PS3 homebrew NOT important
After some localized riots, muggings, robberies, and all around stupidity, hypothermia and wallet weight reduction about 280,000 people world wide managed to get there hands on shiny new Playstation 3s. I had considered waiting inline for one until I realized that there were people in this world with far more free time on their hands then I. I took the day off from work but one look at the lines and I decided to simply enjoy the long weekend with my girlfriend. Polling the lines however, I found that most people weren’t actually interested in keeping the console for themselves. This dedication came almost entirely from the idea that they could make money on the console. If there are this many people SELLING the console then who is buying it? Certainly it’s people with more money then time but is the console really worth it?
Now that we actually have a console that people can take home we find ourselves in the interesting position of being able to compare things realistically. We’re not comparing a tangible object to a theoretical one like we have been for the last year, or worse a theoretical object to another theoretical object like we did a year before that. For the Most part reviewers have found the feature spread and usability of the console range from not that great to “meh” and the hardware performance to be generally on par but with weaker graphical capabilities. Beyond that the games haven’t shown much yet either, most titles released either earlier or alongside competing platforms, and most have scored lower. With the exception of Resistance the first-party exclusives have somehow faired even worse then their ported companions.
It should be obvious to even the most casual of observers that there really isn’t anything so exciting about this console that would warrant the price of admission, be it time and or money, particularly with the aforementioned dangers involved. It seems the reasoning list is wearing thin for those who genuinely jones for it. The PS2′s strong hold over the previous generation was due in large part to the breadth of it’s library and exclusive 3rd party support, the PS3 has lost most of it’s exclusive 3rd party support and the Xbox 360 already has a library approaching the 170 mark into this holiday. The next item of contention was that of graphics, many assuming that since the PS3 released so much later then then the Xbox 360 it would have that much better graphics. Though most don’t realize that the hardware was finalized around the same time as the Xbox 360 meaning, as previously mentioned, it’s capabilities are about on par, the delays due mostly in part to the Blu-Ray Drive and hammering out details with the online system. The issues left to desire are the auxiliary ones such as media playback, Linux, and homebrew software.
Those are certainly cool features, I have a modified Xbox console with Xbox Media Center and I’ve also previously used one as a Linux based web-server. Of course the other popular option is to run emulators of classic consoles. The prospect of having this kind of customizable power out of the box is an exciting prospect indeed… however it’s rather useless for PS3 buyers, and here’s why:
These sort of features aren’t necessities to the core next-gen gaming experience. They don’t improve the gameplay, graphics, or sound, they don’t provide more flexibility with multiplayer options, or bring the online gaming community closer together. These are not need to have features, these are nice to have features. They are features that have no effect on the actual gaming experience. Some might argue that the Blu-Ray playback features are are worth the price of admission when you consider the price of a stand-alone unit. But for that to be true you have to honestly believe that the stand-alone units are worth what they’re charging. As for myself I don’t think HD-DVD or Blu-Ray are worth so much as a fraction of what they’re charging because the market is still split. This is largely a discussion for another day but the short of it is Blu-Ray playback is only worth it if you truly believe the selection of Blu-Ray movies are worth that price and you’re willing to gambling a substantial chunk of money on a format war.
Outside of Blu-Ray playback the media support out of the box is about as limited as the PSP, which is where homebrew comes in to potentially unlock it. But how much is that actually worth? Lets compare it to the moding experience on the original Xbox. There are a few exceptions and I’ll get to that in a moment but for the most part people purchased the original Xbox as a gaming console. Then as time went on they found they could modify it to do other things such as run Linux, act as a media center, and run emulators. Viewing the situation from that perspective the machine was a gaming console FIRST and the ability to do things other than play games was just some extra icing on the cake. If you want to squeeze those kinds of functions out of an item you already have that’s great, you’ll save yourself from buying extra hardware, and you’ll save yourself some space in the AV rack.
These features aren’t anything special, you could literally pull a PC out of a dumpster somewhere and and get it to do the same thing. These kinds of basic tasks aren’t very processor intensive, emulation is probably the most intensive and most emulators can run on a woefully outdated PIII without much of a problem. So what’s the real benefit to doing these things on a console? Well basically there is no real benefit except that you can re-use the hardware you’ve already got instead of pulling an old PC out of the trash or spending a couple hundred to get and old cheap PC to do it. Even still, an actual PC is infinitely more customizable then any console, modified or not. Though the lack of flexibility is the price paid for deciding to multipurpose your game console hardware instead of setting up a PC as redundant hardware. That’s part of what makes it a nice to have instead of a need to have.
You might be saying that some people bought the Xbox for the explicit intent of moding it for these auxiliary tasks and nothing else; certainly there must be some OTHER benefit beyond using PC hardware! You would be correct; COST. While you can certainly buy an old PC to do these things, it was still cheaper to buy an Xbox and modify it. The console hardware was significantly cheaper then that of even old PC hardware which made it desirable despite the fact that it isn’t nearly as flexible as a PC. The modification aspect for bragging rights has a minor role in the motivation here as well, but that kind of merit badge is void if the console has the ability to run homebrew built in.
So while I’m sure the PS3′s homebrew capabilities out of the box are superior to that of the competition they’re not really worth much unless you purchased the console for it’s gaming capabilities FIRST. The kinds of features opened up through homebrew have far more potential on a real PC, and there is currently no cost advantage to using a PS3 instead of a PC or some other exploitable hardware.
Is the PS3 a decent console? I think so. Is it worth $600 for the current crop of games? No. Is it worth $600 for the homebrew capabilities? You’d be better off spending your money elsewhere. Is it worth standing out in the cold and rain for several days to spend $600 to get one? Absolutely not. Homebrew is a nice feature, but it’s not an important feature for a game console. If a console plays games well and you can leverage that hardware to do other things then great, but it shouldn’t be a the major factor when making your purchasing decision because any item that can do things as a secondary task will always be outdone by another item that can do it as it’s primary. If you want to run custom software for Linux, emulation or media capabilities then get yourself a cheap PC, you’ll be able to do more, and you’ll spend less money.
You are correct in that homebrew isn’t important for most casual gamer. But it is also ways to get others to buy the console. I for one did not buy my xbox for the xbox games I bought it for the media center and emulators. I took me almost 6 months to even seriously play anything on it from the xbox game library. Did play some fun games on it though, ninja gaiden, fable, strangers wrath, pshyconauts. But 70 % of the time its used as a media center 25% for emulators and 5% for original xbox games. I have also managed to get non gamers to invest in the xbox for the same exact purpose the cheapest htpc around. So for me homebrew IS important
I don’t think you read the whole article, my point had nothing to do with casual gamers and everything to do why the PS3 can’t be compared to the Xbox 1.
I think you are being pretty naive about Xbox homebrew. Especially considering it was one of the major problems with the Xbox game sales – piracy that is. Nearly everyone I know who modded their Xbox was _not_ for homrebrew reasons at all – yeah sure they ran their SNES emul for a day, but they downloaded ISO’s for the rest of the time.
Also, not sure if you have a PS3, but installing Linux on an Xbox is _entirely_ different than installing on the PS3. In fact you will be able to by a PS3 with Yellow Dog preinstalled. The installation process on the PS3 is a breeze, in fact its very non-Linux like – meaning you really dont need to be tech savvy to get Fedora Core 5 or Yellow Dog up and running, its quite simple.
And finally I think you miss one extremely important factor in all this. Installing linux on the PS3 is approved, and condoned by Sony. This means if you want dev experience on writing RSX and Cell based code, you can – you dont need a devkit, the Linux kernel runs in kernel mode 1 the same level game developers work in, so there is a great opportunity for people who want to develop on console, to do so.
Now, I know you will respond with XNA – but XNA is run in a ‘sandpit’ as it were. It does not allow the same level access as a normal developer would, and it also needs PC installations to be able to work with it, oh, and it costs for both the developer and any user that wants to run the developers software.
Id suggest getting a PS3 and actually comparing physically with how this all works, rather than trying to sound well educated in the use of both, you come off sounding more like a jealous Xbox fan (thats what it read like to me). I should point out too, that you can launch Linux from the PS3 XMB and then return to the PS3 OS after exiting Linux, its very nice to use.
I realize that XNA isn’t anywhere near a worthwhile “homebrew solution” but even assuming for a minute that it was free and allowed full access I would still whole heatedly believe that the Xbox 360 would be useless for homebrew as well, for the same reasons that I feel the PS3 is. If my argument was XNA I would have mentioned XNA in the article, I didn’t mention it because that’s not my argument, I felt I was clear in my assertations, there is no need to put words in my mouth. I’ve developed on XNA, it’s got some nice features but I have no delusions about it’s limitations.
I also realize that game piracy was rampant on the Xbox 1, but this topic is not about piracy, and it’s not about hacking consoles in general, it’s about HOMEBREW. As far as I’m concerned piracy is not included under the homebrew umbrella.
The core of the matter is that for the most part the PS3, and Xbox 360 are too expensive to buy for no other intent but to develop homebrew applications, because most homebrew applications (things like media and emulation applications) can be run just as well on far far less expensive hardware. This is particularly true for the PS3 because running applications under Linux locks out developers from using any graphics acceleration. I’m sure you could make some high powered software but you would be unable to develop games that tap into the graphical capabilities of the PS3. Of course now I’m repeating myself as I’ve already covered this in greater detail in the above article. The reason I didn’t mention Xbox 360 in the article is because I don’t believe anyone is buying it solely under the assumption that it would make a good homebrew platform.
You seem to be missing the entire point of the article so let me spell it out for you:
1. The limitations placed on graphics acceleration for PS3 Linux make it useless for the homebrew development of any graphical intensive game, which leaves it mostly limited to media and emulation applications.
2. Media and emulation applications are a great benefit to any system, but for the price of the PS3 you can run those applications just as well on cheaper hardware, meaning there is no reason to buy the PS3 JUST for homebrew.
3. Even with the limitations hackers are usually interested in making things do what they don’t normally do. The ease of installation remove this attraction from the PS3. If anyone can do it easily most hardcore hackers wont do it because it wont be worth any bragging rights.
4. Considering all of the above the PS3, while very open to homebrew, is limited enough that homebrew should not be the only factor considered when purchasing one. The console should only be purchased if you’re interested in playing games on it. It’s hombrew capabilities should only be looked at as auxiliary to gaming, not a purchase driving force.
Those are the ONLY points I was trying to make, anything you interpreted beyond that was a mis comprehension.
“The console should only be purchased if you’re interested in playing games on it. ”
There goes my Xbox and Xbox 360. I bought them to hack them. I play games on them, but rarely. And gaming was definitely not the first reason for buying either of them.
So, I agree that for most people homebrew is not important at all. But, there are those few people out there – that it makes all the difference.
In that particular quote “the console” refers specifically to the PS3, though I would also argue that it might also apply to the 360, considering there are currently no homebrew applications (at least none that I’m aware of). Keep in mind this article is about HOMEBREW not hacking in general.
It’s not the case with the Xbox 1, as the cost of that console makes it a prime candidate, not to mention the numerous homebrew applications available.
Mate you are simply a Xbox fanboy. Heres the reasoning – you mentioned Xbox so many times in your article, to try and ratify the fact that homebrew on Xbox is important – I mentioned piracy, because that was the CORE reason for homebrew on the Xbox occurring at all. The fact you _could_ run some emuls and such was a bonus- the main reason for modding was for piracy, so get off the idea that homebrew was important on Xbox at all – it wasnt.
I mentioned XNA because this is the ONLY similar available setup on any other console. But XNA is pretty much like developing in a Java sandpit, so its is far behind being able to develop “whatever you like” on PS3.
You are quite wrong about the PS3′s limited graphical capabilities. I can GUARANTEE you that you can develop complete 3D applications on linux if you spend some time hacking the ps3fb lib. This is why your comments again are such fanboy dribble – if you knew anyone working on this homebrew gear, you’d realise your comments are just plain wrong – its obvious you dont own, nor are doing any hacking on the PS3 to make any judgement – hence your title of the article is thoroughly misleading.
I never said homebrew alone will be the most important aspect for PS3. However, there are companies and organisations that _are_ using the PS3 purely for development purposes alone. So no matter how you look at it, the PS3 has a well rounded set of credentials if you are a hacker wanting to get into homebrew. Thats the important thing – there is no other console that even vaguely offers this level of access to homebrew developers. Say what you want about your opinions on the matter – the fact remains, you can develop on the PS3 out of the box. This equates to an enticing feature for most homebrew developers full stop.
I should also point out that media and emul programs are not the limit of the Linux install – which you would know if you had a PS3 and could run say Yellow Dog. It comes with Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office, Gaim.. etc etc etc a complete complement of office tools, which when I am developing means I can do everything I can do on XP. Not bad for a ;’games’ console.
So look at the reality rather than your own personal hype and fan extremism. This ‘games’ console can.. play games.. edit play media (movies, dvd’s, photos, audio etc).. browse the web, interact with online users… play hi-def movies(BD) and run a complete OS allowing you to do pretty much everything you can do on your desktop machine. Computer + Media device + Games console all for $600 USD.. you are telling me thats a poor set of features for the price? I say.. you are a simply a fanboy.
“This means if you want dev experience on writing RSX and Cell based code, you can – you dont need a devkit, the Linux kernel runs in kernel mode 1 the same level game developers work in, so there is a great opportunity for people who want to develop on console, to do so.”
You had me rolling on the ground with that one. The RSX is not even accessible. Plus, if the ps3 linux is as ‘amazing’ as you say it is, then what the hell is the purpose of ps3 sdk’s? Oh right, you don’t have access to the RSX, and the low level programming is very limiting.
PS3 linux is not comparable to a truly modded console that runs unsigned code/homebrew from the hardware level…except it PS3 fanatics.
PS3 linux cannot even currently run a pathetic snes9x emulator at full speed, and has horrible sound glitching. Let alone support higher resolutions or graphic filters. But amazingly enough the first snes emulator for the original xbox, snes9x no less, ran at full speed without sound glitching on its very first version. Imagine that. So either the ps3 is shit for performance, or the ps3 linux is not the answer for homebrew.
I’d really love to see people stop referring to Sony’s support of Linux as “Homebrew” support. As for as I’m concerned it doesn’t qualify as homebrew at all. Anything I build on Linux will never be usable by anyone who doesn’t also have Linux. So am I really developing for the PS3? no, I’m developing for Linux, which I could have (and should have) done on a PC.
And even if Sony really liked the game I made and decided to give me the honor of paying $17 mil for a license to sell it, I would have to port that game, from linux to the ps3os.
It’s not PS3 development at all. It’s Linux development. Sony just wanted to get credit for supporting homebrew without actually supporting it.
You’re absolutely right that Linux development is not homebrew… I completely agree with that sentiment, though for the article I wasn’t about to get into a debate over semantics. For all intents and purposes I used “homebrew” to mean developed by Joe programmer. Even though developing on Linux is developing on Linux is developing on Linux; no matter the platform it just regular old software development.
REAL “homebrew” wont even exist on the PS3 until people are running their own code in the PS3os.
Well I didn’t mean to take a shot at your article at all. I totally agree with everything you said. I really just wanted to take a shot at Sony and educate the public that they’re taking credit for something that doesn’t exist.
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