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Why Sony made the PSP Go battery non-replaceable

31 August 2009 1:43 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 28 comments

Why Sony made the PSP Go battery non-replaceable According to John Koller, Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing, the company has made the PSP Go battery non-replaceable in an effort to prevent piracy that has plagued earlier models, most notably the 1000 and 2000 models.

Using the infamous Pandora's Battery, users of past PSP models could easily modify official PSP firmware and therefore play pirated games at their leisure. Sony wanted to avoid the same with the Go.

"We've had a lot of success with the 3000," Koller added via PSInsider. "You won't be able to rip your games and play them on the system, the firmware precludes that. There's no external battery, so there's a number of protections put into place on the system."

The downside for consumers is the fact that if the battery ever begins to die out, you cannot simply replace it, you will have to send it into Sony to have it replaced.

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    Discuss this article!  There are more user comments available, read them here
    pereirab (Newbie) 31 August 2009 3:53 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by hendrix12:
    all this really means is that you cant easily modify the hardware

    if a hardware exploit is found it wont stop people from opening it up and just doing it that way
    Agreed. It won't be long before it's released that people will find a way to mess with the firmware again.

    Plus, with the way the way pirates love a challenge they'll actually buy it just for the bragging rights of being the first person in the world to exploit the new Go. And if all they fail at it, the PSP sales will be boosted a little by the pirates! Win win!
    beanos66 (Junior Member) 31 August 2009 4:03 Send private message to this user   
    and again Sony screw the honest majority of their customers
    elk1007 (Member) 31 August 2009 4:49 Send private message to this user   
    "You won't be able to rip your games and play them on the system, the firmware precludes that."

    And that is why I will never buy an overpriced Go :D
    ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 31 August 2009 4:56 Send private message to this user   
    Because they can save a buck building it and charge you 40$ to replace it of coarse!
    pphoenix (Inactive) 31 August 2009 5:03 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
    Because they can save a buck building it and charge you 40$ to replace it of coarse!
    correctamundo, when the internal propertarian battery dies, you've gotta send it back to sony to be replaced, but i think $40 is a little low zippy.

    why can't companies let us use AA rechargeable or agree on a standard that we can replace ourselves.
    ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 31 August 2009 5:08 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
    Because they can save a buck building it and charge you 40$ to replace it of coarse!
    correctamundo, when the internal propertarian battery dies, you've gotta send it back to sony to be replaced, but i think $40 is a little low zippy.

    why can't companies let us use AA rechargeable or agree on a standard that we can replace ourselves.

    Well it would have to be AAAA to fit into that small a unit, and the 40$ is about what Apple charges to replace a battery, of coarse you have to spend 10-20 sending it to them too I think......
    canuckerz (Senior Member) 31 August 2009 5:53 Send private message to this user   
    The software sales for this generation of psp games is sunk long ago, piracy is already very widespread and anyone who intended to buy one either already owns one, or wants to buy a hackable one. They should have just kept on trucking and focused on hardware sales until they come up with the psp2.
    bakedpsp (Junior Member) 31 August 2009 5:54 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by beanos66:
    and again Sony screw the honest majority of their customers
    I agree.

    And yeah it will be harder to modify but that won't stop anyone from doing it. I think they go about it the wrong way, by screwing a majority of their customers will only power them more to get what they want on the PSP Go
    KillerBug (AfterDawn Addict) 31 August 2009 6:02 Send private message to this user   
    So based on this, can we assume that the PSP-go can be hacked easily, and all that one must do is open it up and splice into the wires going to the battery? If so, I am sure the pirate community is overjoyed. If not, then Sony has made this change to fix an issue that didn't exist in the first place!
    bakedpsp (Junior Member) 31 August 2009 6:43 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by KillerBug:
    So based on this, can we assume that the PSP-go can be hacked easily, and all that one must do is open it up and splice into the wires going to the battery? If so, I am sure the pirate community is overjoyed. If not, then Sony has made this change to fix an issue that didn't exist in the first place!
    Naa naa naa, they just did this so if we do try and modify the PSP Go and it don't work you end up having to go and buy another one :-(

    Pritty good tactics to make more money if you ask me ;-)
    bam431 (Member) 31 August 2009 9:45 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by hendrix12:
    all this really means is that you cant easily modify the hardware

    if a hardware exploit is found it wont stop people from opening it up and just doing it that way

    exactly i'll probably rip mine open anyways if i ever get one. It's not that i support game piracy but i don't like sony telling me what i can and can't do. Plus i already have a whole load of UMD's

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 31 August 2009 9:49

    canuckerz (Senior Member) 31 August 2009 10:02 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    Naa naa naa, they just did this so if we do try and modify the PSP Go and it don't work you end up having to go and buy another one :-(

    Pritty good tactics to make more money if you ask me ;-)
    Taking a page out of microsoft's business tactics it seems.
    shaffaaf (Senior Member) 31 August 2009 10:34 Send private message to this user   
    good idea sony tbh. how many people seriously have had their battery fail? and ipods havent allowed this since forever yet no one minds about that.


    i also like how when the PSP first came out its was OMG UMD IZ TEH SUX! and now its going away its the holy grail.
    bookfox (Newbie) 31 August 2009 10:39 Send private message to this user   
    Hm bad news for me if it is harder to modify ... :(


    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 31 August 2009 10:40

    emugamer (Senior Member) 31 August 2009 11:59 Send private message to this user   
    Hackable or not, I will not buy a device with that type of restriction.....ever.
    Oner (Moderator) 31 August 2009 12:30 Send private message to this user   
    If this is "supposed" to be just like how the SixAxiS/DS3 battery was "supposed" to be the same way where it was "supposed" to be costly to change & that you where "supposed" to send it into Sony when it died then I suppose there will be no issue...seeing how I can get a DS3 Battery for $4.89 open it up and pop it in, but until it is released and someone opens it up we will have to wait to see exactly how difficult (if at all) it is to replace.

    Either way the PSP 3000 will still be available for those who want to be able to hack one and the 4000 is also coming soon as well (and it's based off the old one not the Go!). I myself won't be getting a PSP Go! until the price drops (and substantially at that, $250 @ launch! No way!) but that's okay...it just gives those who will be working hard to crack it time to do so (well in my case ;) at least) and then maybe give me a reason to pick one up at that later date.

    I honestly don't see a problem with this as of right now though. What company DOESN'T want to protect their product and solidify their relationship with publishers, devs etc? As it is, Sony is the ONLY company this gen to have a console that is not compromised, and that must be good for theirs and others business...sucks for us though, but we'll see. And as I said, if you want a hackable one it's not like they magically won't be available or something.

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 31 August 2009 12:34

    Shinraboy (Member) 31 August 2009 12:52 Send private message to this user   
    All things considered I had figured that the Go would be the easiest of the lot to modify. I mean consider the plan Sony has to get a digital version of UMD's you already have. Not just that but it's all software right? It shouldn't be too hard...I mean there has to be a way to confuse and ISO rip into being a PSN style game....
    BadCatt (Newbie) 31 August 2009 20:29 Send private message to this user   
    Ok, So I have PSP Go for 5+ years Can I still get a new battery? or is there going to be, time is up sucker Sony needs more money from you get the new one
    hendrix12 (Newbie) 31 August 2009 22:29 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    Originally posted by hendrix12:
    all this really means is that you cant easily modify the hardware

    if a hardware exploit is found it wont stop people from opening it up and just doing it that way

    exactly i'll probably rip mine open anyways if i ever get one. It's not that i support game piracy but i don't like sony telling me what i can and can't do. Plus i already have a whole load of UMD's
    i dont support piracy either but sony needs to make a reasonably legal way to create and run homebrew without any issues
    fuzzerboy (Newbie) 31 August 2009 22:45 Send private message to this user   
    if sony doesnt want to have a replaceble battery for psp GO might as well we dont buy psp GO because we cant even play pirated games on psp GO
    pcrazy99 (Member) 31 August 2009 23:12 Send private message to this user   
    I'm fine with a psp phat. I will only upgrade to a new model when they add a second joystick.
    KillerBug (AfterDawn Addict) 1 September 2009 1:49 Send private message to this user   
    I'm still waiting for a PSPhone...I know that if I buy any PSP, the PSPhone will be announced the next day.
    bakedpsp (Junior Member) 1 September 2009 2:35 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by shaffaaf:
    good idea sony tbh. how many people seriously have had their battery fail? and ipods havent allowed this since forever yet no one minds about that.


    i also like how when the PSP first came out its was OMG UMD IZ TEH SUX! and now its going away its the holy grail.
    I've had some PSP batteries die on me, two phats and one slim, but just got new one's off the net -very cheap :-)

    I suppose the good thing about the go is not having an UMD tray cause lets face it ...... 1.8gb isn't alot, when you think about it a digital version of a game would be able to alot more, bigger size, maybe 2.5gb-now that would a good sized game, better graphics, more levels and options
    cdxanti (Newbie) 1 September 2009 10:19 Send private message to this user   
    It wont take long after the release for parts to hit ebay and then you will be able to buy extra batteries and all of sony's efforts to stop hackers will be in vain. Its useless and i can just see the problems just rolling in with the movable screen. There are springs and gears that can brake and round out. The screen is vulnerable now because the buttons would keep the screen from touching a table top if you put it down the wrong way. Idiots
    ooZEROoo (Senior Member) 1 September 2009 22:12 Send private message to this user   
    I'll stick with my PSP 1001. Hackable and I can replace my battery. To top it off its cheaper then this new overpriced PSP GO. 16 gig on board storage is nice but not enough to convince me to buy this piece of crap.
    ipwn74 (Newbie) 21 October 2009 3:56 Send private message to this user   
    damn i got a go the day it came out and now i want to trade it in at gamestop and get a slim and pandora battery
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