Only a pirate would turn a game console into a general purpose computing device.

lost_soul on 5/8/2009 at 18:30

How does that old saying go?

"First, they came for the guy modding consoles. I didn't care because I'm not a big console gamer.
Then, they came for the guy making an Ipod run open-source software. I didn't care, because I don't like the Ipod.
Finally, they'll come for me when I eventually have to disable the TPM on my motherboard to run a free operating system." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Platform_Module#Other_uses)

Zerker on 5/8/2009 at 21:39

Quote Posted by Phatose

While I understand it's a slippery slope....let's do be honest, he wasn't doing this so people could run linux on a ps3, and we all know it.

Of course, that doesn't actually require modding and is supported by Sony directly.

Now Linux on a Wii or 360, on the other hand...

demagogue on 5/8/2009 at 21:42

Quote Posted by lost_soul

How does that old saying go?

Except you left out the pucnhline: "And then there wasn't anybody left to side with me."

Papy on 6/8/2009 at 05:35

Quote Posted by Al_B

I don't like piracy but if I buy some hardware (console / iPod or anything else) then I feel shouldn't be locked into only running 'authorised' software.

First, consoles are sold at a loss. So there is this expectation from manufacturers that you will buy softwares in order to pay for this loss. If there was no law to make sure you were "locked into only running 'authorized' software", then your consoles would cost significantly more. So what do you choose? Being locked-in or paying more?

Second, people mod their console for piracy. Maybe a few people do try some legal homebrews, but this tiny minority is simply insignificant. Society can support a few freeloaders, but when too many are freeloaders it becomes a problem and it's normal that everyone must suffer the consequences.

Anyway, if you don't like it, vote with your wallet. Buy a computer instead of a console.

lost_soul on 6/8/2009 at 07:17

Consoles are approaching the price of a low-end to moderate PC. When the PS3 came out, it was $600. I can get a desktop for that price (sans monitor) that will run hundreds of games. Perhaps it wouldn't run the latest games with all the settings cranked, but it has a vastly larger library to choose from.

june gloom on 6/8/2009 at 08:24

Yeah, but some of us don't care about how big a platform's library is- and it's not like computers capable of playing at least 2000-era games aren't ubiquitous. We just want to play a few specific games that you can't play anywhere else. Which is why spending hundreds on a PC that can play something like Stalker or Crysis is the same principle as spending hundreds on a console just to play Dead Rising or MGS4.

Al_B on 6/8/2009 at 19:28

Quote Posted by Papy

(http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/28/nintendo-wii-wii2-tech-personal-cz-cs-1201wii.html) Apparently, not all consoles are sold at a loss:
"...every Wii brings in $6 of operating profit for Nintendo, says David Gibson, an analyst at Macquarie Securities" I seem to remember something similar being said about the PS2 at the time.

Even if all are sold at a loss, a similar argument could be said about inkjet manufacturers tying people into their brand cartridges. In some cases (patent infringements) they've been successful but they're not all illegal and some practices such as security chips have been outlawed, at least in the EU.

Mortal Monkey on 10/8/2009 at 21:35

Quote Posted by Brethren

In any case, I'm guessing 99% of people who modify their consoles are copying games anyway, so the charges probably aren't too far off the mark.

Apparantly, there's a pretty big community who like to do it for (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebrew_(video_games)) other reasons. Strangely enough, they're usually the same guys who figure out how to hack a console in the first place.
And in the case of more modern consoles, some people just see it as a way to get a cheap PC. Wether or not they use that PC to play pirated games is a different issue.

heywood on 10/8/2009 at 22:51

Hacking consoles is NOT illegal. See for example:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenXDK) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenXDK

Hacking consoles to circumvent the DRM allowing pirated versions of copyrighted games to be played IS illegal.

Hacking an iPod to add Ogg Vorbis compatibility falls under the reverse engineering provision of the DMCA and is NOT illegal.

Hacking an iPod to circumvent the iTunes DRM so you can freely share protected music purchased from the iTunes music store IS illegal.

It isn't that hard to make the distinction.

lost_soul on 11/8/2009 at 00:34

Hacking consoles to circumvent the DRM allowing pirated versions of copyrighted games to be played IS illegal.