How Will The Sony PSP Go Change The Homebrew Scene

Ask any Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) owner what he thinks is the best thing about the handheld system, and you’ll be surprised by the answer. No, it’s not the amazing graphics made possible by a fantastic high resolution LCD screen and amazing processing power capabilities. No, it’s not the library of games currently available for the Sony PSP. No, it’s not the upcoming games that will define the future of the portable gaming machine.nnThe best thing about the Sony PSP is the homebrew community it has inspired. Truly, this homebrew community has salvaged the system from many market difficulties in the past. During the fiscal year 2008-2009, for example, when there seemed to be a drought with regards to new games being released for the system which led many to believe that the Sony PSP was on its last legs, the homebrew community rescued the Sony PSP populace from boredom and disillusionment. With a slew of 3rd party games and utilities created for the Sony PSP, the handheld continued to enjoy brisk sales despite the limited number of games that were being made available in the market.nnNow, a few months before the release of the Sony PSP Go!, many homebrew developers are in a state of uncertainty about the future of their hobby and their passion.nnYou see, what makes homebrews possible on the Sony PSP are the custom firmware updates that can be used to replace Sony’s official firmware updates. These custom firmware updates bypass the security checks that accompany the official ones. Official Sony PSP firmware updates detect homebrews as illegal copies of games, and it blocks their load ups, making it impossible for the player to use them. Custom firmware updates remedy this problem.nnBut with the coming of the Sony PSP Go! and with Sony’s plan of doing away with UMD support and concentrating exclusively on downloadable games for future releases, there is a very big possibility that some added security checks will be implemented that will make custom firmware updates obsolete.nIndeed, without custom firmware updates, piracy on the Sony PSP and the Sony PSP Go! will be a thing of the past, which is good.nnBut without custom firmware updates, homebrews on the Sony PSP and the Sony PSP Go! will also be impossible.nnIs this the end of homebrews?nnFear not, homebrew lovers!nnEven if Sony pushes with its plan to release future titles via online downloads or via specialty kiosks that will be set up everywhere, custom firmware updates will still be possible for the handheld gaming system.nnSony may introduce new security checks to protect the integrity of its chosen medium (downloadable content), but these security checks will be introduced to older Sony PSP models via official firmware updates – things that have been bypassed before and can be bypassed again. nnAdditional security checks can be introduced to older models via the games themselves, but since you’re planning to use custom firmware updates merely for homebrews and not for anything illegal, you have nothing to fear.nnSony realizes the extreme importance of the homebrew community for the Sony PSP. Sony may not officially acknowledge these legal “hacks” to their system, but they can always give their tacit consent to the dedicated men and women who desire to extend the functionalities of the Sony PSP. The homebrew community is here to stay.