Where are the “real” Vita hacks?
People contact me regularly to ask why I’m spending time hacking the PSP emulator of the Vita, rather than the Vita itself. Others are wondering why we haven’t seen a true vita hack yet. So, what’s the current status?
It needs to be understood that one of the main reasons the PSP was easily hacked was because it allowed unsigned content to run in its first iteration. It is safe to believe that Sony did not do the same mistake with the Vita.
One of the consequences is that without any hardware, it is difficult to understand the internals of the Vita, and that makes software hacks close to impossible. For software hacks to be even possible, we need to understand the internals of the vita. This is something that we’ve been discussing here, for those interested. Of course, there are software attempts at understanding the Vita better (Davee is probing the walls of the psp emulator, Dridri is investigating USB communications, SKFU is playing with the network, etc…)
Many of us have a few crashes that could be interesting on the Vita, but of course, a software crash is basically useless until we have the tools to analyze it, and possibly turn it into an exploit. For this, most likely, Hardware hackers will be required… but even that is not a given, since hardware on these devices is made more and more difficult to investigate. Everything can be hacked of course, it’s just a matter of time and money, but I am wondering if we are reaching a point where investigating such a device from a hardware point of view has become complex and expensive enough that a hobbyist tinkerer will not do it, only people/companies will do it, as an investment to future sales (I’m thinking for example of Datel, or, more recently, the whole usb dongle thing going on with the PS3).
What do you guys think? Has it become too expensive for an individual to investigate the hardware of new generation consoles?
Its only a matter of time. The vita will be hacked. I’m confident in you guys!
You should try hacking it with an axe.
holy *** kernel exploit!!
Free games.!!
that makes no sense… how can he hack it with an executable program when he has to make the program which he can’t do because he first has to find an exploit…
What in *** name are on about?
idk eh
of course it will be hacked!! i cannot think of one console that hasn’t been hacked! iphone,ipad, etc with the jailbreak, ps3, xbox, nintendo ds, wii, psp, every console! Now when you look at it like that, it makes me more confident that there will be a proper hack 😀
I can think of plenty that have NOT been hacked. The DS has NEVER been hacked. Same with the DS Lite, the DSi, DSi XL and I’m not counting mod cartridges. I’m talking being able to run unsigned code natively on the system. The 3DS has definitely not been hacked, they just didn’t cover the hole that lets you use a mod cartridge to play original DS games. You still cannot play 3DS games, or run homebrew since theres no slot 2 to add extra RAM. The PS3 is back to being unmoddable, you can use a flasher to downgrade it to 3.55. But hardmodding seems to be the wussy’s way out. I believe hacking to be running code natively, via the software, with no outside hardware being added to it. It’s very possible that Sony has learned their lesson and has created something unhackable. They believe that using cartridges instead of discs will render piracy useless. Which means in their mind all hacking is piracy…which is why we saw our precious VHBL blown to bits with this recent update. WE GOTTA BEAT THEM!
ugh… so much wrong here, too tired to correct you… please go over what you wrote, correct the incorrect *** statments you made (you had some points but a heap of it was just *** you stated as true without any actual research)
Hes right on the 3DS not being hacked. Except the DS and DS Lite have custom firmware. DSi and DSi XL I have not seen custom firmware.
http://home.comcast.net/~olimar/flashme/
Site for DS CFW.
Also, I too don’t think of Flashcart as a system hack or a hard mod.
Also if you ad-hoc with a PSP and Vita on a PSP game you can use CWCHEAT to crash the Vita.
o_O Err… wha?
DS carts have a protection. The protection first had to be bypassed via hardware means (specifically, using a “pass through” with a real DS cart). While the games weren’t encrypted, per se, the system DID have a verification system (you couldn’t just rewire an SD card and expect it to work). Similar to the old NES 10-pin lockout… only done in software and a bit more complex. This ‘encryption’ was broken eventually, which is why so many DS flashcarts exist today.
That said, since DS games were never encrypted, I’m not sure I understand your arguement about running native code… Any code written for the DS will run on the DS as long as it passes that initial verification check. This was, of course, changed on the DSi and 3DS which uses a combination of things (the original verification check, white list (for all DS games prior to the DSi launch), black list (for all existing known flashcart titles), and a new verification code that’s not currently broken.
DSi protection WAS broken… You could run unsigned code via save game exploit or one specific brand of flash cart. Later DSi firmwares, however, patches both of these. The thing is, the DSi doesn’t have much interest in the hacking scene. It only existed as a “top tier” system for a year before being replaced by the much more enticing 3DS.
The 3DS isn’t currently hacked, (at least not in 3DS, or DSi mode) this is true… but that’s because Nintendo learned a LOT from the DS. That’s not to say the 3DS will never be hacked, but it will take more time (they even remembered, to some degree, to encrypt the 3DS saves). They are also, however, in the same place the Vita hackers are… We don’t know all that much about the 3DS hardware. We know the manufacturers, we know the basics of it’s specs…. but that’s it.
How about you GOOGLE DS CFW.
There are many DS software hacks.
Google “FlashME”
Also, there are so many things wrong with what you said. DON’T POST *** ON THE INTERNET.
wololo speaks the truth (as always).
it’s become too expensive especially when psvitas are the same price if not more expensive than a ps3.
even when the first ps3 hack was released, there were numerous accounts of ps3s being bricked and you have to admit. that is one helluva expensive paper weight.
the pandora battery was probably the most amazing hardware hack on the psp ever, and until something as huge as that comes out for the vita, it’s going to take a lot of time, money and many power for the hobbyists to get that far.
You are kidding me right? how many places sell a vita that are more expensive than a ps3?
Even in australia and england where it is ~$100aud more than the us varient (despite having a stronger currency over here) it is STILL cheaper than a new ps3.
Also it is new, ofcourse it will be expensive when it is new.
Pandora’s battery while usefull didn’t actually enchance hacking of the psp that much.
The Pandora Battery did enhance PSP hacking because it made people less scared to try new things and saved testers a lot of money.
My estimate is that the Vita will require a hardware bypass, similar to the Nintendo DS and the R4, Supercard, etc. Of course, that means procuring a sample of the Vita cartridge and modding it to accomodate a software layer meant to run unsigned programs and apps. Of course, a method to rip Vita software to a more portable format would be required first and foremost, but I think it will happen eventually.
So far I applaud the work and dedication of wololo and his contemporaries. But a true group effort may be required to speed up the process of hacking the Vita the moment a new firmware update rears its head.
NTTD – I don’t think it will be that easy…
Even if we had, lets say a SD to Vita Cartridge adapter… and could sneak our own data on there… the firmware of the Vita would still prevent us from loading data from there because we can’t sign it properly…
If we really got a cartridge going, all we could do is mouthfeed the system already signed data (aka. game backups), not homebrew though…
The difference between the DS and the Vita cartridge is that the DS carts were NOT signed/encrypted.
Running a game from the Vita cartridge will not be any easier than running from the Vita memory stick (where download games are installed). Both are signed, and if Sony was smart they are both signed by different means.
In fact, they are probably both encrypted at least twice! The entire data on the “carts” and the memory stick are probably encrypted using one code for each, while the actual bootable files will be encrypted with another. Couple that with the fact that both formats are completely proprietary (meaning you’ll need a hardware AND a software expert to even be able to dump the encrypted contents) and you’ll begin to see why Sony is probably feeling pretty confident right now.
lol dont give sony any ideas
Plot twist, we open up the cart for a PS Vita and find that it works the same way as a DS would.
It’s true wololo, I have 4 psp and I’ve been working on them since day one, and only the very first psp that I bought was in full price. Buying a vita just so you can brick it or completely break O.o that can be expensive. But you never know maybe someone in the community might get lucky and surprise all of us, just like the invincible Ps3 :-P.
i would personally be happy to donate to a company (or a group of people) that would be interested in hardware hacks, perhaps that way we could get something like a SD to vita card reader out and write a package to load homebrew through. maybe you could spearhead this wololo?
It’s only matter of time 🙂
Looks like you are becoming quite known wololo :lol
Edit by mods: cash/spam link removed.
what the heck is this?
xD is the FAKE
We need to decrypt PS3 FW 4.xx+ and we will find AES Keys for PSVita
not necessarily.
Why would the PS3 need the AES keys for the Vita? The files downloaded from PSN will be encrypted for the Vita outright. The PS3 is nothing more than a large external harddrive for the Vita.
The Vita can handle encrypting/decrypting anything external it needs for itself.
It needs it for Minis, same as PSP.
When PS3 was hacked the PSP’s encryption keys were discovered
Price has to drop some day.. I have seen some consoles take longer then a few months to hack.
Vita needs some decent games first…
So far it is a P.O.S. with very few good games.
oh bugger off you tool, the console is still good with some good games and more comming (and if you can read japanese it is oh so much better again)
HOWEVER it is far from being as good as it could be, but calling it a piece of *** is a bit extreme.
I bought the Vita and I can say its a piece of ***.
Yeah like you said you bought the vita and that gives you at the moment very few insights of what the vita can do, if you have only little knowledge about portable hardware, which seems to be the case looking at your statement, you could say it is a piece of ***, but if you understand what horsepower is actually inside you would agree to the statement which UE wrote… And that leeds me to the conclusion: Someone like you shouldn´t buy a vita, but a brain first.
The Vita is currently not very good. It lacks the software to run on that rather awesome hardware. And a console is practically nothing without games. And it’s certainly not without its flaws on the system itself. Go yell at Wololo if you think it’s a perfect system, he’s got a blog post marking down ten things that are rather awful with it.
Also, the “Go buy a brain” argument was funny and relevant when I was six.
if the hackes need money, then we will donate as much as we can >:)
Sadly is not that simple it will cost alot to test things/brick a couple of vitas in the process.Then we would need a team of hardware hackers and a stupid administrative at sony to send the keys to twitter XD.
my psp has been on aeroplane mode ever since i bought it. i wouldnt hack my ps vita if i can play psp games i bought from the ps store on it
i havent bought a ps vita yet but intend to. its nice to know that by the time i buy one hbl might be able to fully run on it. its also nice to know that so many people are working on different areas to study the ps vita. keep up ur efforts they are not in vain, as im sure many people will tell you
I think first we need some kind of hardware mechanism to read the instructions from the RAM & the memory cards..
Some internal hardware information of the Vita can be found here.
http://www.ubmtechinsights.com/teardowns/sony-playstation-vita-teardown/?pi_campaign_id=13825
I think that when the first PSP came out and could run homebrew without hacks made us see what was possible. Not limited to Sony’s choice, when sony removed it, it was like removing a train station after the train had already started down the track.
Now a good time to buy an old PSP, Game store today with prices of £29.99 for a 1000 fat and £49.00 for slim and 3000. Not bad. Not E-1000 street to complete my black colection shame.
Don’t forget the psgo… that is going really cheap these days and aslong as it is hacked it is a damn good psp.
I wonder why anyone should release any hacks/tools, when there are so many cool opensource projects to contribute to. Its a interesting object to hack and to test your security-skills. But its as worthless as it gets, android based mobile devices have taken over, Sony failed with PSP GO, and is failing with PSP Vita, prolly best thing that could happen is a major exploit they can sue the finder for.
These are not exclusive. Most hackers i know spend a fair amount of time contributing to open source on other platforms.
your argument is about as valid as comparing sony’s failure with betamax meaning their development of bluray was a waste of time. *** stupid people irritate me.
Their development on 3D Tvs
seems like a waste as well :p
Sorry guys I didn’t mean for you guys to go to site to do the serveys, just found the site and posted it as a joke 🙂
There is always a key, and someone will always find the keyhole even if only for the thrill of the hunt. In the meantime, I would be perfectly satisfied with VHBL and have been holding out hope that a new exploitable psp game will surface. With that being said, It get’s increasingly harder to not use online features because I don’t want to update the firmware. Just picked up Marvel vs Capcom 3 and won;t play online because of it. As long as online is a major selling point for any system, (and it is), it will make hacking and keeping features hard.
Don’t give up Wololo, we’re counting on you!!!….Keep hacking and cracking the vita, you can do it.
I think I know everything… 🙁
Sadly, it may come down to that. However…it seemed that after the PS3 dongle, we had more hacks from freelancers like yourselves because someone had paved the way for you.
Unfortunately, not too many companies have an interest in this because Sony is going after anyone who messes with the firmware in a way that allows piracy which dongles have made way for.
But you guys are working really hard, who knows? You may just get it.
KaKaRoTo, the PS3 hacker who is working on the latest hack for PS3, is also having a difficult time. Sony has been doing their homework and has built a great defense for their machines that neither of these teams can figure out. But perhaps in due time we’ll see more and more. Sony isn’t doing so well financially and is said to get rid of 10,000 jobs really soon so things may become more relaxed soon for you guys who are opening our systems.
come on ! wololo ! you are the best hacker! our Chinese people is still with you ! come on ! fight! fight!
如果你能看的懂，其实SONY根本不算什么，他们这样的防止你们hack他们 他们就会犯下严重的错误 中国有句古话“防的越多，往往你的弱点越容易暴露”。 所以， 我相信你 能够hack PSVita的！ 只是现在应该换个思路 比如说它们写入规则
pal, how much money you need?
I’m not a hardware hacker, what I lack to do that type of investigation myself is not money, but knowledge (also, free time to build up that knowledge, and space to store the hardware required. Japan apartments are really small and my wife would probably kill me if I bought an oscilloscope or a usb analyzer)
Oh cmon, give Sony some slack.
Although I’m a serious fanatic of exploits.
I kinda pity their current situation.
See:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/486621-sony-s-too-big-and-poised-to-fail
And and, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-10/sony-widens-net-loss-estimate-to-520-billion-yen.html
Since their other divisions are flopping,
They’re just relying on the gaming division to
help them survive. A little care on the hacks,
wouldn’t want to end up killing them completely 😛
Actually contrary to your belief, what Sony needs is to let users freely code for the Vita, give them freedom to make apps and code their own software to load emulators, watch movies, and just block out their ability to pirate VITA games, and you have the most powerful, successfully expanding handheld this world has ever known. Sony could learn from Android.
Well, about that..
wouldn’t by opening the door for free coding
increase the chances for further exploits to be developed? (And, possibly, leading for Vita game piracy)
>Well, its possible with the games they developed, what more with apps that programmers personally produce, right?
From what I’ve been reading, Ps and Sony’s other
gaming platforms seems to be their flagships
as of the moment. They need to get, not just their
hardware, but also their contents(games etc) in check.
That is, if they still have hopes on recovering on their market value.
Anyways, just blurting random facts here 😉
Sony’s already kinda handicapped.
I know we all hate their uptight security, but
I wouldn’t want to see the PS scene die out completely. Lol :p
ok listen you have to give it time it will be hacked eventually look at the psp 3000 no one ever though it would be hacked yet a year or two later total noob came out with a hen and eventually the perma patch…time time tim ps. time!
PA DELANTE MUCHACHOS Y OJALA LO LOGREN SON LOS MEJORES XD
sum how thought u could jus use da cm n da back up of the welcome pack since wen u start the thing up is da fisrt thing u basicly go true tought i herd sumthing about gigs of eternasl storage thinks its for game add ons from like near now da music thing had like sumthing wit it um idk on da 3g yet um nice on da extra ram sony ..thought custum apps would have been cool
though the top part was fo aceseries bopard seems like run true game cartige i guess probly use da extra ram to i guess
try welcome pack photos music den videos think mod racers
sum of da apps work wit out having to close outhers runnings dea game pause type ***
wait for the hack and buy one. go wololo you can do it!
5 months after launch, still no hack. Oh well 🙁
You guys have been working on this for quite a while…but i dont think ill be able to wait untill october 31 when assassins creed liberation comes out.To play the game ill have to update…Sooo hopefully hacks come out before then, good luck!
I’d need to test with you here. Which isn’t one thing I usually do! I enjoy reading a post that can make individuals think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to comment!