gamecoder
Let's face it. This isn't about games anymore.
pspIt’s 4:00 AM and I’m standing in a WalMart, blankly staring at a wall of b-list movies made special because they’re imprinted on a new medium. The guy working the electronics section lets me rant a bit about how there are so few good games for the PSP, and how the rest is just UMD movie crap. “Seriously”, I say, “Who wants to pay money for a version of ‘Without a Paddle’ that can only be played on a PSP?”
He leans on the counter and shrugs, a more complicated movement than one would expect. We start talking about the PSP in general, and I mention how I pooched mine by upgrading it.
You see, the original American version of the PSP came with the 1.5 version of the bios (this was to fix the fact that Japanese hackers had already cracked the 1.0 version). The 1.5 version implemented security measures to ensure that only approved programs could run on the PSP.
Of course, the 1.5 got cracked too. This means that anybody with an off-the-shelf, stock PSP could play any kind of program. Doom has already been ported to it, as well as the ScummVM and MAME. There are several homebrew programs as well, and that’s what I bought it for. I wanted to make games for the PSP, and since I knew there was no way I could afford a Sony development contract, I figured I would use the homebrew dev scene to make games.
Then, I did something stupid. I found out that there was a new bios out there. Typically, when updates are offered, I install them almost without thinking. They usually include stability fixes, and make the computer more useable. This time, however all the update did was lock out homebrew programs. Seriously. All they did was remove my capability to play unsigned code. So now, for my purposes, I had a $250 doorstop.
I told the guy at the electonics counter about this, and he shook his head in sympathy. I said, “I’d almost like to buy a new one, but it’s so expensive . . . “
He shook his head, “Wouldn’t work. All the new ones come with the new bios installed, so you still wouldn’t be able to write games for it.”
He walked over to the display case, and opened it, “See, it was only the version that came bundled with Spiderman 2, that had the old bios. The new ones –“ he reached in and pulled out a PSP box. On the side of it, I saw a sticker with a picture of Spiderman.
He continued, “The new ones don’t have the ‘b’ at the end of the serial number . . . “ his voice dwindled as he stared at the serial number.
I said, “That looks like it’s bundled with Spiderman 2.”
He kept pointing at the serial number, “Well, I’ll be damned. You know what this is?”
A smile starts to form on my lips, “I’m getting an idea.”
He says, “This is a layaway. Somebody ordered this, then didn’t show up to pick it up. That’s what this is. Holy crap!”
“I’ll take it.”
“Damn. I was just about to put it on layaway for myself.”
“Too slow. Gimmie.”
And that’s how I ended up with a second PSP. But not just any PSP. I’ve got one that plays Doom, MAME, ScummVM, and even Windows 95. Now, you might be saying that I could sell the other one, and recoup some of the expense. Sadly, however, if I do that, I won’t be able to play any of the new games (like Liberty City Stories), because Sony is making sure that the new games all require the latest bios.
I think, for me though, the coolest thing is that I’ve got a piece of history. I’ve got a game system that can do things that none of the latest ones can. I’m in an elite group of people who can write and play games for the PSP. And I learned a valuable lesson about trusting Sony’s updates.
He leans on the counter and shrugs, a more complicated movement than one would expect. We start talking about the PSP in general, and I mention how I pooched mine by upgrading it.
You see, the original American version of the PSP came with the 1.5 version of the bios (this was to fix the fact that Japanese hackers had already cracked the 1.0 version). The 1.5 version implemented security measures to ensure that only approved programs could run on the PSP.
Of course, the 1.5 got cracked too. This means that anybody with an off-the-shelf, stock PSP could play any kind of program. Doom has already been ported to it, as well as the ScummVM and MAME. There are several homebrew programs as well, and that’s what I bought it for. I wanted to make games for the PSP, and since I knew there was no way I could afford a Sony development contract, I figured I would use the homebrew dev scene to make games.
Then, I did something stupid. I found out that there was a new bios out there. Typically, when updates are offered, I install them almost without thinking. They usually include stability fixes, and make the computer more useable. This time, however all the update did was lock out homebrew programs. Seriously. All they did was remove my capability to play unsigned code. So now, for my purposes, I had a $250 doorstop.
I told the guy at the electonics counter about this, and he shook his head in sympathy. I said, “I’d almost like to buy a new one, but it’s so expensive . . . “
He shook his head, “Wouldn’t work. All the new ones come with the new bios installed, so you still wouldn’t be able to write games for it.”
He walked over to the display case, and opened it, “See, it was only the version that came bundled with Spiderman 2, that had the old bios. The new ones –“ he reached in and pulled out a PSP box. On the side of it, I saw a sticker with a picture of Spiderman.
He continued, “The new ones don’t have the ‘b’ at the end of the serial number . . . “ his voice dwindled as he stared at the serial number.
I said, “That looks like it’s bundled with Spiderman 2.”
He kept pointing at the serial number, “Well, I’ll be damned. You know what this is?”
A smile starts to form on my lips, “I’m getting an idea.”
He says, “This is a layaway. Somebody ordered this, then didn’t show up to pick it up. That’s what this is. Holy crap!”
“I’ll take it.”
“Damn. I was just about to put it on layaway for myself.”
“Too slow. Gimmie.”
And that’s how I ended up with a second PSP. But not just any PSP. I’ve got one that plays Doom, MAME, ScummVM, and even Windows 95. Now, you might be saying that I could sell the other one, and recoup some of the expense. Sadly, however, if I do that, I won’t be able to play any of the new games (like Liberty City Stories), because Sony is making sure that the new games all require the latest bios.
I think, for me though, the coolest thing is that I’ve got a piece of history. I’ve got a game system that can do things that none of the latest ones can. I’m in an elite group of people who can write and play games for the PSP. And I learned a valuable lesson about trusting Sony’s updates.
Brand Gamblin
gamecoder @ MindSay
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