145w ago - Update: Team Jungle and C4E have now joined Team Hades to assist with their ongoing research to hack the PS3 entertainment system!

A few weeks back we first reported news of a PS3 Blu-ray 302R drive being successfully connected to a PC by DemonHades and examined by JaicraB, and today Team Hades reports that Calimba has managed to do it with a newer PlayStation 3 Blu-ray 304R drive as well.

To quote from their PlayStation 3 hacking progress update, roughly translated from Spanish to English:

"Well, I just woke up with this news, our mail Calimba has managed to connect the 304R model is one of the newest, and also ensures better to connect the PS3 Slim.

The way forward has been entirely empirical, so we do not try it because it does not show any information on the Internet.

Moreover, the good news is we already know to extract and decrypt the FW. I think that people who criticized...

146w ago - Spanish PS3 developer JaicraB has returned and is now assisting DemonHades in examining the recently reported PS3 Blu-ray drive and resulting PlayStation 3 Firmware dump.

Download: PS3 Blu-ray CDS FileSystem - Param.sfo - PS3Disc.sfb / PS3 Blu-ray CDS FileSystem - Param.sfo - PS3Disc.sfb [Mirror]

To quote, roughly translated from Spanish to English: "Well more information from the recent work done by the HadesTeam and Calimba, this time show photos of the connection and also how Windows shows the drive contents PlayStation 3.

JaicraB already returned from his vacation and is back operating on the computer to attack the reader.

As discussed, we work in parallel to exploit Other. We have access to BD reader as if it were one more unit of your PC.

EVEREST features as:

SONY PS-302R SYSTEM
Firmware Revision = 4151

146w ago - This weekend Spanish PS3 developers at DemonHades (linked above) have shared some details and pics of a PS3 Blu-ray drive successfully connected and recognized as a reader in a PC.

With the exception of the Lite-On DH-401S that can read PS3 game discs on a PC, this is the first time an actual PlayStation 3 PS-SYSTEM 302R drive has been reported as functioning on a standard PC.

Many may recall last year the DemonHades Team first Mapped the JTag Port on PS3 Blu-ray Drive, and prior to that GodzIvan shared schematics for the PS3 Blu-ray drive pin-outs.

To quote from DemonHades.org, roughly translated:

"Our colleague has managed HadesTeam Calimba of connecting the PS3 BD player to the PC, as you all know the communication interface that uses the reader is bd flex belt so you do not have any type of connector for this work, so we have communicated BD reader to the pc to start to investigate...

152w ago - This weekend SKFU shared news of a research project that himself, iQD and a few others have began work on with the PS3 Blu-ray drive in order to, among other goals, run PlayStation 3 game backups from the PS3 HDD.

Getting Sony's PlayStation 3 entertainment system to function without a BDD was not a difficult challenge for them, however, many may recall previous attempts by MysticHades among others to examine PS3 hacks which allow running game backups from the hard disk drive.

Earlier this year, knightsolidus detailed the Blu-ray drive PS3 CXD4302GB Chip Test Points, and Spanish site Elotrolado reported on a PS3 exploit found to run PlayStation 3 backups along with a leaked Sony Disc Boot Game Patch Programming Guide.

Prior to that, PS3 developers examined several PS3...

172w ago - In order to accomodate the Torne digital TV recorder add-on announced for Japan, Sony's PS3 will be getting an officially licensed 500GB external hard drive next month.

PC hardware maker Buffalo announced today news of two external hard drives that have been granted official recognition from Sony, which apparently is the first time Sony has granted licensing to hard drive peripherals.

To quote: "Both drives have 500GB capacity and connect to the PS3 via an included USB 2.0 cable. The ¥14,800 Piano Black HD-AV500U2/SC sits horizontally and has a meter on its front showing remaining space.

The ¥11,800 Black HD-CL500U2/SC stands vertically but lacks the meter. They're both pre-formatted in a FAT32 format, allowing for immediate connection to the PS3.

In addition to being used as an external recording device for Torne, the drives can also be used for backup and restore of the PS3's internal hard drive, and for saving and playback of videos, pictures and music."