Good news: half of this fever dream known as 2020 is over. Bad news: there’s still another half to go through. Thankfully, video games are here to cheer us up and even better are developments in the hacking scene which give us something to look forward to.

Here we discuss the 3 most promising console hacking news that we’ve seen in 2020 so far.

1. PlayStation 2 exploit without any additional tools

First we go back a few console generations for a brand-new PS2 exploit. Developed by @CTurt, FreeDVDBoot allows you to run homebrew games from a burnt DVD on an unmodified PS2. No other tools needed; just slide the DVD in and boot.

And this method is not restricted to homebrew games either. Indeed, FreeDVDBoot also enables you to run backup copies of retail PS2 games. CTurt made such a video running a backup copy of Shadow of the Colossus:

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Well, you might be wondering why this is promising at all. Afterall, the PS2 is a retro console and we’ll soon enter a new console generation. The answer is that FreeDVDBoot’s method could potentially work on every single PlayStation home console, from the PS1 down to the PS4. CTurt might look into this possibility and we’ll surely let you know if we hear more.

If you’re interested in learning more about FreeDVDBoot, head to our official discussion thread where you can also find a GitHub download link.

2. Kernel exploit for firmware 7.02 of the PlayStation 4

TheFlow, mostly known for his activity in the PSVita scene, recently made public a kernel exploit he found on the PS4’s FW 7.02. This vulnerability was found back in June and TheFlow exposed the flaw to Sony's HackerOne bounty program. This helped Sony patch it in the PS4's 7.50 FW update.

Here you are, https://t.co/cdVyvdqGZ6, PS4 kernel exploit for FW 7.02 and below. Vulnerability discovered on 2019-06-09.

This must be chained together with a WebKit exploit, for example https://t.co/1BYe1aFGCe for FW 6.50.

— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) July 6, 2020

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However, TheFlow hinted that those still on lower firmware could use his discovery to jailbreak the console by combining it with a Webkit exploit for firmwares up to 6.72. It looks like it’s only a matter of time before such a jailbreak is made public.

In the meantime, you can join the discussion in our existing thread and find a link to more technical details about this kernel exploit.

3. 3DS emulator for the Switch is in the works

While the first two news revolved around PlayStation consoles, we’ll shift our attention to Nintendo’s latest one. The Switch is great for emulators thanks to its portability (we shared our top 5 ones recently) and one of the most promising emulators in the works for the Switch is Citra.

The latter is a popular 3DS emulator and GBAtemp member @m4xw is working on porting it to the Switch. His early progress showed great promise as a proof-of-concept, even if it contained a few bugs.

... also worked first try 🥱

— m4xw (@m4xwdev) May 25, 2020

@m4xw is also sharing progress of his Citra port on his Patreon page before making a stable build publicly available. Head there if you want to get a peek or join our discussion here on GBAtemp.

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This brings us to the end of our latest exclusive article. We hope it gave you something to look forward to in 2020! Is there any other hacking news that got your attention so far this year? Let us know in the comments!

 

[MajinCubyan]

That FreeDVDBoot is badass. I'm really looking forward to seeing where it goes.

And I'm so stoked for Citra on Switch. Just thinking about playing SMT IV and FE Echoes on my switch gets me all excited.

 

[Stealphie]

Citra on Switch is impressive af and FreeDvdBoot is really cool. The PS4 exploit is also really, really fucking cool.

 

[HaloEffect17]

Hopefully the PS4 can be circumvented on the latest firmware when this is all said and done.

 

[Jayinem81]

Hopefully the PS4 can be circumvented on the latest firmware when this is all said and done.

We will need a totally different exploit for that.

 

[eyeliner]

Free DVD loading with no external tools is the baddest of asses. Like Alexis Texas.

 

[Noctosphere]

I sold my ps4 years ago, I think I just missed something

 

[Daggot]

There's a chance the PS1 will have some decent hardware stuff this year at least. I hope the Xstation comes out this year. Cyberdyne is already cracking under the heat of the PSIO having competition. The PS1Digital looks to be close to completion too.

 

[Deleted User]

the 3rd one isn't even a hack...?

 

[Nerdtendo]

Honorable mention to sx core and sx sx lite. I know the company has a shaky track record but its really cool to see the "unhackable" switches hackable and without a jig.

 

[Sillybunnie]

So if there hadn't been a Sony bounty program the 7.02 kernal explout could have remained in later firmwares but possible not released until way later or kept internal.

 

[playstays_shun]

I would give honorable mentions for Terraonion MODE ODE and Krikzz Mega EverDrive PRO flashcart as top 'console hacks' of 2020 so far.

Both fill a need: MODE to compete with clone GDEMU's, not available genuine GDEMU's or scalped, discontinued USBGDROMs and same with Rhea/Phoebe for Saturn being largely unavailable. And Fenrir looking promising but only model 1 and firmware still being worked out. And Satiator not for public sale. Plus flexibility for any storage medium practically.

And M-ED-Pro for being a shorter and cheaper MegaSD with SegaCD FPGA and even an NES FPGA lol. Krikzz puts so much love into his solutions, even though comes at a financial cost. Still, compared to competition its a deal.

--

...Maybe I'll get a Genesis + M-ED-Pro sometime way down the road, but at $200 it is approaching MiSTER pricing

Anything that expands the Sega fanbase for me is a win in the end

 

[CompSciOrBust]

I sold my ps4 years ago, I think I just missed something

You aren't missing out on much. The ps4 scene is mostly piracy and we only recently got a open source homebrew sdk that can display graphics so most of the stuff made before now was made in a leaked version of unity too.

 

[tech3475]

There's a chance the PS1 will have some decent hardware stuff this year at least. I hope the Xstation comes out this year. Cyberdyne is already cracking under the heat of the PSIO having competition. The PS1Digital looks to be close to completion too.

I’m hoping for a solderless iso backup method for the PS1 at some point, similar to the GDEmu.

 

[DinohScene]

I still have a WLOD PS4 laying around that's way under 7.02.

 

[Daggot]

I’m hoping for a solderless iso backup method for the PS1 at some point, similar to the GDEmu.

That will probably be the rumored Xstation. Cyberdyne is making a real ODE as well that'll be a solderless solution when paired with the PSIO but it could be expensive.

 

[moto4mods]

the 3rd one isn't even a hack...?

So if there hadn't been a Sony bounty program the 7.02 kernal explout could have remained in later firmwares but possible not released until way later or kept internal.

Closed mouths don't get fed. I doubt thefl0w felt like developing a full blown end-user jailbreak of any kind, and thus "needed help" developing it. If he didn't say anything people wouldn't have anything to hope for.

He "snitched" one flaw in the system, if you think the PS4 now has impecable security, it says more about you and your knowledge than anything else.

Finally, you learn what he knows (which is more than probably a good 65% of this forum combined) over the course of YEARS, just to have a bounty possibly for $1,500 or more, maybe $25,000 you don't even know. All your hard work could literally benefit everyone involved, and your not gonna snap that up?

He didn't do anything wrong, bash the people hiding shit, not the people releasing (he literally asked "can this go public please") very powerful stuff into the scene for all to reap the benefits of.

 

[Pipistrele]

Third one is cool, but wouldn't classify it as hack. Besides, it's just another emulator port (albeit hardware-pushing one), while something like SX Core/Lite actually seems like a breakthrough in Switch hacking scene.

 

[Deleted User]

Closed mouths don't get fed. I doubt thefl0w felt like developing a full blown end-user jailbreak of any kind, and thus "needed help" developing it. If he didn't say anything people wouldn't have anything to hope for.

He "snitched" one flaw in the system, if you think the PS4 now has impecable security, it says more about you and your knowledge than anything else.

Finally, you learn what he knows (which is more than probably a good 65% of this forum combined) over the course of YEARS, just to have a bounty possibly for $1,500 or more, maybe $25,000 you don't even know. All your hard work could literally benefit everyone involved, and your not gonna snap that up?

He didn't do anything wrong, bash the people hiding shit, not the people releasing (he literally asked "can this go public please") very powerful stuff into the scene for all to reap the benefits of.

why was i quoted in this? i never mentioned the ps4

 

[SS4]

Why would you wanna play 3DS on anything but the 3DS though . . .
Its super easy to get one with CFW and you get the 3D, gyro, touch screen and dual screen without any hassle.
The DS was ok on emulator since it lacked the 3D and gyro i guess . . .