Computer hackers have scored a victory in their battle against Sony and the way the company controls its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld games console.
Sony sells its PSP with built-in software, known as firmware, which controls how the console operates.
The firmware locks many of the PSP's capabilities, preventing enthusiasts from writing their own programs, known as homebrew, and running them on the machine.
It also disables its ability to play some films which are not bought on special Sony PSP disks.
But last month three hacker teams - Noobz, Team C+D, and a group led by PSP hacker Dark Alex - co-ordinating their efforts over the internet, found a flaw in the most recently released version of the firmware - version 3.03.
Using this flaw they devised a way to unlock all PSPs, regardless of their age or the firmware running on it.
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dark alex & fanjita did some great work!
i 'hacked' my psp to allow me to play backups of my own psp games and movies that i own. i also did so to allow me to run homebrew apps that initially were allowed in v1.5 prior to sony pulling the plug on that feature.
i'm not the brightest pc guy out there, but i know enough and following simple instructions online i was able to upgrade the firmware to allow me to do what i have done. i was literally inches away from selling my psp on ebay or trade for a ds lite but now i frequently use it on business trips, enjoy the homebrews and apps that are legally free and available to all, and love the fact that the psp titles i own i no longer carry around risking theft (which has happened already) on a memory stick.
my psp is full of videos,music, homebrews and emulators/games i love it :D
before they do it again!