We got a news tip from one of our readers this morning which contains some alarming news, if true. The link we were provided with took us to a forum post (we won’t be linking to them from here) which claims to have “Jailbroken” the PlayStation 3.
The modchip seems to come as a USB dongle, claims to be completely compatible with original and slim versions of the console and allow the playing of “backups” from either the internal hard disk or an external, USB disk. They claim that it supports all current software, although they won’t guarantee online functionality for future titles.
Homebrew is also supported but it won’t allow the playing of software from previous consoles (no backwards compatibility). The page they link to for retail of this device (which we’re also not giving any publicity to) wouldn’t load when we tried it but there are claims that the retailer will be ready to go within 48 hours.
Essentially, this is a device which (regardless of the claims made) voids your warranty and makes your console unstable and unsupported by the manufacturer. The site in question makes cursory mentions of homebrew and naive attempts to sidestep the illegality of the device by saying that it’s for playing “backup” software.
Make no mistake: this device, if real, will mostly be used to pirate software and steal from creative individuals. That’s something that we never condone. We hope that, if this device turns out to be real, Sony’s lawyers are all over it.
SmokeyPSD
If this is for real. This will be ridiculous. Sony took linux away, resulting in some lost assignments for uni actually for me and in the end, it couldn’t stop this from happening. We lost a feature for no reason what so ever. Geohot never bloody achieved anything with wat he did anyway.
XiVol
If they hadn’t have blocked other os support, I’m pretty sure this would have been a full blown hack.
SONY should launch a firmware as soon as possible, simply disabling USB devices upon start up and have it necessary to update to the latest firmware upon the inserting of every new game so it would start killing those who haven’t upgraded their firmware.
These hackers are no good (And I mean it in a literal way) since they didn’t “hack” anything, just took advantage of a Devkit leak.
XiVol
Actually scrap the first part, and change it to being there would have been some other full blown attack ;)
I forgot that it was a Devkit leak xD
hazelam
so, will we get the other os option back now?
it didn’t stop the ps3 being hacked and it might fend off that upcoming lawsuit.
djsunna
i doubt sony will reintroduce “install other os” back into the firmware. and if this usb hack is real i’d like sony to close the loophole it exploits ASAP.
Nauraph
I’d like to see this post deleted.
Nauraph
It would be fun to see the hardware sales rise though, before Sony starts to fix it.
Quinlank
Until I see it running properly on a retail PS3 in some fashion I won’t put any more stock in this than I have past “haxxor” stories.
Either way, this will lead to nothing to nothing good for those of us who just want to play our consoles without playing firmware roulette every fart’s end.
monty2k
Digital Foundry have done a good but still fairly speculative article about the “Jailbreak”
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-vs-psjailbreak-article
Very good reading
solidsteven
in the next update you won’t be able to use usb slots and ps3 because of sony overacting lol
hazelam
http://n4g.com/news/589724/psjailbreak-cloned-already-creators-plea-to-buy-the-original-for-support-and-warranty
irony of ironies, the makers, or stealers possibly, of this are urging people not to buy chinese knock off versions.
i don’t think they have to worry, i’m sure the people who were planning on buying this will respect the original creators of this device, if they didn’t steal it in the first place, and not buy the bootleg copies.
that was sarcasm by the way, because i doubt anybody would pick it up if i didn’t tell you.
that was sarcasm too. :)
and that wasn’t.
wonkey-willy
ha ha ha ha ha ha haha h ahah ahah ha
sony loses to captain jack sparrow.
nothing is unbreakable..
they tried but did not succeed
Sokar25
Who ever gets the dongle, you should be ashamed of yourselves, why cheat on a game and miss out on the fun.