State of the Homebrew Scene 2007
Its now nearly March 2007 and time for a new State of the Homebrew Scene for 2007.
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.
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.
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Lets take a look at each scene.
Xbox360
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The Xbox360 has been the Next gen console thats been out the longest and while there has been advances we still have not seen any Homebrew breakthroughs for this System, Microsofts XNA platform is at the moment the only "Homebrew" but paying to use XNA doesnt appeal to me, the hackers have done a heck of a lot to this system but sadly that killer breakthrough hasnt arrived, the future should be fantastic once its broken, i predict PS2, Dreamcast and even Xbox Emulation should be possible on the Xbox 360.
PS3
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The most powerful console of the next generation is a console that you can install Linux on and that opens the doors to a flood of homebrew, we are still awaiting a method to have homebrew without linux or some type of loader with a linux boot involved but out of all next gen consoles this looks to be the easiest and most powerful for homebrew in the future, as with the Xbox 360 i predict PS2, Dreamcast and Xbox emulators on this console.
Nintendo Wii
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Nintendos Wii console is already an emulation fans dream, the ability to play N64, Snes, Nes, Gamecube, Megadrive and PC Engine on this console make it a killer buy and recently Neogeo and MSX games have been announced to be arriving soon on the Virtual Console.
The Wii can play Gamecube Homebrew without a problem using the SD Load Option, that brings Snes, GBA, Genesis and more to the Wii, whilst theres no true Wii Homebrew breakthroughas of yet, the release of Nintendo Wii Modchips should hopefully speed along an homebrew breakthrough, but is it needed if Nintendo keep adding new systems to their Virtual Console.
Sony Playstation Portable
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The PSP Homebrew Scene is the one still 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 and a copy of Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories (Original Unpatched Version) depending on what firmware is on the PSP, recently the releases of Dark Alexs Custom Firmware that basically lets you use Sonys Full Speed PSX Emulator on your PSP have been a major new addition to the PSP Homebrew Scene, we have also had full speed GBA emulation and a host of emulators for retro consoles and arcade systems like CPS1 and CPS2, on the application front Deniska`s Map This is now using Sonys Official GPS Adapter and continues to amaze even though sadly Sony have yet to release outside of Japan. The future of the PSP Scene is a very strong one with hackers that seemingly wont let Sony get the upper hand. Infact recently within hours we have seen decrypted firmware of Sonys latest efforts to stop homebrew on their handheld console. For the future we look to the likes of Nintendo 64 emulation at a playable speed and yet more Custom Firmware that opens the doors that Sony should have opened. Sonys handheld may not be the killer console in the handheld market but on the Homebrew arena its way out in front.
GP2X - The Linux Based Homebrew Console
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The GP2X 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. The GP2X has a fantastic amount of emulators and games both original and ports, emulators for Snes and Megadrive and Neogeo are extremely advanced and recently the system was the first to have Sega Mega CD Emulation on a Console, a groundbreaking first for any handheld. Just lately the GP2X scene has slowed most likely due to the fact that most emulators have been ported and that possibly coders have become annoyed with Gamepark and the lateness of the Breakout Board a device that turns the GP2X into a computer of sorts. Theres still a long way to go on the GP2X interms of emulation and i feel that decent speed PSX, GBA and Nintendo 64 emulators are reachable in time.
The Nintendo DS
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The worlds biggest selling console at this time but surprisingly still 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 (obviously), and a Flash Cart Combo.
Once you have the hardware above then the DS with its touch screen is a monster in the waiting, already it has over several 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.
DS Homebrew has recently seen the release of Quake, Doom and even Duke Nukem 3D is being ported, emulators include Snes and Megadrive are very good now and many more systems have been emulated, i doubt you will ever see a PSX or N64 emu on the DS but the DS will be the home of the best Games on any Homebrew Platform, the touchpad guarentees that.
Dreamcast
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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.
The future of the Dreamcast scene as i see is still a strong one with releases of a few a month and several dedicated coders and members of a scene who refuse to let it die. I do not envisage any great releases that put the system back into the mainstream but if you have never had a Dreamcast then you are massively missing out.
GP32
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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, the scene for the GP32 is just about dead with everyone having moved onto the GP2X, the console is still a great source for games and emulators if you can pick up a console cheaply.
The GBA
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The GBA has a console is on its last legs with only very few games being released these days and sadly not many homebrew releases either. The back catalogue though has some of the very best commercial quality homebrew games ever created and those with a DS and a Slot 2 flashcart should try out the many excellent releases.
Gizmondo
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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 it does have the built in GPS and Camera which none of the others do. The Gizmondo is seeing a lot of PocketPC games released either legally or not so on the system and that will keep the scene alive in the short run. In the long term i see the scene slowing to a crawl and with not a big userbase of consoles the long term future isnt good.
Xbox
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The most powerful console for the last generation of consoles 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, 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
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.
Tapwave Zodiac
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, 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
To get Homebrew on the Gamecube your gonna need a Modchip or use the SD Load Method, 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
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 is the best way to get homebrew working on this console.
Ipod
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
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.
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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, Nintendo DS or GP2X should be your focus.
Those looking for a Console based scene then the Dreamcast or maybe the Xbox Should be your port of call.
Out of the Next gen the PS3 should be the king of hombrew but until we see real breakthoughs all bets are off.
Agree or disagree, please respond via comments
