Geohot brings back other OS support with PS3 3.21OO custom firmware
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 7th 2010 2:06PM
posted April 7th 2010 2:06PM
[Thanks, Milo]
posted April 7th 2010 2:06PM
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Now if I only had a PS3!
@HakushoX
then...why comment!?
@iroq d mullet
you the man Geo... even if i don't use this feature glad you helped those that did and do use it..
@HakushoX
the weird thing is... i never used the other OS feature and would've updated my ps3 and forgotten about it... but i haven't turned it on in a few weeks... and since the prospect of having custom firmware intrigues me i just might go through with this
@skyblaze
+1.. I am thinking the exact same thing.
@HakushoX
the battle for CFW begins
@Engadget
Please change the pic of Controller with yellow dog linux it kinda sucks!!
@speaktruth
Holy Crap!
By the short glance at the hard drive size....did GeoHot do this to a 120GB Slim?
Guys don't get your hopes up....this could just be a simple text hack like has done to change his MAC. The actual firmware installed could quite simply be 3.15 with the version number edited to 3.21....Note he doesn't prove otherwise by logging into PSN.
Looks like it's just about time for me to look into getting a PS3. Wii + PS3 both armed with homebrew support will make for a pretty powerful combination.
@Grey Acumen I thought the 360 also had Homebrew? I mean, aside from the rampant piracy of course. I thought you could install any XNA developed game onto it or something? Something about not needing to hack it because it can already do "Homebrew"
@Grey Acumen
the words wii and ps3 should never be used in the same sentence, it's just a disgrace to the ps3.
@Teslanaut
once you give them $99 a year, sure
@Teslanaut
I wasn't talking about ease of getting homebrew to run, but the type of creativity that homebrew on the system allows. Xbox 360 hasn't made any major advancements since PS2, except for online service and better graphical power, which is going to be harder for the more independent homebrew developers to take advantage of.
The stuff you get from Wii homebrew actually has been exploring the use of the motion controls and the IR camera, sometimes even better than what professional games have managed. PS3 already has motion controls, as well as that upcoming wand that's supposed to compete with the Wii remote.
Sure, Xbox360 is coming out with Natal, but there aren't any buttons, so it's basically the same problem you have with games for the iphone.
@Grey Acumen
You might want to check out the 360 homebrew scene again. It's blown up since the JTAG hack, and is coming along. It's still young bit it will be robust.
@Grey Acumen
What Wii homebrew games are you referring to? I haven't been able to find any decent homebrew games that weren't a port like Quake or ripoff of another game/franchise like Super Mario Wars.
@o29
I don't know what Grey's Homebrew usage is, but I am a big fan of using it for playing imported games, as well as for using random hacks such as the mods for Super Smash Bros Brawl. I never really used it for Homebrew games.
Having homebrew for PS3 (or for any console for that matter) is a bit of a mixed bag because it really depends on what the homebrewers come up with. I, for one, am happy with what Homebrewers did for Wii (except for the piracy issue, of course), and I'm kinda interested what they can come up with on the PS3.
@EI8HT
And just what the hell is wrong with Wii Tennis!?
Yeeeaahhhhhh BOI
This puts a smile on my face. Here's hoping the PS3 homebrew scene cracks wide open very soon!
This is interesting because after updating, linux on my PS3 is lingering somewhere in the twilight zone. I didn't feel like doing a format on my 500GB HDD.
@equinoux i really dont think this is an actual problem, i called playsation the day of it and they said it was an april fools joke so i chuckled and dismissed it... why is this still news... is it serious or not?!
@peetuhr uhm...yes? Of course its real! Dude, its not an april fools joke.
@ashasaur
No, you see, (s)he called playsation, not Sony. playsation said that it was an April Fools joke, because they don't know what they're talking about. HAHAHAHA!
@Concorde105 I actually did call sony, the fact that they did say it was an april fools joke is a bit of a piss off. :\ oh well, sonys really falling off the wagon lately, coffee cup-car powered speakers anyone?
PS3: it only does what it did before the firmware update that made it do less than it did.
New slogan? I think so.
Geohot we were all rooting for you!!!
Thank you for rooting for us
@4nth0ny
I'm not. If he could mind his own bloody business, there wouldn't BE a need for custom firmware.
@4nth0ny Oh I see what you did there..... thats punny
@Dr Blight
ya PS3 removes install OS option just to punish him. do you know how dumb you sound? this guy is trying to keep the PS3 owners happy when the company fails to do so.
@Dr Blight ...why is that so hard for some to understand!?
@4nth0ny
He tried to unlock the system completely, which would have led to piracy. Sony STILL isn't making money on the hardware, which means they need software sales. If people stop buying software, the PlayStation division loses even more money.
Is basic business THAT hard to understand? This is GeoHot's fault IN THE FIRST PLACE.
@Dr Blight Dude!!!!!!!!
@Dr Blight
He tried to unlock the system completely, which would have led to piracy. Sony STILL isn't making money on the hardware, which means they need software sales. If people stop buying software, the PlayStation division loses even more money.
Is basic business THAT hard to understand? This is GeoHot's fault IN THE FIRST PLACE.
100% True
Sony is reacting to what this guy is up too, anyone who doubts that one hacker can have a huge impact should look up Dark Alex.
@Dr Blight Wow .. looks like someone didn't get their daily amount of cheezy poofs today.
moron.
Damn, butt-hurt Sony fanboys like Blight are just going ape-shit now that the PS3 has been cracked. They believed it was unhackable.
@Dr Blight Really, you are going to say that one persons actions single handily opened the flood gates for piracy on the PS3?
Now I do agree that the removal of the other OS is squarely aimed at software sales. Maybe not so much for just in the US, but the ability to have a basic computer and game console for $299.99 is pretty appealing worldwide. And maybe because people around the world are using them more as PC's and less like game consoles its hurting Sony's bottom line. So Sony yanks that feature of from under people in the name of platform security. I think if people were using a PS3 as a PC primarily, these actions would only encourage people to pirate games now, because their primary purpose for using the product has been taken away by Sony. As for those that were pirating games already, a software update or 20 isn't going to stop those determined to pirate. It's only going to marginally slow them down and piss off your legal customers in the process.
I personally have never bought a PS3 and have had a PS3 for the better part of 2 years. This is not because I am pirating games, its because I don't play games at all on my PS3. I bought one when blu-ray players were still pretty expensive and plagued with compatibility problems. The PS3 was the best blu-ray player at the time. I picked up a 40GB bundle with an HDMI cable, Official Sony Blue-tooth remote, one of the Spiderman movies, 6 weeks of free rentals, and some Transformer game. All for a little more than the cost of the PS3 on sale from Blockbuster. I tried a few games out as rentals, given I had weeks of them from free. Never found anything exclusive to the PS3 that was worth owning so I never bought any games. I have a PC, 360, Wii, and PS3. I have a few Wii games, but mainly play 360 and PC. My PS3 is my only blu-ray player and it also does a decent job of netflix streaming...with that damn disc in it.
Long story short, would I buy a PS3 right now as only a stand alone blu-ray player, no. There are cheaper and just as good alternatives now. On the same note I wouldn't own a PS3 had I not bought one as a blu-ray player a while back.
@KAL326
>Really, you are going to say that one persons actions single handily opened the flood gates for piracy on the PS3?
I'm not agreeing with Blight, but in response to your question, YES. That is generally how piracy works. Now, geohot in particular doesn't seem the piratey type, but it only takes a handful of people to break the codes, then every pirate can copy the games.
@Elranzer Oh god, can you stop being a huge troll ever? Its bad enough you pollute digg with your fanboy bullcrap.
@yomachaser They took out other os because he was exploiting it. But now the exploit runs off the system os and doesn't even need other os. He announced this before the ps3 update even came out and removed other os. It was a desperate attempt by sony.
They have only themselves to blame, for being able to install system updates that are easy to sign. Even with the xbox 360 progress, it has no sign of being so easy for everyone to install illegit updates.
Sony went into ps3 so cocky and now they are learning. Crash and burn
Any word if this works after updating to 3.21?
Please release 3.1.3 Blackra1n!!!
@ssgadget Its not me.. .I got a lot of friends trapped in 3.1.3 baseband :(
I wonder if it also fixes the bricking :-)
@Grey Acumen +1, I'm currently in doubt whether I want a PS3, waiting to see how this story develops
A conspiracy. Geohot obviously created the PS3 "update" that crippled all of your systems while he sat on his "fix" for a few days - only to be heralded a hero on its release. Haven't any of you seen MI:2?
Honestly, though - GeoHot makes me proud to be a Rochesterian, and an RIT Alum. Good job, brother.
If this works on the Slim, we need to award this guy a golden PS3.
Oh how I love the Hacking community, unlocking the goodness in technology since 1984
Now this is NEWS! I applaud GeoHot for this effort and his work. Sony screwed people over with this update and alot of owners, myself included, were very vocal about it to Sony and we didn't even garner a canned response. Sony started this and now GeoHot is going to finish it. I don't wanna pirate I just want to have the features I bought my console with remain INTACT.
@Darkseider Agreed. Sony brought this on themselves.
@Darkseider
Sony didn't start anything. This little kiddie did by sticking his nose where it didn't belong and exploiting the system. It was common sense for Sony to pull the feature since it was being abused.