Sonys Bad Week Continues - Upsetting Game Companies Now

[wraggster]

Sony have had a bit of a bad week around the world as far as PR goes. Firstly they yet again shit on Europe with a crappy March PS3 release, yes Europe may not sell as many as USA and Japan but its still a mega market and all they have done is give the Ebay sharks another reason to charge silly prices for PS3 Consoles this Xmas.

Secondly the delaying of GTA Vice City Stories and the unknown release date of Gran Tourismo PSP, 2 more slaps in Sony Console fans faces.

Now it seems that Sony has turned its attention to the companies who release games on its systems.

A few weeks ago i posted that the PSP Connect site was linking to a homebrew site (http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=33657&highlight=connect), that in itself is a very strange move for Sony as the site in question hosts Firmware files (remember Sony took the likes of Lik Sang to court for the same reason) and also the Devhook ISO Loader which obviously has a massive effect on the sales of Commercial games if warezing is being done on such a grand scale.

Now its like Microsoft carrying an advert to Linux on its pages, or Nintendo promoting Sony, these things just dont happen. But Sony basically promoting the warezing of its own console and the exploitation of its own firmware and the hacking of the console.

When contacted the rep from Sony gave no reply.

Now as a Homebrew Network (http://www.dcemu.co.uk) we would be ecstatic to see the likes of Sony and Nintendo and Microsoft actually let all their consoles be open to homebrew in the forms we would like to see. But something tells me that it aint going to happen. :D

Now will Sony get a backlash from the game companies they need to keep the PSP as a commercial console alive ?

I suppose the question is, will we ever see homebrew allowed by on a major games console bar the likes of GP2X. ?

[Veskgar]

Devhook ISO Loader which obviously has a massive effect on the sales of Commercial games if warezing is being done on such a grand scale.
I don't think that is fair to dub DevHook a PSP warezing app. DevHook does not create ISO's. DevHook allows higher firmware UMD games to run also, not just ISO. DevHook lets 1.50 users have all the benefits of higher firmware without having to upgrade. There are so many positives to DevHook.

Without DevHook there would be LESS of a homebrew scene because more people would get fed up with not being able to play commercial games and start upgrading. Especially with all of the great releases lately.

Booster and his awesome DevHook deserve so much respect and appreciation. It doesn't deserve to be affiliated with WAREZ.

There is not as much of a widespread "WAREZING" as some people think. Its a very small percentage of people and it is not dramatically affecting the PSP's success/failure.

The benefits of DevHook far outweigh any "questionable" traits and I don't think many people will disagree.

If they brought Brave Story to the U.S. then they'd be in business.
I agree! That is indeed a kick a$$ RPG. I have been playing the Japanese release and it is very much playable for a Japanese RPG. I really do wish for an English version though.

[Festizzio]

If they brought Brave Story to the U.S. then they'd be in business.

[smith1]

Devhook ISO Loader which obviously has a massive effect on the sales of Commercial games if warezing is being done on such a grand scale.... and the reading stopped there.

Lolz.

[jerrt]

should the title of this topic have a question mark at the end? your write up doesn't directly say any companies have gotten mad at sony for this, but the title implies it.

i'm all for sony linking to homebrew, but have any companies said they are against this?

just trying to find out.

[Fanjita]

Maybe it's just because I should be in bed asleep... but I didn't understand why "Sony have turned their attention to upsetting game companies this week"?

You seem to be referring to events from a few weeks ago.

And don't forget that a lot more 1.5 users are now buying UMDs as a result of DevHook, since they can now run them without sacrificing their homebrew support. It's a shame that Devhook includes ISO support, but it's in no way an entirely negative influence on UMD sales.

[NoQuarter]

Publicly sony doesn't support homebrew or hacking of their systems,but their actions seem to tell another story.
Would we even have homebrew on psp without PS2 linux?

[Veskgar]

And don't forget that a lot more 1.5 users are now buying UMDs as a result of DevHook, since they can now run them without sacrificing their homebrew support. It's in no way an entirely negative influence on UMD sales.
That is a very good point which helps advance my argument that DevHook is more beneficial than harmful. Moreover, this would signal that DevHook is actually a boost to SONY when it comes to the PSP because it helps fans of homebrew & commercial games.

Obviously SONY cannot and will not openly support DevHook because of its I$O support, but frankly put I bet there are more than a few SONY employees rocking 1.50 PSP's equiped with DevHook....

[NoQuarter]

Veskgar, I agree.
At this point in time I think homebrew is a darn good selling point for sony!
Especially with that homebrew news about the PS3.

[jinqui242]

Not really sure what the point of this article was...?

[Nafogel]

man, yall are really hitting hard on wraggster

[viMaster]

man, yall are really hitting hard on wraggster
We're just trying to figure out what the article is about. There are some pretty far-out conclusions being drawn in there. It sounds like baseless guesses that conspiracy theorists consistently attempt to "prove." We all know it was not DevHook that was the cause of Sony sending the cease & desist order -- it was the patch that someone else uploaded that had the 1.5 reboot bin file. Wraggster seems to be amazed that sites can still host the ISO version of DevHook, yet it continues to be hosted on plenty of sites and without consequence so far.

Wraggster's title does imply that Sony has actually done something that has angered the game creators, yet there is no proof of that as of yet. The conclusion about the advertisement that was on the PSP Connect site was that it was simply part of a banner ad and happened to find its way on there and most likely Sony wouldn't have openly supported it, but mistakes are made all the time.

Sorry Wraggster, but DevHook does NOT have "a massive effect on the sales of Commercial games," since we all know a very small percentage actually have the know-how and/or desire to use illegal ISOs... (remember... the word "ISO" or the concept of "ISO" is not illegal and plenty of people simply use ISOs from their own purchased collection of UMD games, so they load faster and play faster on their PSP. I sure do.) You simply cannot associate DevHook with "warezing" (who knows where he got that word.) It can be used to do illegal things, but just because someone uses it does not mean they are using it illegally.

Personally, it sounds to me like Wraggster was in need of practicing his essay skills and decided to find some way to bash DevHook again -- no matter that his conclusions provide no underlying facts.

The homebrew community as well as the homebrew capabilities would be worse off without DevHook, plain and simple. I understand that some people can't accept that, but sometimes the truth is hard to accept.

[hksrb25s14]

I would agree, DevHook has done alot for homebrew, I can enjoy playing my homebrew games plus, playing my new umd games.

[NoQuarter]

Pesonally I think wraggy is right about game companies being pissed at sony, actually EA issued a statement about something like this

This site does not discourage use of devhook, as we have a version of it here.

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

$ONY said nothing eh !! better than the mushroom treatment(kept in the dark and fed shit)).I hope $ony's weeks continue to get worse roll on new devhook. :)

[Veskgar]

The word "ISO" or the concept of "ISO" is not illegal and plenty of people simply use ISOs from their own purchased collection of UMD games, so they load faster and play faster on their PSP. I sure do.
Same here! I back up almost all my games except for the fairly large games that would make almost 1GB I$O's. If I purchased and own the actual UMD, backing it up to memory stick is fair use in my book.

Put it this way, you can lug 10 or so UMD games with you and have to force the PSP to shut down, open the UMD drive, swap UMD's start the PSP back up again, wait for the longer than ISO loading times, etc. etc....

OR you could launch DevHook and switch between all 10 or so UMD images at ease by just pressing HOME + L or R. No shutting the PSP off, no opening UMD drive, no more slow loading times, less consumption of battery, + more benefits.

It should be a no brainer but yet there are some critics. Criticize the tools used to CREATE ISO's all you want but leave poor DevHook alone. If you really think about it, DevHooks firmware emulation is far more impressive than its ISO loading. DevHook allows my 1.50 to be a 1.50, 2.00, 2.50, 2.60, & 2.71 all at once. You can select which firmware to emulate and it does it perfectly. Web Browser, RSS, Location Free Player, AVC Video, and many more. THAT is the REAL magic of DevHook.

I do want to point out that I don't want this to turn into an attack on wraggster. Wraggster does so much for us and is a vital part of this great community we enjoy. I did not initially think the article or essay writeup came directly from Wraggster. I thought it was pulled from some other site or report. If Wraggster has a difference of opinion than the majority, it should still be respected.

[zackforbing]

ebay "sharks"? I consider it pretty freaking awesome that I can buy a ps3 for $600 at launch, if I want to sell it on ebay to some rich fanboy gimme-gimme who's stupid enough to bid $2500, I don't think that makes me a bad person. Just want to remind you that yes, there are some sharks out there who'll set Buy It Now's really high- but there are also some people who let the bidders bid, and if they bid rabidly, it's nobody's fault except the bidder's that the price gets inflated. Most people might not like it, but it's a simple idea called Supply And Demand.

[benn]

OR you could launch DevHook and switch between all 10 or so UMD images at ease by just pressing HOME + L or R. No shutting the PSP off, no opening UMD drive, no more slow loading times, less consumption of battery, + more benefits.

man i still cant get that working on my dev hook! oh well.

seriously though, all of my mates who have bought a psp done so because of the homebrew. we are all old skool and blast amiga, c64, genesis etc. all of us have several UMDs - which we would not have without devhook as we never want to lose our homebrew.
sure a couple of them also run warez but even then it is just on the odd game, and when someone DL burnout (all those moons ago) it lead to 9 copies of the UMD being sold.
personally i think sony should wise up and do more free demos for download, but make them available without firmware upgrades.
i also KNOW that without devhook, the psp scene would be a fraction of its size and about 50% of my mates would be playing DS only or instead.

[b8a]

I agree that DevHook is mostly a very good thing for the PSP. I just recently bought my first PSP games (and, no, it's not because I was using ISOs previously), both of which wouldn't run on 1.50, but thanks to DevHook, I can now pitch in with some cash now and then to help out the commercial devers. Without DevHook, I'd still be saving my money up just to buy a second PSP just to play these games.


Same here! I back up almost all my games except for the fairly large games that would make almost 1GB I$O's. If I purchased and own the actual UMD, backing it up to memory stick is fair use in my book.Voltron, err, I mean Veskgar, you know the policy about ISO discussion, and you've already been banned. Take a hint already. Why do you bother coming back if you're so passionate about your pirating that you can't shut up about it?

[Veskgar]

Take a hint already. Why do you bother coming back if you're so passionate about your pirating that you can't shut up about it?
!?!?!?!?!? - Left with quizzical expression on my face....:confused:

Interesting b8a, I have lurked on this site for a long time and always had nothing but appreciation for all of your translations and insight. That was a rather strange, unexpected, dissapointing, and hostile quote/reply to my post. Like I said, I have been a lurker and I am somewhat familiar with this Voltron character you speak of. You are right, he sure did not seem to know how to shut up. But to equate me with such negativity is an insult.

Anyway, I was only talking about how I happen to use DevHook. I stated nothing of the sort regarding pirating. Actually I discounted the ISO Loading aspect of DevHook as not a big deal in order to shed light on the many OTHER positive characteristics. While you may disagree with what I stated in a post, there are likely hundreds or thousands that would agree. Moreover, I am well aware of the "rules of discussion" in the forum and I did not violate anything.

I'll always like and respect you b8a even if whatever I posted rubbed you the wrong way, but you need to remember what kind of site this is. A PSP homebrew & emulation news forum. And that is exactly what my discussions are based on.

I suppose I can't shut up about pirating because I am also constantly praising gpSP and how well it plays backups of GBA games. Oh wait, thats OK right? Because its a ROM and not an ISO right?

Then I leave you with this to ponder:

What is the more likely scenario? A person using a PSP ISO from a UMD they OWN which can be easily created with no extra hardware or special tools.....OR all of the people using GBA ROMS actually legally own all ROMS in cartridge form. They just have the special hardware and such to create the ROM files??????????? And as far as downloading, what is easier? Downloading a 700MB ISO or a 3MB ROM? Which do you think is more prevalent on the Internet?

So the moral of this story is...... Give me a break! Me stating how I use UMD images is no different than me stating how I use ROM images when a new EMU is released. You can't diffrentiate the two. Lets stop splitting hairs and not create hypocrisy or let contradiction breed.

[Edshugeo]

personally i think sony should wise up and do more free demos for download, but make them available without firmware upgrades.


Hold on. You're suggesting that Sony should put some effort into promoting it's game software library, which brings in revenue, instead of firmware updates, which don't?

That's so crazy, it just might work.

[NoQuarter]

Really guys,I think the firmware update crap is mainly to reassure sony's licsensee's that their investments are protected.
Look at the fact that the PS3 is going to support homebrew, PS2 linux and PS3
linux.
I think maybe the reason some companies might be pissed is that they realize that sony is moving in the homebrew direction.
Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong angle and it's the big game companies and not sony that are fighting homebrew so much.
Sony is mainly a hardware compay and has been for a long time.
They just have avoided pissing their licsensee's because they make money from them.
If we look to the future the world is moving on it's own toward the free and open sharing of information!
That doesn't look too promising for companies who make their money on proprietary software.
Why pay for infested software when you can get something comparable or better for free?

[benn]

Really guys,I think the firmware update crap is mainly to reassure sony's licsensee's that their investments are protected.
Look at the fact that the PS3 is going to support homebrew, PS2 linux and PS3
linux.
I think maybe the reason some companies might be pissed is that they realize that sony is moving in the homebrew direction.
Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong angle and it's the big game companies and not sony that are fighting homebrew so much.
Sony is mainly a hardware compay and has been for a long time.
They just have avoided pissing their licsensee's because they make money from them.
If we look to the future the world is moving on it's own toward the free and open sharing of information!
That doesn't look too promising for companies who make their money on proprietary software.
Why pay for infested software when you can get something comparable or better for free?

oh my god... there are so many ill founded and wrong statements in that, i dont even know where to start!
so i think i will just say:
oh yeah, sure... sony is the victim and hero. well said.
:rolleyes:

[JKKDARK]

And if Sony doesn't change the PS3 price..

[NoQuarter]

Benn, would mind explaining exactly what in my post is ill founded,just to back your statement up :)

You just can't say"your wrong" without providing a reason for saying so.
Well maybe you can, but your statement will be baseless!
I never said sony was a victim or a hero, it was more along the lines of:
They want to be prepared for the future which is an open source future.

I'll be more than happy to debate the subject with you :rolleyes:
Or anybody else who dissagrees with my hypothesis,in a friendly fact based manner.

Only thing worse than contrivance is consensus.

[b8a]

whine whine whine, b1tch b1tch b1tch
Me thinks thou dost protest too much. No, you can play stupid all you want, but that doesn't mean that anyone else actually is. Long time lurkers don't just one day decide to start posting and then go on to wrack up 100+ posts in less than a week.

I'm not worried about the apparent hypocrisy of this site. This is Wraggster's site and he can administer it however he wants. What ticks me off is annoying members like yourself who go through the trouble of registering, agreeing to the terms of the site, and then go on to break them (and yes, you did break them -- "NO posts about PSP ISO launchers". You not only talk about the ISO launching version of DevHook, but also how to use it). It's obvious that you're so concerned with hypocrisy because you're so rife with the trait yourself. You really should deal with that, because if you can't handle the apparent hypocrisy that you come up against here, on a little forum site in cyberspace, then the real world has some very harsh lessons waiting for you. Life is nowhere near 100% fair, and it's just sophomoric and immature to try to hold this site up to that very unrealistic and naive ideal.

You act like you're fighting some holy, righteous battle by continually talking about ISOs, but the truth is that you're just another self-involved prick with an over developed sense of self entitlement. There is no good excuse for ISO piracy, and whether or not that's ever a major factor in the ultimate success or failure of the PSP, I fullheartedly support a strict no ISO discussion policy precisely because of members like you. You started out as a pretty cool member, then you started using ISOs (which would've been fine by me if it had stopped there), then you started pirating them, and then talking about it here, and you ended up being a major arse about the entire subject, which just lead to you being a major arse about other, much more sensitive subjects and a very justly earned banning. You've become real annoying very quickly, and if the only thing that the policy is good for is keeping people like you off of the site, I think it's a self-justified policy.

I'm sure some of the staff already know exactly who you are, and I think it's a shame that they're going to wait until you WAY cross the line again to actually get around to banning you again, but I have no doubt that that's exactly what'll end up happening, and knowing the way you can't keep your mouth shut, I'd put good money down on the chance that that's going to be sooner than later.

I will not go into the other particulars of your post. One thing I've learned from this forum is that the logic of pirates is purely self-centered and innately unreasonable, so I'm not going to go into it anymore since I don't enjoy talking to brick walls, or people who display that level of ability to reason. We've all heard all of the arguments on both sides of the discussion and there's nothing new to add to it.

Nope, your arguments are neither new, nor are they, in any way, particularly insightful. All you're arguing is your self proclaimed right to do whatever pleases you and be an arse.