We all remember when the first version of the Sony PSP took off. It was amazingly successful, at times, even surpassing the Nintendo DS. So what happened? What are they going to do now?

The device allowed a lot of custom user-created content. And for good reason, too - the Nintendo DS had nothing of the sort. To this day, the only custom content for the Nintendo DS is not built-in, and many special adapters are needed, while it doesn't even match what the PSP had to start with. A couple of months after release, rumors spread of exploits in the system's firmware that allowed for relativley user-friendly applications, called 'homebrew'. The trend is sill going to this day, but Sony tried to stop this act with many security updates that disallowed these exploits, stopping homebrew altogether.

Years later, Sony is still up to the same act, always playing 'catch-up' with the exploit developers, noteably one Dark_Alex. As such, a very small portion of their efforts has gone to new, well-developed content.  But recently, word got out that sony had done a complete security overhaul* on the PSP's firmware, in preparation for the PSPGo! *** But is it really a wise idea, considering how Sony has, insofar, never been able to stop developers, and how such a large majority of their sales have been from people wanting to play the Super Nintendo on the go? GBA? NES? N64? Sudoku? Doom? Duke Nukem? A half thousand other homebrew apps & games? You name it, it's (probably) done. As for the game piracy, it makes sense to have security for that, considering they're going to be sold as digital copies.  You can't really blame them for that.

*www.psp-hacks.com/2009/08/29/psp-firmware-6-00-beta-released-to-official-developers/

***(If you're not familiar, the PSPGo is basically a PSP, at almost half the size and weight, no UMD drive, and internal memory - basically pushing the PSPs furhter into the digital age of small electronics. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSP_Go)

My advice: Sony, if you really want the PSPGo to sell, you'll turn a blind eye to the homebrew community and forget about the security. It's helping your sales, and that's undeniable.