21. "This whole homebrew=piracy thing is so overblown. While I'm sure there are programs out there to rip and play PSP games, I can't say that I've ever seen one. All I've ever seen publicized are the custom firmwares and true homebrew apps that aren't pirated programs."

Open your eyes.

Posted at 1:34PM on Sep 6th 2007 by upz

22. "Colin posted above "Homebrew is absolutely the gateway to piracy...there is NO way to argue against that" but is apparently blind to how meaningless of a statement that is"

Actually it *does* mean something. Homebrew allows pirates to download games, period. How exactly is that meaningless?

Yes, piracy is significantly more rampant of PCs. But the thing is, it's too out of control to stop on pcs, as opposed to psp.

How difficult is it to understand that developers want their investment protected. I don't care how much money developers are losing in sales, wheter it be a little or alot, they're still LOSING money in sales. Sony understands that, which is why they try to stop hackers. Yeah, homebrew programmers would get screwed, and not be able to demonstrate, or advance their respectable skills. But you know what, most of us bought our psps for official games, and not for little apps, or homebrew games(most of which, I've *personally* thought sucked...except for PSPR). If homebrew needs to be stopped, in order to prevent piracy, then EVERYONE should be able to understand what Sony is doing here.

Once AGAIN, retarded homebrew users have misconstrued Sony actions, as an attack on their precious homebrew scene, instead of being rational, and seeing what it really is, another action against piracy.

Posted at 2:11PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Saigon

23. Sony has every right to protect the investments that they make in their hardware and software. They also have an obligation to non-Sony companies that also invest to develop software for the PSP to protect their revenue stream.

That being said, Sony continues to walk a fine line between protecting the profitability of its enterprises vs. developing products that meet the market demand.

Their abandonment of ATRAC in its minidisc line is an example of the types of problems that plague the company. As a PSP user I want the freedom to play games on the PSP that were developed for the PSP, like Tecmo Bowl. Sony is restricting my ability to do this - again, this is within their right but I don't want to feel like they are consistently choosing what is profitable over what their users want.

Posted at 2:41PM on Sep 6th 2007 by cj2112_cj2112

24. "Yes, piracy is significantly more rampant of PCs. But the thing is, it's too out of control to stop on pcs, as opposed to psp." I think it is a little late for Sony to think that they can stop piracy on the PSP. Since all their attempts up till this point have failed what with all the firmware updates that have "strengthened security" as a feature.

Also I don't see how piracy can be the reason for poor game sales on the PSP. After all if I wanted to for as little as $40 I could buy a DS flash cart and get all the DS games for free. It's a lot easier to pirate games on the DS but they seem to be selling millions of games.

Anyway, I don't care what they do on the playstation boards as I have never even been there. So if they want to ban CFW/Homebrew discussion fine it isn't like there aren't other places to go. And yes I am a homebrew user but I don't pirate games I just use it to play the games and use the apps that people make for it.

Posted at 2:49PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Ratchet the Lombax

25. I'm a custom firmware user who buys all his games and I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

Look, everyone on both sides is just pissing in an ocean of piss until Sony makes an official firmware that both allows homebrew and prevents piracy.

To the anti-homebrew people: Assuming that all homebrew does is support piracy is idiotic. There are a lot of creative programmers out there who make all sorts of homebrew from homemade games to programs that allow you to customize your XMB. If anything, it's the ISO loaders that are the root cause of piracy, NOT homebrew programs. If custom firmwares did not have these loaders, there would be next to zero issues with piracy. If you're going to bitch, bitch about CFWs with ISO loaders, NOT homebrew programs.

To the pro-homebrew people: Assuming that all
users of custom firmwares don't practice piracy is idiotic. It's too easy to do. I'd like to think the majority of the CFW users on here don't pirate, but I'm pretty sure a lot do. Just please buy what you like and delete what you don't like. Remember that Sony did express that they would like to create a firmware that allows homebrew and prevents piracy. Let's hope it will happen.

tl;dr Don't make broad generalization based on little research. That's for both sides of the issue.

Posted at 2:58PM on Sep 6th 2007 by GoBob

26. ""Homebrew is absolutely the gateway to piracy...there is NO way to argue against that. Now whether it is 10% or 90% of homebrewers participating in piracy is irrelevant to developers who may not wish to have their hard work go uncompensated."

Well said."

What horrible logic. Hey! I have a great idea, let's ban the Internet cause it's a "gateway" to piracy.

What the hell happened to this place? Used to be that most people here were homebrew users, now we have been invaded by retard brigade who don't research or look into anything.

Hombrew is not piracy (now repeat that phrase, until it sinks through your thickheaded skulls into that poor excuse of a brain you possess).

The industry says they lose money from piracy, are we to believe them? There is no(scientific) way of measuring the rate of piracy or the effects of it(other than new DRM technology). How do we know that the developer didn't make a crappy game, and is just blaming piracy for low sales? there are many factors that go into what makes people buy a product.

1. Quality of the product
2. Quantity of product available locally
3. Marketing of the product(this is a big one)
4. The price of the product and how much expendable cash Joe Average has on hand(another big one)
5. do you need other items to use the product(i.e. console, microphone, memory sticks, wifi connection, etc...)
6. the competition's products
7. rental and used game industry for this scenario

I personally don't buy many newly release games, because I'm in college and a cheapskate. Most of my games(half of my PSP games) have been out for 6-12 months.

As for the homebrew column about time for it. Most of the homebrew I used is software stuff(note:I'm making a distinction between games and software).

Posted at 3:00PM on Sep 6th 2007 by merc25

27. Awesome. It really upsets me about people discussing Homebrew on the official forums. I only want people to use their PSP for what it was used for, Official Sony stuff and PSP games. I love my PSP and refuse to run any Homebrew.

Posted at 3:19PM on Sep 6th 2007 by ManaKnight

28. The problem was, moderators would ban legitimate PSP-related threads, yet any little thing related to homebrew was not only accepted, but encouraged (with the exception of ISOs)

I don't mind homebrew talk, but about time that Sony started taking care of their own forums. Now if only they could get some real moderators instead of the idiots that are running the place now... otherwise it will always be the joke that it is. That's the REAL problem.

Posted at 3:21PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Don

29. I agree with Colin. Maybe homebrew was not meant for piracy but it is now what's enabling piracy. 90% or even more of the psp owner in my country only play pirated game thanks to the homebrew. I hope that there is a way that homebrew and anti piracy could co-exist but if there is no other way homebrew have to go. Or maybe they could serial number their game for online game play so that each UMD have their own ID and no multiple same ID can be use to log in online. Well, maybe this could stop a little bit of the piracy but not all... :\

Posted at 3:35PM on Sep 6th 2007 by snake79

30. @19 the PSP isnt a PC there's a big difference,. and considering all Homebrew out there and vorrect me if i'm wrong enables you to play pirated PSP games and how many of those who use homebrew on the PSP don't do it mainly for Pirating games?? Very few lie if you like.!

Posted at 3:49PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Tim Parsons

31. "Also I don't see how piracy can be the reason for poor game sales on the PSP."

"The industry says they lose money from piracy, are we to believe them?"

I personally don't know/care how much they're losing, but they ARE losing money to piracy. To say otherwise, or believing it to be a lie is just plain stupid. My point is that devs aren't getting all the money they've worked to earn.

"It's a lot easier to pirate games on the DS but they seem to be selling millions of games."

Since when was ordering online(something which I doubt a large portion of ds users are able to do), external hardware(i.e. a flashcard for slot 1) more easier then changing something within the flash, using software?. Even if was easier to pirate for the ds, and it didn't affect ds game sales, it still wouldn't matter, because developers are still losing money they've earned!

"What horrible logic. Hey! I have a great idea, let's ban the Internet cause it's a "gateway" to piracy."

Wow, your mind is brilliance at work! /sarcasm

1. Banning the internet!?!? LMAO
2. Comparing the *internet* to homebrew makes me laugh even more.
3. Are you saying it would be stupid for Sony to 100% eliminate piracy, by stopping homebrew?

"Hombrew is not piracy (now repeat that phrase, until it sinks through your thickheaded skulls into that poor excuse of a brain you possess)"

I NEVER said that. In fact, I don't even recall anyone else saying that either. Is it time for your chill pill?





C

Posted at 4:02PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Saigon

32. For the record:

Homebrew is a term frequently applied only to video games that are produced by consumers on proprietary game platforms; in other words, game platforms that are not typically user-programmable, or use proprietary hardware for storage. Sometimes games developed on official development kits, such as Net Yaroze or PS2 Linux are included in the definition. Some, however, also refer to all non-commercial, "home-developed" games for open architectures as homebrew games, though these typically go under more frequently used labels, such as freeware. The term doesn't, however, include commercially sold games that are developed without the console manufacturer's license.


Homebrew as a whole as it is defined does not mean piracy-enabling. In the PSP world, ISO loaders are the specific homebrew programs that allow users to run ISOs, leading to potential piracy. Homebrew is merely user-created programs.

As a side note, I guarantee that every single anti-homebrew person on here has committed non-PSP piracy at least once. Especially since most seem to think that PC piracy gets special treatment as opposed to PSP piracy.

Posted at 4:05PM on Sep 6th 2007 by GoBob

33. I don't agree that homebrew equates piracy all the time, but there IS a piracy problem on the PSP and Sony is well within their rights to request people not talk about non-official FW and so forth on their forums. Not unreasonable.

The negative slant PSPF takes on this news (which is starting to eerily echo the 'Sony can do no right' tone of Engadget/Joystiq, FYI) is borderline irresponsible. Sony clamping down on piracy will HELP the whole 'will this come out on PSP?' problem we're starting to have. If publishers think the platform is not secure, they're history and there goes the future.

Want the PSP to stick around so you have more games to enjoy into next year and the next? Help staunch the PIRACY problem and don't BITCH like a bunch of SPOILED BRATS when Sony tries to tighten FW loopholes. Until there's an 'open firmware' that allows homebrew but NOT pirated ISO's (never gonna happen), this is just the way it's got to be.

Goddamned whiners.

Posted at 4:53PM on Sep 6th 2007 by pixelator

34. "Homebrew is absolutely the gateway to piracy...there is NO way to argue against that." - Colin

"Good For SONY thay need to focus next on cracking down on and shutting these homebrew poeple down,. and crakcing down on people who use it" - Tim Parsons

"I only want people to use their PSP for what it was used for, Official Sony stuff and PSP games. I love my PSP and refuse to run any Homebrew." - ManaKnight

Gee, now why do I get the feeling that Colin, Saigon, Tim Parsons, upz, and ManaKnight all work for Sony?

I have to commend cj2112_cj2112 and GoBob for what are probably the most intelligent treatments of the issue that I've seen. I also have to agree fairly strongly with merc25. However, in response to his statement "What the hell happened to this place? ...now we have been invaded by retard brigade", I *seriously* think it's not really been invaded by people that really are that stupid, but rather been invaded by Sony's guerrilla PR team. And then a handful of real people just happened to be stupid enough to believe "Sony's Bullshit Brigade". Hey, it's not like Sony hasn't been caught red-handed pulling that sort of shit before, right? ("All I want for Christmas...")

"I NEVER said that. In fact, I don't even recall anyone else saying that either." - Saigon, in response to "Homebrew is not piracy"

Umm, yes, that statement WAS made. For instance, in post #2:

"2. Homebrew is a euphemism for piracy...
...
Posted at 11:35AM on Sep 6th 2007 by Colin"

Posted at 5:10PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Abscissa

35. Once again, you people are not getting the point. Okay, your main point is that hombrew is the enabler of piracy.

First off, as someone else mentioned, the internet is an even bigger enabler, it's where you get the pirated software, however no one would sacrifice their access to the internet to make SONY's profit margins better.

Then why the hell should anyone sacrifice their right to homebrew? You payed for the machine, why should you not be able to use it as you see fit? The burden should not be on THOSE OF US WHO USE HOMEBREW RESPONSIBLY to protect Sony. This would be like cutlery companies making going after people for using bread knifes to cut their meat at dinner. It is simply not their place to do so. Yes, Sony should be able to protect it's assets. It should not, however, be allowed to do so at the detrimet of paying customers.

Seriously, when did the world get so complacent to the whims of multinational corporations that really don't give a fuck about you or I?

Posted at 5:17PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Josh

36. oh my god,what a bunch of idiots here....
ofcourse sony bans homebrew from it's topic...no question to that, but after reading the posts you people wrote here, i mean.. goash... the ignorance is ... overwhelming.. homebrew isn't equilant with piracy, altough lots of people tend to hide behind this sentence... and even piracy is OK to a level, cause I download the game before I buy it, to try what'll I get for my money... because in my Country we work about 1,5-2Days to be able to buy 1 misreable UMD......so I guess you can understand why I can't just buy every title, and there are very few Demos. So if there are people like me, our piracy problem would be solved if every game would get a demo, so there won't be any reason for a CFW....well this is my short opinion.

Posted at 5:25PM on Sep 6th 2007 by MasterREAVer

37. @Abscissa

"I *seriously* think it's not really been invaded by people that really are that stupid, but rather been invaded by Sony's guerrilla PR team. And then a handful of real people just happened to be stupid enough to believe "Sony's Bullshit Brigade". Hey, it's not like Sony hasn't been caught red-handed pulling that sort of shit before, right? ("All I want for Christmas...")"

OK, so I'm not crazy then. =D I thought it was weird that a large amount of anti-homebrew comments came up out of the blue.

Posted at 5:44PM on Sep 6th 2007 by GoBob

38. I was a developer for 15 years - wasn't particularly fond of Sony. Worked on one PS2 game (which sucked). Owned a few CLIE PDA's and the best portable CD player ever made, the D-555. Sony has had its ups and downs.

Nowadays, I manage a retail store and game (mainly WoW and my PSP).

I'm not a Sony shill or anything else of the sort, but even I (and I've pirated more than my share of games in my time) see the reason behing Sony trying to CALM THE FEARS OF DEVELOPERS who may have cause for concern. Look at the DS - you need to BUY HARDWARE to pirate games on that thing. Not the PSP, all you need is an internet connection. See the problem? If the video game industry sees the PSP as a hotbed of piracy (whether or not it really is), the gig is up and the platform is dead. No more games, no more publishers willing to take a multi-million dollar risk on a system that has a shitty attachment rate.

You can blame Sony for making the thing hackable in the first place and argue that most homebrewers are anti-piracy all you want - but the fact is, as long as that back door's open, the commercial developer community is going to stay nervous. Some of us here would rather that homebrew be killed off than the PSP be killed off. If I had a choice between a new Castlevania or Final Fantasy game next year and a host of emus and loaders, I'd choose the new commercial games, thanks very much. I've had plenty of Gameparks and Zodiacs already - I want my handheld game system to be SUPPORTED.

Homebrew and the all-out attack on the security of the PSP through FW hacks is AT ODDS WITH COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. Don't believe me? Keep supporting FW hacks and ridiculing Sony for trying to keep the PSP safe from piracy. See where it gets us.

Talk about SHORT SIGHTED.

Posted at 6:24PM on Sep 6th 2007 by pixelator

39. I Hope SONY really Cracks down on Homebrew and Piracy, they need to make their hardware more secure to prevent it and have some kind of detection on each new disk updating as time goes on to catch systems with it and simply not Run.

Posted at 6:32PM on Sep 6th 2007 by Tim Parsons

40. Homebrew rocks.

RE:Hombrew forums: yes would be awesome :) but no talk of pirates.

Posted at 6:48PM on Sep 6th 2007 by rockeranimefreak