PSP Brite isn't impervious to hackers

by Alan Tsang { Nov 19th 2008 at 1:00PM }

It didn't take long now, did it? As of last month, hackers and pirates have yet to to find a way to run custom firmware on the latest iteration of the PSP. Well, things have changed. Datel has unveiled to the world a "special mode battery" called the Lite Blue Tool which allows the PSP Brite to enter service mode. Once in service mode, you're home free, baby -- you can downgrade to the firmware version of your choice. The "crypto processor based battery" even has a built in LED power gauge and will sell for $29.99 come November 28th.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: psp, psp-3000, psp-brite

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

aj @ Nov 19th 2008 1:17PM

How long until the Lite Blue Tool is hacked and you can do it yourself without paying 29.99$ for it?

Erik Stroud @ Nov 19th 2008 5:10PM

Next week when Dark Alex announces something better.

redmotman @ Nov 19th 2008 7:26PM

Next week when Dark Alex announces something better.
Ps Wow They Did It

Ayrkain @ Nov 19th 2008 1:31PM

There's still no Pre-IPL hack though, which means all that you can do right now is light up that green light and nothing else.

Quaran @ Nov 19th 2008 1:33PM

"Once in service mode, you're home free, baby -- you can downgrade to the firmware version of your choice."

Don't be so sure - on Ta-088v3's you can launch service mode (Power LED indicator is flashing), but you still can't flash your PSP :P

hsian loon @ Nov 19th 2008 1:44PM

it's a losing battle, there's no commercial technology that isn't hack-able.

Dr Haisook @ Nov 19th 2008 1:54PM

I don't think that Sony released the 3000 'only' to block the hackers. It's just a common strategy with video game consoles; releasing iterations that cost less to manufacture and advertising them as being better, and so get more profit. PSP-2000 costs less to manufacture and is less durable than PSP-1000, and the 3000 costs even less. So I don't think Sony would care about this. Adding such security enhancements are just of routine nature to any company.

Alien @ Nov 19th 2008 2:30PM

The question is... will Sony let this product to be sold?

TM @ Nov 19th 2008 2:38PM

that was quick

Kris @ Dec 13th 2008 9:38AM

Actually, not so quick. I just heard that the datel blue tool has been delayed to January 15, at least:

http://portablevideogamer.com/2008/12/datel-lite-blue-tool/

leonus11 @ Nov 19th 2008 4:17PM

man. people who hack these things (the PSP Brite, DSi, Wii and all other consoles) must be REALLY BORED to hack them so quick! lol man i swear although i'm completely against piracy it's a hopeless battle. best thing to do to stop piracy? at the source. not change the console/hand-held so try and be impervious! just attck the source. and hopefully that'll be EXACTLY what SONY will do.

aj @ Nov 20th 2008 1:02AM

It's just curiosity. You've never taken anything apart to see how it works, and tried to make it work better? That's all I ever did as a kid. I blew up a lot of perfectly good electronics, but it was fun, and I learned something.

Danny F. @ Nov 20th 2008 9:36AM

@aj

Theres a difference between trying to make the psp a better product and trying to run un-paid for games on a ms. I highly doubt more then 5% of psp hackers are trying to run snes on their psp then trying to download games to play for free on the psp.

Christopher @ Nov 20th 2008 10:04PM

@ Danny

As usual, somebody has to equate running custom firmware with pirating. THAT'S NOT THE ONLY USE for the MILLIONTH TIME.

Why does when a post about DA or CFW comes out somebody always has to rant against piracy? Just because some people pirate doesn't make the process of breaking a system to run unsecure code piracy.

mindshed @ Nov 19th 2008 5:27PM

"'Once the target IC had been identified, our engineers then de-capsulated the device and prepared it for hi-resolution SEM imaging' he added, explaining the high-tech methods employed in this project."

wtf does SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) have to do with hacking? They can take a pretty picture, does that help them decode anything? I use SEM to take super closeups of drosophila for my research, but that doesn't give me their genome :P

Scuffles @ Nov 19th 2008 6:00PM

While I don't agree with piracy myself I hardly see this as piracy in the same way a CD or DVD RW drive doesn't mean the person who owns it is going out and stealing music or DVDs ..... Could they do so using the drives as a tool, Yes. Does that mean that they are going to ...... that all depends on the person using the tool.

but hey on your note I hope the DVD industry goes after SONY for manufacturing DVD-RW drives because they are facilitating pirates ....

Honestly SONY could probably stop a large number of people from resorting to devices like this if they offered something like (hates to say it because I hate apple) the Iphone App store, Let people submit their useful apps to a central database where they can be reviewed and downloaded without the need for circumventing the soft/hardware. From what I have heard the DSI is going to have the ability for people to submit and allow people to download software apps from some sort of DSI database ....... proving SONY is a dinosaur.

mindshed @ Nov 19th 2008 6:11PM

As far as I'm aware, most of the popular homebrew contain or depend on copyright infringing material (emulators, turok/quake remakes, etc), or they provide a service sony may not want to such as iRshell/remotejoy/usbhost's psp-to-pc link because it removes the need to buy a sony branded cable to connect your psp to a tv

Scuffles @ Nov 19th 2008 6:55PM

Well as far as the original quake goes as I recall ID software released the source code for the game to the public several years back so as long as they are not charging or if the engine is used in a new game I think they are in the clear on that, tho not a lawyer so not 100%.

Honestly if Sony wrote their own Emulator and got some contracts going with game publishers so they could legitimately distribute their games via their store for ~$1 I can think of several that I would buy in a heartbeat even tho I own them in their original cart form. I think that would be way better and in the long run more profitable for sony and the companies that occasionally puke out an archive UMD with three good games afloat an ocean of pure refuse.

And there have been several interesting home brew apps that have had me teetering on the edge of downgrading on several instances but I have always been too lazy and usually thats around the time a new PSP game gets released that I actually feel like going out to buy. So my PSP is doomed to the rare new game and being in that 30% that plays music.