PS3 encryption keys now on the net

[potatohead]

SONY doubles down (again)

 

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/03/geohot-site-unmasking/

 

Any of us could be called to court, just for following the news, reading the blog, etc...

 

This is the ultimate end game of the DMCA, predicted early on after it's passage. Looks like SONY is going to go to the mat on it.

[moycon]

Any of us could be called to court, just for following the news, reading the blog, etc...

 

Refrain from going to sites that promote illegal activity on a companies latest product and you'll do fine.

I'd avoid blogs about bomb making and child molestation as well.

I know I won't be called to court for this nonsense.

 

Special thanks to all the hackers for royally screwing up the PS3 though.

[madmax2069]

Any of us could be called to court, just for following the news, reading the blog, etc...

 

Oh they can try. it wont go so well for SONY nor the court. can you imagine how ugly it would get if they start going after people just for reading and following the story. The Judge would be going bye bye, and SONY would be left looking stupid.

 

I have not liked SONY ever since they tried to root-kit the planet, after what they did to lik-sang, Sony Aibo threats and so on.

Edited March 5, 2011 by madmax2069

[Itchy Koala]

Any of us could be called to court, just for following the news, reading the blog, etc...

 

Oh they can try. it wont go so well for SONY nor the court. can you imagine how ugly it would get if they start going after people just for reading and following the story. The Judge would be going bye bye, and SONY would be left looking stupid.

 

I have not liked SONY ever since they tried to root-kit the planet, after what they did to lik-sang, Sony Aibo threats and so on.

 

I'd love to see them take me to court for following the story. Actually, I would welcome it. Then once court time comes and they figure out I don't even own a ps3, maybe they'd reconsider going after the people who are just trying to follow a story.

[moycon]

Then once court time comes and they figure out I don't even own a ps3, maybe they'd reconsider going after the people who are just trying to follow a story.

 

They aren't going to take people following a story to court.

No idea why it was even suggested.

All you have to do is actually read the article to see the real reason why the IP logs were requested.

 

I personally hope they sue Hotz little ass off. Even though we all now know most hackers are only interested in tinkering and satisfying an innocent quest for knowledge, you can bet the one or two bad eggs, have and will going forward cost Sony and PS3 game producers millions. Maybe getting sued will discourage people in the future from ruining a current economically viable product just because they think they are entitled to do whatever they please with a product because they bought it.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if the PS3 gets dumped soon.

Crappy "tinkerer's" couldn't wait a few years till the PS3 was old tech?

[potatohead]

Any of us could be called to court, just for following the news, reading the blog, etc...

 

Refrain from going to sites that promote illegal activity on a companies latest product and you'll do fine.

I'd avoid blogs about bomb making and child molestation as well.

I know I won't be called to court for this nonsense.

 

Special thanks to all the hackers for royally screwing up the PS3 though.

 

LOL! Spoken like a true authoritarian. You do know those types love Disneyland the best right?

 

Equating this story to bomb making and molestation only marginalizes you. Feel completely free to continue. In fact, let me know how I can help!

 

Edit: safety tip! Those clowns are crackers. Different thing entirely.

 

And there is the moral element here. It's not their latest product when they sell one to somebody. At that point, it becomes the buyers property, usually about the time the buyer parts with some cash.

 

Seriously, if you think you have even a small chance of putting guilt on me, or anybody like me, reconsider. Failure to do so only makes you look bad.

 

BTW: When I was a kid, the chemistry set I had included how to make gunpowder. Made a few right proper bombs in my time. Loud as hell. Fun too. My favorite was using model rocket ignitors to set them off, because fuse was too fickle.

 

The best overall bang was a epoxy / duct tape composite, done in layers, if you really must know, which I'll bet you do down deep somewhere jealous. A good lacquer works in a pinch, though it takes a lot more to layer and set properly.

 

Ahhh... The joys of growing up a free range kid.

 

Now, I'll quit acting the ass when you do. Again, let me know how I can help.

Edited March 6, 2011 by potatohead

[madmax2069]

The best overall bang was a epoxy / duct tape composite, done in layers, if you really must know, which I'll bet you do down deep somewhere jealous.

 

To to find lack of info, or to hold back info only spurs interest to find out for yourself even more, Its the bane of our existence, its what we do best. ahhh those was the days. i was born in 79 so i got to see some of that freedom but not like how it was before i was born. but it only takes a few rotten apples to screw it up for the rest of us.

 

----- not related to the above and the quote--------

 

Things got screwed up when SONY removed the other OS option, you can thank SONY for screwing up the PS3, not Geohotz. Geohotz sole reason was to give people back their other OS, and to open up the system to allow for homebrew, he did not do this for cheaters or pirates, you can blame the one that took advantage of this for those reasons. Cheaters on the PS3 was around (using game save exploits) way before the PS3 was broken wide open.

Edited March 6, 2011 by madmax2069

[potatohead]

Agreed on both counts.

 

Not only did I get to seriously free range, but I was in a small, rural place. One thing about those places is the people that live near you are your friends, period. Anything else means either being of enough means to travel a lot, or living a rather lonely life.

 

We had a gathering place, under a big tree near the road. That road was right out of "Pet Cemetery", with 10" embankments on either side. Used to jump off those things, and now I wonder at the lighter weight and more limber body we all have as kids...

 

Anyway, back then it was no long distance, and the phones were discouraged across the board. Actually making a call was a big deal, and so most of us just didn't. Go to the meeting place, find out who is there, and then sort out the adventure for the day. Boys, girls, young, old, didn't matter.

 

I value that highly, given how much different things are today.

 

A good friend and I were "the smart kids", and we usually built stuff, blew things up, took things apart, and did all manner of hackery, right along with the debauchery everybody else did. Happy days!

 

For a time, we had a nice CB net, and a bunch of us would get on at night, after we hooked them up, just to talk, chat really, not unlike kids do today with phones and computers. Found out after the fact that adults for miles around would tune that net, listening to us, facinated, and often mortified. Nobody said much though, and let us do our thing.

 

The best people I knew were the HAM radio operators, and the TV Repair guy, who let me intern in the shop for free. Imagine that! I was interested in the TV's, and had brought in my Atari computer to show him how I did color / convergence adjustments. Used to do them for date money actually.

 

Anyway, what we had was the junk we could find (and there usually was lots of interesting junk), the local Radio Shack for the essentials, and those of us with computers, whatever computer we could find. Everything else was either hit the library, or go talk up some adults to learn some stuff, and that's it! Maybe take a bus into town to hit the University library on a rainy day.

 

Since I grew up rather poor (Dad was basically a deadbeat, and Mom worked hard, but didn't make much), having anything interesting usually meant scrounging for what I could, and or working odd jobs to score from the thrifties, then building, modding, assembling, etc... until it was golden. Go through the list! TV, check. Used to find them, fix them, sell them, having had at least 10 color TV's before I was 16. Car, check! Got a beater, and took auto shop to fix it proper. Stereo, check! Amp salvaged from a broken receiver in the thrifty, speakers scrounged and put into nice, tuned boxes with ports, tuner salvaged from something else, etc... Heck, I had a few hundred watts, easily heard for a few blocks, if I wanted, and I had it for a song, and the fun of building it up.

 

First computer was given to me, along with the VCS. Both Atari machines. Later bought my own.

 

Also given to me, was a nice Tek dual trace, 60Mhz tube scope, and the HAMS supplied me with a great transmitter and receiver. 1/2 KW on the xmitter, which I used to make my own radio station for a day, listening as Mom took a trip to the city. Heh... AM 640, daytime, on long wire antenna, tree mounted.

 

Used that to fine tune Truckers CB radios for peak modulation, and the best the rig could do. Most of them will do 6-8 watts, and are de-tuned at the factory to comply with the 5 watt limit, often outputting significantly less. How did I know? Well, I measured mine, a cheap ass Sharp at the time, and it did only 3! Wouldn't quite get to the other side of town, and so...

 

Was cool to draw waveforms on it with POKEY as well. 4 bits was a big deal then! Apples only had on and off, and here was this Atari with 4 digital to analog channels!

 

And it goes on and on. Saw a Jacobs Ladder in a movie once. Went scrounging for the right transformer, and soon had 100KV in my bedroom, arcing away! (yes, I used a safety switch) That thing was bad ass scary fun.

 

The computers were a blast! Especially liked the Apple ones, because they came with a full ROM listing, meaning all you really had to do was read and start tinkering. That open machine started my career in computing, if you all want to know.

 

Copying a game was easy. So was cracking one, and I did a few just to learn assembly back then. Used those skills to write a automatic test generator for one of my high school favorite teachers, who used it for a very long time.

 

And that was followed by exploring the woods too. Dammed up a creek, and caught hell from the farmer whose water slowed to a trickle, and he watched as we broke it up, half laughing, half pissed at us doing it in the first place.

 

Hunting? Did that for food kids. Yep. From kill to plate before age 16. We had to, because we just didn't have much, and do you think I gave two shits? Hell no I didn't. I thank every day now for that growing up experience.

 

At my current stage in life, I tinker with stuff for fun, and to solve problems. I don't pay plumbers, lock smiths, mechanics (unless it's serious, and I don't have the setup, or the time), computer service, electronics, or home electricians. Why do that, when I can go and grab a book, and just go get it done?

 

This is what is on the line here. SONY is making money. Making a lot of it, and so are the publishers and the authors. There are options, and we can get this business done without fucking over the next poor kid. It was me. Could be your kid, could be the person living down the street.

 

Throughout my life so far, I've shared, and when I do that, I get the same in return, and that is worth a hell of a lot. The DMCA makes doing that illegal, and it's a insult for anybody who has ever wondered what makes it work, or how it can work better, or do what they want it to do, and it sucks complete ass big.

 

Just so you know, that's where I'm coming from here. Geohot is the future. It's people like him that are going to do great things, and probably compete with the players we know well. It is people like him that brought us the really good stuff, and the Google, among many other things. Shutting that down means shutting your own future down, just for some dollars in the now, over some things that really don't matter a whole hell of a lot in the scope of things that actually do matter.

 

Honestly, looking at what he can do, I feel old, and not unlike the adults that put up with me at that age. The circle closes, it seems, all of us having our turn at the world to see what we can make of it.

 

Fuck SONY for challenging that. Seriously. Just fuck them.

Edited March 6, 2011 by potatohead

[Underball]

Comparing hacking a ps3 to being a pedophile or a mass murderer.

 

Holy shitcakes. Someone ban that troll already. All he does is insult people and post incendiary nonsense.

 

We really don't need this kind of garbage here.

Edited March 6, 2011 by Underball

[Underball]

Maybe getting sued will discourage people in the future from ruining a current economically viable product just because they think they are entitled to do whatever they please with a product because they bought it.

Hasn't happened yet, and there have been hundred of copyright infringement lawsuits by corporations like Sony and entities like the MCAA and RIAA.

 

They've had no effect. People still hack. People still pirate. You can't legislate greed out of people.

[madmax2069]

Used that to fine tune Truckers CB radios for peak modulation, and the best the rig could do. Most of them will do 6-8 watts, and are de-tuned at the factory to comply with the 5 watt limit, often outputting significantly less. How did I know? Well, I measured mine, a cheap ass Sharp at the time, and it did only 3! Wouldn't quite get to the other side of town, and so...

 

Oh boy that brings back memories of my CB days. Had a old Cobra 148 GTL CB that i had peaked and tweaked (paid $2 for it at a yard sale), had a set of finals installed in that thing that really made it talk the talk. dead keyed as much as it would put out stock (around 5-6w) and swung to 50w-60w when modulating on AM, on SSB it was killer. used it as a base with a Astatic D-104 (which helped a bit on the swing of things).

 

started to learn how to do it myself with the help of a fellow Ham/CB operator and his tools. It was great fun (forget most of it now). talked to many people around the world which was amazing.

 

Sorry for going off topic, just rambling about days long past.

[potatohead]

Yeah those things were fun weren't they? I kind of miss that scene actually. Maybe some day I'll get a license and do it again on HF. Always did like HF, because of the propagation. Never know where you can reach and who you might meet.

 

I was into antennas. Built some nice big ones... Our little net was about the ~5 watts or so. In the evening, it was good for plenty of distance. During the day, not so good, but then again, a few close people got through ok. Took the place of the phone. I would be programming, or playing a game, and just ask if my friend could hear me. Kind of cool actually, again, not unlike IM is today. We used to just run the squelch fairly high, being close enough for that to work, and just shout out to the others when it made sense.

 

Figured I was pushing it with the powerful transmitter. It would do AM and CB, though I didn't use it that way much. Didn't want to get into trouble, and I had a HAM license at the time too. I did clear our channel, once or twice though. A few loud mouth asses decided to talk all over 21, spoiling the fun. So, they got heavy metal for a few evenings straight. God knows how far that actually went though! Was the full 1/2KW, AC / DC on a loop! Crystal clear for quite some time after that Didn't take but a coupla times to make it known that 21 was for the kids --us!

 

The difference between us and that guy was he just had some money, bought a fairly nice rig and figured he could just blast over people. We were the scrappers who built up some nice gear. No contest.

 

A good friend played a game of chess on 40 meters with some guy in Canada. That was cool. Both parties setup boards, and had the day to contemplate moves. Get on, exchange them via morse, along with a bit of news and some personal reactions, then onto something else.

Edited March 6, 2011 by potatohead

[+remowilliams]

(I apologize in advance for the rant but I needed to get the frustration out and don't have the patience to go back and edit.)

 

I bought the PS3 in the beginning and went out of the way to buy PS3 titles, despite owning an Xbox, Xbox 360 and a WII (ok - and every other toy that I could buy leading up to them) because Sony supported Linux and I in turn supported them. Sony telling me that either I couldn't run Linux or my kid couldn't play LBP online was paramount to stealing from me.

 

My people (oh that's right I'm a dev and a security specialist to boot) built the tech that drives all of these systems. We have the money to spend on whatever we like. It will not be spent on Sony products again. It's ironic - Microsoft was once a four letter word in my house but they are far more welcome today then Sony is (ok so Windows is still not allowed but new console games are allowed only for the WII or 360.)

 

Sony is trying to use GeoHot (and Grad Chokolo) to send a message but they are getting it all wrong. Those guys are the messengers from us, the public (at least the tech savvy public.) They were sending a few messages, at least my rambling versions of which are:

 

1) We own the equipment we buy. CD players, phones, games, Aibo's, etc. If we want to hack them up, we can. That's our right. It's not about the 'law'. It's about the spirit of invention, and it can't be litigated away.

 

2) If you facilitate us doing what we want (eg. running linux, writing homebrew, etc.) then you are a friend. If you play cat and mouse it's a game (we'll play - look at Apple as an example - at least for the last few years). If you try to nuke us (ala Sony at the moment) we will crush you. You see... we're bigger than any company. We ARE the consumer. When we don't one of your products you retool. We we won't buy any of your products you will cease to exist.

 

3) It's not about piracy. I buy whatever I want (ask my wife - I'm a hell of a guy to buy a present for.) Ironically Sony, through their actions, may have instigated whatever piracy comes of all of this. If they had worked with guys like GeoHot to close the gaps and dealt with the linux community with fairness and honesty then we (the community) wouldn't have been forced to dig as deeply to figure out how to continue to do what we paid to do to begin with. The pirates wouldn't have the deep access they now do.

 

Fear the Penguin Sony. You supported us because you needed us for validation in the beginning. We are a lover spurned. You cheated on us because of your own insecurity about your E.D. (Electronic Disfunction) - rather than working on your problems you took it out on us. We choose what's cool, what the others will buy. We are the bridge over the chasm. You will not cross it again on our watch.

 

At the end of the day I hope the courts side with GeoHot, Graf Chokolo, and the class actions suites against Sony. My money (literally) is on them. In any case, without serious repentance Sony will never gain be admitted to my home, nor that of those I can influence (many I suspect.)

 

Peace out.

 

This.

[madmax2069]

(I apologize in advance for the rant but I needed to get the frustration out and don't have the patience to go back and edit.)

 

I bought the PS3 in the beginning and went out of the way to buy PS3 titles, despite owning an Xbox, Xbox 360 and a WII (ok - and every other toy that I could buy leading up to them) because Sony supported Linux and I in turn supported them. Sony telling me that either I couldn't run Linux or my kid couldn't play LBP online was paramount to stealing from me.

 

My people (oh that's right I'm a dev and a security specialist to boot) built the tech that drives all of these systems. We have the money to spend on whatever we like. It will not be spent on Sony products again. It's ironic - Microsoft was once a four letter word in my house but they are far more welcome today then Sony is (ok so Windows is still not allowed but new console games are allowed only for the WII or 360.)

 

Sony is trying to use GeoHot (and Grad Chokolo) to send a message but they are getting it all wrong. Those guys are the messengers from us, the public (at least the tech savvy public.) They were sending a few messages, at least my rambling versions of which are:

 

1) We own the equipment we buy. CD players, phones, games, Aibo's, etc. If we want to hack them up, we can. That's our right. It's not about the 'law'. It's about the spirit of invention, and it can't be litigated away.

 

2) If you facilitate us doing what we want (eg. running linux, writing homebrew, etc.) then you are a friend. If you play cat and mouse it's a game (we'll play - look at Apple as an example - at least for the last few years). If you try to nuke us (ala Sony at the moment) we will crush you. You see... we're bigger than any company. We ARE the consumer. When we don't one of your products you retool. We we won't buy any of your products you will cease to exist.

 

3) It's not about piracy. I buy whatever I want (ask my wife - I'm a hell of a guy to buy a present for.) Ironically Sony, through their actions, may have instigated whatever piracy comes of all of this. If they had worked with guys like GeoHot to close the gaps and dealt with the linux community with fairness and honesty then we (the community) wouldn't have been forced to dig as deeply to figure out how to continue to do what we paid to do to begin with. The pirates wouldn't have the deep access they now do.

 

Fear the Penguin Sony. You supported us because you needed us for validation in the beginning. We are a lover spurned. You cheated on us because of your own insecurity about your E.D. (Electronic Disfunction) - rather than working on your problems you took it out on us. We choose what's cool, what the others will buy. We are the bridge over the chasm. You will not cross it again on our watch.

 

At the end of the day I hope the courts side with GeoHot, Graf Chokolo, and the class actions suites against Sony. My money (literally) is on them. In any case, without serious repentance Sony will never gain be admitted to my home, nor that of those I can influence (many I suspect.)

 

Peace out.

 

This.

 

That post caught my eye as well. its very well put

[potatohead]

Yep. Great post.

[Petran79]

 

 

Refrain from going to sites that promote illegal activity on a companies latest product and you'll do fine.

I'd avoid blogs about bomb making and child molestation as well.

I know I won't be called to court for this nonsense.

 

Special thanks to all the hackers for royally screwing up the PS3 though.

 

in a lot of cases regarding child molestation sites, there are applications that hack you computer and use your ip to share or download media and transfer it to the perpetrators computer without you having a clue.

Sure if you are innocent and can prove it you have nothing to fear, but the damage has already been done. imagine how easy it is to frame someone....

[moycon]

LOL! Spoken like a true authoritarian.

 

No clue what "authoritarian" means ...I'm a gamer guy, that's it, I post as gamer.

 

You can write 500 lines and you can't justify supporting killing a modern console for no reason other than you think you should be able to whatever the fuck you want when you buy something.

 

Have at it guy. Support this nonsense.

Real gamers suffer because of it.

[moycon]

imagine how easy it is to frame someone....

 

 

I work for the largest ISP in the world, it's not as easy as you imagine.

I'd still wouldn't take the chance Petran79, just avoid that shit.

[barnieg]

I just have to say to this yes you should be able to do anything you want with something you have bought. Wanting to run your own homebrew or linux on a PS3 is not the same as copyright infringement and their are laws do deal with that. Sony & Co want us all to pay every-time we listen to a piece of music or play a game or watch a movie. We are all going to suffer if things continue the way they are, in addition Sony & Co are doing there best to keep any one from competing with them on a fair playing field by using "intellectual property" rights and large legal teams.

 

I never though I'd see the day that Microsoft has a more open system than Sony, although in the long run the only way to prevent us all from being screwed over is to have truly open systems

 

Barnie

 

 

LOL! Spoken like a true authoritarian.

 

You can write 500 lines and you can't justify supporting killing a modern console for no reason other than you think you should be able to whatever the fuck you want when you buy something.

 

[potatohead]

OK, I'll bite.

 

What's a "real" gamer?

 

As for authoritarian, there is the google...

 

Fuck it.

 

I would like to read your answer as to what a "real" or "legit" gamer is.

 

But, it's not me at fault here. And it's not Geohot either. The problem is on those people who believe they have some entitlement to screw other people over.

 

I don't do that. Never have, because it's just shitty. It only takes a few asses to degrade things for everybody else. This is true for gaming, computing, even ordinary life!

 

You are very likely to be jumping through the same hoops the rest of us are, because the few asses make it necessary. Gaming isn't anything special in that regard.

 

When I write "do what I want" with stuff I own, I don't mean screw the other guy over it. That's basic consideration --a concept I fear way too many people don't really understand, and if they do, fail to assign the proper weighting to.

 

Consideration due is consideration given.

 

The people that don't get that, or who are willfully ignoring it, are at fault here. Shallow, greedy, clueless, raw exploiters because they can.

 

That's not me, and it's not you, though it really is SONY, but not in the way you think.

 

I wrote a bunch of lines because I think it's always worth it to support what I believe, and to be able to tell people exactly why it matters, and how I got there. Funny that way.

 

So, tell me about this real gamer bit. I like games, desire to play them too. How is it that we are different in this regard?

Edited March 6, 2011 by potatohead

[moycon]

I just have to say to this yes you should be able to do anything you want with something you have bought.

 

Feel free, Take $300 and go buy a hand gun and then shoot someone with it.

See what happens.

 

In this particular case a real gamer is someone who buys a game system to play the games made for that system.

The majority of console owners that this crap effects. I didn't mean to imply you are a fake gamer.

You want to "tinker around" and do more than that, fine, maybe wait a little while till the system is no longer making $$$ for the console producer and gamers have moved on to a newer console.

If you can't wait, don't bitch and moan when you get your ass sued off.

 

Actually potatohead, none of what I'm saying is directed towards you. I know you only hack for good and righteousness. It's the other evil hackers that probably killed off the PS3 that I'm talking about and have been talking about. The ones who hack to screw with people online and play the latest games for $0. I only wish it was only one or two people. Because of George Hotz it's considerably more. In my eyes he deserves whatever he gets.

[potatohead]

Thanks for finally saying that. I'm no saint, though I do work to not screw people over in my life. Helps to sleep well, if nothing else. It hurts to read that kind of thing, and I don't think it should hurt, because it's not productive.

 

The way I see it, people pirating is one problem, and people hacking games online is another problem. Lumping them together isn't productive either.

 

Sony has every right to brick the chumps who get on PSN. I don't like those asses either. I really do think about the only way to properly manage that is through client systems, cable box style, where nothing really exists at the players end, until it boots, authenticates, pulls down the latest media and fires up the program.

 

Had we not ignored our Internet infrastructure, that would be viable for more people right now. Online games are really just experiences IMHO. The exception to that really is games where the intent to mod and run servers is provided for.

 

Most online games are just not my thing. Prefer private servers, maps, and other goodies be available, and really prefer to host my own server, or play on one run by somebody I know, or that's located at work, running in the evening. (yes, I get to do that, if I want, because I'm the sysadmin, and the boss likes to game, on occasion, so we have that all sorted nicely)

 

If there are assets and code on the player side, it's absolutely gonna get cracked.

 

Know what would be interesting here? Hire Geohot, and find out whether or not he's got good solutions to the problem. I'll bet he does, and those solutions would be right at the peak, meaning damn solid for long enough to matter, but you can't tell SONY that.

 

Clowns. Seriously. Enough history has passed to clearly demonstrate where this will go in the end, and it won't be good for anybody really.

 

The piracy is a different story.

 

Cracking online does impact other people in a direct and significant way.

 

This is why there should be both "Disneyland" and "The Wild West". Frankly, the innovation seen in the wild west could be packaged up, sold, and delivered to the people playing in Disneyland, if they were smart about it, holding contests and putting tools out there, etc. Everything is a game, with the only discussion being how to get people to play and be productive.

 

You read it here first

 

Never did understand why that dynamic never took hold. Modders will work their asses off for a little attention. There is gold in 'them hills, I swear. Watch for it. Somebody is going to wake the fuck up and cultivate that and make serious money. Just won't be SONY. Prolly Microsoft with all the softening up they are doing right now. Funny that.

 

Anyway, the piracy isn't ok, but it really doesn't impact people in the same way that cracking online stuff does. Like I said earlier, entertainment dollars are fixed, essentially capping what can be made for a given niche, unless it's able to pull money away from other things.

 

Honestly, this is why casual, sub $5.00 gaming is taking off. That kind of gaming is able to compete with little bits of entertainment, like a candy bar, or a used movie. A friend of mine just released a title on iOS and it goes for $1.99! It's in the UK top 100 now, growing fast. Puzzler, casual. The damn thing is pure crack, LOL!!

 

Funny thing about that is the effort to get hold of something that's a coupla bucks, and that is a flash in the pan, part of a series, is pretty much not worth it. Those that would have paid to play will have before the piracy hits, and it's on to the next title. Smart.

 

The big productions can't do that, but then again, they are enough that piracy numbers don't equal real potential sales numbers, which all boils down to the core question of how to get more people to make the right choices more of the time.

 

That's possible to do, and there are lots of business models out there being tried. IMHO, that's a managable problem, just requiring some ongoing work over time, and money is being made big on the way there.

 

I'm far less worried about that one. You will hear it be cited as the scapegoat for every shitty thing too. Doesn't help matters much when they do that, but they will do that because they can.

 

The only real fix there is to just close things down, and sorry, but doing that can and absolutely will be abused. Better to work on the social problems, and figure out means and methods to make it more worth it to pay than it is to pirate, and that's as good as it will ever get.

 

So really then, this is about the online experience. I don't think anybody will disagree with you on how shitty cracks and cheats are. But I also think it should be clear that ALL of us are "real" gamers, if we just want to play the game.

 

Part of me wonders what would happen with people like Geohot actually working toward that goal, perhaps also working to provide for home brew / indie / Linux too?

 

Think about that. Could be the shit, with nearly everybody happy.

 

RE: Piracy.

 

How about games that phone home? Check this out.

 

The major software vendor I work with has been hit by piracy pretty hard. Most vendors are, because the stuff is very expensive, and so on...

 

Know what they did?

 

They decided to analyze the cracks, and compensate for them. Until now, the cycle has been, change the encryption, release, then out comes the crack. Over and over.

 

This time, they decided to again change the encryption, but they also built in a benign layer that watches that, and waits for it to be broken, based on the profiling done from the past efforts. When it is broken, the program runs fine, just like before. Doesn't give a clue that anything is different.

 

But there is a twist!

 

When that computer gets online, the program reads the user data from the machine, and publishes a unauthorized use log, and phones it home. We bagged our first one last week! Some guy had pirated it for a small company, and it was amazing! We got a letter detailing everything they did, and it was a copy of the one set to the user as well, who is busted big.

 

We made the sales call last Friday, not saying a word! Just something like, "you were referred to us for your need to purchase a license..." Don't they feel like the ass now? Wonder how they are gonna explain needing to suddenly spend 10K or so? And the beauty of it is we won't say a thing, unless they do.

 

*BAM* pirate turned opportunity just like that.

 

It's the best move I've seen so far, and most significantly, it does not impact the "legit" users in any way.

 

So imagine somebody like Geohot authoring the firmware, and implementing a similar system. Pirate bags a bunch of titles, plays their ass off, and then connects that console to the Internet, just once...

 

Could happen. Somebody could send a nice letter, legal, and a payment plan. Want to avoid the hassle? Let's do a few easy payments of $19.95, and license you up proper, thanks for your continued interest in our productions!

 

Honestly, done right, that would scare the shit out of some of these bozos who just do it because they can. Bet a lot of people pay up too, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A GOOD DEAL. Make it a good deal too. Seriously good one.

 

Then, if a person doesn't want to feel like shit and be a known pirate, just buy full boat retail and go. Maybe get the digital for cheaper, or hit the used bin. We all know the drill.

 

Or, pirate it, "sharing with your friends" and look the ass when they all get letters, with some great "remedial" offers, or the choice of a court date!

 

Wouldn't take long to change the social dynamics on this stuff, with that kind of thing going on. No need to ruin lives either, like the music industry is always trying to do. Just guilt the shit out of them, scare them too, and get some money, next.

 

So what, if they are low on gas money, or are suddenly "forced" to pay for the entertainment they infringed? It all will pass, and the very nice part about doing things that way, is people have the out to be legit, and continue on a healthy relationship.

 

Sue 'em straight up, and they hate it, and their friends and supporters hate it, and I assure you that will cost a hell of a lot more money than the kind of thing I just mentioned would.

 

Meaning, it's more than the money. The SONY guys know about entertainment dollars and how that works. They know there is only so much out there, and that infringers do not equate to lost revenue.

 

So what is it about then?

 

Control, and keeping competitors at bay, so they are in the drivers seat over the long haul, able to compete well against other forms of entertainment. Count on it.

 

I want to see those other forms, innovations, creative things, and it's only gonna happen when we have tech that the geohots of the world get hold of and build the next big thing with.

 

So yeah, fuck the crackers. I hate what they do too. But, let's not screw everybody over, just because of them. All of us have a shared interest in a solid gaming environment, and are better off working toward that respecting one another, instead of pointing fingers at one another, and that's really my basic point here.

Edited March 6, 2011 by potatohead

[Shannon]

In a bit of odd news someone was able to create a 3.55 CFW that allows access to PSN without being on 3.60.

 

Word has it that Sony's latest 3.60 bypasses (aka completely disables) metldr. So this may possibly mean that they pretty much closed up the big gaping hole that existed in the PS3's security system.

[Underball]

In a bit of odd news someone was able to create a 3.55 CFW that allows access to PSN without being on 3.60.

 

Word has it that Sony's latest 3.60 bypasses (aka completely disables) metldr. So this may possibly mean that they pretty much closed up the big gaping hole that existed in the PS3's security system.

And now there's a 3.60 spoofer that works on 3.55CFW.

 

Cat/Mouse.

[SlowCoder]

Good, bad or indifferent, Sony is pretty well borked. They may have hundreds of modular programmers working to secure their console. But there are thousands of eager non-Sony users with the skills to manipulate the PS3 to their liking. Sony will make a change, and within a few hours to days, it will be fixed by the users.