Hackers Release Custom Firmware 5.0

Kris Erickson • Oct 20, 2008 • Comments (10)

Hackers scored another win against Sony over the weekend, as word spread that a custom version of Firmware 5.0 was available for download. Underground coder Dark Alex was responsible for the release. Custom firmware is a hacked version of the official firmware, which keeps all of the official functionality of the PSP intact, while allowing users to run homebrew applications and illegal pirate copies of games. This removes protection for developers hoping to make their games require firmware 5.0 in upcoming releases, because pirates can simply circumvent this security requirement.

While this is surely bad news for prospective software developers, some hope remains. Currently the PSP-3000 hardware has proven unhackable, meaning that new customers who buy the handheld will not be able to run any unofficial applications or downgrade their system to a custom firmware version. Hopefully this will remain the case long enough to encourage weary Western publishers to take another crack at turning a profit on the system.

Our take? If the pirates are eager to benefit from the new updates avilable in Firmware 5.0 such as the PSP Store, perhaps they will find that it is easier to actually pay for games on the service rather than steal them.

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Comments

InfinityDevil

- October 21, 2008 8:54 AM

Of course they won't pay for their games. They'll just keep stealing them and kill the platform completely.

Joshikins

- October 21, 2008 11:41 PM

Although we can all hope for the best, pirating is always going to be a problem. Let's face the facts people, somebody coded the firmware in the first place, this means that it is code, it's also true that ANY AND ALL code can and will be changed/hacked. There is just no way to make something completely un-hackable.

shadow

- October 22, 2008 7:45 PM

for one dark alex and the rest of the so called hackers only use the unoffical psp firmware to use homemade games that u can't use because of sonys lockdown and some people backup there games on there computer to use off the memory cards because the umds are cheap. not everyone uses the firmware for pirating only those who are cheap. [Editor's note: SURE they only use it for "backups". I hate it when those flimsy UMDs just explode in my hand and I have to buy the game all over again]

Anonymous

- October 25, 2008 12:18 AM

Pirating will never stop and since the the true pirates are not making a profit like other people do I say they are the modern day robin hoods saving some of us a profit. I for one keep the balance by buying games I enjoy after of course sampling them with my hacked psp.

McTavish55

- November 7, 2008 9:49 PM

why are you attacking custom firmware saying its only for "illegal pirated-games" i just use it to play MY own backups i guess thats not allowed in your opinion. and i guess you enjoy the strict security on the psp i for one actually enjoy emulating MY own psx games and watching youtube on the psp. you can attack the retarded bittorrent idiots but dont slam all homebrew.

Jo

- February 19, 2009 9:56 PM

I just want the custom firmware to use pspubuntu :)!

Thugzlyphe

- February 21, 2009 12:51 AM

I plan on getting the 3000. I will prolly go ahead with the hack, because I am very poor, and if I can get something for free, I will. Not everyone( myself included) can afford to pay for all those games. I guess this is selfish, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Go ahead and hate. Think of it like this, if they kick all them damn illegal immigrants outta here, we could all find more/better work, and be able to afford the games. I speak from personal experience. My job alone is 60% illegal. If I quit on my principals, they will just hire another mexican. Sorry.

kacperos

- March 6, 2009 5:15 PM

and what abou the PSO slim & lite it is working with any problems??

Jez

- April 14, 2009 8:10 AM

I hope the firmware is hacked, personally I'll still buy the games, but I'd rather be able to use the software I paid for from a memory stick, rather than the UMD. The UMD is noisy when it's accessing, and I daresay the battery life would be greatly enhanced with a mem-stick based game / film.

Zubair Ahmed khan

- May 13, 2009 7:33 AM

Hi... to the PSP (Lord's, Master) I purchased a PSP 3004 which came along a Firmware ver 4.21 & the psp is type (A).The querry is i updated it to Firmware 5.50. Is there any custom firmware for me as of now ... or i have to wait for a custom firmware for few days. I would like to know the website where i can check the custom firware in future. Hope to receive the right answers form the PSP (Lord's, Masters) Take care...

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