Phil Harrison Answers Your Questions

[wraggster]

Via Slashdot

4.) 'Homebrew Gaming' by Anonymous Coward, maynard, and flitty
If someone manages to get homebrew games running on the PS3, will there be firmware updates to stop this kind of development, to protect your software developers, or is homebrew something you are planning on and even encouraging? Is there a chance that the policy of restricting access to PS3 graphics hardware (via the hypervisor) could be revised to encourage us homebrew developers? How does this strategy differ from your strategy with PSP homebrew? Has Sony considered offering kernel patches and an RSX optimized OpenGL library for PS3/Linux?

Phil Harrison: Now, let me first say that Homebrew is sometimes a misused term and so for the purposes of this answer I will exclude pirates and hackers with illegal intentions from the definition.

I fully support the notion of game development at home using powerful tools available to anyone. We were one of the first companies to recognize this in 1996 with Net Yaroze on PS1. It's a vital, crucial aspect of the future growth of our industry and links well to the subtext of my earlier answers. When I started making games on the Commodore 64 in the 1980's, the way I learned to make games was by re-writing games that appeared in magazines. Really the best bit about a C64 was when you turned it on it said "Ready?" with a flashing cursor - inviting you to experiment. You'd spend hours typing in the code, line-by-line, and then countless hours debugging it to make it work and then you'd realise the game was rubbish after all that effort! The next step was to re-write aspects of the game to change the graphics, the sound, the control system or the speed of the gameplay until you'd created something completely new. I might share this with a few friends but not for commercial gain at that time. But the process itself was invaluable in helping me learn to program, to design graphics, animations or sounds and was really the way I opened doors to get into the industry. Now, those industry doors are largely closed by the nature of the video game systems themselves being closed. So, if we can make certain aspects of PS3 open to the independent game development community, we will do our industry a service by providing opportunities for the next generation of creative and technical talent. Now having said all that, we still have to protect the investment and intellectual property rights of the industry so we will always seek the best ways to secure and protect our devices from piracy and unauthorized hacking that damages the business.

[mavsman4457]

He dodges this question. He doesn't address the issue of homebrew being run through an exploit, he just talks about is using the tools provided by Sony to develop stuff for PS3. Also the fact that he doesn't address the hackers and piracy is partly avoiding the question. Giving himself the good guy image so no one thinks that he is trying to get rid of their homebrew and no one is afraid to update. Even though in the past he has directly addressed the PSP homebrew scene and has said that he greatly respects Dark_AleX and all he has done but it cannot be legally supported by Sony.

[Uberman]

He dodges this question. He doesn't address the issue of homebrew being run through an exploit, he just talks about is using the tools provided by Sony to develop stuff for PS3.

I thought exactly the same thing when I read it. Sounded just like a politician. What does a nostalgic walk down the C64 lane have to do with enabling homebrew on PS3/PSP? If they were truly interested in supporting such independent application development, they wouldn't keep trying to squelch it with each firmware update. They themselves would add the 1.5 compatibility so DA doesn't have to keep making them look like idiots.

[10shu]

...bull$#@!!

[chenruhai]

Via Slashdot

So, if we can make certain aspects of PS3 open to the independent game development community, we will do our industry a service by providing opportunities for the next generation of creative and technical talent.

don't you think it is very strange of him to say "if we can".

[Veskgar]

This guy can say what he wants but I don't think there is a single exec or employee working for SONY whose mouth has not dropped at the temptation of what a fully enabled homebrew PSP can do.

I see all these commercial efforts being made to have emulators and stuff but the PSP does it the best. I think the only commercial option I would try is the Nintendo Wii's virtual console. But having to pay money for "points" is not something I've yet been willing to do. Maybe for a few games but not on any widespread scale.

I think major corporations will try to emulate what the PSP can do with homebrew in a commercialized way but I just don't see anything coming remotely close to the PSP in the near future.

They may not admit it publicly, but SONY "left the door open" for homebrew with 1.00 and 1.50 firmware. And for that, I will be forever thankful.

I am amazed that more than 2 years passed and the PSP still makes me feel like an excited little kid every time new released and developments occur with PSP homebrew.

No other portable multimedia device has ever been able to keep me so interested for so long.

This is a perfect example of how creativity and quality are more important than profits. I see more effort and care put forth in a lot of homebrew projects than it seems some game developers put into their commercial games.

[b8a]

If only we had a PSP homebrew community that was as vocal and visible as the PSP pirate community.

Pirating is not the same as homebrewing. Sony has made it clear that they understand the difference and that they support the homebrew community, and would further support homebrew development as long as it wouldn't conflict with the interests of the broader gaming community.

Thanks for doing what you can Sony. It's nice to know that you're not only willing to give us the dream-machine that is the PSP, but also that you've done what you can to try and allow the common person to bring it to life.

[Buddy4point0]

He dodges this question. He doesn't address the issue of homebrew being run through an exploit, he just talks about is using the tools provided by Sony to develop stuff for PS3. Also the fact that he doesn't address the hackers and piracy is partly avoiding the question. Giving himself the good guy image so no one thinks that he is trying to get rid of their homebrew and no one is afraid to update. Even though in the past he has directly addressed the PSP homebrew scene and has said that he greatly respects Dark_AleX and all he has done but it cannot be legally supported by Sony.

exaclly. this dude is just a total jerk and needs to go fall in a ditch

[aries2k4]

Well if the wsould at least release some Linux drivers for the video card, that would be a good step.

[Basil Zero]

Sony has to admit one thing, its because of homebrew that people are buying psps

heck , my associates redirect customers to me, so i would explain to them about homebrew, and its the only reason why they would even bother buying psps lol