PSP Brite may lead Sony's fight against piracy, homebrew
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Aug 27th 2008 at 11:30AM }
Kris Erickson of PSP World postulates that the speed in which Sony has upgraded its PSP hardware from the popular PSP-2000 series may be indicative of a new plan to combat piracy and homebrew. While the brighter screen is appreciated, it seems like too little to warrant yet another reboot of the hardware -- that is, unless something internal has changed. The new PSP-Brite system may have better hardware measures against piracy -- a direction foretold by SCEE boss David Reeves not too long ago.
However, the incredibly dedicated homebrew community -- whether or not they understand their responsibility in creating the current drought of PSP games -- will undeniably continue to hack the new PSP to find new exploits. Unfortunately for Sony, backwards compatability with old PSP firmware and software will continue to work as a Trojan horse against the company.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
gurbinder @ Aug 27th 2008 11:45AM
Okay look thats the first thing i suspected too and its pretty obvious to everyone. With the lack of new features on the psp it has to be to stop piracy. Then again anythnig is hackable but i gotta agree with the article. Most of my friends do pirate games and some dont even buy games. But seriously sony will this actually help? Unless they completely make the slim and phat extinct or stop producing games for them which would be unfair to the people who are legit nothing can stop piracy at this point. Unless if they somehow change something about the UMDs but if the UMDs stop supporting the phats and slims its not going to look good for the consumers. Rather then bringing out a new system which im not saying is bad you also should have realeased a new type of UMD that is copy proof. By far from what I've seen espalpsp.com is the worst, why hasnt sony done anything to stop them?
And in another way the legit users are frowned upon. Imagine you playing a normal game and someone sits beside you and starts playing a game too. Then he brags about how he didnt pay for the game and how his psp is better. Your reply would be? Things is this situation occurs alot or different ones giving many users an option to switch or to look like a fool. Atleast thats whats happening in secondary schools.
lonesomefolly @ Aug 27th 2008 1:09PM
no its not, what the hell. lol
having originals is well seen. Do you honestly think anyone would say "oh you have the FF:CC UMD with box and manual? Thats so lame, I got downloaded it, which is way cooler!"
Hashbrown Hunter @ Aug 27th 2008 2:10PM
It's not that downloading is cooler or anything, people just love free stuff.
daniel-kun @ Aug 27th 2008 2:47PM
Actually, lonesomefolly, yes. This happens a lot. "Haha I have 100 games and didn't even pay for ONE and you fool paid up your arse for those games" is quite a likely situation, especially within a younger audit.
JM @ Aug 27th 2008 3:48PM
"Imagine you playing a normal game and someone sits beside you and starts playing a game too. Then he brags about how he didnt pay for the game and how his psp is better. Your reply would be?"
WHO ARE YOU? AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY HOUSE???!!!
Ashkental @ Aug 27th 2008 5:23PM
So, you pay 30 - 50 Bucks for an Original copy of a PSP game, right?
What would you say that if i wanted to buy an Original copy of Crisis Core i would have to pay 150 - 180 bucks?
That's how living in Brazil is like... Did you know that a copy of a new game, let's say... Metal Gear Solid 4 costs 225 Bucks here? Do you think people from our country goes to piracy because it's cool? I buy originals, i have many games originals... But unfortunatly if i wanna pick up a nice game like patapon (that's even not sold here) i have to Import? That's the only reason why i download 'em.
I know that's piracy, and i'm doing Game Design on my collage, so it's a kind os paradoxal thing to do, study game design and help pirates... But i have no chois, is rather import and get the risk of paying up to 60% in taxes on the original price or buy only ultra high rated games like Crisis Core.....
biffpow @ Aug 27th 2008 12:05PM
I like the editorial tone of this posting a lot, and I hope we see more like this. I do wish it were longer and went into the issue a little bit more--this is pretty surface-level (no offense), especially to those of us who are already familiar with this issue, which I'd assume would be most of your readers.
I am bothered as well that a game like Patapon is even downloaded at all. It's $20 new and used copies are not terribly hard to find for less. Moreover, it's a popular game, so if you do buy it and don't like it (I didn't), re-selling online is not difficult (craigslist is free).
That said, I don't think piracy is the reason PSP games don't break the Top 10. There are simply more X-Boxes, Wiis, and PS3s out there in the US. It's a fact. Until the PSP is in as many homes as those, it's not going to propel its software into the higher reaches of the sales charts. Sony can say whatever they like, but they consistently ignore this fact.
Do their developers lose $ to pirating? Certainly, but not very much. I have always believed that the people who download games are doing so not because it's fun and makes them feel cool, but because they don't have the $ for games. Keep them from being able to download games and you would not suddenly see a resulting spike in sales. You would simply see people wait until games were marked down or available used (the used game market, incidentally, also costs developers money in terms of sales; developers make no money on resold games).
Finally, you are right: Sony can work its hardest to create new versions of the PSP that make it harder to hack, but there's no way to close that door forever. Even if they were to cease backwards compatibility (a suicidal move for the system), hackers would find a way around it. It's one company versus a huge community of determined people. I will never understand why Sony doesn't embrace this community and find ways to re-shape their model for success with the platform. I may be naive, but I look forward to the day when PSP is open source.
lonesomefolly @ Aug 27th 2008 1:09PM
"I have always believed that the people who download games are doing so not because it's fun and makes them feel cool, but because they don't have the $ for games."
*stands up and claps*
Andrew Yoon @ Aug 27th 2008 4:07PM
Incorrect biffpow -- there are MORE PSP systems out there than Wii, PS3 or Xbox 360.
Extinction @ Aug 27th 2008 4:14PM
actually psp has outsold 360 wii and ps3. Piracy IS why psp games don't sell that well
biffpow @ Aug 27th 2008 5:13PM
Andrew and Extinction: Worldwide sales of the PSP are higher than that of the other consoles, but not US sales. In the US, which are the sales charts we're talking about here, PSPs are not as prevalent as the other consoles in sales. They're now fairly even with the PS3, but Wiis and X-Boxes have sold more consoles in the US (as have DS's for that matter). And it's no surprise that their games are what we see at the top of the sales charts.
Warner Young @ Aug 27th 2008 11:26PM
"I have always believed that the people who download games are doing so not because it's fun and makes them feel cool, but because they don't have the $ for games"
Biffpow, that may be true for a lot of people, but not all. Although this isn't technically the exact same issue, I was talking to someone I bumped into at a con once who was telling me he downloaded TV shows off the net for free. Why? Because he couldn't afford to buy it?
No, he downloaded them for free because "the studio took too long to release the DVDs". I'm guessing he just needed to rationalize his downloads, since he admitted he didn't buy the DVDs when they came out (cause he already had the show, free).
Again, it's not the exact same thing as people pirating PSP games, but I believe there's definitely some percentage of people who download because they don't want to pay for it.
biffpow @ Aug 28th 2008 5:20PM
Warner--You're absolutely right, there are people who download games because they just don't want to buy them. There will always be that element; I can't disagree with you on that at all. I don't think that's the majority of people downloading games, though.
And that said, I see it reinforcing at least one point I was making: those people won't buy the games anyway. They don't want to buy them, so they won't. Turning off the ability to download them won't suddenly motivate those people to spend money on games.
As an additional point (and I may be reaching here, I admit), Sony and its developers may have more to gain by letting people download than stopping it. It keeps the consoles in people's hands, maintaining interest out in the world when people see others playing them. This is going on the assumption that if people couldn't get games for free, they'd get no games, and therefore stop playing with their PSPs as much. Just a thought.
shiva @ Aug 27th 2008 12:10PM
sony's management is a pack of imbeciles.They will lose 4 million dollars in piracy....but wont try to make 2 million by pricing the software economically.nobody wants to purchase a $40 game for a $169 console.the prices of umds are simply exorbitant.nobody gives a damn whether its a god or slave of war if its $40.$25 for occasional grand titles like Gow is enough.rest of them should be in the $10-$15 range....atleast they will get $15 on sales,on which they are making a big $ZERO right now.
ghost @ Aug 27th 2008 12:24PM
I certainly do not pirate games, but I do envy these pirates because they can stick all their games on a couple memory sticks. I think Sony should just start to do away with UMDs and have the games downloaded from the PSN store. I haven't bought one classic game on a UMD yet. I always wait to see it at the store then download it.
It's way easier for me to just bring my PSP on the plane then to bring all my games and fumble through the UMDs to find out which one to play. Having all your games on a memory stick makes life so much easier, increases battery life, and improves the load times of games. Die UMD! DIE!!!
baddyxmas @ Aug 27th 2008 12:24PM
That comments about cheap games made me laugh till pain. Patapon a cheap game? In Europe costs 45 €, which is about 70$, I wouldn't say that's a bargain, and the same goes almost every game, they are charging us old days ps2 prices for shorter games. I do not defend piracy, in fact, I own every single game I play, but certainly not because Sony policies, which takes me as a dumbass
JayD-1K @ Aug 30th 2008 8:12PM
there’s only one problem i have with your point...you don't get paid in USD!
i don't understand why every body compares their prices to ours? if you lived in X country and STILL got paid in USD and you prices were still high...than i would agree with you, but you don't! so please, stop trying to justify stealing by using this reason for it.
if you get paid in bags of flower and it cost 30 bags of flower for the game, don't complain. i wont complain when it costs me $60 and someone else some think like 45 euros. see how that works.
Mr.U2 @ Aug 27th 2008 12:25PM
I hate those PSP pirates. Everyone has to pay for what they have done.
Glyn Costello @ Aug 27th 2008 12:40PM
I hated the fact that Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution came out on nearly every single platform except the PSP... It would have been great on the PSP! So much better than playing it on my PS3... at least then my wife could watch the TV at the same time! The only reason I can think of as to why this occured is because scum think it ok to steal from developers... chances are they are the same scum who steal music from bands. The question "why should I pay for it when I can get it illegally for free" just doesn't hold for me.
Personally I think the PSP does what it needs to to, I wouldn't want to use it as a phone, I have a phone for that. I wouldn't want to use it as a camera, I have a camera for that. I want it for playing games and videos and accessing my PS3 (especially when PlayTV comes out next month... I have my pre-order in!).
There is one piece of functionality missing (in the UK) and thats a decent docking station with remote control over... then it would become a fabulous media extender!
evilfoxhound @ Aug 27th 2008 12:45PM
I would buy more games if it wasn't for the fact that every electronics store within a 40 mile radius of me have dropped support for the PSP.
Nothing can stop the hackers. Delay them? yes. Stop them? no.
cafecito @ Aug 27th 2008 12:52PM
I won't even get started on the topic. Discussing if piracy is or not the source of all PSPs problems is of no consequence now. Besides, those pirate cynical jerks keep defending it. One way or another, it's too late to stop it IMO... soon or late they'll crack whatever defenses the PSP-3000 has, and that's it for Sony's efforts.
lonesomefolly @ Aug 27th 2008 1:46PM
Who the fuck wrote this? "Whether or not they understand their responsibility in creating the current drought of PSP games".
News flash: Sony is the only company who has stated this. No game developer has blamed piracy.
GOW's development team has specifically said that good games sell, regardless of piracy.
Again. The PSP has a shitload of good titles in japan, do you think they don't use homebrew there?
Invisible Robot Meat @ Aug 27th 2008 2:21PM
Who wrote this?? Can you even read? Basic observation skills ftw
Bryan @ Aug 27th 2008 1:31PM
well i know its off topic but my sidekick phone has a resident evil game for download. kinda sad when i own the product that originaly sold resident evil. Also there already tons of psps out there. the only reason to get this 3000 version is to have a secoundary psp. since the 2000 was just released.
Kafka @ Aug 27th 2008 1:46PM
I have to support most of the arguments made above. Game-pricing is exorbitant (40 euros for a in-between-game like Patapon compared to 50 bucks for a full length PC game or 60 for a PS3 game like Metal Gear Solid 4!) - that's not a good price policy.
Plus, they completely failed to offer legal alternatives to piracy. Why should I care about the PSN, if those morons won't even allow PayPal, not to mention any prepaid alternative. I wrothe two eMails to the PSN support asking them when those promised Network Cards will be available here in Germany (one of the biggest european markets for all things electronic!), and got nothing more then the typical "We don't know... soon?"
And the third big problem is their handling of anything homebrew. Most of their Firmware-updates do nothing but to prevent the user from using third party software. For Sony, Homebrew = Piracy = losing money.
I'm sorry to say this, but we live in the 21th century! Apple just make a huge success with their apps store, which basically allows you to develop your own iPhone-software and offer them legaly, free or for a fee, whatever you want.
What do we get? Internet-radio (with preseted stations!), a Google-link and Skype support that will only work with a special, not really cheap official headset.
I'm not pro piracy on PSP, I don't have CFW, and yes, I am willing to pay for the handheld of my choice, but I don't like the feeling of being ripped of.
gumby @ Aug 27th 2008 2:00PM
There is one thing I dont get in this whole piracy argument. I know many people with nintendo ds as well as psp and it is the consensus from every single one of them that it is far easier to use pirated games on the DS. Yet it seems piracy is killing the psp but not the DS. I just dont get it. Maybe the DS appeals to people who are less likely to research pirating? I dunno just seems weird to me.
Bryan @ Aug 27th 2008 3:17PM
yea it does. their called kids. ages 5 and up.
psp is pretty mature for the most. when i see kids the only games i really notice or wwe, or dragon ball.
ericdj @ Aug 27th 2008 2:03PM
Will we be able to really surf the net, or just run out of memory like now
Bryan @ Aug 27th 2008 3:32PM
fo realz. i want to use my psp online. but i always get that stupid message.
darkado @ Aug 27th 2008 3:04PM
you know why people pirate psp games (me included)? umd format sucks, load times are sooo long and if sony could change that software sales would go up.
required @ Aug 27th 2008 4:06PM
load times have not been an issue since '05
Ro @ Aug 27th 2008 3:13PM
I bought a psp last week and must say I'm not in favour of piracy, it is painfully obvious that there are hardly any games being released for PSP anymore and many of the games that are really look second rate despite everyone wowing over them. Having said this I do think people should be allowed to use custom firmware. A stack of games is a ridiculous thing to carry around. You can't carry UMDs unless they are in a box or else they fill up with crap from the bottom of your bag, a bag you wouldn't need to carry if you didn't have to carry games as well. Also it is my plan to get PSPs for my brother and sister too, it seems one of the good points of PSPs is you can link them up by wifi and play against each other. If you play against each other on a home console you pay out once for a game, on the PSP everyone must have their own copy. I can't afford and my little brother and sister certainly can't afford to pay out a total of approximately £100 when we could play on a large screen with surround sound and HD for about £30. I think it is quite fair that I should put my games on memory sticks so that I can enjoy some time with my brother and sister. If I had a music album I wouldn't listen to it by myself and tell them if they want to hear it at the same time they must buy their own copy. How much does Sony really believe it can divert out of a ten year olds allowance into buying games that the kid would have to save up for a month and a half to buy. People put MP3s on an MP3 player, they put MP4s on an MP4 player. Why are media types as old as music and cinema now stored in memory but something as modern as a game insists on an archaic cassette like UMD. Sony should promote legal downloading at reasonable prices licensed for a number of machines the way that purveyors of other software do. That would be the first big blow against pirates.
Bryan @ Aug 27th 2008 3:27PM
also with a console version you have a bigger screen and two controllers.
ten year old kids cant buy games on their own. They need a parent to purchase a game.
sony already promotes legal downloading. they just need to get smart and sell the right games, instead of jet moto?
Bryan @ Aug 27th 2008 3:19PM
kick back. load times are that bad. also not a reason to pirate. everygame has a load time.
andwhyisit @ Aug 27th 2008 8:08PM
But is a reason to rip your own games to your memory stick. Ripped games have none of the UMD format's loading times. I tried Popolocrois on a UMD, then tried dumping it to my memory stick and playing it, the difference was huge.
Rezurek @ Aug 27th 2008 3:21PM
It's denial when one says that piracy isn't a factor for the lack of games being developed for the psp. At a place that I work where people earn enough money to buy their own car, 15 out of 20 people pirate their psp games. They can easily afford to buy the games, but they seriously don't see anything wrong with getting these games for free. And then they wonder why there's a drought.
robby1051 @ Aug 27th 2008 3:29PM
Maybe its cheaper to dev those little ds games?
Its not only sony saying piracy is killing them, the devs are echoing it and pulling back support. the last 3 months were slim pickings on the psp.
I did not hack my psp I dont see what i need the things that homebrew does besides showing off to friends "look what i can do" and using pirated games and emulators for classic games. Whats the point? I have mame on my laptop, I buy my games (because when your paying for your games you really really want to get your moneys worth so you actually investigate then play almost all the way through every game you bought and enjoy your games so much more, my friends who pirate games havent finished half the amount of games i have) and how many people use thier spread sheet app?
Dr Haisook @ Aug 27th 2008 3:24PM
Of course they are not stupid to try to stop piracy. It would do them no good at all.
Simple equations:
SINCE; Piracy = more hardware sales
SINCE; People who get pirated copies usually do not afford the games and will not otherwise buy them
THUS; No piracy = less hardware sales, software sales the SAME
This new hardware release is simply a way to boost hardware sales and gain a larger user base, a 'part' of which would buy games, thus increasing software sales indirectly.
Wrathbringer @ Aug 27th 2008 3:24PM
You know, I think the biggest problem with the PSP is that it's advertised as a multimedia handheld devise, though it's not very good at it. I mean, a lot of the homebrew scene is there to bring people updated flash support, a working GPS now instead of next year, and other harmless media that the PSP should be able to handle right now. The thing is that it's not a big jump from homebrew to full-on piracy, and I think that it's really Sony's fault that the PSP is in dire straights since they are much too slow to update the system.
With UMD prices where they're at and the homebrew scene being so active, I can see a lot more people jumping from just homebrew to full on piracy.
Dr Haisook @ Aug 27th 2008 3:28PM
I partially agree with Ro. However, I must mention that the PSP can be considered a technical luxury, being a PS2 in your hand, anywhere. It's something that most reviewers agree on being ahead of its time.
plod2 @ Aug 27th 2008 3:32PM
They should have some form of protection on the UMDs. How do the thieves get them up for download in the first place? They just need a more advanced copyright protection on the UMDs
andwhyisit @ Aug 27th 2008 8:11PM
Seconded.
Synonymous @ Aug 27th 2008 4:04PM
The only reason software sales are crap is because PSP games don't get advertised anymore. I remember when the PSP first came out, there were always commercials advertising one game or another, now all you get is a commercial advertising a blue Slim PSP with a crappy football game. Maybe if more PSP owners knew about all of the good games coming out for the system, they'd be inclined to purchase them. Seriously, the only current way to find out the latest PSP game releases is to go to a game store or check online. I know there are people who live too far from game stores to be able to check when new games are released, and there are people who don't have access to the internet. But these people do have televisions, so why not do the smart thing and create some commercials? Only seems logical to me..
Can't blame piracy if you're not even willing to advertise the games.
silentheero @ Aug 27th 2008 4:26PM
"Why are media types as old as music and cinema now stored in memory but something as modern as a game insists on an archaic cassette like UMD"
You need to remember these guys tried to push the Minidisc, the Betamax, their Dynamic Digital Sound Standard, and Super Audio CDs, along with many, many others. They know that if they can start the standard, they will make the most money. And before the Bluray discs, the last successful standard they started was the 3.5" floppy drive.
In thier attempt to make a portable game standard, they failed to think through the problems a disc (plastic, movable, scratchable, slow loading) housed in a plastic cart (also plastic, breakable) would have in a portable environment. 'Storage' was their rally cry. They couldn't feasibly make the games that would utilize the systems power run on memory at the time of release, but now they can, and should, move to the digital distribution and let UMD slowly fade away.
And there is a difference between those who develop software and programs for the PSP, usually called the homebrew community, and the pirates that illegally acquire software that should be paid for. That distinction needs to be clear. Sony should work with the homebrew community. The more useful the homebrew community makes the PSP, the more will be bought.
boardincali82 @ Aug 27th 2008 4:39PM
Exactly, I think people just appreciate free stuff more is all. Like the free ringtones on The Hotel Cafe People can download all six artists on there, which anyone can appreciate.
Ashkental @ Aug 27th 2008 5:24PM
So, you pay 30 - 50 Bucks for an Original copy of a PSP game, right?
What would you say that if i wanted to buy an Original copy of Crisis Core i would have to pay 150 - 180 bucks?
That's how living in Brazil is like... Did you know that a copy of a new game, let's say... Metal Gear Solid 4 costs 225 Bucks here? Do you think people from our country goes to piracy because it's cool? I buy originals, i have many games originals... But unfortunatly if i wanna pick up a nice game like patapon (that's even not sold here) i have to Import? That's the only reason why i download 'em.
I know that's piracy, and i'm doing Game Design on my collage, so it's a kind os paradoxal thing to do, study game design and help pirates... But i have no chois, is rather import and get the risk of paying up to 60% in taxes on the original price or buy only ultra high rated games like Crisis Core.....
Chad @ Aug 28th 2008 12:48AM
Those 'numbers' of pirated copies sounds rather infeasible. It claims to have been drawn from one 'torrent' website, but how did they get the information? How long was this information collection? How many of these are actual complete downloads? What torrent site would be dedicated enough to provide the extremely detailed research informatoin required in order to reach such a conclusion in the first place?
Searching any torrent site only reveals less then a dozen actually copies of any one game, usually taking days to download and requiring a particular amount of dedicated 'work' in order to make them work in the first place. So how does an activity that at one time is only servicing a few dozen people 2-3 days at a time actually add up to the hundreds of 'thousands' being claimed? How many of those people actually do not know how to make it work? How many of those people go away half way through? How many of those downloads are fake or do not work at all?
Things are certainly not adding up here and frankly, there really arn't any 'good' games on the PSP to pirate in the first place. Most of them are rather shitty and I get more use out of my psp doing things entirely unrelated to gaming.
Like I said, these numbers are entirely bogus and unfounded so cry me a fucking river.
NatsuMatto @ Aug 31st 2008 3:14AM
I was with you up until the "there are no good games" comment.
There are plenty of great games for the PSP, at least several in every genre.
Other than that, though, you're 100% correct about the skewed data being thrown around on this site.
Modding a PSP to run CFW is not some easy trick... you need to find a special battery, find the right software for the memorystick, and follow a good number of steps in order to get it to work in the first place. Are most young users of the PSP going to have the knowledge to do this? Sure, maybe someone with the required materials can pass them around to a friend (and another and another...), but there's no way that adds up to "millions" of people pirating games.
Buying a flashcart for the DS is MUCH easier than hacking the PSP.
-FOX- @ Aug 27th 2008 8:54PM
the only people that can stop piracy is the homebrew developers themselves. they can just not release the newer CFW to the public so the newer games that need an update can't be played. don't know if it's going to affect the sales but mabey more developers will start making games if thay feel there games won't be downloaded.
gurbinder @ Aug 27th 2008 10:12PM
Wont work now, I look at qj news as well and it seems like some recovery flasher, pandoras battery and time machine can easily revert the psp's system software. Either way piracy cant be stopped for the phat and slim atleast with those who still have modded psps.