14 DAY TRIAL // We know that a team of hackers called Fail0verflow claims that it has managed to completely hack the PlayStation 3 and is now able to sign as native all the code that it wants to run on the device, with complete access to all its capabilities.
The interesting fact is that the team claims that their attention was turned to the PlayStation 3 and its protections after Sony decided to completely eliminate OtherOS support from its gaming platform, meaning that Linux could no longer be run on it.
One of the Twitter messages posted on the official Fail0verflow account reads “There is absolutely no doubt in our mind that the PS3 lasted as much as it did due to OtherOS. The security really is terribly broken,” and other messages from the hacker community suggest the same state of mind on their part.
The hack also opens up the possibility that PlayStation 2 content will appear for the PS3 packaged together with emulators and easily accessible to every player.
The hacking of the PlayStation 3 could actually lead to an increase in sales for the console as more gamers who put off picking one up are attracted to the new possibilities that have open up.
Sony succeeded in launching a console that has managed to stay hack free the longest out of the current console generation, but it seems that the penetration for the PlayStation 3 is deeper than for either the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the Nintendo Wii.
The most piracy affected consoles are the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handhelds, with some developers no longer putting out games for them because of it.
Sony will probably take steps similar to those taken by Microsoft, banning all the consoles that display signs of hacking from accessing the PSN, although the hack could allow them to register again.