Team Xecuter's Hyperdrive lets you hook up HDs to your PS3

Team Xecuter -- known internally within Sony and Microsoft as public enemy #1 -- has created a peripheral which enables users to connect 3.5-inch SATA hard drives to their PS3. The peripheral, which has been codenamed the "Hyperdrive," lets users hook up external drives with capacities of up to 750GB, and thanks to the included USB 2.0 support, users will be able to dump data to and from the unit using their PC. On the surface, these kinds of activities are relatively innocent -- even if they will inevitably be the motivation behind the next firmware patch -- but Team Xecuter also claims to be close to discovering a way of storing and booting entire games from the PS3's hard drive. Personally we can't think of anything more convenient than storing our game collection on one massive SATA drive, but as many will no doubt agree, this kind of activity is a legal gray area. Proponents will say "it's only for backing up my games" and opponents will say "this enables piracy," but we'll let you decide which side to take. As always, we ain't going there.

[Via Maxconsole]

[nick @ Dec 2nd 2006 12:12PM]

It's funny... Sony allows you to upgrade the HD in your PS3. They allow you to install Linux. They allow you to connect any USB or Bluetooth device.

If they ever complain that this is allowing people to use the PS3 in ways not imagined, they only have themselves to blame.

[WOO PIG SOOIE!!! @ Dec 2nd 2006 12:14PM]

if i could get my hands on a ps3, i'd get my hands on a hyperdrive and wait for that killer app

[Richard @ Dec 2nd 2006 12:21PM]

"Proponents will say 'it's only for backing up my games' and opponents will say 'this enables piracy,'"

Well, duh. They're both right, of course.
Just because something can be used for something nefarious doesn't make it illegal provided there's a legitimate use.

I thought that's what fair use was all about?

Oh, right... I forgot. The consumer has no rights anymore.

[Castle @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:15PM]

People have been connecting 3.5" SATA since launch, without all this Xecuter thing, its not forbid or anything by Sony.

The PS3 uses standard SATA connection, so you can connect any size SATA drive to the PS3, for the 3.5" drives it just sticks out of the machine, hence its better to just use an external USB 2.0 drive.

As far booting from HDD is concerned, we'll see about that. But everything can be cracked given time.

[Mack Swift @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:37PM]

A few people have asked me for my opinion regarding the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD wars and which to buy for someone for the holidays. My usual replay is neither, even concerning the X360 HD-DVD attachment and the Blu-Ray PS3. Don't buy either yet as the wrinkles are still being kinked out.

But I jokingly add that the first format that gets cracked, hacked, and copied will be the winner.

[Genome @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:39PM]

This looks surprisingly similar to a SATA->IDE adapter I got free with an old motherboard of mine.
We already know that the PS3 can take a range of hard drives.

surely they wouldn't be taking advantage of the PS3's current hype to sell whats essentially a converter cable... Right?
http://www.addonics.com/products/io/adsaide.asp

Having said that the "Switch between external HYPERDRIVE and internal 2.5" HDD" function looks useful.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:49PM]

[li]

[patrick @ Dec 2nd 2006 2:12PM]

Dang this doesn't look good for Sony. I think it was a bad idea for them to open the system up to linux and homebrew. Yes it can lead to some interesting games and apps but then you have stuff like this that just leads to piracy.

[Tony C @ Dec 3rd 2006 2:22AM]

Why are homebrew hacks bad for Sony, when all it'll do is sell more console units?

And yeah, you can get a 2.5"-to-3.5" SATA adapter and external power supply without resorting to the crappy solder job these guys did.

[Echo_ @ Dec 2nd 2006 3:06PM]

You guys do know that Xbox 360 games are already being copied and played on Xbox360s right?

[Murc @ Dec 3rd 2006 3:24AM]

yes, but to copy a 360 game you need certian things...like a dvd burner, and dvd-dl discs, and flash the firmware, etc. You cant play 360 games of the HDD...and if you can do that with the PS3...piracy will run rampent...the 360 has piracy, but in order to get back-ups to work, it takes a good amount of pc skills...but if the PS3 can play of the HDD...I think sony will have to actually do some MAJOR changes to the system...either make blu-ray more secure...or actually redign the console...and by that I mean get rid of linux...since that is basically the operating system of choice for hackers.

I'm sure sony will fix it quick once this becomes possible.
Microsoft's 360 has a different dvd drive in it...it came out in july...and has yet to be hacked.

[... @ Dec 2nd 2006 3:17PM]

We shall see, sony seems pretty good at loading all of ther stuff with DRM, it wouldn't suprise me if each disk has its own serial number or something so that even if you did get it to run it wouldn't let you play if you ever connect to the internet...

I would also assume that that they would have put a considerable amount of effort to making sure that that blu-ray drive of theirs gets put to use ;)

But I can't wait until you can buy a PS3 with all of the games preloaded on it on ebay...

[JRA219psu @ Dec 2nd 2006 3:32PM]

wow this is really sweet...an easy to use peripheral to expand my future ps3?? I'm so in. and the whole promoting piracy thing...well what about the built in HD??? same thing...sony needs to get its head out of its ass and return to its creative roots and let the gamers have some freedom. they will sell more units and more games if they have a better attitude towards the whole hombrew scene. sigh, when will they learn?

[Richard @ Dec 2nd 2006 3:42PM]

Cool idea, but not something I'd use. Don't think I'm gonna install a new HDD or OS

[Tim Burns @ Dec 2nd 2006 4:55PM]

I've been using a 500gb HDD in my PS3 since I got it, just need an SATA extension cable. I bought a cheap 3.5" external case for my HDD, used the power supply in that for the drive and ran the SATA cable out of the case and into the PS3.

[ezjay @ Dec 2nd 2006 5:04PM]

I'll just run right over to lik-sang.com and buy one! Oh ya... bastards!

[whiskey @ Dec 2nd 2006 7:28PM]

Yup, Sony's PS3 is the next Sega Dreamcast!

You beat me to it blackhonda.

[Veritas II @ Dec 2nd 2006 11:25PM]

They'll just disable it through firmware requirements on newer games, like they did with the PSP. And while you can DevHook games on the PSP, it's a pain in the arse to do it all the time. Easier to just buy 'em.

[Jay @ Dec 3rd 2006 2:27AM]

I notice that the folks commenting are much less guilty of this but can we please set things straight here: HD, in modern terms and especially for devices with next-gen optical drives, is used to refer to High Definition. HDD is a Hard Disk Drive.
Is it that hard to type one more letter for HDD?

[((leski)) @ Dec 3rd 2006 7:51AM]

Sony won't allow homebrew because they are losing so much $ on each console. The only way they are going to make a profit is off the licensing rights from the games they sell. Most people wont buy a lot of games if they have home made apps running or are using their PS3 as a cheap Linux based pc. Sony knows this and will probably run daily/weekly/monthly auto firmware updates via the internet. That's most likely the reason behind keeping their PS Network free, so the highest proportion of PS3 owners will keep their system online all day since there is no cost to do so.

[patrick @ Dec 3rd 2006 6:20PM]

"Why are homebrew hacks bad for Sony, when all it'll do is sell more console units?"

Most homebrew isn't bad but when you get into the area of ripping games to a hard drive and playing them without buying the game that's where it gets bad. Also just because it sells more consoles is not necessarily a good thing, as Sony looses money on each console they sell. So no matter how many consoles they sell they will never make any money if people just rent the games and play them off the hard drives. Yes they may make a little off the rental places buying the games to rent out but not enought to show much of a profit.

[blackhonda @ Dec 4th 2006 3:49PM]

Yup, Sony's PS3 is the next Sega Dreamcast!

[steve @ Dec 13th 2006 11:54AM]

to connect a 3.5 inch internal desktop sata2 drive to the ps3 you just need a sata 22 pin cable and a cable with a molex on the end to go in the ps3 right??

[Gudrun @ Jan 3rd 2007 3:12PM]

There is a better way to add a bootable 750GB 3.5" SATA HDD to the PS3 than Team Xecuter's method. It's looks so much better and it is even n00b friendly. You won't have to wait any longer or buy anything from them.

http://www.myspace.com/playstaion3hddmod

[Brice @ Jul 21st 2007 1:08PM]

What is that porn looking thang in the pic you are usings name, so you can use a sata cable with?

[Brice @ Jul 21st 2007 1:11PM]

sorry port not porn!!!

[Brice @ Jul 22nd 2007 12:05PM]

sorry port not porn!!