The morality of downgrading by Fanjita

[wraggster]

Fanjita (http://fanjita.org/serendipity/archives/14-The-morality-of-downgrading.html) has spoken out on his blog about the recent release of the Noobz downgrader and the negative comments directed towards the PSP Community:


So, we recently released the v3.50 PSP downgrader, and it was interesting to see how many people commented on forums etc, to the effect of "every time you release a downgrader, you're boosting piracy on the PSP". That got me thinking - is piracy my fault?

After a lot of soul searching, I'm satisfied that the answer is no. And here's why...

By opening up homebrew on PSPs, we're giving freedom to the end user. They can choose how they use that freedom. If they care about the platform, then I hope they'll use the freedom responsibly, and run only legitimate homebrew, or at worst, backups of their own UMDs. Those that choose to pirate have themselves to blame if the platform suffers. If you choose to shoot someone, it is not the fault of the gun manufacturer. If you pulled the trigger, then you committed the crime. In other words, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

Modern society seems to place very little stock in individual responsibility - all we seem to hear about is "I want my rights", and not "I want to have the responsibility that goes with them". In my opinion, that's what's wrong with the world today - a refusal to take responsibility for our individual actions.

Downgraders are tools. We provide them because we believe in individual freedom and have faith that human beings can be responsible. We do not like being treated like children by those with whom we spend our money. So it's your choice what you do with it.

Everyone who uses the downgrader for bad should look at themselves critically, and accept that THEY ARE HURTING THE INDUSTRY. THEM,THEMSELVES, BY THEIR OWN CHOICES AND ACTIONS.


I find it interesting that some of the most vocal anti-downgrade protesters openly admit that they themselves pirate PSP games. As far as I can see, there are 2 possible reasons for this:

They don't have the moral backbone and self control to avoid piracy themselves, despite fully understanding that it is bad for the future of the PSP. Do they need a nanny to stop them from being naughty?
Some sort of elitism - piracy is fine for them, but if everyone gets to do it, then everyone suffers. So long as they can do it, they're happy, and they're keen to keep others (even those who have much better motives than them) from enjoying the benefits of an unlocked PSP.
Neither of these positions is defensible, in my opinion.

On a separate note, I've noticed a terrible trend for people who are stockpiling copies of Lumines, in order to profiteer from the shortage of stocks. Worse than that, I've even noticed that some 3rd party Amazon sellers have been actively cancelling orders placed before they realised what was going on, and relisting the game at massively inflated prices.

Well, shame on all those people. It disgusts me that we give our time and effort so that everyone can freely enjoy homebrew, just to see a greedy few attempting to screw others over. It's hardly community-spirited, now, is it?

As the webmaster of DCEmu i fully agree with what Fanjita says, if you download illegal copies of games you will eventually kill off the very console you own right now. Lets keep homebrew and piracy far from each others, homebrew can only become more mainstream if piracy is kept as far away as possible.

[Tricky0]

i agree...its there choice to piracy not fanjitas. By no means is it his fault!

[LocoLobo]

I agree with him 100% and i think piracy might be what kills the PSP some day. It's already behind the DS by a large margin and i gotta blame the ones that support the piracy.

[comicgeek]

I think fanjita is now thinking of quiting the scene because of these incidents.

[splodger15]

^ ^
I can see alot of coders leaving the scene in the future I think it is because of the idiots who flame them for whatever they release/find

[Broadus]

Fanjita is so wise, but I'd hardly call it the "few" who want to screw everything up. It's too late for the PSP. Now almost every game released is absolutely terrible because of the constant illegal downloading and the inability for Sony to stop it.
Dark_Alex's very own custom firmware allows people to play ISOs right in the XMB.

[luis_05]

"Modern society seems to place very little stock in individual responsibility - all we seem to hear about is "I want my rights", and not "I want to have the responsibility that goes with them". In my opinion, that's what's wrong with the world today - a refusal to take responsibility for our individual actions."

fanjita is not only a psp hacker but a philisopher, this dude is just amazing, ten freaking thumbs up

[JAKETHESNAKE28]

that is wrong. I hope he doesnt quit because of this. Then I just might...Cry:( because we would lose DA and Fanjita. The psp is coming to an end! oh no!!!

[titch.ryan]

yes i agree with this aswell.

if people want to pirate its their own choice.

[Sketchy]

This is to true man, to true. Just because OE firmware gives us the option to pirate UMDs doesn't mean that we should - I myself run isos but they are bkups of PSP games within my possesion, i have 25+ psp games and its a pain-in-the-arse to carry them with me all the time. OE firmware has removed that annoyence.

ppl that download PSP games aren't worthy of the title 'Gamer'

[Veskgar]

This was very good reading. Fanjita portrays a level of maturity and intelligence not always seen in the homebrew scene. More than anything, Fanjita and Noobz have been about opening the door to homebrew and promoting positive uses. Noobz are synonymous with quality. It is definitely more comfortable using a homebrew app or downgrader released by Noobz (http://www.Noobz.eu). With the 3.03 & 3.50 downgraders, they have given the scene more than we could ever repay them back for.

It is also very reassuring that Fanjita in no way hints that he or Noobz may back down in light of the Dark_AleX (http://www.dark-alex.org) situation.

So I want to give another thank you for all of the hard work and sacrifice shown by Fanjita & Noobz. I will most likely be sending a PayPal donation your way within the next week or 2. I hope all people shocked by Dark_AleX's security concerns start donating more to developers. Even if its just a few bucks now and then.


I agree with him 100% and i think piracy might be what kills the PSP some day. It's already behind the DS by a large margin and i gotta blame the ones that support the piracy.

And I have to disagree with you 100% for many reasons. You are saying that because PSP sales are less than DS Lite sales, the PSP is behind and suffering. But that is basically comparing the PSP to the DS and that is similar to comparing the Wii to the PS3. Many people do it but its not really a fair comparison.

Then there is the fact that the PSP and DS Lite appeal to different audiences. I can tell you first hand that kids and older adults prefer the DS Lite over the PSP. The DS Lite is far more kid friendly and parents are reluctant to get the more expensive and seemingly delicate PSP for young children. Also, PSP games geared towards children suck for the most part. Transformers, TMNT, Winx, etc. etc. are all pretty bad games for the PSP considering what the PSP is capable of. So when kids try to play them they either need help or they lose interest very quickly. PSP games, especially for children just don't have that same pick-up-and-play fun and simplicity found on the DS Lite and GBA. More kids are into video games and if kids prefer the DS Lite, that is why the DS Lite sells more. Not because of people playing UMD backups on their PSP.

However, load up gpSP for some GBA games on the PSP and kids are much more prone to stay interested.

Then there is the piracy issue. It is much easier to obtain DS ROMS than it is PSP games. You also don't need to downgrade or use any special firmwares to play DS ROMS on a DS Lite. Yet despite that, the DS Lite and its games continue to sell in record numbers.

Did Piracy kill off the PS1 which is still making SONY money today more then 10 years later. Has piracy killed the PS2 which is easy to MOD/hack now and is still expected to be a big money generator for SONY for the next 2 years?

SONY has a right to protect and secure its platforms, but just as the case with PS1 and PS2, the PSP will not succumb to piracy.

Humans love to collect and true consumers are not going to give up having an authentic package wéth boxart, manual, etc. for some burned CD-R or DVD scattered around. Now I know there are die-hards that probably print out CD labels, boxart, and manuals, etc. but who has the time for that?

I'll admit I'm guilty of downloading leaked BETA's or PROMO's, a recent example being Wipout Pulse for the PSP, but when the finished retail version hits store shelves, I want an authentic copy for my collection. And sure I play plenty of ROMS on emulators but I also collect vintage video game stuff. For example one of my vintage systems is a Turbo Duo and games are not cheap. And the developers of Turbo Grafx (PC Engine) games are no longer making money from game sales but still I like having the complete package.

I guess what I'm trying to say in way too long of a post is that piracy will never fulfill the needs of consumers and take over completely.

SONY has no plans to put an end to the PSP if a certain amount of retail copies of say...... Surf's Up doesn't sell too great. Any losses from the PSP are usually more than made up for by other major divisions of SONY. Whether it be computers, TV's, etc.

The PSP is not going anywhere because some people want to unlock it by downgrading and/or using custom firmware.

[DimensionT]

I agree with him 100% and i think piracy might be what kills the PSP some day. It's already behind the DS by a large margin and i gotta blame the ones that support the piracy.

Or maybe it's because most PSP games are crap, or have been released on something else.

[jmendes]

That was a good reading. I hope the multitude of pro-piracy and lumines stockpiling jackasses that frequent many of these forums learn something from that.

[Veskgar]

It's too late for the PSP. Now almost every game released is absolutely terrible because of the constant illegal downloading and the inability for Sony to stop it. Dark_Alex's very own custom firmware allows people to play ISOs right in the XMB.

Well that attitude certainly minimizes game developers responsibility to deliver quality. I think a more factual representation is that some games are terrible because very little effort was put into making the game for the PSP. Instead they just mass produce the same game across 5-7 different platforms. A lot of developers seem more concerned with milking movie licenses to death, making deadlines, etc. than actually taking the time to make a GOOD quality game.

But oh no, lets forget that and blame Dark_AleX for poor quality PSP games. That will surely make him feel appreciated.


Or maybe it's because most PSP games are crap, or have been released on something else.

That is a good quote for this post. The best way I can articulate my views is to say that a lot of PSP games feel watered down and generic. In style, substance, and gameplay. Why do I still get chills when I load up the original Zelda ROM for the NES and hear that opening theme music? Its because I know that even with that obsolete technology, the game still shows the quality and care that went into making it. It still has that magic that a lot of Video Games today have lost. I'd argue that because the PSP is a handheld that can be taken everywhere, games should be more focused on when it comes to quality, originality, and being built specifically for the PSP.

Its time developers wake up and start being accountable for releasing barely average and oftentimes POOR games. Especially regarding PSP games. The Video Game industry becoming so massive hasn't necessarily been the best thing for a lot of platforms. A lot of focus has been lost and games today in large part have lost that magic and fantasy that were once present.

This post on the g4tv website is classic and says it all!

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/676844/PSP_Cracked_Again_With_Lumines.html


It looks like PSP owners really want homebrew because sales of Lumines jumped 5,900% on Amazon.com since it was discovered. Grab your copy quick if you want to emulate instead of play shoddy PS2 ports on your PSP.

:rofl:

[johnsongrantr]

@Fanjita Nice read, and thanks for the downgrader, I've got alot of people on my end that would thank you if they only knew what was behind what it takes to break into that little box.

Anyway, you got me thinking... enough to actually comment on here.

My thoughts: There's alot of great software out there, comercial and homebrew I would not have not had the plesure to experience if it weren't for people like you and for piracy. I seperatly thank each group. I wouldn't have even bothered spending money on alot of the stuff I have downloaded for free, some of it ended up being really entertaining, some of it just plain crap. In my mind if it's good enough for my money I might actually go buy a copy. (to date i've bought 4 copies of diablo 2 ... *best game ever*) But just like renting a game from blockbuster, and decideing if you want a copy or not. I've lost money in the past on worthless POS games, I think we all have, misleading advertising, and marketing hype is just as bad as piracy. But that is comming from their side. Swindleing you into buying a game based off looks alone. My dad used to tell me "you can shine a terd all day and at the end of the day, what you had would be pretty, but it'd still be a terd.

I don't think stealing potential money is anywhere near the same thing as physically stealing IMHO, expecially when I wouldn't have bought the crap in the first place, that or even the game system for that matter. Hell, if I had physically stolen a game from a store, the game dev's would still see the money on it. So yes, piracy is stealing, piracy is wrong. But is stealing potential money from a game dev as bad as game dev's stealing money from me because of misleading game advertising? I don't know, people with money useally have a louder voice than those with none.

I got some weird questions for yall to ponder about piracy, I wonder how much money each game corp sees from each copy of software blockbuster rents out? Or how much money is seen when you buy a used game? And if you make a copy of what you rent, how is that any different than just renting it once and never buying a copy? Your level of enjoyment?

[DessyDago]

I agree with you, but just some ideas. I haven't bought a psp game for a while that wasn't a clearance price or wasn't used. I'm not saying that I don't like the psp, and I own about 13 games or so, but I don't pay retail normally ever and I buy used when I can. The buying of used games can hurt a company as much as piracy can. A game that sales for 50 bucks can have a total selling life of hundreds of dollars. I remember when game manufactures made a big deal out of that, and now they are embracing it somewhat, not fully. I'm just happy that the community is still together, and the psp is still doing as strong as it is. Really most of the emulators have been made and are damn close to perfection. I wish the snes would be reworked on cause I think it can be faster, but thats just me. So in other words thanks Fanjita, your not a pirate, just the captain. :thumbup:

[Buddy4point0]

its not your fault at all man, the pirates fault is there choice.

[dartdude6]

It really would be a shame to see the PSP die due to piracy. Piracy is what killed the Dreamcast. I personally have not used Homebrew on my PSP just because I never wanted to take the risk to downgrade. Although I have used PC emulation in the past to play N64 games THAT I OWN with better graphics and retexturing. But I agree that piracy kills the industry. I think Homebrew is a great thing for PSP and I wish Sony could embrace homebrew's potential by starting something like the Xbox 360's XNA (but without monthly/yearly fees). Say yes to homebrew for the PSP, say no to piracy for ANY SYSTEM. LONG LIVE THE PSP!!!!!!

[Goemon4]

all to true, it may allow us to pirate but its our decisiion on what to do. me i have 40 brew games/emus and only 2 iso's which i own the umd to (i gotta have lumines nad burnout with me all the time :D ) but regarding piracy hurting the psp, of course, but then again, most of the killer apps the psp has people own, and it enjoys its fair share of commercial success. But i just find no real reason to buy games, the only game i really want out on the market now is crush, nothing else dosnt catch my attention. Mabey if there were better games out, more would buy.

@johnsongrantr - the company sees the initial probably 50 bucks from the game, when sold used its mostly just circulated to benifit places like gamestop, which sell it. Its kinda like trading a game among your friends. Sony got their money and most people prefer new tho, as i do. Just because used you have the potential on missing instruction booklets, cases or reciving damaged products. Hence why sony dont do it themselves (cause sony is all 'bout the saftey :roll: )

[g00gy]

I dunno, I think the average joe would just download and not care about the companies.

[joesnose]

I dunno, I think the average joe would just download and not care about the companies.

this joe agrees, sony rips off everyone, the games are rubbish i mostly play ps1 games and homebrew and homebrew ps1 games, lol . oh and wait i own all these ps1 games but i have to buy them again if i want to put them on my beloved psp, i dont think so, all i can selfishly say is, if sony cease supporting the psp tomorrow i couldn't care less because its the homebrew thats made it what it is not sony. i bet if the average joe actually knew what a homebrew enabled psp could do, psp sales would sky rocket.

[DarthPaul]

This thread made me think:

Dark_AleX is gone thanks to Sony. He fears for what Sony can do to the hackers. But is it Sony's fault? No,it's not. Sony's sales are going down thanks to US! We're the ones ripping and downloading illegal games. Not Dark_AleX,not any hacker.In other words...Dark_AleX is gone thanks to us.
What Fanjita says is right,"Those that choose to pirate have themselves to blame if the platform suffers. If you choose to shoot someone, it is not the fault of the gun manufacturer. If you pulled the trigger, then you committed the crime."
Let's stop flaming Sony,and let's open our minds and stop to regret what we've done. If you really want that Dark_AleX comes back,or don't want to lose another great coder,make something to stop the piracy for once.

[IamAbe]

hmm, the anti-piracy people pirate games, i dont really care about piracy, and i dont pirate games. its kinda like smoking in my opinion, i'm anti-smoking because i smoke, most non-smokers don't really care 'cause its not their issue.

edit: 200TH POST :thumbup:

[Spotfist]

It makes me really sad when people complain for the sake of complaining! Homebrew clearly does not equal piracy! otherwise it would be DCEMU the piracy & gaming network! The choice is up to the user, I often wonder how well the PSP would be doing now if there had been no updates from v1.50 and no piracy!

I bet it would have been one of the best selling handhelds of all time! the thing has so much potential as can be seen by all the homebrew today but if you don't downgrade or hack ur PSP ur left to the normal gak that is sold on UMD's!

I would like to personally thank all those people that have added there bit to the homebrew seen cuz in my opinion they have turned the PSP into an amzing platform!

[scrumdiddly]

It is much easier to obtain DS ROMS than it is PSP games. You also don't need to downgrade or use any special firmwares to play DS ROMS on a DS Lite. Yet despite that, the DS Lite and its games continue to sell in record numbers.

Exactly! These idiots obviously haven't even read your post, as they're still ignorantly ranting on about evil pirates. "Piracy" - for want of a better word, as it's nowhere near accurate - is a minor problem for Sony. What proportion of PSP owners actually download games? And what proportion of them would buy that game if the download weren't available? We're talking about a relatively tiny number of people.

The PSP is a crippled system overflowing with shitty games. That's why it's failing.

[robotdevil]

As Sony does not directly make any games for any system it's kinda rediculous to blame them for the quality of games for the PSP. For the most part I agree with you all. Do I agree with piracy? No. Have I done it? Yes. And because I did it, I not only purchased the game I pirated, but it's expansion pack and sequel without even a second thought (Call of Duty freakin ROCKS!). But for me, like many others, it has also saved me from purchasing many flawed games that were not ready (sorry, can't think of a specific title right now). I don't own many PSP games, about 7. And of those 7 I still play about 4. Some were HUGE dissapointments like Dynasty Warriors. But some have had great replay value like Ridge Racer (personally I think one of the best PSP games available).

I don't feel any responsibility lies with the makers of the downgraders for piracy. I think Veskgar hit it dead on, it's not the fault of the gun manufacturer if you shoot someone. It's not the fault of the 1337 h4x0r if you pirate someone either.

[CrAzY_fLiP3]

i wonder if sony would ever try to take some ideas off of homebrew, because almost all their games are just plain terrible, with some exceptions (like Tekken for PSP). i wouldnt really care about a few loading times here and there if i was playing a game that was worth waiting for. i would like to see a game thats worth the 50$ they charge you for (goddamn.. lol). and that quote of the lumines sales is just priceless btw xD. anyway, the DS comparison with psp is a great example, people wouldnt go through all the trouble of downgrading, buying lumines, etc if there were games worth buying.