Today, Sony released information about an upcoming software application scheduled for release later this Spring. Unfortunately for the company, it also advocates exactly what tech junkies like Geohot have been attempting to do with the PlayStation 3 for years and that Sony has condemned them for — creating Homebrew opportunities.
That’s right, Sony is releasing an application called Move.me which will gives users the ability to hack the PlayStation Move, PS3Eye, and PlayStation 3 in order to see what types of cool inventions they can come up with much like Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral. While I think this is an awesome opportunity for regular people to create extraordinary things, I think Sony needs to choose a side of the fence and stick with it as well.
“We want to see what innovative applications programmers can create using the PS Move controller, the PS3 system, the PlayStation Eye camera and a PC,” reads the Sony challenge.
“Move.me is designed for academic researchers, university instructors, college students, programming hobbyists, and HCI developers. Show us how you can take the PS Move beyond traditional gaming and into areas such as: Games and tools that support kids’ physical fitness and nutrition; Kid-friendly programming interfaces for computer/technology classes or individual learning; Physical therapy and rehabilitation; Sports physiology or fitness training; Music and the creative arts.”
Sure, Sony adds a disclaimer specifically for kids like Geohot about how it’s illegal to reverse engineer any of the code, but c’mon — who are you trying to kid here Sony? Welcome to the new millennium, but pick a side and stick with it please.
I think Sony is fine with it as long as they can control, monitor and profit from it. Versus someone hacking it mainly to download bootleg games.
exactly they have a problem with pirating not hombrew.
That would make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that Geohot’s situation was 100% homebrew and 0% pirating games. In fact, it was impossible to pirate game with what Geohot was doing.
So that’s obviously not the case at all.
Goes back to that “control, monitor and profit from it” aspect. Can’t stop people from hacking the system now. Why not open the tools up and charge for use so people will have a legal way to do it for a profit.
I think Sony was so serious about stopping them because they were making this Move.me thing and they wanted to do, not others.
It may have been the case that GeoHot wasn’t doing it for piracy purposes, but Sony couldn’t take the chance.
And besides, since he then went on to release the keys and allow anyone to do do anything, he clearly doesn’t have a problem with piracy – despite any claims he makes to the contrary.