

Open-source Playstation 4 SDK - SchizoDuckie
https://github.com/CTurt/PS4-SDK

======
AlexAltea
These two articles are probably relevant and come from the same person:

1\. [http://cturt.github.io/ps4.html](http://cturt.github.io/ps4.html)

2\. [http://cturt.github.io/ps4-2.html](http://cturt.github.io/ps4-2.html)

They cover pretty much every question about the WebKit exploit and this open-
source SDK.

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gcb0
calling this ps4 sdk is counterintuitive and dangerous. It may paint sony as
embracing open source to the unwarned.

this is nothing but a hack-y way to exploit a browser and get access to very
limited functionality. It can barely be called 'ps4 homebrew sdk'.

~~~
SifJar
It is a kit for developing software i.e. an SDK. Yes, right now it is very
limited - it has only recently been made public, it is still in the very early
stages. In addition, the limitations of current code execution methods (not
fully public at present - the exploit used is public, code execution method is
still private) inflict limitations on the software being developed.

Nonetheless, this is an SDK capable of producing software that can be run on
the PS4, and so the title of PS4 SDK is perfectly apt. It never claims to be
from Sony, and it should be evident to anyone with even a vague familiarity
with homebrew/console hacking that it is not associated with them in anyway.
And most HN users would be able to tell from looking at the code that it is
very much bare bones and thus unlikely to be published by the company that
made the console.

~~~
gcb0
> right now.

that is the point. it is and will always be very limited. at most, it will be
a able to write a loader to a higher level exploit.

~~~
SifJar
This SDK has nothing directly to do with the current code execution method.
There is no reason why this same SDK won't be expanded once a better exploit
is found.

------
jokoon
So... can one load a game on the PS4 at home using that, or is just intended
to emulate the playstation on a PC ? I don't understand the intention behind
making this open source, seeing all the loaded piracy history of the
playstation consoles.

Kinda feels like it's a little short for a SDK too, but I'm no expert.

~~~
stinos
_Kinda feels like it 's a little short for a SDK too_

It sure is, also a bit sad that it takes such detours to be able to write
software for such devices. Years ago when the first PSP came out things were
different. I bought the PSP just because I saw there was a rather complete SDK
available for it (also made available by hacking around and reverse
engineering IIRC, but at least it was more than enough to write actual
applications): it included access to buttons, sockets/wifi, raw framebuffer
access etc. Which led to the availability of fun things like a working VNC
client which was super impressive to me back then (remember that's like 5
years before the first iPad). I had only like one game which I never really
played but instead I spent hours writing mini games and setting up
communication between the PSP and a PC, using it as remote control and
whatnot.

~~~
Narishma
> I had only like one game which I never really played but instead I spent
> hours writing mini games and setting up communication between the PSP and a
> PC, using it as remote control and whatnot.

And that's exactly why manufacturers go to such lengths to prevent people from
hacking on their consoles. With the way they are priced, and depending on when
you bought that PSP, it may have cost Sony money if you didn't buy any games
for it.

~~~
pandaman
What length exactly? Both Sony and MS released, at some point, SDKs that could
use a retail unit for development [1,2,3,4] so I am not sure this is exactly
why.

1.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Mobile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Mobile)

2.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_for_PlayStation_2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_for_PlayStation_2)

3.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherOS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherOS)

4.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_XNA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_XNA)

~~~
girvo
And don't forget the Net Yaroze[0]! Sony was embracing tinkerers all the way
back in 1997

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Yaroze)

~~~
pandaman
I did not include Yaroze since it required a special PSX.

------
jparishy
Not entirely related but just reading this brought back a lot of memories of
the PSP homebrew scene. I miss those days. Idolizing Dark_Alex was what got me
into software.

##psp-programming represent!

~~~
dewey
That's a name I haven't heard in a while! I'm still using my old PSP (with a
CFW) as a Gameboy emulator up to this day.

~~~
lostgame
Me, too. Got my CFW loaded up on my PSP-1000...it's lovely wide screen, really
nice Sony-quality controls, great battery life (with homebrew...) and superb
homebrew and emulation support, it's not a wonder

a) I still use it for GBA/Sega Genesis emulation nearly every day but

b) I've never used a single UMD with the device and

c) I don't know anyone who has.

Kinda like the Dreamcast, which was also amazing but had even the most
inexperienced users rushing to Wal-Mart to grab a stack of blank CD's to make
their very own Kazaa-downloaded copy of 'Seaman.'

If Sony had actually pandered to the homebrew scene (yeah, I know that sounds
like a joke, but I'm saying 'if'...) they could have opened up something like
the App store even earlier on, where the barrier of entry for indie developers
is existent but small.

I'd be interested to actually look up some numbers, but I imagine software
sales for the PSP, especially the early generation, must have been fairly
abysmal.

------
ricardobeat
How does this run on the PS4?

~~~
SifJar
I believe it runs using the WebKit exploit available on FW 1.76

This means it's probably not very useful to most end users who generally will
have upgraded by this point (the exploit is about a year old), but it allows
developers to continue working on the SDK for whenever another exploit is
found, and possibly allows further investigation of the PS4, potentially
allowing the discovery of new exploits.

~~~
oxide
I have a passing interest in this kind of thing, for novelty's sake more than
anything.

I might have to buy the next console that comes out and just leave it boxed up
in the closet for a year or two, so when this stuff surfaces I can experiment.
I feel oddly left out when I hear about this stuff and either don't have the
correct version or just don't have the hardware itself.

I had a friend growing up with an amazing PS2 that basically functioned as a
media server. Absolutely blew me away at the time.

