Hacking or modding a game console has been going on for more than a decade now and is actually the primary reason why the gaming fraternity has spread world over and is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Remember all those '99-in-1' game cartridges we used to buy for the Media console or Sega Mega Drive II, those were nothing but hacked games that were stuffed into a single ROM but back then when we were young we were oblivious to that fact and just wanted more games on a single cartridge. After that, the games got bigger and more complex and we moved onto CDs but that didn't really stop the hackers cracking those games as well. Consoles like the Sega Dreamcast and the Playstation One we also modded to work with cracked games. Gaming really took off in the mid-nineties especially in India where the PS One was all the rage. Then came the next wave of consoles, the PS2 and the Xbox which was Microsoft's first console. Just like the others, both these consoles were soon hacked and thereafter sold like hot cakes of the shelves, the incentive being the low failure rate and cheaper games.
One of the initial mod chips used to jailbreak the PS3 that's now obsolete
Six years ago, Microsoft launched its next generation console, a full year ahead of Sony and took the lead in terms of sales. Unlike the PS3, it was the first one to be hacked as well but you'd have to have balls of steel to buy a modded X360 since the failure rate was so god dammed high. No matter where you placed the console, AC room or not, it was destined to red ring on you. This was the primary reason why gamers were reluctant to get a modded X360 since the giving up the warranty simply wasn't an option. For years now, Sony's console remained untouched and despite many attempts, it was virtually impossible to hack the PS3 and even if it was possible, blank BluRays weren't exactly cheap. Then, less than a year back, we heard of a hardware jailbreak which was basically a programmable mod chip in the form of a USB drive which you boot from in order to play backed up games. The problem with this was it only worked well till firmware v3.14 since with every update from Sony, the mod chip had to be reprogrammed to work correctly.
In December 2010, a couple of hackers found some static code vulnerability which then led to the development of custom firmwares. Many hackers including Geohot released their own versions of the custom firmwares (CFW) which let you FTP into the PS3, explore the file system and make backups of your existing games. Now given the relatively low fail rate of the PS3 as compared to the X360, is it really worth jailbreaking the PS3? Does it really make sense to void the warranty? Well, we weigh in the pros and cons of doing so and leave the ultimate decision up to you.
Pros of Jailbreaking
Backup your Games
The primary reason for jailbreaking any device is to install cracked applications. But it can also be used to backup your games. For instance, if you're a bit clumsy and have the habit of lending your games to careless friends, this feature comes in really handy as it allows you to back up the entire game onto your hard drive so you can play it whenever without the need of a disc. You will lose online play but for games without a multiplayer features like God of War, it won't make a huge difference. This method also let's you distribute the ripped games which is illegal.
Save a lot of Dough
The next obvious pro would have to be all the money you'll save especially since console games aren't exactly cheap. Games are available on the Internet if you know where to look. After that, it's just a matter of transferring the games into the PS3 and playing them.
Homebrew Apps and Games
A lot of developers have released custom applications also know as homebrew apps that extend the functionality of the PS3. For instance, there are PS One and Nintendo emulators available that let you play those games on the console. An app called Multiman allows you to backup your PS3 games onto your hard drive where as BlackBox is very useful FTP server that let's you quickly transfer files into the PS3 without a portable hard drive.
Next, let's have a look at what you'll be missing if you do plan on jailbreaking.
Cons of Jailbreaking
Void your Warranty
First and foremost, you will be voiding your warranty by installing a jailbreak as it modifies the firmware. The older hardware jailbreak didn't do it since the PS3 is only jailbroken if you boot through the dongle, else the firmware is left untouched and you have full PSN access. Now even though the PS3 has a low failure rate, it's still a big gamble especially after plopping 20K on a console.
No PSN Access
The second major loss would be PSN which otherwise gives you access to loads of updates, demos, PSN games etc. You won't be able to get any game updates or system updates, some of which improve performance and fix certain bugs.
No Online Multiplayer Access
You'll be missing out on one of the best features, especially in games which have a very strong multiplayer component like COD: Modern Warfare 2. This means you'll never be able to play online with your friends in any of the games. Even if there is a work around for it in the future, you run the risk of getting banned which is not something to be taken lightly.
Forced to stay on Older Firmware for Unknown Periods
The jailbreak is only good provided you stay on the older firmware. Just like the iPhone jailbreaks, it takes some time before the new firmware is patched and all the bugs are fixed for the new jailbreak to be released. This is because with every update, Sony makes it harder for the hackers to crack the encryption which is why even though the PS3 is up to v3.6, the jailbreak that's out right now will only work for the older 3.55 firmwares and nothing else. This means you'll have to wait who knows how long before you can take advantage of the new features in the new firmware.
So there you go, we leave the decision up to you.
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