Well Hello My Dear PS3, Would You Like To See My Mod-Chip Etchings?
Do you have obscene amounts of money to experiment on a video game console with? Do you have soldering equipment and a rudimentary understanding of how to install chips on a motherboard? Do you have a Sony PS3 or PS3 Slim and a burning desire to tinker with hardware? Do you, finally, have an interest in contributing to the rationale behind DRM, intrusive registration practices, region-locking software, and incessant irritating firmware updates? Then your day is coming my friend, because the virginal PS3 is about to get her proverbial cherry popped with a mod chip that will enable all sorts of fun and exciting opportunities for piracy and general digital hooliganism.
As of yet, the PS3 has been kept in the house after dark and has not been deflowered by the evil that pirates do. However, that may change fairly soon, according to Philip Wong and CNET Asia. He reported yesterday on ‘œa rumored Belzar mod chip’ that could end Sony’s avoidance of the piracy bug that’s been going around lately. According to Wong, aside from ‘œsupporting PS2 and PS3 bootleg games, the hardware-based hack promises many other functions ranging from stealth mode (read: To make the chip harder to detect by Sony) to region-free DVD/Blu-ray Disc playback.’
In other words, this is another opportunity for some people to steal a bunch of stuff and kind of screw the rest of us over. I seriously don’t get it anymore. I know that I’m a little out of step around this stuff but, with game demos, streaming music and movies free, and legally, though several outlets, is it really worth it to mod a console? This isn’t even mentioning the associated risks of getting caught and charged.
Also, is it just me or is the timing of this rather convenient in the context of the PS3′s price drop? Apparently $299.00 is an acceptable potential loss if your hand slips and you brick your console while trying to modify it. It looks like the people who produce intellectual properties for Sony have more ammunition to make the video game industry a lot less fun, interesting, and creative.
it is a fake. like all the other modchip announcements for the ps3 out there.
Even if it’s real, you’d need an enormous hard drive in the system or on a networked drive to serve up all of the BluRay discs. Most games don’t use up the space, but still…
The only part of finally cracking the PS3′s airtight antipiracy seal that appeals to me is being able to play my Japanese PS2 games on my PS3, upscaled on my TV. Until then…I guess I’ll keep using my modded PS2 to play my legitimate imports that should be playable in the first place.