That collective sigh you just heard came from PS3 gamers in Australia, after a court ruled in favor of Sony that temporarily bans Oz Modchips and Quadtronics from distributing the PS Jailbreak USB device in the country. The PS Jailbreak USB dongle allows gamers to copy and load games into the Playstation 3’s hard drive, which opens the console up to software piracy by allowing games to run without loading the original game disc.
The ban is temporary though, giving Sony until the end of August to make its case against the sale of the devices. According to the post at PS3Hax, modchips are technically legal in Australia until someone violates copyrights. That makes it technically bad news for the PS Jailbreak device, since it was built to allow you to do exactly that, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess what PS3 gamers plan to do with it.
It’s unknown how this affects the rest of the world, but it probably isn’t a good sign if you’re a PS3 owner who just set aside $150 to get one of these chips. Definitely not good news for the Oz Modchips guys who reportedly remortgaged their houses to get the initial stocks. But look on the bright side: if the ban ever goes worldwide, you get to save $150.
Tags: Consoles, Gaming Gear, Playstation 3, PS Jailbreak, Sony, Tweaks and Hacks
