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wraggster
June 11th, 2006, 14:35
Because we are the only dedicated Homebrew Network on the web covering just about all scenes (and if not then we will :)) i feel its a good time to give a low down on each scene and some pointers about where they are going from my point of view.

First off though lets remind all that Homebrew is not the same as warez, its a shame that so many sites for the want of grabbing visitors post the warezy stuff but this network would rather not get shutdown by the likes of Sony, Nintendo Etc.

Also I would like to point out that each scene owes its life to the many hardware and software hackers who discover the exploits we come to enjoy so much today, they are then followed by the many worldwide coders who make the homebrew scene a free and enjoyable place to hang out and make friends etc.

Lets take a look at each scene.

Sony Playstation Portable (http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/psp.jpg

The PSP (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=6225&lsaid=219793) Homebrew Scene is the one getting the most attention at the moment and rightly so, the ease of getting homebrew to run on this up to the latest 2 firmware releases means millions worldwide can enjoy Games and Emulators for the price of a Memory Card (http://www.success-hk.com/affiliatewiz/aw.asp?B=131&A=50&Task=Click) and a copy of Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=6533&lsaid=219793) depending on what firmware is on the PSP, even the latest firmware releases that support Flash only now have releases appearing and in the space of just over a year there has been hundreds of Games, Demos and Emulators. The power of the PSP makes it an awesome machine for Homebrew fans and once Kernal Mode can be accessed on higher firmwares than v1.5 then the possibilities get even better.

The PSP is the biggest homebrew scene for many years and with so many sites, coders and fans it can only get better. The soon to be Undiluted Platinum Modchip (http://affiliates.modchipstore.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=892) will open the door to everyone who wishes to run homebrew on any firmware, it will also open the door to kernal mode for all, so full speed Nintendo 64 and GBA Emulators come a step closer.

Finally later this year Sony themselves are releasing a PS1 emulator for the PSP so expect that to be a major pull for the handheld.

GP2X - The Linux Based Homebrew Console (http://gp2x-emulation.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images//170/gp2x.jpg

The GP2X (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=7728&lsaid=219793) is a console that was made for homebrew fans and coders, it has a worldwide base of people coding Emulators and Games for it and with 2x200mhz cpus and 64megs ram it sure can deliver the goods. After a ropy start with GPL and firmware issues its now flourishing, Its a great console where teamwork has already delivered near on 200 releases for the system, key emulators for now and the future are the excellent Mame4 All emulator which gives you access to hundreds of arcade classics and the Playstation emulator for the GP2X should in time be running most games at near on full speed, great for fans of the original Playstation.

The GP2X with its dual processors in the future will most likely take over as the kingpin of Homebrew because of its pro homebrew stance and not to mention a fantastic community who are driven to make it a success.

The Nintendo DS (http://nintendo-ds.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images//170/nds-console-lite-white-jap.jpg

The worlds biggest selling console at this time but surprisingly not the most popular for homebrew fans.

Why is that, well most likely people dont realise that all you need to run homebrew on the Nintendo DS is the Console (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=8634&lsaid=219793) (obviously), and a Passkey/Flash Cart Combo (http://www.mrmodchips.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=20&products_id=354&affiliate_banner_id=1) (with mem card).

Once you have the hardware above then the DS with its touch screen is a monster in the waiting, already it has over a hundred homebrew releases for it but with the touch screen, microphone and rumble addon you have an excellent base for games and more, not to mention the wifi mode.

As with the commercial games the DS cant match the PSP for pure power but it can easily bypass it in the innovation dept just like the commercial scene. With the DS you can also play the many hundreds of excellent GBA Homebrew Releases (http://gbaemu.dcemu.co.uk/gba_roms.shtml).

The future for the DS looks awesome, Nintendo dont seem to bother too much with Homebrew unlike Sony so once you have your hardware brought then your pretty much set up for life :)

Dreamcast (http://dreamcast.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images//170/dc.jpg

The Dreamcast is still the only non handheld Console to gain a massive legal scene without the use of modchips, the releases to date stand at over 500 and amongst them many ports of commercial games and awesome emulators, the scene has slowed a lot in the last year or so but it continues to pump out releases. Because of the fact that you dont have to Chip the console it makes the Dreamcast a cheap system to get emulators etc working on.

GP32 (http://gp32emu.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images/90/gp32-rf.jpg

The GP32 is the younger brother of the GP2X, this console had some commercial releases but the main reason for its success was the hundreds of releases for it, this scene has really slowed down since the release of the GP2X with most people going to the new more powerful system, if your looking for a great console to play free games then this is the one for you.

The GBA (http://gbaemu.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images/90/gameboy-micro.jpg

The biggest selling handheld of all time (from the GB onwards) and even today we still see many great games being released for it as well as a new Snes emulator just recently, theres hundreds of releases for this console with some of the best homebrew games ever created being released on the GBA, the fact that you only need the console and a GBA Flash Cart (http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=arboretum&prod=gba-f2au2g) makes this a real easy to get into scene, the added bonus of being able to play GBA on the Nintendo DS with your flash cart makes the scene last longer.

Gizmondo (http://gizmondo.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00097DZDI.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg

The Gizmondo whilst being a commercial failure despite being a very powerful handheld is now spawning a decent Homebrew scene, in the last few months we have seen the release of around 50 games and emulators, again like the PSP all you need is a Memory card and your ready to go, because there wasnt many Gizmondos made this will never be a massive scene but oncce more is known about the hardware homebrewers should really push the console.

Xbox (http://xbox-emulation.dcemu.co.uk/)

http://image.lik-sang.com/images/90/xbox-impactpad-black.jpg

The most powerful console for years has a massive range of full speed emulators and ported games for it, The best way to get homebrew to run is with the fitting of a Xbox Modchip (http://www.divineo.com/php/affstart.php?affcode=arboretum&prod=dd-xb-goldsp), the shame about the Xbox scene is that 99% of the homebrew released is made with the Official SDK, so that means no sites can legally host the releases, at one time there were multiple releases on a daily basis but now its slowed to a trickle, the Xbox really needs the creation of a Legal SDK so that it entices more coders to release projects on the powerful console. If your after full speed emulation then this is the homebrew console to get.

Nokia N-Gage (http://ngage.dcemu.co.uk/)

The homebrew scene for the Nokia seems to have died a death, most likely because Nokia killed the console but it has quite a few decent emulators for it but the longterm future looks very grim, emulation on mobile phones isnt very easy to understand even if you are a pro in the scene. Best to avoid is the answer.

Tapwave Zodiac (http://ngage.dcemu.co.uk/)

Heres a console much like the Nintendo DS with its Touch Screen but its also a Pocket PC type device so you get the best of both worlds, the homebrew scene for this console has dried up massively since Tapwave gave up last year, it does boast some great emulators and games though so if your after a homebrew console and a pocket PC device then this is for you.

Gamecube (http://gcemu.dcemu.co.uk/)

To get Homebrew on the Gamecube your gonna need a Modchip (http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=arboretum&prod=gc-vge), the Gamecube scene is very small compared to most other scenes with only a matter of 30 releases, it does however boast a great N64 and Snes emulator plus if you buy a Gamecube Gameboy player you can play GBA homebrew with a flash cart that way. Long term it doesnt look good for this scene.

PS2 (http://ps2emu.dcemu.co.uk/)

The PS2 Homebrew scene despite being a powerful console and the biggest selling non handheld console of recent years has never really thrived, it has around 30 releases for it similiar to the Gamecube, but the long term prospects dont look great. A modchip (http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=arboretum&prod=ps2-dms4pse) is the best way to get homebrew working on this console.

Ipod (http://ipodnews.dcemu.co.uk/)

The worlds most popular music player in time could be a real contender for mini games and emulation of simple systems, so far it does have some homebrew for it but controls are never going to be easy for it, because of the constant changing of hardware its unlikely to have a strong homebrew following. Best to stick to music ;)

Sega Saturn (http://sega-saturn.dcemu.co.uk/)

The Sega Saturn is another console for which youll need a modchip for, via a coder named Rockin-B the Saturn has a site with nearly 100 homebrew releases and although its never going to be a massive scene its great to see the console still getting some loving.

Xbox360 (http://xbox360.dcemu.co.uk/)

This will be the next console cracked for homebrew, the hackers are doing a great job at taking it apart and within 6 months i would think homebrew code will be running on this powerful console.

PS3 (http://ps3-evolution.dcemu.co.uk/)

The most powerful console of the next generation is apparently going to have Linux on it so does that open up the doors to homebrew easily, well we will have to see.

Nintendo Wii (http://wii-news.dcemu.co.uk/)

Nintendos Wii console is going to be an emulation fans dream, the ability to play N64, GBA, Snes, Nes, Gamecube, Megadrive and PC Engine on this console will make it a killer buy, if Nintendo somehow allow homebrew to be run on the console then we could be looking at the best homebrew console ever.

Conclusion

I hope i havent bored you too much but theres some opinions and facts about homebrew across the systems, if your looking for a killer handheld homebrew scene then PSP (http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/), Nintendo DS (http://nintendo-ds.dcemu.co.uk/) or GP2X (http://gp2x-emulation.dcemu.co.uk/) should be your focus.

Those looking for a Console based scene then the Dreamcast (http://dreamcast.dcemu.co.uk/) or maybe the Xbox (http://xbox-emulation.dcemu.co.uk/) Should be your port of call.

If your an emulation fan and if Nintendo let small time developers use the Wii to create games then Nintendos Wii (http://wii-news.dcemu.co.uk/)Console will be the king of Homebrew for the next generation.

Agree or disagree, please respond via comments

younggunn1999
June 11th, 2006, 14:48
This is some very good info, I'm going to be looking at the the dreamCast a little bit more now.

jimjamjahaa
June 11th, 2006, 15:38
i would say that the ps3 is more of a homebrew fans wet dream than the wii.

i mean, come on.... linux ffs. linux it's self already has countless games and emulators and you are only a VMWare away from an xp environment.... and with wine you can play an awful lot of stuff. also, with 7 cores im sure someone will mod VMWare to allow each virtual computer a core to it's self

</my 2 cents>

shadowprophet
June 11th, 2006, 15:43
But never the less a very very good read:D

Darksaviour69
June 11th, 2006, 15:57
well the ps2 was to have linux, but that was aload of old balls. Still it will be interesting what linux on the ps3 can do...

also I think there are more than 500 releases for the DC, but i will know how many for sure soon...

Pedal Bike Pete
June 11th, 2006, 16:11
yea i agree with the whole "linux and ps3" thing, the wii does sounds awsome because of the fact it is totaly open to emulation and homebrew. but if the ps3 has got linux and its as open as people hope its gona be, we can expect to be doing alot more than just emulating and homebrewing on it, we could have full fetured application that are already out for linux, things like video encoding and maybe even installing a dvd burner (via USB 2.0) would really kick ass!

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 16:17
Something I feel should be mentioned is that the GP2X runs linux out of the box, it has an X, Qtopia has been ported and there will be some 3D releases soon.

And as for the GP32, the only problem is that it is still a bit too expensive, there are many many many great apps and emu's for the device and can be OC quite far.
The Blu version is especially interesting, it was heavely OCed out of the box and has a backlight.

Also, with the NDS, there is a difference between passme1/passme2/wifime/flashme.
This is something we all know overhere, but for those who don't it is a very interesting aspect.
For example I run homebrew of of my DS but I have never touched a passme.

hekark
June 11th, 2006, 16:40
You notice that the linux installed on ps3 is hacked down version highly secured and designed only for sony needs. ps3 is probably going to be the hardest console to hack due to the amazing protection on blu ray and the fact that you need a computer with a cell chip to compile the homebrew unless someone makes a cross compiler (very hard to make!!). So do not get so hyped up over the ps3 it is not that great

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 16:51
That and there wil be a Linux development kit for the PS3 (o wait, that speaks for it...).
The problem wil be mostly that you will want to run homebrew native, not via Linux (with the gp2X that is native), maybe some bootloader can be made someday that boots the code.
It will mostly depend on people's hacking skills (I don't think that will go fast), or how easy the linux kit will be to crack.

DraconumPB
June 11th, 2006, 16:57
I believe Nintendo HAS stated that homebrew will be possible. I remember reading a quote somewhere stating that they are interested to see what enteprising independent devs can come up with for the system. Er, I think anyway.

Screw PS3, honestly, at that point you should just buy a low end PC if you want a $600 emulator box ;)

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 17:00
Or buy 3 wii's :D

acn010
June 11th, 2006, 17:06
video game systems had past in time, now there powerful computers.
i just want to cry.

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 17:12
A computer (generally) will not be able to render games the same way a console will.
Namely because the game console (not counting the Xbox) is devoted to gameing, with your PC there is a giant bloated OS (or linux) running.

jimjamjahaa
June 11th, 2006, 17:42
The problem wil be mostly that you will want to run homebrew native, not via Linux (with the gp2X that is native), maybe some bootloader can be made someday that boots the code.

what are you blithering about?


You notice that the linux installed on ps3 is hacked down version highly secured and designed only for sony needs. im highly interested in this claim.... could you provide a source for that statment?

jimjamjahaa
June 11th, 2006, 17:43
A computer (generally) will not be able to render games the same way a console will.
Namely because the game console (not counting the Xbox) is devoted to gameing, with your PC there is a giant bloated OS (or linux) running.

did this forum just get hit over the head with an idiot stick?

a PC of the same specs as a ps2 would not be able to render games as well as a ps2, granted, but a pc with an fx-60, 4 gig of ram and whatever the hell the latest gfx cards are up to now.... that would seriously whoop a nes.

jimjamjahaa
June 11th, 2006, 17:50
oooh oooh

you've been /.ed again

prepare for DCEmu breaking....

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 18:03
did this forum just get hit over the head with an idiot stick?

a PC of the same specs as a ps2 would not be able to render games as well as a ps2, granted, but a pc with an fx-60, 4 gig of ram and whatever the hell the latest gfx cards are up to now.... that would seriously whoop a nes.
1. Why do you bring up the nes?
I know that a PC from 15 years from now will probably be better/give better graphics then any console around today (not to mention the fact that a PC monitor can display way more pixels then any TV). But that is not a real comparison.
2. I was talking about things humanly possible.
If you get yourself a PC that has 4gigs ram, I have no idea what card you are talking about so let's just pick a nice quadro, then yes you will probably be able to render a nice bit of sceen.
But then the costs would get way higher.

Yes gameconsoles get old.
If you buy a nice (uhum) XBOX360 at release date the graphs will be nice (never will be able to get close to the resolution a PC has, since the XBOX can only display on a HD-TV or normal TV).
But there will be a better PC waiting in line 2 months later (if not earlier).
However chances are it will be much higher priced.

Thats the issue, you buy a gameconsole because it's easy and nice.
You don't buy it because the graphics are the best of the best.
And in time your console will become obsolete, the hardware will simply become old.
This happens to PC's too, but if you take a computer as 1 thing it will keep getting better and better.

__note__
I said (just noticed this) that a pc would not be able to render video in the same way. I said nothing of quality :)
What I meant with that comment specifically is that your PC is also used for a lot of other things.

jimjamjahaa
June 11th, 2006, 18:38
1. Why do you bring up the nes?
I know that a PC from 15 years from now will probably be better/give better graphics then any console around today (not to mention the fact that a PC monitor can display way more pixels then any TV). But that is not a real comparison.
2. I was talking about things humanly possible.
If you get yourself a PC that has 4gigs ram, I have no idea what card you are talking about so let's just pick a nice quadro, then yes you will probably be able to render a nice bit of sceen.
But then the costs would get way higher.

Yes gameconsoles get old.
If you buy a nice (uhum) XBOX360 at release date the graphs will be nice (never will be able to get close to the resolution a PC has, since the XBOX can only display on a HD-TV or normal TV).
But there will be a better PC waiting in line 2 months later (if not earlier).
However chances are it will be much higher priced.

Thats the issue, you buy a gameconsole because it's easy and nice.
You don't buy it because the graphics are the best of the best.
And in time your console will become obsolete, the hardware will simply become old.
This happens to PC's too, but if you take a computer as 1 thing it will keep getting better and better.

__note__
I said (just noticed this) that a pc would not be able to render video in the same way. I said nothing of quality :)
What I meant with that comment specifically is that your PC is also used for a lot of other things.



ooookay then

to me, it sounded as if you were saying that a computer will never be as good as a console in graphics... or gaming in general.... which is a complete fallacy

if you were to have said consoles are better when compared to equivilently priced pc's you might have been on to something.

even the supposedly "ridiculously expensive" ps3 is incredible value compared to a pc in terms of computing ability

edit: and with linux it might just do 90% of the stuff your pc does anyway :)

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 18:41
I said (or wanted to) say that ;).

As with the Linux of the ps3, we will have to see where that takes us. It all depens on what we would be allowed to do with it.

Pico
June 11th, 2006, 19:03
The soon to be Undiluted Platinum Modchip will open the door to everyone who wishes to run homebrew on any firmware, it will also open the door to kernal mode for all, so full speed Nintendo 64 and GBA Emulators come a step closer.

The GBA is not defunked yet, so go buy one and stop pirating GBA games.

sabernet
June 11th, 2006, 19:11
what are you blithering about?

im highly interested in this claim.... could you provide a source for that statment?


While I agree the claim was with more certainty then is possible at this point, let us observe the track record of Sony:

1) The rootkit fiasco:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/21/sony_rootkit_drm_rou.html

2) The PSP:
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/should_i_upgrade_my_sony_psp_firmware.html

3) The PS2
(I won't post a link, but there are over 20 microsolder points required for the modchip and Sony, like MS, has heavily enforced the illegality of modchips via the DMCA)

4) The RIAA lawsuits(Sony is the biggest player in the RIAA)
http://www.riaa.com/default.asp

5) BlueRay DRM(Sony can remotely destroy your player on suspicion of piracy)
http://www.drmwatch.com/drmtech/article.php/3526796
http://www.blu-ray.com/

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 19:20
The GBA is not defunked yet, so go buy one and stop pirating GBA games.
There is no need for pirating.
Lets say I have a gba game, and a psp.
I do not want to carry both around.
Then the emu comes in handy.

DamienG
June 11th, 2006, 19:56
The Xbox360 may well have a legal homebrew future using something called XNA Framework.

Basically as part of Microsoft's XNA strategy they want to release a specialised version of the .NET 2.0 framework with managed DirectX components, XACL etc. for both PC and Xbox360.

With .NET being a sandboxed VM style environment with good performance they could open up the system to third party dev's without fear of people being able to boot pirated games, mess with save games or screw up gamerpoints.

They haven't confirmed whether the 360 will run unsigned bytecode yet but a big announcement is planned for August 18th.

More at my blog, http://www.damieng.com/blog/archive/2006/05/17/PiecingTogetherMicrosoftsXNAGamingPlatform.aspx

[)amien

SSaxdude
June 11th, 2006, 20:05
I highly doubt that the Wii will be a homebrew fans dream becasue you have to pay to play the retro games. Homebrew is supposed to be free for all, not have a charge. As for the linux on PS3, I doubt this would be used mainly for running unsigned code.

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 20:25
Homebrew is legal.

sabernet
June 11th, 2006, 20:44
I highly doubt that the Wii will be a homebrew fans dream becasue you have to pay to play the retro games. Homebrew is supposed to be free for all, not have a charge. As for the linux on PS3, I doubt this would be used mainly for running unsigned code.


Iwata did say that someone developping games for the Virtual Console(he explicitly said new gamesnot old ones, but he probably meant using older frameworks for the NES-N64) would cost on average about 50$(he said 5000yen).

It may not be free homebrew, but it may be damn cheap homebrew

Briggzy11
June 11th, 2006, 21:45
I learned much about the homebrew scene I did not expect...

...Thank you wraggster

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 21:52
Iwata did say that someone developping games for the Virtual Console(he explicitly said new gamesnot old ones, but he probably meant using older frameworks for the NES-N64) would cost on average about 50$(he said 5000yen).

It may not be free homebrew, but it may be damn cheap homebrew
Would the developers have to pay that or every customer?
I think hacking the thing would make us all a lot happier ;).

sabernet
June 11th, 2006, 22:17
Would the developers have to pay that or every customer?
I think hacking the thing would make us all a lot happier ;).

As I understand it(based off a translation of an Iwata interview, grain of salts at front door), the developers would pay for it, but could sell it on the VC network through Nintendo's online service.

Hacking would still have a place for those who do not want to go that route.

However, seeing as they said that some third parties would be welcome in giving out their retro collections if they saw fit(consider that the pricing debate on now is for Nintendo content, not third party content, Reggie already said third parties can set their own prices), I imagine it may very well be possible to hand it out for free. Maybe the Opera browser will allow someone to download and run a VC app.

VC = Virtual Console

In retrospect, it would make sense in a way as something running off a N64 SDK would not have the same level access to the system as the official Wii SDK and they probably have the VC memory usage very well partitioned similar to how well locked away Kernal mode on the PSP is. Their licensing future would still be secured even if they handed out the VC SDKs for free(while I doubt the GC SDK will be, at least for now, as they still plan on making games for it for a bit and it's supposedly real similar to the Wii)

scorpei
June 11th, 2006, 22:21
Let's all wait and see, in any case, it's incredably cool ;).
The big plus in a hack might be not having to pay to download a game you already own in real life (from the retro stuff).

gensuke
June 11th, 2006, 23:53
The gamecube can be also softmodded to run unsigned code.

jimjamjahaa
June 12th, 2006, 00:03
While I agree the claim was with more certainty then is possible at this point, let us observe the track record of Sony:

1) The rootkit fiasco:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/21/sony_rootkit_drm_rou.html

2) The PSP:
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/should_i_upgrade_my_sony_psp_firmware.html

3) The PS2
(I won't post a link, but there are over 20 microsolder points required for the modchip and Sony, like MS, has heavily enforced the illegality of modchips via the DMCA)

4) The RIAA lawsuits(Sony is the biggest player in the RIAA)
http://www.riaa.com/default.asp

5) BlueRay DRM(Sony can remotely destroy your player on suspicion of piracy)
http://www.drmwatch.com/drmtech/article.php/3526796
http://www.blu-ray.com/


sony only want to stop piracy mate. DRM and whatnot. they actually encouraged those that wanted to put linux on the ps2. it would be very easy to protect the copyright on games using sonys blu-ray format coupled with decent hardware encryption, so there is nothing to stop them allowing homebrew code.

it makes sence in every way. someone is going to have to hack the hardware to get it to play pirate isos, software or no software.

sabernet
June 12th, 2006, 00:32
sony only want to stop piracy mate. DRM and whatnot. they actually encouraged those that wanted to put linux on the ps2. it would be very easy to protect the copyright on games using sonys blu-ray format coupled with decent hardware encryption, so there is nothing to stop them allowing homebrew code.

it makes sence in every way. someone is going to have to hack the hardware to get it to play pirate isos, software or no software.


I must disagree here. The point is to stop people from running that which hasn't been agreed to by sony. Currently, running pirated UMDs doesn't work on newer firmwares while running unsigned apps in memory using GTA works.

So why is Sony continuously locking it down further and further to remove even that from the PSP with the more recent firmware upgrades? Piracy is no longer an issue.

The reason is homebrew games != income for Sony, who's selling the console at a hefty loss and has a history of pushing closed formats. Piracy is only a small factor in it(maybe 3/4 at the most).

With the run-from-memstick abilities of the PSP, they could easily open a homebrew platform for it. They haven't, they probably won't.

Look at all other standards enforced by sony: Sony's music formats, mp3 players requiring special software to load songs, memorysticks which bring nothing new to the table but higher prices and stronger control, self-destructing blueray players(I'm sorry, but not even piracy justifies that).

As has been stated, there was a PS2 Linux. You could order it from Sony and they would have shipped it to you. Does that mean they encourage homebrew? Well, if you give them your signature, personnal info, address, name, etc... they'll send you an OS that will let you run basic apps -within that OS-

The closest Sony has ever come to homebrew was the Net Yaroze which still cost a fortune and wouldn't generate anything that was playable to anyone but another Net Yaroze owner.

PS: To put to rest the misconception that Sony Linux == homebrew consent, consider this:

The only Linux that runs on the PS2 is Sony's distro. It costs more then a game does, no longer exists since 04. It was an effort to get people to program for the console professionally in the same way the original Devkit for PS1 did when they overthrew Nintendo in third party support. In no way did this make it easier for the average user to see your homebrew.

Mariopop87
June 12th, 2006, 00:43
Ipod (http://ipodnews.dcemu.co.uk/)

The worlds most popular music player in time could be a real contender for mini games and emulation of simple systems, so far it does have some homebrew for it but controls are never going to be easy for it, because of the constant changing of hardware its unlikely to have a strong homebrew following. Best to stick to music ;)

I will.
I tried putting Linux on my iPod, and I screwed up in the process. I couldn't fix it. I went to the store with all this Apple stuff, and they replaced my iPod.
I'm not gonna do that again...

I got that flash cart for the GBA, but not the SD Card. I have to wait untill that comes in. Probably on Tuesday or Wendsday.

I'm already using PSP homebrew. (did I say that right?)

Legodude522
June 12th, 2006, 01:27
The Tapwave Zodaic is not a PocketPC! It runs Palm OS 5.

SkankinMonkey
June 12th, 2006, 03:37
Please learn the difference between your/you're It's not very pleasant to read something that hasn't been proofread.

Voltron
June 12th, 2006, 04:02
I'm very happy to hear that currently, the PSP homebrew scene is the most active. I hope it stays this way for a long time to come.

::NOTE::
This post has been spell checked, grammar checked, & proofread prior to posting. LOL

scorpei
June 12th, 2006, 08:07
You've been slashdot :D!
http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/06/11/139224.shtml

Stilgar
June 12th, 2006, 13:28
The Tapwave Zodiac IS NOT a pocket pc device! It runs PalmOs 5.1!

yaustar
June 12th, 2006, 13:47
There are a couple of mistakes in there.

Gamecube: You do not need a mod chip, you can boot via a memory card SD reader with an Action Replay. There is also an exploit in Phantasy Star Online in combination with the broadband adaptor.

Xbox: There is a legal SDK for it, OpenXDK.

Christuserloeser
June 12th, 2006, 14:13
One really gotta love that the Wii is compatible with the GameCube, hopefully that means we can use GameCube homebrew on Wii too.


Xbox: There is a legal SDK for it, OpenXDK.

...which is rarely ever used ;)





It's a good read Wraggster :)

You're right that it's possible that the Dreamcast homebrew slowed down a bit during the past year, but as it seems it's all for quality over quanitity. Also the emulation scene saw a major boost with NesterDC SE, Neo4All and the other releases by our spanish devvers. :)

acn010
June 16th, 2006, 23:20
ok, some machines are good, thats all what i can say

Adrenalin
October 15th, 2006, 10:29
very nice article! i have been informed greatly.