Sony: 'Piracy can fuel hardware sales'

[Shrygue]

via Computer and Video Games (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=191302)


SCEE president David Reeves has admitted that while piracy on PSP "is a problem", it can fuel hardware sales.

The piracy and homebrew scene has thrived on PSP since hackers busted the console's protection software wide open just months after its 2004 release.

"There is a piracy problem on PSP," he said at the recent DevStation conference in London (MCV reports). "We know about it, we know how it's done.

"It sometimes fuels the growth of hardware sales, but on balance we are not happy about it," he said, while explaining that Sony will soon be introducing new measures to tackle piracy on the handheld.

[osgeld]

they can take all the measures they want, but as long as theres really nothing to play on it theres no reason for us to upgrade

[BelmontSlayer]

No matter how many times they change the hardware or create new encryption keys, a new way to circumvent the security will be found. There is no such thing as perfect security as everything has an flaw that can be exploited.

[kharaboudjan]

well, im still on 3.10 OE-A and im perfectly fine about that :D

[JKKDARK]

Of course, but the developers will leave the PSP if its software sales are not good.

[jamotto]

I'm not sure what they can try that they have not already. They would have to start over with a new system and not make the security mistakes they made with the first psp at the beginning.

[LilSwish722]

I'm not sure what they can try that they have not already. They would have to start over with a new system and not make the security mistakes they made with the first psp at the beginning.

Maybe they'll put in a programming that'll call the FBI everytime it detects an iso

[darkdex52]

No matter how many times they change the hardware or create new encryption keys, a new way to circumvent the security will be found. There is no such thing as perfect security as everything has an flaw that can be exploited.


Yea? But how about Playstation3? IMO still so far a perfect security.

[NoQuarter]

Piracy was part of sony's plan all along,been saying it for 3 years now.They play both sides of the coin when they gamble,how could they not have learned from they previous experience of the psx and ps2?

There are TONS of games for the psp,that's not even an argument for piracy.Heck,it doesn't make sense.

I predict the so called security will be obviously weak and half hearted,mainly a way to appease licensed developers who are (justifiably) upset.Truth be told, (if this is indeed the case) I would agree with sony's strategy.

I believe the future is a totally open system,period.

[Justise]

Maybe they'll put in a programming that'll call the FBI everytime it detects an iso

or launch a satellite that fires every person it detects to play games without having the current game Umd inside.

[alanparker05]

The only answer is for sony to allow some developers to create some good homebrew that works with the official firmware and that would stop some people from going to custom firmware

[pibs]

Sony should of thought of a better format then the UMD, that was essentially the fail of the psp.

[wolfpack]

if they left the psp open to homebrew but blocked off iso loading, this wouldnt be a problem

[Eviltaco64]

argh

[Nocuddle]

Back at the old age where the pirates are still around, the Rum industry is thriving....

[Larry]

Yea? But how about Playstation3? IMO still so far a perfect security.

I think that's due to the blu-ray format.
Blu-ray burners still cost a few hundred dollars.
and blank disk cost a noticable amount. (best buy has blank disk for 25$ per disk, thats half a ps3 game)

When blu-ray burners and blank media drop dramaticly in price, IE under 60$ for a burner and under 2$ per blank disk, if not less.
Then the ps3 hack scene will grow dramaticly.

[dangee]

Hope Sony don't put too much time & effort into
locking out all unlicensed PSP activities.
For me, one of the best things about the console is the homebrew &
emulation scene. Some of the recent unsigned releases make me think
there's more vibrancy & creativity in small scale homebrew games
than in many big budget UMD titles.
They could easily be made available on OFW using the game demo system.

[Buddy4point0]

Of course, but the developers will leave the PSP if its software sales are not good.

Exactly! PSP is SO much more popular than the charts say because there is so much piracy.

[Aryn]

If SONY wants to reduce piracy, perhaps they could, well, you know, allow unsigned code on the PSP (within certain limitations, of course) and only take measures to prevent copying UMDs or running ISO's in any format, instead of trying to keep the system on a very short leash?

Sure, a way to circumvent any measures taken would be found, but people who originally start using homebrew programs for the sake of taking advantage of extra features and the occasional freeware game would not have to rely on hacked firmwares that make piracy easy and then get so pissed off about SONY blocking features that people try to add that they decide to start pirating. After that, homebrew friendly sites would have no need to report hacked firmwares. Here is an idea, how about a firmware that refuses to save ISO/CSO/DAX images (and checks a database for any games that have been pirated any time the PSP connects to the internet, and deletes them) would work? That would give pirates a headache but leave everybody else happy.

Perhaps, as other people already stated, generating games that match the gameplay value of Nintendo DS games would help as well. OK, I am not saying that all PSP games are low quality or anything, but on the PSP I can count the number of games that end up being addictive for me on one finger but on the Nintendo DS I can think of at least a dozen games that I am enjoying at the moment.

Of course, if piracy is an uncureable problem then SONY could always aim to create new hardware for the PSP. The camera and GPS are a good step forward and people will gladly pay for the software to go with the hardware, but there are always better ideas. I heard that SONY might create a PSP keyboard, that is a good idea as well. Or a tilt motion sensor that is only available with games that require it would work, some Gameboy Advance games actually had one built into some cartridges. Perhaps creating a motion sensor and heart rate monitor for exercise purposes and adding software to use it with would help. The PSP Slim has the ability to connect to a high definition TV, so you could market a few games with a modulator that allows using the PSP on a normal TV. At any rate people can not pirate hardware.

One more thing that can help to curb piracy would be making UMDs that actually stay together under heavy stress. I have found myself downloading games because the plastic on the outside of the UMD caved in or the metal piece in the middle popped out of place. And this was just from carrying the UMDs in my pocket for too long. As a gamer, one would feel that SONY left the UMDs broken by design and after downloading an ISO of the game that broke might decide to download something else in order to even the score. To fix this, a simple redesign of the plastic casing for the UMD is all that would be needed.

But then, I suppose that SONY will not actually listen to any suggestions for curbing piracy, since it gives them an excuse for blocking all unsigned code.

[Qmark]

Consider this:
There were nearly eight thousand games made for Playstation 1.
There are currently all of twenty-one PS1 games available in the Playstation Store (or at least the US part).

Methinks a major part of the problem is right damn there