Live in Your World, HAX in Ours!
Hello World! I've been reporting on Sony PlayStation hacking news since 2000 and started PSXHAX in 2014 to cover PlayStation (PSX), PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation Portable (PSP), PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), PlayStation TV (PS TV) and next-gen PlayStation 5 (PS5) platforms along with anything else of interest.
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
Sony Unveils Free PlayStation Plus Games for October 2017
If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber get ready, Sony just unveiled what's coming to their service in October 2017 with open-world stealth action masterpiece Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain kicking off the lineup! 
Here's what other video games are slated for release on PS Plus in October, 2017 from James Hallahan to quote: The PlayStation Plus games this month include:
*Compatible mobile device and Companion App required. For more information, visit www.playstation.com/playlinkcompatibility.
Also, we’re celebrating PlayStation VR’s one year anniversary in October. To commemorate, the PlayStation Store is offering a ton of games at great discounts. Check the PS Store October 10 for more details. Don’t forget that RIGS Mechanized Combat League is free for all PS Plus members until November 7, so download it now if you haven’t done so already.
Want to try the new turn-based-strategy collectible card game from the makers of SMITE and Paladins? As a PlayStation Plus member, you’ll get access to the Hand of the Gods Closed Beta, starting Oct. 17! Even better, you’ll get the Hand of the Gods Plus Pack, containing a Galactic Invader Leader Skin for Ah Puch, a card back and player icon, and five Core Packs to get your divine deck started. This is available to all members until November 14.
Lastly, we have two great PS Plus specials you can buy right now. Get 30% off on both Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age & Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition, now through October 3. Enjoy!
Here's what other video games are slated for release on PS Plus in October, 2017 from James Hallahan to quote: The PlayStation Plus games this month include:
- Monster Jam Battlegrounds, PS3
- Hustle Kings, PS3
- Hue, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4)
- Sky Force Anniversary, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4 & PS3)
*Compatible mobile device and Companion App required. For more information, visit www.playstation.com/playlinkcompatibility.
Also, we’re celebrating PlayStation VR’s one year anniversary in October. To commemorate, the PlayStation Store is offering a ton of games at great discounts. Check the PS Store October 10 for more details. Don’t forget that RIGS Mechanized Combat League is free for all PS Plus members until November 7, so download it now if you haven’t done so already.
Want to try the new turn-based-strategy collectible card game from the makers of SMITE and Paladins? As a PlayStation Plus member, you’ll get access to the Hand of the Gods Closed Beta, starting Oct. 17! Even better, you’ll get the Hand of the Gods Plus Pack, containing a Galactic Invader Leader Skin for Ah Puch, a card back and player icon, and five Core Packs to get your divine deck started. This is available to all members until November 14.
Lastly, we have two great PS Plus specials you can buy right now. Get 30% off on both Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age & Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition, now through October 3. Enjoy!
SNES Classic Edition Confirmed Hackable with Hakchi2 by Retrogamers
While the SNES Classic Edition won't be officially released until September 29th, retrogaming hackers on Reddit already confirmed that Hakchi2 can dump / write the SNES Mini's kernel as-is meaning it's essentially as hackable as the NES Classic Edition was jailbroken earlier this year! 
To quote from SpongeFreak52 on Reddit: Managed to get my Best Buy ordered SNES Mini shipped in this afternoon, so I was excited to start toying with it since it doesn't seem like others have yet.
After playing a few games, I wanted to see how it would behave when thrown at Hakchi2. To my surprise (though I guess I shouldn't have been given the hardware similarities), it CAN have its kernel dumped and re-written with it with the current version. I even threw a NES Mini kernel at it just for kicks (spoiler: nothing happens -- the power light just blinks) then reverted back to the SNES kernel with no issues.
For reference, the SNES Mini's stock kernel is 2,736,128 bytes, compared to the NES's 2,826,240 bytes.
Though I don't assume there's much else that can be done with existing tools at this point, I figured people would be interested to know that the recovery mode seems to behave the same as the NES Mini's.
UPDATE: Looks like full NAND-dumping capabilities are in working order -- a European dump has already even been confirmed bootable on an NES Mini! (credit to /u/madmonkey1907)
As a nice surprise, it looks like Nintendo fully anticipated this, and left a note for tinkerers within the NAND! Hidden within the /etc directory is a file simply named "nineties", which contains:
PS: Thank you guys for the gold! Be sure to send some towards those who actually know what they're doing with this thing though!
...
To quote from SpongeFreak52 on Reddit: Managed to get my Best Buy ordered SNES Mini shipped in this afternoon, so I was excited to start toying with it since it doesn't seem like others have yet.
After playing a few games, I wanted to see how it would behave when thrown at Hakchi2. To my surprise (though I guess I shouldn't have been given the hardware similarities), it CAN have its kernel dumped and re-written with it with the current version. I even threw a NES Mini kernel at it just for kicks (spoiler: nothing happens -- the power light just blinks) then reverted back to the SNES kernel with no issues.
For reference, the SNES Mini's stock kernel is 2,736,128 bytes, compared to the NES's 2,826,240 bytes.
Though I don't assume there's much else that can be done with existing tools at this point, I figured people would be interested to know that the recovery mode seems to behave the same as the NES Mini's.
UPDATE: Looks like full NAND-dumping capabilities are in working order -- a European dump has already even been confirmed bootable on an NES Mini! (credit to /u/madmonkey1907)
As a nice surprise, it looks like Nintendo fully anticipated this, and left a note for tinkerers within the NAND! Hidden within the /etc directory is a file simply named "nineties", which contains:
Code:
Enjoy this Mini,
Disconnect from the present, and
Go back to the nineties....
Load Two PS4 Backup Games with Fixed 1.76 Payload by ZeraTron
All right, we've seen an overview of the OMSK App, How to Install PS4 OMSK on 1.76 consoles and an updated Kernel_Hooks.elf that supports loading games and homebrew from USB... put them together to form Voltron and we now have a fixed payload from PlayStation 4 developer @ZeraTron on Twitter that allows loading two PS4 game backups! 
Download: kernel_hooks (467 KB)
From his Tweets below, to quote: Allow you to load 2 backups, one in OMSK, and second on Playroom. set them up like that /data/CUSA0010 and CUSA00200.
Playroom will boot CUSA00100 and OMSK CUSA00200.
Cheers to @B7U3 C50SS for the heads-up in the PSXHAX Shoutbox this early morning!
Download: kernel_hooks (467 KB)
From his Tweets below, to quote: Allow you to load 2 backups, one in OMSK, and second on Playroom. set them up like that /data/CUSA0010 and CUSA00200.
Playroom will boot CUSA00100 and OMSK CUSA00200.
Cheers to @B7U3 C50SS for the heads-up in the PSXHAX Shoutbox this early morning!
Star Wars Battlefront II Beta Arcade Mode Unveiled on PlayStation 4
With pre-orders underway and the Open Beta starting October 6th, today Electronic Arts unveiled a new Star Wars Battlefront II Beta video trailer introducing Arcade Mode while reminding us that those who order before October 1st will get early Beta access on October 4th. 
To quote from EA Social Content Editor Jared Petty: Arcade is a new mode allowing you to take on AI enemies and hone your skills across a variety of scenarios.
In the Beta, you’ll have two options: a 10-on-10 team battle with AI allies and enemies, and a Hero vs. many scenario where you’ll take control of Darth Maul and fight against legions of foes on Naboo.
The Beta will provide a small taste of Arcade on the Theed map, but the full version will have you test your wits and reflexes in all three eras of Star Wars. Teamed up with AI-controlled allies, you’ll arm yourself with your favorite assortment of weapons and abilities, carefully tailoring your loadout for the battle ahead.
In the full release, you’ll be able to bring the Star Cards, weapons, and unlocked abilities from multiplayer with you into Arcade. Apply your favorite fine-tuned hero and class builds against AI opponents and test out new strategies before trying them online. On consoles, you’ll also be able to team up with a friend or battle against one another in split screen versus.
When the game launches you’ll reap valuable rewards for your progress in Arcade. Success will earn in-game credits you can use to unlock Crates and, in turn, gain new Star Cards to further customize your heroes, vehicles, and troopers for both Arcade mode and online multiplayer. And thanks to a series of Challenges, you’ll always have a new goal to strive for and new bonuses to earn.
Arcade battles can be set up and tweaked in a variety of custom configurations so you can change the difficulty, trooper classes used by AI, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to play a number of Battle Scenarios – specially orchestrated Arcade matches that you’ll be able to face either alone or, in the console version of the game, with a friend.
Ready to try it for yourself? Fans who pre-order Star Wars Battlefront II before October 1 will be able to play...
To quote from EA Social Content Editor Jared Petty: Arcade is a new mode allowing you to take on AI enemies and hone your skills across a variety of scenarios.
In the Beta, you’ll have two options: a 10-on-10 team battle with AI allies and enemies, and a Hero vs. many scenario where you’ll take control of Darth Maul and fight against legions of foes on Naboo.
The Beta will provide a small taste of Arcade on the Theed map, but the full version will have you test your wits and reflexes in all three eras of Star Wars. Teamed up with AI-controlled allies, you’ll arm yourself with your favorite assortment of weapons and abilities, carefully tailoring your loadout for the battle ahead.
In the full release, you’ll be able to bring the Star Cards, weapons, and unlocked abilities from multiplayer with you into Arcade. Apply your favorite fine-tuned hero and class builds against AI opponents and test out new strategies before trying them online. On consoles, you’ll also be able to team up with a friend or battle against one another in split screen versus.
When the game launches you’ll reap valuable rewards for your progress in Arcade. Success will earn in-game credits you can use to unlock Crates and, in turn, gain new Star Cards to further customize your heroes, vehicles, and troopers for both Arcade mode and online multiplayer. And thanks to a series of Challenges, you’ll always have a new goal to strive for and new bonuses to earn.
Arcade battles can be set up and tweaked in a variety of custom configurations so you can change the difficulty, trooper classes used by AI, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to play a number of Battle Scenarios – specially orchestrated Arcade matches that you’ll be able to face either alone or, in the console version of the game, with a friend.
Ready to try it for yourself? Fans who pre-order Star Wars Battlefront II before October 1 will be able to play...
PlayStation Store Presents Descent: PSN for 2017 and Beyond
Many may remember Sony's mysterious PlayStation Store Merchant who made an appearance for PSN's ten-year anniversary, well today he's back with a peek behind the curtain revealing what's in store for 2017 and beyond!
Check out the video trailer below, and to quote from Marketing & PlayStation Network SVP Eric Lempel:
Watch our new spot as the Merchant descends deeper into the Store, passing through different worlds within some of PS4’s biggest upcoming games: Call of Duty WWII, God of War, and Star Wars Battlefront II, just to name a few.
PlayStation Store has come a long way, but this is just the beginning. This year we’ve introduced the popular new Discover the Creators series, which curates games selected by some of the biggest names in game development, from Yoko Taro (Nier: Automata) to Herman Hulst (Horizon: Zero Dawn) and more.
And of course, PlayStation Store continues to boast special features like preorder and preloading, which accelerates your ability to get closer to the games you love.
Enjoy our new video and let us know what you think! And keep an eye peeled for Easter Eggs – there are quite a few to be found!
Check out the video trailer below, and to quote from Marketing & PlayStation Network SVP Eric Lempel:
Watch our new spot as the Merchant descends deeper into the Store, passing through different worlds within some of PS4’s biggest upcoming games: Call of Duty WWII, God of War, and Star Wars Battlefront II, just to name a few.
PlayStation Store has come a long way, but this is just the beginning. This year we’ve introduced the popular new Discover the Creators series, which curates games selected by some of the biggest names in game development, from Yoko Taro (Nier: Automata) to Herman Hulst (Horizon: Zero Dawn) and more.
And of course, PlayStation Store continues to boast special features like preorder and preloading, which accelerates your ability to get closer to the games you love.
Enjoy our new video and let us know what you think! And keep an eye peeled for Easter Eggs – there are quite a few to be found!