Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Persuading a PS2 to run nonapproved software is no longer difficult, because several software-only exploits have
been discovered, along with the hardware hacks where a so-called modchip is physically soldered into the computer itself.
One soft hack is called the PS2 Independence Exploit, where a disc from a PlayStation 1 game is used to load
a special file from the memory card, which in turn triggers a buffer overrun allowing unsigned code to run. This is
explained in detail at
http://sksapps.com/index.php?page=exploitinstaller.html
.
Free McBoot (
http://freemcboot.psx-scene.com
) is a newer soft hack, which also allows you to run home-brew
software by installing special software tied into the specific memory card. It also works on Slimline PS2s and most new
machines (unlike the Independence Exploit), with the only currently known exceptions being those with a date code
of 8c and 8d (BIOS Version v2.30).
Recent hacks and liberation efforts have resulted in a project called kernelloader
(
http://kernelloader.sourceforge.net/
) which utilizes these methods to create a full Linux distribution on your
PS2 (a Slim PS2 needs to boot from a Live DVD and not the network) at which point you can use the machine as normal.
In addition to the sites listed, several video-sharing web sites include visual tutorials describing the process.
And, as always, you may be able to find suitable modchips for hardware hacking.
PlayStation Portable
There is one final PlayStation product to mention, as the PS3 is too new, and the PS Vita too underused, to be of
concern to us! The PlayStationPortable (PSP) was released in 2004 and is based on the PS2. This is a handheld device
and benefits the HA hackers with 802.11b WiFi connectivity. IrDA is also featured on the older PSP-1000 models, with
the newer version (PSP Go) supporting Bluetooth. All have dual MIPS R4000 chips running at 333MHz
4
and 32MB of
RAM, making them more than capable devices.
Like most consoles, however, the PSP has been designed to run only signed code created by Sony, thereby
eliminating its ability to be a programmable computer in any real sense. And, like most consoles, hackers found ways
of circumventing this, by exploiting an issue in the original 1.5 firmware. This ultimately led to a cat-and-mouse game
of firmware upgrades by Sony to close these loopholes (and bribing users to upgrade by including new features like
web browsers) as the hackers attempted to reopen them or work out ways of downgrading to 1.5 (without triggering
the Trojan code that Sony had placed in the firmware, which would “brick” your machine) to use the old exploit.
A wide range of home-brew software is available for PSP including the YouTube viewer PSPTube and a control
application for the Xbox Media Center; a good source is
http://dl.qj.net/PSP/catid/106
. However, one of the real
benefits of this device is that you don't even need to hack it in order to install a web browser, as (from version 2.0)
the NetFront Browser has been included by default, and from 3.90 it has included Skype for VoIP calls. Because most
home automation equipment comes with a web server or one can be written fairly easily, a web browser is enough
for a fairly high level of home control.
N
If you plan on using custom or cracked firmware to run home-brew software, always do it early in the device's
ownership life cycle. That way you won't lose any personal data if something does go wrong in the firmware update process.
Note
Microsoft Xbox
Like the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft's current game console—the Xbox 360—is too new and expensive to be worth
hacking into something else, although many people have worked on the problem and created the
www.free60.org
project in doing so, which is now capable of running homebrew code.
&IRMWARES
PRIORTOAREUNDERCLOCKEDAT-(Z
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