

How to Read Web Comics on a PlayStation Portable

HEre are some instructions for viewing comics on your PSP. The instructions are for MAC users. PC users can use a program called "Paperless Printer"

http://www.8bitjoystick.com/jake_how_to_read_web_comics_on_a_playstation_portable.php

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

DS Remote Boot From a PC

This is what we need for the PSP. Someone has figured out how to boot the DS wirelessly off a PC using a special driver.

http://www.4colorrebellion.com/?p=613

Sorry, there is nothing new to report on PSP Hacking, AFAIK, no one has been able to execute their own code on the PSP yet.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Japenese vs US PSP Compatibility list

This list shows which games/movies will work in the UMD slot of a US and JP PSP. It's obviously far from complete, so if you have access to both a US and JP send them your results so they can have a more complete list.

http://www.wtfwasthat.com/psp/mischtml/compatibility.htm

So far nothing suprises me. Movies only work in their region and the PSP Game UMD's are region free.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Japan Wipeout Downloads Released - Hacking begins

The Japanese PSP users got an update to Wipeout Pure today. Some clever folds at ps2dev.org has started ripping it apart to see what it does and how it works. Check out the thread here:

http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=1381


The browser uses this link on the web page: proc://command/http://wipeoutpurepsp.scej-online.jp/downloads
/pak_gamma1/download.pspdif

I've never seen proc:// before so there might be something good to look into.

Extensive PSP Data Capture

MWerner and MMegally have done a lot of great research on the PSP. You can find all of their discoveries on their blog:

http://psp.wtfwasthat.com/

They seem to be the closest in the race to be able to run their own code on the PSP. There are packet dumps from Ethereal for looking at traffic between the PSP and update server, as well as a capture of the Namco Museum game Transfer.

I figured I'd give it a plug in hopes that maybe someone else will take a look and see something they did not notice.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Memory Stick Snooper - Capturing Serial Data




Jerome Demers (robomaniac) posted some great pics that show how to extend the memory stick out of the PSP. Now we can see what kind of data is being passed back and fourth from the stick on bootup and during load games.

http://www.psp-linux.org/forums/

Hopefully it is not encrypted, but I have a bad feeling it is... The good news is, the memory stick format command in the menu might help solve the problem of converting another type of memory (CF, SD, IDE, USB) into a format PSP understands.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

First Look at the upcoming PSP Web Browser

PSPHacks posted a link to some images which show off the Korean PSP WebBrowser.

http://www.videogamerx.net/bbs/view.php?id=vx01&no=9014

It's too bad that it's on UMD, I was hoping for it to com in a firmware update. Who knows, maybe Sony as a different plan for the US launch of the browser.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

The Ol' PSP Disk Swap Trick

Tried and true, the disk swap method for playing multiplayer PSP games with only one copy of the disk:

http://www.pspforums.com/forums/
playing-multiplayer-games-with-only-one-copy-of-the-disc-vt512.html

Use Your PSP as an XBOX Memory Unit

Instructions on how to hook up your PSP to your xbox as a memory

http://www.pspforums.com/forums/
use-your-psp-as-an-xbox-memory-unit-vt529.html

Facts and Info on the Sony Memory Stick Format

I've been looking into the possibility of trying to convert memory stick to compact flash, convert memory stick to sd, and convert memory stick to ide.

Here is what is known so far, in one convienent place...

The best thread about this topic is here:
http://www.psp-linux.org/forums/

A memory stick can be controlled through the communication with the three wire half-duplex serial protocol, or through communication with the six-wire half-duplex parallel protocol.

To officially make a memory stick licensed product with sony it's going to be about $5,000 to get started. They will give you all the specs and protocols. Since we don't have $5,000 we must figure it out ourselves.

An FPGA or micro-controller would need to sit in between the two storage interfaces and convert the bits into useable data for the memory stick reader.

The FAT partitions that memory sticks use will limit the size of the drive that will work. However some advanced programming could be done to make several partitions from larger storages devices.

Basic Specifications of the "Memory Stick DUO":

Storage Capacity : 32MB/64MB
Connector Type : 10 Pin Connector
Interface : Serial Interface
Clock Speed : Max. 20MHz
Write Speed : Max. 1.50 MB/s
Read Out Speed : Max. 2.45 MB/s
Power Source (Voltage) : 2.7V to 3.6V
Outer Dimensions (W/L/T) : Approx. 21.5 X 50 X 2.8mm (with cartridge)
Approx. 20 X 31 X 1.6mm (without cartridge)
Weight : Approx. 4g (with cartridge)
Approx. 2g (without cartridge)

Some more good links on this topic:
http://www.memorystick.org/eng/simplefmt/index.html
http://psp-vault.com/Article63.psp
http://www.psphacks.net/content/view/124/2/
http://pinouts.ru/data/memorysrick_pinout.shtml
http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/146/62/
http://psphacks.blogspot.com/2005/04/memory-stick-snooper-capturing-serial_07.html

Monday, April 04, 2005

PSP Dev Kit Pictures

Pics of the PSP Development kit have been posted on DCEmu.com Forums




The UMD slot is a reader only. To test games, developers use the included DVD burner.

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Golden PSP

What can I say... wow


Today's Dose of PSP Goodies

Great writeup on the UMD from Engadget

HOW-TO: Get RSS feeds on your PSP

PSPForums.com - Another good forum for PSP info

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Best Prices on PSP Memory Sticks

32 MB

Card Price
Lexar 32 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSD032-281) $25.64
Sony 32 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSG32A) $37.99

64 MB

Card Price
Sony 64 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSHM64A) $29.44
SanDisk 64 MB Memory Stick Duo (SDMSH-64-A10) $29.59
Lexar 64 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSD064-231) $33.24
Lexar 64 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSD64-281) $36.09

128 MB

Card Price
SanDisk 128 MB Memory Stick Duo (SDMSH-128-A10) $29.88
SanDisk 128 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (SDMSPD-128-A10) $34.19
Lexar 128 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSD128-231) $39.95
Sony 128 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSH-M128A) $39.95
Lexar 128 MB Memory Stick Duo (MSD128-281) $51.29

256 MB

Card Price
SanDisk 256 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (SDMSPD-256-A10) $37.04
Sony 256 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSXM-256S) $50.95
Sony 256 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo High Speed (MSXM-256N) $69.88
Sony 256 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSXM256A) $70
Lexar 256 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSDP256-331) $84.54

512 MB

Card Price
SanDisk 512 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (SDMSPD512768) $69.88
Sony 512 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSXM-512S) $79.99
Sony 512 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo High Speed (MSXM-512N) $99.95
Sony 512 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSX-M512A) $149.98
Lexar 512 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSDP512-331) $234.64

1 GB

Card Price
Sony 1024 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo High Speed (MSX-M1GN) $219.99

PSP Compiler / Linker / Assembler

Thanks to PSPHacks.net for bringing this one to my attention. It appears as if Code Warrior has released a PSP Compiler to create PSP software. The catch is that you need to be an authorized PSP Developer with Sony (which costs about $125,000 to gte started) and have access to the PSP SDK.

View the full specs on Code Warrior's Site
C/C++ Compiler/Libraries
• ANSI-compliant C/C++ compiler
• ANSI-standard runtime libraries for C/C++
• GNU Build Tool Adapters
• Compiler generates debugging information in DWARF format

Assembler

• Metrowerks PSP stand-alone assembler
• Easy to use syntax
• Compatible with the GNU assembler that is part of the PSP SDK
• PSP inline assembler supports function-level inline assembly and inline assembly within functions

Linker

• C/C++ linker
• Link object code into ELF format
• Linker displays memory map, address location, and value of each linker generated symbol
• Aggressively deadstrips unused symbols
• Date and time-stamp linker feature to embed date/time of build to the final executable
• Linker supports an additional preference panel, "ELF Disassembler" allowing you to specify what appears in the disassembly output
• BatchRunner / Postlinker — enables execution of batch files after build completion

CodeWarrior Integrated Debugger
• Metrowerks C/C++ debugger supports DECI2 and is compatible with Sony's PSP Development Kit and Emulator
• Support for enhanced types of breakpoints called Eventpoints
• Debugs CodeWarrior DWARF formats
• Source/assembly/mixed-mode views
• Ability to set breakpoints in editor before debugging
• Fill memory range with specified argument

CodeWarrior IDE

• Project files organized in Project Manager enabling easy navigation and organization of source files.
• Customizable workspace environment — ability to automatically load open projects and windows on separate invocations of the IDE
• Developers can arrange their projects as they choose using the GUI
• Fully configurable text editor interface, enabling developers to customize toolbars and key bindings
• C/C++ code completion
• Search engine provides fast navigation of code structures
• Find-and-compare operations on project folders during builds
• Integrated support for Sony's SDK
• Tree-based register views
• Metrowerks command line adapters for Sony's GNU based build tools

Plug-ins/Integration
• Visual Studio .NET integration
• Open API for integrating third-party tools
• VSS, CVS, alienbrain, and Perforce plug-ins


I'm sure it's just a matter of time until some in the dev community get ahold of this software and starts cranking out programs for the PSP. Here's to hoping apps can be run from the memory stick!

PSP Web Browser - DNS Server

I finally got a copy of Wipeout Pure. The web browser trick does indeed work.



Here are the instructions as well as a PSP DNS server to use

I surfed a few sites.. google, slashdot, and that psp irc thing, which is very cool. The browser is slow until you disable WLAN power save. All in all it's a neat trick. We're getting much closer to being able to do cool tricks with this hardware. I'll be sure to keep you posted with what I find.

Friday, April 01, 2005

PSP IRC

You can now join IRC chat rooms from your PSP. Thanks to volksport in #pspdev on EFnet

http://pspirc.com/

Currently you can't view it in a regular browser. I'm guessing he looks for the user agent to make sure it's a PSP.

Sony PSP Dev Kit

I thought this was good. raiser on ps2dev.org published this 'open letter to sony. Here is a snip:


FACT #1) SONY as a company has always been pro development. They released dev consoles for both the PS1 and PS2. SONY has never to my knowledge pressed legal action against anyone in the homebrew scene, except for persons making copyrighted SONY software or bios files publically available.

FACT #2) SONY wants desperately to gain a foothold, if not stranglehold, on the handheld gaming side of the industry which has been completely dominated by Nintendo for 10 years.

FACT #3) SONY PSP users want to be able to use the PSP in ways perhaps not even dreamed of by SONY. And the user base will figure it out on their own if they have to.

FACT #4) The device literally begs to be put to greater use by way of advanced features like a hi-res/hi-contrast screen, wifi, flash memory, usb, stereo sound, and an extremely powerful CPU.

So to any SONY executives, or developers listening. You can take control of the handheld gaming market. You can take Nintendo out of dominance once again. How? By "inadvertently" releasing key pieces of development information to the general public. Say a PSP compiler, or documentation on how to run executable code from wifi, USB, or memory stick. How about just making a devkit publically available? SONY still has control over what gets pressed to UMD and can therefore still control the retail market.

The sooner you make homebrew available to the masses, the more units SONY will sell, the more games SONY can sell, and the more profits SONY will make. Why would anyone buy a Gameboy if they can emulate it perfectly on their PSP? That alone could be the deathblow to Nintendo. I know SONY can't condone emulation of their competitor's systems, but I believe they will secretly smile once the PSP is able to play every portable game published by their competition. It will happen eventually, why not just help it along a little bit? Give the users what they want. PR can call it a slip-up, being hacked, a rogue employee, or whatever, just get it done.

Read the full post here
Needless to say the thread was locked shortly after. I'd like to add my opinion...

First let me say that even if they don't promote a dev kit, people are going to figure out how to run their own software on it. In the process they will learn many things about the psp hardware, filesystem, and os. I think it is the discovery process that drives the whole homebrew scene and in the end many people will benefit from the wealth of knowledge they will have learned in teh process.

Sony has nothing to lose. There will always be a need for their hardware, their licencing fees to create umd's and the money they get for selling expensive memory sticks. Since they control the storage medium they have the potential to still make a lot of money.

I was at a restaurant tonight, and I had a crowd of little kids behind me watching me play a game. This device attracts so much attention. The only thing it's missing is the right software. Sony has the ability to release some code and within a few days people will have built software that requires their hardware. Sony won't be able to make PSP units fast enough. The problem is, Sony probably wants to sell their own software and create their own content channels. They can charge people to use their VOIP software while some guys on a message board compile a skype app that they release for free. If people start seeing other people using PSP's as their cell phone with some sort of PSP VOIP software it would create a massive demand for PSPs everwhere.

I truely believe that open source has the possibility to sell hardware. If any manufacturer out there can figure out a way to make money off just selling hardware in massive quanities, they would have a successful product if they release an open sourced core to their product.

Plus it would be helping out the small businesses out there, software programmers and freelancers who don't have the cash to build their own system and create games for it. They can just do what they do best and create innovative software for an already established platform with a widespread, worldwide user base. They coudl charge anythign they want for it, and can pay sony if they wanted to burn the software onto UMD's and to be sold in ebgames and the rest of the stores sony has it's products in.

The Microsoft Xbox is a great example of this. There is a short supply of Xboxes now. Why? because people are using them for other things than what Microsoft intended them. I own multiple Xboxes, I subscribe to Xbox Live, Microsoft made a lot of money from me.

Have you seen all of the software that has been created for the Xbox by the community? It is crazy, there are emulators of every kind, apps that play music, homebrew games, you name it and it's being done somewhere with an xbox. While Microsoft may lose a few software sales because people are ripping all of their games from blockbuster, they still make money when people log in to xbox live, start purchasing extra content online, and when my friends all bux xboxes because they see how cool it is.

Tivo was ready to die, besides some help from comcast the only thing that is keeping Tivo goign is their new SDK. Now people can surf ebay, buy crap on Amazon and look at Google maps on their TV. Damn that's pretty cool you say, as you head to bestbuy to purchase a tivo and lifetime subscription. Tivo just made money. Why? because they created an SDK that owners of their box can use to make the software they need.

Sony, if you do this early enough, you will set the standard for portable entertainment devices for a long time to come. In the meantime you can cook up the sequel to your hot-selling enterprise which hooks into your content selling ventures.

This post was not intended to cause any harm. It is simply my opinion. I buy all of the software that I use, and pay for all of the content that brings me enjoyment. I'd like to hear other people's comments on some of the things pointed out in this post.

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