The PlayStation Classic Hack Job
My goodness, we’ve written a lot about the PlayStation Classic on Damage Control. We had Geoff’s excellent series of articles, an ideal version of a PS Classic II from Joseph, and a follow-up of what the mini console should have been from Drew. Not to mention the PS Classic made our Naughty list for gaming this year. At this point I felt like I had almost nothing more to contribute to the conversation. Then Drew and Geoff roped me along on our Discord server and insisted that I write about something. I feel like a hapless Meeseeks. After taking some suggestions for ideas and mulling them over, there was one topic of discussion not really touched upon– the hackability of the PlayStation Classic. After all, it was only a matter of time before someone hacked the system. Turns out, I didn’t need to wait long at all.
Last week, news began to spread that the PS Classic had already been hacked. Mind you the system has only been out for a little less than two weeks. The speedy hack job came courtesy of poor security and the same baffling lack of oversight that has plagued the Classic from day one. As reported by Ars Technica, two hackers discovered that while the Classic was encrypted, the key to decode said encryption was housed on the system as well. It’s akin to building a secure door, but not even bothering to remove the key from the keyhole. Naturally, those curious about getting inside will simply turn the key.
In more technical terms, there’s nothing stopping people from loading properly formatted PlayStation games on to the system, or using a USB device plugged into the system to access and read them. As of this writing, hackers (or homebrew developers if you prefer) have been able to replace the 20 games offered on the system with other games, or have been able to load files from a USB drive. In comparison, other systems such as the NES and SNES Classic had their system files copied to PC, modified, and the systems were reflashed using a specifically created hacker tool.
So far games like Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 have been tested out on the PlayStation Classic, but you know many more games will follow. Fortunately for Sony, those 36 hidden games on the system are just fragments, truly making them unplayable. Had there been a way to easily activate the games, and they were the full versions, it could have resulted in a legal nightmare for Sony. This is because they most likely didn’t obtain the rights to include those games on the system. Of course the bigger question is why whomever Sony outsourced this project to didn’t bother to check before the system was sent to market, aside from Sony just not caring in their rush to cash in on the mini classic console craze.
Speaking of the SNES Classic, YouTube channel 8 Bit Flashback hacked their system to play Ridge Racer Type 4. Shockingly, they discovered the game runs better on the Nintendo’s retro console than it does on the PlayStation Classic. Let that sink in for a moment. A system designed to run SNES games can play a PlayStation game better than the PS Classic. This is despite Sony’s offering having all around better specs. To be fair, other games were tested and didn’t run as well on the SNES, but it’s still a shame for Sony.
As for the PlayStation Classic being easily hacked, where does this leave us? On one hand, homebrew developers are still early into testing what does and doesn’t work. The possibility of bricking a system is still very much a risk factor. That said, for those who are willing to wait a bit longer (especially as the price drops), the Classic can become desirable as an easy way to play original PlayStation games by just loading correctly formatted games onto a USB stick, or overwriting some (or all) of the 20 games included on the system. There may even be an easy way to fix the PAL versions of games on the Classic. The irony here is that homebrew modders may get more use out of the console instead of the nostalgia audience it was intended to attract.
About The Author
Angela
Executive Editor | Angela has had an addiction to video games and cartoons since she was young and impressionable. She enjoys writing long articles about these subjects and whatever else catches her eye. Mastodon
