Vita exploits discovered in PSP games

While Sony has upped its efforts on making the Vita a more secure platform, it appears that offering backwards compatibility with the PSP is biting Sony yet again.

March 27, 2012 9:00 AM6

Even as Vita starts picking up steam, Sony is still haunted by the rampant piracy of the PSP. While Sony has upped its efforts on making the Vita a more secure platform, it appears that offering backwards compatibility with the PSP is biting Sony yet again. According to a new report, exploits that allow hackers to run homebrew software have been discovered in two downloadable PSP games: MotorStorm Arctic Edge and Hot Shots Tennis.

“PlayStation hackers have claimed that both titles allow a software trick to be used that gives access to the handheld’s core functionality,” Edge reports. Through the exploit, homebrew programs like Lamecraft can be run on the Vita:

Homebrew programmer W. Ololo noted that both games have disappeared from the PlayStation Store, suggesting Sony is actively monitoring these developments. While any exploit will be worrisome to Sony and any third-party/indie Vita developer, he emphasizes that the exploit “does not allow people to pirate any PSP or Vita games… People who actually tried to use HBL’s source code in order to run pirated games never succeeded in its 2 years of existence, and let me tell you that many have tried.”