Sony and Nintendo Step Up Anti-Piracy Efforts [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

Edge reports that Sony and Nintendo are both expanding their anti-piracy operations in an effort to reduce piracy rates on the PSP and the DS respectively. Nintendo has hired Neil Boyd, who handled anti-piracy operations for Warner Brothers, to help them demonstrate their "willingness to take action against criminals who are making money out of the infringement of games developers' copyright." Sony has taken a more direct approach, choosing to alter the hardware used in the PSP Go so that things like the Pandora battery can no longer be used to alter the firmware.
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[kaedesdisciple]

Meh, board up the door and hackers will come in through the windows. Board up the windows and hackers will come in through the chimney. Board up the chimney and hackers will figure out a way past the boards in the door that you put up X years ago and thought were safe. This is a never-ending cycle.

[RPG_Fanatic]

Wait till they hack the PSP-GO and people just start loading UMD games and homebrew on it. You know it will happen, they do it every time they update the firmware on the PSP.

[IcBlUsCrN]

Wait till they hack the PSP-GO and people just start loading UMD games and homebrew on it. You know it will happen, they do it every time they update the firmware on the PSP.

and i hope they do it in record time, just like the iphone hack come out before the software.
i dont like piracy but hate the idea of psp go more.

[Ponyone]

There are three things in life you can be sure of... death, taxes and workarounds to anti-piracy efforts.

[Zthun]

Edge reports that Sony and Nintendo are both expanding their anti-piracy operations in an effort to reduce piracy rates on the PSP and the DS respectively. Nintendo has hired Neil Boyd, who handled anti-piracy operations for Warner Brothers, to help them demonstrate their "willingness to take action against criminals who are making money out of the infringement of games developers' copyright." Sony has taken a more direct approach, choosing to alter the hardware used in the PSP Go so that things like the Pandora battery can no longer be used to alter the firmware.

This is what always gets me about anti-piracy. Nobody seems to get the idea that it takes ONE GROUP to crack the game and offer it on the internet. Once that happens, the game is up for grabs to anyone who understands the concept of 'follow instructions.'

I can't disagree with Sony and Nintendo's policies here; but this is just pointless like all anti-piracy operations. It's like kaedesdisciple said, they'll just find a way around it.

[chrisbid]

This is what always gets me about anti-piracy. Nobody seems to get the idea that it takes ONE GROUP to crack the game and offer it on the internet. Once that happens, the game is up for grabs to anyone who understands the concept of 'follow instructions.'

I can't disagree with Sony and Nintendo's policies here; but this is just pointless like all anti-piracy operations. It's like kaedesdisciple said, they'll just find a way around it.

but it seems nintendo is focusing more on going after REAL pirates, you know the people making money selling bootlegs. this should be the focus of anti-piracy efforts, lumping these people in with people that simply want to use their PSPs to their full potential is unfair.

[kedawa]

Nobody has managed to hack the PS3 yet, so I would say Sony's strategy of securing their hardware has at least some chance of success. Nintendo, on the other hand, is screwed.

[The 1 2 P]

Pirates are like a bad rash. No matter how much it clears up over time, eventually it comes back even worse....and a whole lot more itchier.

[Jorpho]

Once that happens, the game is up for grabs to anyone who understands the concept of 'follow instructions.'

And yet, if you can make it so that list of instructions just a teensy bit difficult to follow, you can at least severely diminish the range of people for whom the game is up for grabs.

[guitargary75]

They are lucky I'm too stupid to figure it out. I actually have to pay for all of my games.

[kupomogli]

I have downgraded firmware but I don't play pirated games. Except for Dissidia because I wanted to play it without waiting for a US release and didn't want to import a game I knew was going to be released here.

[Ponyone]

I have downgraded firmware but I don't play pirated games. Except for Dissidia because I wanted to play it without waiting for a US release and didn't want to import a game I knew was going to be released here.

So basically you play pirated games?

[kupomogli]

A pirated game. Not plural. I'm not going to import a game I'm 100% sure it's getting a US release and I'm for sure going to buy it(and currently now own it.) I get what you mean though. I contradicted myself in the same post :P.

I meant I haven't played any pirated games other than Dissidia since it was going to get a US release.

[Kid Ice]

A pirated game. Not plural. I'm not going to import a game I'm 100% sure it's getting a US release and I'm for sure going to buy it(and currently now own it.) I get what you mean though. I contradicted myself in the same post :P.

I meant I haven't played any pirated games other than Dissidia since it was going to get a US release.

Sometimes your bullshit is almost kind of an art.

[Ed Oscuro]

but it seems nintendo is focusing more on going after REAL pirates, you know the people making money selling bootlegs.

Also, people downloading Contra Rebirth for free.

[darkwingduck13]

I just think it's pure bullshit that Sony made the PSP capable of playing PSOne games and then locked it down so we'd have to rebuy our PSOne collections to play them again. It's not even a question of changing media, like it was with the tape-to-CD or VHS-to-DVD scenario. I already bought a crapload of PSOne games. I'm not buying them again on some retarded download service. Hopefully the PSP Go gets cracked wide open ASAP. I want to see that ship sink like a stone.

[Oobgarm]

Also, people downloading Contra Rebirth for free.

Also, people circumventing the German anti-penis pussy laws.

[kaedesdisciple]

I just think it's pure bullshit that Sony made the PSP capable of playing PSOne games and then locked it down so we'd have to rebuy our PSOne collections to play them again. It's not even a question of changing media, like it was with the tape-to-CD or VHS-to-DVD scenario. I already bought a crapload of PSOne games. I'm not buying them again on some retarded download service. Hopefully the PSP Go gets cracked wide open ASAP. I want to see that ship sink like a stone.

So, what you're saying is that all those people who put hard work into figuring out exactly how to play PS1 games on the PSP shouldn't be compensated? People's sense of entitlement around the media they think they own is mind-boggling sometimes. You didn't purchase the software for those games, you purchased a license to use it on the console that the owner of the license determined. Additionally, it IS a question of changing media, you're going from the format that is compatible with the PS1 to the format that is compatible with the PSP. If the owner wishes to publish the game on another platform and put in the effort to make sure those games work properly on said console, they have every right to be compensated for doing so.

You don't want it? Speak with your wallet and don't buy it, but don't try to come up with a justification for piracy.

[kupomogli]

You don't want it? Speak with your wallet and don't buy it, but don't try to come up with a justification for piracy.

I go to sites like QJ.net also and some people there bash Sony all day long, like they hope the PSP fails, etc. Basically uses the fact that they have firmware that they won't ever purchase a game they have and use excuses like the PSP has "no good games" which is why they download them all. It's sad, because if the system had no good games, why would they download them all?

Then there are those that say. Sony doesn't release demo's so I download the full versions and play a little bit to see if I like it then buy it. However, I can guarantee that little bit becomes the full game and they don't end up purchasing the games.

I don't like piracy on the system because it's my favorite system. The amount of games released on it, ported or otherwise, that are very good is nice for this generation. I think it even beats out the DS, though the DS runs fairly close as it has alot of good games too.

--
However, when it comes to PSX games. Sure you don't buy them from the PSN, or if they don't have them there to purchase you obviously don't buy it, but can it really be considered piracy if the PSX games you play are owned by you, even though not digital downloads? Say if you ripped your own copy of Tactics Ogre. It's not like you are downloading it from another source. You're using a legitimate copy you have in your home that you yourself own.

I could understand if the person is downloading a list of PSX games from rom sites, etc, because they don't own the games and Sony has the option of selling those games on the PSN. The only thing is that not everyone is trustworthy, so Sony doesn't know if one person is using a legitimate copy or if they're just pirating the software.