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The Sony Witch Trials

At this point, I am physically exhausted. This McCarthyite witch hunt horrifies me. I never thought I’d live to see anything like it. You probably don’t think this matters to you, because you probably haven’t hacked a single thing in your life. But what happens next will have a cascading effect on not just gaming, but all technology to come.

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pixelapocalypse.com
Shadow Flare5516d ago

"You don’t have an ownership right in the software that Sony Computer allows you to use. That’s it, the whole point of the license agreement: it’s not an ownership interest, it is a privilege that Sony conveys on them. And if these people violate the terms of that licensing agreement, they have no entitlement to continued use of a software."

Well said Sony

QuodEratDemonstrandm5516d ago (Edited 5516d ago )

That's it , right there. You own the hardware. That ps3 is yours to with as you please. If you want to play games, surf the web, watch movies, hang it from your ceiling fan, or use it as a doorstop, you're more than welcome to do just that. Paint it pink for all Sony cares.
HOWEVER, your ownership rights do not apply to the software: Sony's intellectual property. The only rights you have to the software are the rights that Sony allows you to have. The eula probably said Sony reserves the right to add or remove software features as they see fit. It is THEIR software, after all.

Could someone please find me a gaming journalist who knows the difference between hardware and software? They seem increasingly uncommon.

MysticStrummer5516d ago

Real gaming journalists are becoming increasingly uncommon, much less ones that know the difference between hardware and software.

Ethereal5516d ago

Been saying this since the first article hit the web. Thank God there are other people that have a brain.

kneon5516d ago

Never mind knowing the difference between hardware and software, how about finding a gaming journalist that can comprehend written English.

What the lawyers said was that if you have hacked your PS3 then you are not entitled to be part of the class action lawsuit.

NewMonday5516d ago

Like the modder Ben Heck who turned his PS3 into a laptop and other stuff, nothing wrong with that.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5516d ago
blackburn55516d ago (Edited 5516d ago )

The eagerness to put Sony in the hot seat is staggering.What they said there makes perfect sense but people still will try to spin it and throw it back in their face. The PS3 itself is yours but Sony gives you the privilege of using their resourses. Anything that threatens or violates those rights that they gave you is subject to extreme scrutiny. Just read the terms you signed. It's all there including their right to remove what they see fit if it becomes necessary to do so. You really should read these things before you agree to them. @ DanSolo I kind of see what you mean. But this what happens when you hang out with or facilitate people who are dishonest or lowlifes. You get caught in the whirlpool of what they do. It's just like the people who visited Geohot's website. If you truly were innocent you wouldn't have been there in the first place.I stated before that it would get ugly and to stay out of Sony's fight with the hackers. But you encourage them and complain when the negative things happen

lee_ten5516d ago (Edited 5516d ago )

yep, and everyone is obligated to follow that. if you break that agreement, you're placing yourself in serious trouble.

sony has that right to protect their software. i'm not sure why people want to see them burned at the stake when they're doing the right thing as a company.

liqahs15: you're kidding me, right? that's flawed logic.

Liuqahs155516d ago

The problem isn't whether or not Sony claimed the right to take features away in the first place; it's about whether or not that's even just. If you offer a job opening that's open only to Asians, even if you state clearly that all others won't get accepted, that doesn't make it right. Yeah you laid out the rules, but the rules aren't fair.

That's the issue. Sony's being unfair.

evrfighter5516d ago

it's been proven that Geohots psn account wasn't even his to begin with. So technically he never "signed" or "agreed" to anything.

Biggest5516d ago

No, it hasn't been proven. Some guy said "It was my account." He didn't prove it was his account. He didn't prove it was his PS3. He didn't prove anything. He said some things.

QuodEratDemonstrandm5516d ago

I would imagine that the pc that GeoHot used to hack the ps3 was a monster. Probably $2500-3000. If all he really wanted was homebrew, he could have paid $2k for a ps3 dev kit. Then his homebrew would be 100% legit. Might have even been able to sell it on PSN.

BK-2015516d ago

How many times does this have to come up, Geo wasn't the one who hacked the PS3.

QuodEratDemonstrandm5515d ago

Okay. I used the wrong name. The dev kit is still cheaper, and it's still 100% legit.

For future reference: who did hack the ps3?

BK-2015515d ago

I believe it his name went something along like Kakarotos or something.

barb_wire5516d ago

When the PS3 had the 'Other OS' (Linux) you could run all the homebrew and emulators/roms you wanted.. guess that wasn't enough for some PS3 users.

DanSolo5516d ago

Basically it is a case of balance....

Of course Sony are going to go after people hacking their product and affecting their profits. And that is understandable.

But on the flip side.... even if they have a right to do it, and if the person/persons they are going after deserve it... you have to be careful about the way the law drops on it. As law changes could potentially put too much power in the hands of the company and take away too many consumer rights.

It is a bit like after 9/11.... some laws had to be changed and it was understandable, but when they brought in the Patriot act they were able to use that to squeeze a few things in that would normally never have had a chance to get in... and that potentially at some future date could be expanded upon.

That is why prudence and balance are needed in any type of case that involves the law changing in some way!
Things might need to be changed... but you have to make damn sure that it is done in the right way!

All the people hysterically calling for hackers to be imprisoned, killed, and other increasingly stupid things need to realise that common sense and a certain amount of caution is necessary in these cases to insure the correct balance is kept.... and the same goes for the people defending geohot!

Liuqahs155516d ago

Very true, but Sony doesn't apparently care about balance. All corporations are, at the end of the day, run by a small group of people at the top. Those people at the top all, through their decisions, express a common interest. It seems Sony's interest is in destroying everyone who dares do anything they don't agree with.

Opinions and freedom don't matter. It's money or nothing else.

Dark_king5516d ago

Sony hasn't tried to destroy anyone.They could of got the feds involved in the Geohot incident but didn't.They have been pretty gentle in my opinion by making it a civil case.Steal from me and Ill break your hands not slap your wrist.

MysticStrummer5516d ago (Edited 5516d ago )

This person clearly doesn't know much about either the witch trials or McCarthyism. Equating this situation to either of those things is laughable.

kaveti66165516d ago

PS3 fanboy mantra: "All hackers are pirates and scum."

Sounds like McCarthyism to me.

"All Communists are evil and wish to destroy the American way of life."

"Anyone who doesn't agree with me is a dirty hacker or pirate."

"Anyone who doesn't agree with me is a Communist."

If Sony isn't practicing McCarthyism, its fanboys certainly are.

Biggest5516d ago

And PS3 fanboys are involved in this case. . . How again? But let's use your example against someone you know very well. You!

"All PS3 fanboys practice McCarthyisim"

Sound like McCarthyism to you?

kaveti66165516d ago

Actually I would say that.

All fanboys of any sort, including all PS3 fanboys, are worthless, insecure piles of dung.

And if you wish to call yourself a PS3 fanboy, Biggest, then that is your prerogative.

Fanboys are pointless human beings who choose a brand or team or some other capitalistically driven enterprise, and they live vicariously through it. They are unofficial cheerleaders, proverbial cocksuckers, blind loyalists, endless defenders of something or someone that holds them in absolutely no positive regard.

And if you wish to consider yourself a PS3 fanboy, Biggest, the that is your volition, and I can't tell you what kind of person to be. I will merely tell you what kind you are and hope your frontal lobes will grow a little.

Godmars2905516d ago

The difference between what's going on now and the Salem Witch trials, McCarthyism, is that the people being accused of witchcraft were practicing it, nor accused communist actively practicing communist doctrine.

You want an accurate comparison to what's going on with geohot and the like, try whack-a-mole: they're not being hunted, they're volunteering.

kaveti66165516d ago

Sony is doing to Geohot exactly what the US government is doing to Julian Assange.

Some Private in the military leaked tons of secret information and Assange disseminated that information through his website, Wikileaks.

Some hackers leaked Sony's code and Geohotz disseminated the information through his website.

There's no difference.

Geohotz is on trial for spreading information, not for hacking the PS3.

He didn't steal the code, but he's going to be charged for it because Sony doesn't know who stole the code and they can only point fingers at Hotz.

Does that seem right?

It's like what happened to the New York Times during the Nixon era when the newspaper found out that the US military was conducting bombings in a region they claimed they were not attacking.

Geohotz was ordered to cease and desist by taking the code off his website. He did that but a bunch of other people have mirrored the info onto other websites and Sony can't close them all down, so once again, their only option is to try and punish Geohotz to set an example.

This is a model example of a witch trial.

Biggest5516d ago

I'm sure you're using good ol' hyperbole with this one: "Some Private in the military..."

Anyone with half a brain knows that a low ranking member of anything won't have access to anything worthwhile. Who knows how certain information got out. It could have been a big mouthed official. It could have been stolen. Who knows? There happen to be laws against what Sony thinks George Hotz did. Sony is trying to prove that he broke the laws that they believe he broke. This is not like anything you're comparing it to. It is what it is. Leave it at that before one of your friends pops up with that stupid car analogy again.

Godmars2905516d ago (Edited 5516d ago )

What's going on with Assange is crap, being accused of other crimes, but still he instigated the initial actions. Meanwhile Geohot's situation is also not only one he put himself into, but repeatedly did so. He created the reason Sony removed otherOS, then he jumped on the bandwagon once another exploit was found. He made himself a posterboy and put a target on his back for Sony's lawyers.

You want to make a proper comparison to the witch trials or McCarthyism, talk 9/11. The people who have been interned in Cuba based on little or no evidence and now will likely spend the rest of lives there, *THAT's* the freakin witch trials and McCarthyism.

Show all comments (37)
80°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

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blog.playstation.com
15d ago Replies(1)
BeHunted15d ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy8514d ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Pergele14d ago

Whatever you say buddy, let's all wear the tinfoil hats.

IceKoldKilla14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

LMFAO Your comment alone says a lot more about you than anything else. When has one game not selling 10 million copies made a company raise the prices of their console? Then Xbox would be costing $5000 by now lol. You remind of the crazy drug addicts on the street rambling on about conspiracies. xD You sure you don't need a hug, buddy?

ChunkyMonk14d ago

One game that Sony payed $200 million for. lol
Also, you sure were quick to get triggered. Maybe your the one who needs a hug?

Eonjay14d ago

If nothing else, we should be united against the real issue here. AI and unnecessary tariffs that are effecting all gamers.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 14d ago
Athlon10115d ago (Edited 15d ago )

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

S2Killinit14d ago

Its not the war. Its the RAM issue.

jznrpg14d ago

War is causing gas prices to rise. Transport of everything requires gas so the prices of those items go up as well. So it does have an impact

Athlon10114d ago (Edited 14d ago )

The blockage of the Straight of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war has affected raw components used in semi-conductor manufacturing such as bromine, aluminum, and helium. Iran had attacked the liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Qatar which is a large producer (1/3 globally) of helium which is used in semiconductor etching. So it's the both the war and the RAM crises.

badz14914d ago

Oh no...should I get the Pro now before the price increase?

80°

Former Xbox Exec Says Developers Didn't Want a Sony Monopoly

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.

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insider-gaming.com
28d ago Replies(2)
Reaper22_28d ago

I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.

CosmicTurtle27d ago

I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.

Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.

This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.

Darkseeker28d ago (Edited 28d ago )

There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.

S2Killinit27d ago

MS was definitely a bad influence on gaming.

raWfodog28d ago

I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.

I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.

Reaper22_28d ago (Edited 28d ago )

But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.

raWfodog27d ago

Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.

SimpleDad28d ago

They Shure did a great job... 25 years later Xbox is dead.

Reaper22_28d ago

Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.

lodossrage28d ago

How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?

If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection

Elda27d ago

I own an XBSX & I can say it's becoming irrelevant out of the 3 current consoles.

27d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (34)
40°

Sony Shows Off 20 Minutes of Crimson Desert on a Base PS5

Sony uploaded gameplay footage of Crimson Desert on a base PS5 running in what appears to be Quality Mode at a stable 30fps at 4K.

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powerupgaming.co.uk
BlazedKong53d ago

looks god awful on the base systems