The increase in sophistication between the original PSP Swaploit and the new KXploit is a terrifying model of evolution in action. For those of you who never tried the first homebrew method released on the fifteenth, let's go into the onerous ritual it required of a person:
Track down a program you actually want to install Run the quite possibly illegal exploit application Copy identical directory trees to two separate memory sticks manually Run the "dummy" application from one card Manually swap it out quickly Enjoy
I had read that the process required a pint (or more!) virgin blood, but that might have been for something else. I have a lot of projects going on. Would you like to see what a single generation was able to achieve in terms of elegance?
Track down an application you actually want to install Run the quite possibly illegal exploit application
And you're done. I heard that the version after this will have a button on it you can just click to knock a quarter off Sony's stock price.
The day after the first exploit was released, Sony put out a new firmware whose only new "feature" worth noting was that it broke homebrew. If you are wondering whether or not I manually applied an upgrade to my 250$ piece of consumer electronics that significantly decreases the value of my machine, hello! This must be your first time visiting us here at Penny Arcade. I'm Tycho, and together with my cohort Gabriel we create comics and commentary on electronic entertainment.
If you want to buy new games for your PSP, and I would if it were a vibrant platform with a diverse roster, they'll just apply the update on the sly. I have an emulator or two on mine, but it's mostly generic geeky curiosity as opposed to a genuine sense of malice against the platform or gaming history. The truth is that outside of this general purpose technology reconnaissance, I don't have any enduring stake in the vast preponderance of homebrewed apps. I might pop into Gradius or something for five minutes, but all it makes me want to do is play Gradius V. I don't actually believe it used to be better, not even secretly.
My hopes for the system are all invested in the possibility of a user-made Xvid player with full-screen resolution. I don't want to read PDFs or browse the web. Actually, web browsing would be pretty cool. Come to think of it, PDF viewing would really be an asset. If they put out a hardware update that added genuine functionality, my sense of propriety would kick in and I'd never resort to furtive trysts in filthy alleys with anonymous hackers. I would get all my loving at "home," which is to say, under officially sponsored corporate auspices.
We made a comic about "the romz" as well, minus the sky high trucker and vehicular manslaughter it is a true story. It was Gabe though, not me, and it was actually a real FBI agent who cracks down on pornography. He had the cuffs on him, Gabriel's face pressed into the sticky circle left by an ancient soda, and we decided that was a good time to reveal our hidden cameras. Strangely enough, Gabriel never professed his innocence throughout the ordeal. Weird!
(CW)TB out.
brass knuckles and flashlights
