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PSP gets pulled in the Netherlands?

According to MAXCONSOLE, there are no more PSPs available for sale in the Netherlands. According to the report, Sony will replace all systems with new ones that are incompatible with firmware "flashing." Supposedly, poor game sales in the region has led to such a drastic action on Sony's part.

If this rumor turns out to be true, there ma be repercussions down the line. This isn't the first hardware effort from Sony to prevent the use of downgraders and homebrew on the system: the TA-082 motherboard forced the homebrew community to craft other workaround solutions. The Netherlands could, in theory, be a test market to see the success of a more advanced kind of exploitation protection.

[Thanks, Joel!]

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1. That blows.

Posted at 6:43PM on Jun 7th 2007 by zoen151

2. 'Je Matendrai' somehow seems appropriate.
It means as much as 'I will assert/maintain' or something like that.
Anyway; I've noticed there are practically no (black) psp's available around here anymore. Funny I now understand why that was.
Fortunately the second-hand market is booming in that prospect (which is where I got mine)

A shame though, that there's so few software sales. On the other hand: promotion is almost non-existent over here, but that's hardly an excuse.

Posted at 6:48PM on Jun 7th 2007 by Rick

3. A fine example of homebrew, sorry, I mean piracy destroying the game industry.

I always get those two confused. They are so similar.

Posted at 7:24PM on Jun 7th 2007 by Wayne

4. On the GameSpot forums, there are gamers bragging every day about downloading and running pirated PSP ISOs. In the Crush forum, they say it right to the Game Developer who also posts there! I say good for Sony for protecting their interests.

Posted at 7:35PM on Jun 7th 2007 by PostedOval

5. Sony is pulling an Microsoft??

Hey Sony, Do NOT be a hypocrite, if you want user generated content for your PS3, WHY are you controlling user generated firmware for your PSP?

Don't you know you can NEVER win? Just let people have what they want with the gadget they bought LEGALLY.

Posted at 8:33PM on Jun 7th 2007 by kingofwale

6. @6
"Hey Sony, Do NOT be a hypocrite, if you want user generated content for your PS3, WHY are you controlling user generated firmware for your PSP? "

User generated content and copying software illegally are two very different things...

Posted at 9:06PM on Jun 7th 2007 by Wayne

7. ha ha flashers ha ha

Posted at 9:17PM on Jun 7th 2007 by required

8. >User generated content and copying software illegally are two very different things...


show me where it said "copying software illegally"? Last time I checked, "copying software illegally" is VERY different than "using a OE firmware" or even "homebrew games".

Posted at 9:53PM on Jun 7th 2007 by kingofwale

9. Boycott it in the netherlands
If sony can't see the results than they can't take the risk of doing the same to other major countries. Correct me if I'm wrong

Posted at 10:19PM on Jun 7th 2007 by beisun94

10. Kingofwale, from a legal perspective, we own the hardware and can modify it any way we want, just like we could with a car or a computer. Neither Sony nor any other hardware manufacturer will dispute that.

The clincher though, is that Sony owns the firmware. But hey you can have the firmware - for free even(!), but with one string attached: you grant Sony the right to let its firmware do whatever it wants to your system, including plugging previous security holes (ie. taking away piracy/homebrew capabilities). Only then does ownership of this new firmware transfer to you. This is actually good for us, the end users, because Sony essentially has to give you an incentive to install their latest security patch, which is usually a bundle of shiny new features.

Same story with the PS3 - you own the hardware, as well as the firmware on your system. You're free to never update your system firmware, but if you don't, you can't access the PSN, which is still owned by Sony.

Don't get me wrong, I love my OE as much as you do, but truthfully, we have no legal leg to stand on.

Posted at 10:58PM on Jun 7th 2007 by upz

11. I have no problem with SOny owning and waiting to distribute their own firmware. I simply rejects. as an hardware that I've rightfully bought, I simply choose NOT to use Sony's firmware, instead, going for an open source firmware. I see this as being NO different than buying a PC with WIndow on it, but deleting the software and go with Linux.

Sony has NO right to tell me what I can use with my own machine. Just like Dell has no right to make me use Microsoft product.

I'm sorry, Open source all the way.

Posted at 11:14PM on Jun 7th 2007 by kingofwale

12. It always amazes me when custom firmware users can't understand why Sony is trying to stop homebrew. Homebrew allows for piracy, which is probably the ONLY REASON why they try to combat it. I believe they have the right to stop piracy a.k.a. illegal activities on there product, and try to increase its longevity in the market. More homebrew = more piracy = devs abandoning it = less psp sales = sony fails

Posted at 1:08AM on Jun 8th 2007 by Saigon

13. "I'm sorry, Open source all the way."

Buy (or take) an open source gaming console then.

Posted at 2:31AM on Jun 8th 2007 by Chris Matchett

14. >Homebrew allows for piracy

so does DIVx format, MP3 format, doesn't me we all have to love DRM, do we? Sure, Homebrew does open up its source code, but it's for USER to generate their own games. Frankly, if Sony's too stupid/lazy/retarded to bring some new apps and people have to write their own code for it. then you wonder why. Same reason for people who jumps on Linux.

>Buy (or take) an open source gaming console then.

why do I even have it? that's like saying to all people who bought a Window machine and then installed Linux the same thing. WHY SHOULD WE? If I want to buy a TV and turn it into a bucket, that's my right.

Posted at 7:41AM on Jun 8th 2007 by kingofwale

15. My psp is using oe firmware and some iso's along with my legal copies of games. I do enjoy the games that i have for free and so do most psp owners, but i cannot shake the feeling that if this trend continues the psp that we all know and come to love might cease to have good games. It isnt Sony we are hurting whenever we use pirated games it is the developers who spend countless hours programming and and tweaking these beloved games of ours that we cripple when they cannot make a profit from these games due to piracy. I do urge this community of ours to understand Sony's standing in trying to build a unit that is pirate proof. In the end its piracy tht will be the undoing of the psp. I dont believe anyone in their right mind would spend so much time (usually away from their families) and resource to just progam a game for everybody that is free. Although i support some aspects of homebrew it is the piracy issue that i think we should think about seriously. We may enjoy these games for now for free, but if everyone uses iso's there aint no reason for any company to make good games for us. I am not bashing homebrew, i love the homebrew apps that i use to make my psp more functional. I just want the psp to last longer and to have more good games coming in its future.

Posted at 10:10AM on Jun 8th 2007 by gravewolf

16. Sony's just trying to stop pirated games, quit you're moaning KingofWale. It's sony hardware that runs sony UMD's, if there is another way of getting games onto the system then expect sony to try and block it because it's effecting thier profit.
Do you just argue for the sake of it?

Posted at 11:02AM on Jun 8th 2007 by Chrispy

17. So gravwolf, are you basically saying that we should all empathize with the developers and shun pirated software, while you're going to hold onto your free ISOs and enjoy them? Awful hypocritical, wouldn't you say?

Posted at 1:58PM on Jun 8th 2007 by upz

18. Think of the people making a living with our fun. They have a right to get paid for what they do. In some cases can opensource be a good thing but I stick with ORIGINALS

Posted at 5:05PM on Jun 10th 2007 by Pat

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