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PS3 custom (signed) firmware!

category: general [glöplog]
http://psgroove.com/content.php?614-KaKaRoTo-Creates-First-PS3-Custom-Firmware

I am calling Razor 1911 or Paradox here!
added on the 2011-01-05 12:55:44 by chriz74 chriz74
Yeah! Nice, soon I'll be able to skip the switch-on-back-power-off, switch-on-back-power-on, power-on-front+eject cycle everytime I want to do some PS3 coding.
added on the 2011-01-05 14:11:44 by Sdw Sdw
I can't get over the fact they're using single seeds to generate keys. Silly Sony Face. XD
I do not understand exactly: Now the keys are leaked, but everybody talks about customfirmware, downgrade-possibilities, change 3.50 games that they run at 3.41 and much more... Or for some hello world code it's still necessary to put the console into special modes. I know the standard firmware does not allow to install package files, but why not just sign normal files (with the keys) that they start at a normal firmware? Sure custom firmware with extra features makes sense and is cool, but why can't we now just sign files that they run? Why only sign pup-firmwareupdates? Or do I ask to early, and everything will come in near future, when the Devs/Hackers/Freaks find out more about the architecture of the PS3 ? Anyway, great news with the PS3, I'm looking forward for great PS3 demos, homebrew etc. (But NOT piracy, if you like a PS3 game, then buy it...) And also interesting what Sony will do, but the problem is, that they can't just change the keys :D
added on the 2011-01-05 18:19:40 by Chainsaw Chainsaw
They want custom f/w so they can boot a proper OS.
added on the 2011-01-05 19:49:18 by Claw Claw
Chainsaw: There is no way to run binaries on a default PS3 no matter how much you sign them, unless you run it from a BD I guess.
What the newly released custom firmware does is the 'install PKG' option from debug units (same as with JB).
Still, there haven't been any tools released to sign our binaires yet, so for now the custom firmware really doesn't do much.
added on the 2011-01-05 20:26:19 by Sdw Sdw
@ Sdw: Not true. George Hotz proved you can run signed homebrew directly from a USB pen.

"first piece of homebrew you can run
put in service mode, put on usb stick, boot"

http://geohot.com/
added on the 2011-01-05 22:08:17 by chriz74 chriz74
chriz74: Yeah, but putting the console in service mode every time you want to run a homebrew is not very convenient!
That's why the modded FWs will still fill a function.
added on the 2011-01-05 23:53:22 by Sdw Sdw
chriz74: Geohot's stuff requires service mode, so the ps3 needs to be hacked anyway.

and it's not possible to install stuff without service mode enabled. what karakoto's firmware does is just enable that service mode at boottime.
added on the 2011-01-06 00:15:08 by zerkman zerkman
Fuck it. I did read and watch that things quite a bit the past days. Doesn't matter that the box hasn't been fully cracked open, but what Sony gotta do now is to secure the box from pirating the commercial games and open it to independant developers. The PS3 is an excellent and challenging environment to develop. Also worth any indy-demosceners to work on it.

So.. they just have to do it. They already lost the game. So what?! Logical consequence.
added on the 2011-01-06 00:31:33 by yumeji yumeji
Thanks for the information Sdw. And yumeji: Yeah, I agree with your text :-)
added on the 2011-01-06 00:52:39 by Chainsaw Chainsaw
service mode ok... I think it's just a matter of time anyway.
added on the 2011-01-06 01:38:49 by chriz74 chriz74
I'm not a programmer, but unless you're just doing software-rendering, isn't this mostly useless? Nvidia hasn't released any information about the PS3's graphics chip, and reverse engineering of a modern GPU is a massive undertaking.

For example, starting in 2007 AMD began releasing GPU documentation to the Linux 'community' with the intention of enabling open source folks to create 'FOSS' drivers. It's now 2011 and the current state of these drivers are hardly what one would call functional.

Trying to do the same for the PS3's graphics chip -- without documentation -- would easily take double the time just to reach a similar disappointing state. It's not an impossible task, but just because the 'keys' have been released doesn't mean we'll be seeing any truly fancy homebrew for some years to come. (If ever...)
thom, the ps3's graphics chip (rsx) is quite similar to some which can be found in some pcs. Moreover the OS already features a driver, and the rsx syscalls are known.
added on the 2011-01-06 09:53:03 by zerkman zerkman
Also quite fresh official SDK was leaked some months ago so people can reverse-engineer things from it.
but really, as a programmer, what is the fascination? anything you can do on a PS3 you can do on a PC. I do not understand why programmers are bothering to tamper with Sony's POS system - it is just beneficial to those want to to pirate the PS3's silly games.

All this massively publicized exploit has done is strike a debate in the mainstream media questioning our "right" to run whatever programs we like on our own system. They are using this as an excuse to edge closer to laws dictating what we can and cannot do with our so-called "Personal Computers".

Leave it alone ffs...you gamerlamers
added on the 2011-01-06 11:40:05 by button button
Back to "can't run homebrew directly on a retail ps3" : the ps3 has psn games, games running from hard drive. Can't people create such packages now ? And if you still need service mode to install stuff, then you just need to do like on the wii : go to service mode, install an "homebrew channel" (homebrew installer), and there you go. Where am I wrong ?
added on the 2011-01-06 12:00:57 by MsK` MsK`
Looking forward to demos with synced rumble Sixaxis.
added on the 2011-01-06 12:07:43 by r0XX0r r0XX0r
I guess they'll release an update soon that introduces a new crypto key, along with a whitelist for permitting executables previously signed with the bad key. (Nintendo did a similar thing in the past with the release of DSi to ensure compatibility with old DS games while blocking homebrew at the same time.)

Sure, they can't restore the broken startup chain of trust but at least they can block software-based attacks. But at least people would have to tamper with console hardware to run unofficial code in future.
added on the 2011-01-06 12:52:59 by Kabuto Kabuto
("they" = Sony, to prevent confusion)
added on the 2011-01-06 12:53:26 by Kabuto Kabuto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcG47CpsU6c ?
added on the 2011-01-06 12:54:51 by trc_wm trc_wm
kabuto: once a ps3 is hacked, it can stay forever. New firmware updates can be decrypted and patched. Sony has lost.
added on the 2011-01-06 15:20:48 by zerkman zerkman
@zerkman ps3 hacked however nothing good is coming out of this hack at all.
added on the 2011-01-06 15:33:45 by chriz74 chriz74
just lots of lamers using the hack to pirate games.
added on the 2011-01-06 15:48:14 by button button
Quote:
thom, the ps3's graphics chip (rsx) is quite similar to some which can be found in some pcs.


And how many of those graphics chips are genuinely useful without the help of proprietary drivers? Nouveau is still very limited once you step outside of 2D acceleration.

Quote:
Moreover the OS already features a driver, and the rsx syscalls are known.


Which OS, the Linux OS? It's only 2D. And I think you're seriously underestimating the complexity of a modern GPU. For example, the AMD documentation dump included 3D chip registers, and the R3xx chip has roughly 100 page of info -- just for registers! Furthermore, it was released nearly three years ago, yet the resultant open source drivers are still quite primitive.

http://www.x.org/docs/AMD/

While homebrew using 3D acceleration on the PS3 isn't impossible, it will take years of effort. In the meantime, I suspect demosceners will continued to use OpenGL/Direct3D to program the more powerful GPUs currently available on all PCs...

Face it, this 'PS3 homebrew' stuff is just a cover for piracy -- either PS3 games, or older games via emulation.

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