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Playstation 3 CFW & Homebrew Technical Help Thread -- morality arguments elsewhere

Shaneus

Member
There's already discussions on PS3 communication/possible bannings here. Please keep this for actual homebrew discussion (I guess, I ain't no mod).
 
tribal24 said:
cant someone create cross game chat now?
Nobody really answered this, so:

No, I really don't think anyone's going to "create" it (especially given that you'd need to be signed in to PSN for that to work, which may not be possible, but that's for the other thread). HOWEVER. The debug firmware has had working cross-game chat for over a year now, and it's very possibly something that can simply be turned on in the retail units. The only reason this wouldn't be the case is if cross-game chat very specifically makes use of the added memory in debug units, which I very much doubt. Again, this would require both being signed in to PSN and modifying your firmware. It is quite possible that this will be doable in the future. It's even quite possible that someone will figure out how to turn it on very soon once the scene moves on past the initial flurry of some people compiling and signing existing open-source and/or jailbreak-era apps and the more sophisticated hackers probing the depths of the PS3's security system, but until we have a fuller picture of the security situation and of Sony's potential responses, it's honestly just tough to say for now. Suffice it to say that even though your firmware can be pushed back to official firmware already, and even though it's quite likely that it's possible to fully stop or customize the pushlist function so that it's possible to sign onto PSN without worrying about your individual list of unofficial signed apps being sent along to Sony with the official ones, signing onto the PSN and then using a PSN feature that isn't officially present in retail PS3s would probably draw attention to you no matter what other security measures you take. So yeah, it's probably dead simple to turn the cross-game chat feature on, but actually using it is probably more likely to open you up to consequences than simply signing on to PSN with CFW.

Stumpokapow, sorry if this post was off-limits for this thread; was just trying to answer his question, and I'm hardly trying to fearmonger.

edit: besides, the other thread is mostly a debate about what Sony should/shouldn't do, whereas I'm hoping that it's still possible to talk here about what they can and can't detect, since the development of countermeasures against their ability to detect unofficial signed apps and modified firmware is something that's actually quite pertinent to this thread, I think.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
I'm a tad disappointed there hasn't been much headway in regards to backup managers in the ~12 hours I've been away from this thread.
 

Zoe

Member
Repeating since it got stuck at the bottom:

Jakfu said:
^ I'd like to know that as well. I also have a question. Say im connected to my wireless router and I shut off wireless and proceed to install custom firmware. Once I feel like I am done with the homebrew scene can I revert everything back to factory default and delete all traces of homebrew?

Depends on what traces that homebrew left. Right now all of the emulators are leaving behind data, and nobody's said how to clear that yet.
 

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Zoe said:
Repeating since it got stuck at the bottom:



Depends on what traces that homebrew left. Right now all of the emulators are leaving behind data, and nobody's said how to clear that yet.
I asked since I'm purely interested in how the PS3 communicates back home even when you never connect. Someone made it sound like it communicates to a server without you knowing, just interested in what that meant.
 

RyanDG

Member
Shaneus said:
There's already discussions on PS3 communication/possible bannings here. Please keep this for actual homebrew discussion (I guess, I ain't no mod).


This is part of the reason why I really, really disagree splitting this thread in two. I understand why some people want it, but we can't gloss over the fact that there are significant risks to using homebrew for someone who hasn't fully educated themselves on what Sony is doing and what they can possibly do as a response to homebrew and tracking options. Until the homebrew community develops more, I would really like to see these two topics remain as one, otherwise I feel it is going to be doing a disservice to neogaf members who are coming into this topic without being able to be fully informed about what risks homebrew on the PS3 possibly has.

But oh well. I stated my peace on that in the other topic. Just thought I'd throw it out here once and leave it alone from there.
 

RyanDG

Member
mattiewheels said:
I asked since I'm purely interested in how the PS3 communicates back home even when you never connect. Someone made it sound like it communicates to a server without you knowing, just interested in what that meant.

If you are connected to the internet, on boot up with the PS3, the PS3 sends a small amount of information back to Sony about the boot up process that includes small traces of homebrew activity that can be used (hypothetically) to detect modified firmware. That's what was previously being mentioned as the unknown communication. However, it also opens up the possibility that there is more than just that communication going on between the PS3 and Sony.
 

angelfly

Member
Zoe said:
Depends on what traces that homebrew left. Right now all of the emulators are leaving behind data, and nobody's said how to clear that yet.
Delete the pushlists in /dev_hdd0/vsh/pushlist/.

game.dat - every time you start a game it appends the contentid followed by a blank to the start of the file
patch.dat - stores information on games that need patches with a similar format of game.dat but with more information (homebrew doesn't get added to this list)

you can safely just delete them since it'll just create new ones when starting a game

theres also one for videos but I didn't bother checking to see what triggers it.

there could probably be more logs
 

Zoe

Member
mattiewheels said:
I asked since I'm purely interested in how the PS3 communicates back home even when you never connect. Someone made it sound like it communicates to a server without you knowing, just interested in what that meant.

This is what Mr_Brit posted earlier:

fus01.ps3.update.playstation.net > Update Server (sys updates)
mercury.dl.playstation.net > What's new ads
nsx.np.dl.playstation.net > playstation store preview
nsx-e.np.dl.playstation.net > ads
(main file exchange connections)
us.np.stun.playstation.net > on boot initiates connection
ena.net.playstation.net > SSLv3 connection after above connection

dus01.ps3.update.playstation.net > secondary update attempt (could force updates)
auth.np.ac.playstation.net > SSLv3 authentication server
(destination servers)
service.playstation.net (has multiple IPs if only the ip address is blocked)
(Error Reporting)
creepo.ww.hl.playstation.net (uploads crash reports etc.)

The bolded sounds like what you need to be worried about. Hopefully someone else has more information.
 
angelfly said:
Delete the pushlists in /dev_hdd0/vsh/pushlist/.

game.dat - every time you start a game it appends the contentid followed by a blank to the start of the file
patch.dat - stores information on games that need patches with a similar format of game.dat but with more information

you can safely just delete them since it'll just create new ones when starting a game

theres also one for videos but I didn't bother checking to see what triggers it.

there could probably be more logs

At the very least, there's also dev_hdd0\home\00000001\etc\boot_history.dat
 

angelfly

Member
badcrumble said:
At the very least, there's also dev_hdd0\home\00000001\etc\boot_history.dat
Nice, that was the list used for the "Recently Played" section of "What's New". Seems that even though it won't display homebrew it's still added to the list of titles. I removed it and it created a clean one when starting another game.
 

KtSlime

Member
angelfly said:
Delete the pushlists in /dev_hdd0/vsh/pushlist/.

game.dat - every time you start a game it appends the contentid followed by a blank to the start of the file
patch.dat - stores information on games that need patches with a similar format of game.dat but with more information (homebrew doesn't get added to this list)

you can safely just delete them since it'll just create new ones when starting a game

theres also one for videos but I didn't bother checking to see what triggers it.

there could probably be more logs

Do you know if the system supports permissions? Could people just delete the files and 444 the directory so no one has to worry about it again?

Edit: Hmm, I suppose someone would have to port bsdutils first to have chmod huh. :lol
 

Laurent

Member
eso76 said:
they don't get upscaled by the tv/whatever you're using and they can be displayed with sexy filters which perfectly replicate the look of original crt monitors.
Think Final Fight double impact xbla.
Makes sense…
 
Zoe said:
This is what Mr_Brit posted earlier:



The bolded sounds like what you need to be worried about. Hopefully someone else has more information.
Thanks for posting this, I just blocked those 2 bolded sites through my router, hopefully that should keep me safe.
 

fugimax

Member
hey_it's_that_dog said:
Looks good, but I keep hearing that you shouldn't bother putting a 7200 rpm drive into a PS3.
That doesn't make sense. Maybe they're concerned about heat, but a good 7200RPM drive will load things faster -- period.

Also ... only $70. It's not like you're paying a huge premium.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
hey_it's_that_dog said:
Looks good, but I keep hearing that you shouldn't bother putting a 7200 rpm drive into a PS3.

Now that you can run games from the HDD, there's no need for the game to seek data from the BD, which means the faster HDDs will be more effective. The "7200rpm doesn't make much difference" mantra was true when virtually all retail games with an install still seeked data from the BD when loading.
 
Genesis Knight said:
Try warzard/red earth and report on framerate, man.

I have GGPO romsets and it seems like some of them don't work, i don't have those games.

Pretty much 3S was the only one that was recognized. I hate arcade emulation and how some sets don't work with other emulators.
 
JaseC said:
Now that you can run games from the HDD, there's no need for the game to seek data from the BD, which means the faster HDDs will be more effective. The "7200rpm doesn't make much difference" mantra was true when virtually all retail games with an install still seeked data from the BD when loading.


So a faster RPM is better then? I'll keep that in mind.
 

Laurent

Member
Wow, this was easier than I thought! But I can't get the MAME ROMs to be detected, even by putting them in a directory named FBANext-ROMS on my USB key…
 

expy

Banned
Wonder if you can set your XMB background as a video (.mp4 or any other supported format), instead of using a dynamic theme.
 

zweifuss

Member
Laurent said:
Wow, this was easier than I thought! But I can't get the MAME ROMs to be detected, even by putting them in a directory named FBANext-ROMS on my USB key…

You have to edit the XML file that comes with fbanext and point it to the right folder. As for Warzard, you need to rename the file to redeartn.zip to work. Works nice and smooth just like the other CPS-III games.
 
zweifuss said:
You have to edit the XML file that comes with fbanext and point it to the right folder. As for Warzard, you need to rename the file to redeartn.zip to work. Works nice and smooth just like the other CPS-III games.

Excellent. It was really choppy on CPSX3 (oXbox).
 

JesseZao

Member
So what happens with PS+ games? I have a 60gig BC unit with PS+ so I'm a bit hesitant to risk losing my PSN access because it would make PS+ worthless (nice move sony?) or a ban because I'd lose my BC.
 

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
JesseZao said:
So what happens with PS+ games? I have a 60gig BC unit with PS+ so I'm a bit hesitant to risk losing my PSN access because it would make PS+ worthless (nice move sony?) or a ban because I'd lose my BC.
If you have Plus, I wouldn't even think about jailbreaking, unless a new surefire way to go onto the networks was put into place.
 

nec99

Member
Anyone tried PCE CD support in Mednafen yet? I noticed it has an option to set the sega CD bios too but I didn't see anything about sega cd working in the readme.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Jinko said:
You coudn't just plug a USB stick in with a 360.
At this point... you can barely plug a USB in with PS3 either. It also might ban you from PSN. :p
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Yoboman said:
To be honest it didnt seem to have a dramatic effect on 360

What are you talking about, just compare the tie ratios between 360 and PS3!

that's a pretty dramatic effect, i'd say =)
 

Shambles

Member
expy said:
Wonder if you can set your XMB background as a video (.mp4 or any other supported format), instead of using a dynamic theme.

I'm sure it could at least be faked. You used to be able to hit the playstation button in the middle of video playback and you would go back to the XMB but still see the video playing behind it.
 
Shambles said:
I'm sure it could at least be faked. You used to be able to hit the playstation button in the middle of video playback and you would go back to the XMB but still see the video playing behind it.
This is a neat little untalked-about feature that could come out of this. Custom dynamic themes. The fact that sony CHARGES for something like that is ridiculous, and I'm surprised anyone buys them.
 
RyanDG said:
This is part of the reason why I really, really disagree splitting this thread in two. I understand why some people want it, but we can't gloss over the fact that there are significant risks to using homebrew for someone who hasn't fully educated themselves on what Sony is doing and what they can possibly do as a response to homebrew and tracking options. Until the homebrew community develops more, I would really like to see these two topics remain as one, otherwise I feel it is going to be doing a disservice to neogaf members who are coming into this topic without being able to be fully informed about what risks homebrew on the PS3 possibly has.

But oh well. I stated my peace on that in the other topic. Just thought I'd throw it out here once and leave it alone from there.

I'd say the OP is pretty clear there's potential risk involved, and this thread is probably better served with technical discussion and releases than endless discussion of PSN risks
 

nofi

Member
CrunchyFrog said:
This is a neat little untalked-about feature that could come out of this. Custom dynamic themes. The fact that sony CHARGES for something like that is ridiculous, and I'm surprised anyone buys them.

Why on earth is it ridiculous that Sony charges for dynamic themes?
 
CrunchyFrog said:
This is a neat little untalked-about feature that could come out of this. Custom dynamic themes. The fact that sony CHARGES for something like that is ridiculous, and I'm surprised anyone buys them.

People buy them because PSN is the only way to get them. If we could make our own freely, then I'm certain sales of dynamic themes would be drastically lower than whatever they are now.
 

KtSlime

Member
Personally, I can't wait for bsdutils to be ported so psl1ght can run on GameOS, that sounds fun. I can ssh in, sftp over some files, back up games from my computers terminal. That would make me a happy camper.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
At this point my ideal is:

I just want region free and little else... please find a way that I can safely stay on PSN with this enabled!!.... please!!! :lol
 

Yoboman

Member
BocoDragon said:
At this point my ideal is:

I just want region free and little else... please find a way that I can safely stay on PSN with this enabled!!.... please!!! :lol
PS3 already is 99% region free?
 

Dambrosi

Banned
BocoDragon said:
At this point my ideal is:

I just want region free PS/PS2 and little else... please find a way that I can safely stay on PSN with this enabled!!.... please!!! :lol
Quoted for myself, too. They're the only reasons I haven't jumped in yet.

Although Final Burn is making it awfully hard to resist...:lol
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Yoboman said:
PS3 already is 99% region free?
Unless you're talking PS1, PS2, DVD and Blu-ray.

Based on the formats PS3 can play, it's more like 40% region free :p
 

KtSlime

Member
BocoDragon said:
Unless you're talking PS1, PS2, DVD and Blu-ray.

Based on the formats PS3 can play, it's more like 40% region free :p

Based on content even less, LOL. There are way more DVDs/BluRays/PS1/PS2 discs than PS3 discs. PS3 is really like 2% region free.

*figure made up for accuracy
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
ivedoneyourmom said:
Based on content even less, LOL. There are way more DVDs/BluRays/PS1/PS2 discs than PS3 discs. PS3 is really like 2% region free.

*figure made up for accuracy
Good point :D

Based on DVD alone you're probably into the 0.0000~% range. :p
 

vazel

Banned
Region free DVD playback on PS3 would be awesome. I have not been able to replicate the PS3's DVD upscaling quality on my HTPC no matter how many ffdshow filters I fiddle with.
 
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