4. Education
This is probably one of the most important reasons to hack your console. If you want to be on the bleeding edge of technology, then you have to know how the new technology works. All consoles are closed systems, and only the game companies know how to program them. Hacking your console allows you to create “homebrew” applications, which fuels the next generation of programmers.
The best security specialists became experts because they poked and prodded firewalls and other computer security. The same holds true with the best game designers today: they got their start by playing and tinkering with consoles.
5. Games tied to system
Most consumers don’t know this, but some consoles’ downloadable content is tied to the physical system. Games you download for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC (via Steam) are tied to an online account, so you can re-download these games at no cost if your old one is stolen, breaks, or you just buy a new one.
Nintendo’s eShop works differently. When you purchase and download a game for the Wii, DSi, or 3DS, then that game is tied to your console’s serial number. You lose all of your games if your console is replaced, stolen, or otherwise unrepairable. On top of that, Nintendo prohibits you selling a console with pre-purchased titles (according to the license you have to wipe all content before selling it).
Nintendo is changing their stance on this issue for future consoles. You will be able to transfer your Wii titles to the new Wii-U, and you can currently transfer DSiWare or 3DSware to a new 3DS system. But Nintendo is still tying game licenses to serial numbers, not accounts.
The next generation of consoles will be focusing on downloadable distribution methods. Either the game will be tied to an online account or to the physical box, which may raise some eyebrows in the Privacy department (see point 3).
4 comments
I have this thing I do with all my consoles. I either hard or soft mod them to play games from the drive, then load all my games onto the drive. I've done it with my original Xbox, my PS2, my Xbox 360… If it were possible, I would have my Gamecube and my N64 playing from hard drives. Having a room full of game discs and cartridges is impressive, but sheesh…
I thought of another reason…. the physical space that all of these consoles would take up. Instead of having 23 pinball machines in a room you can play a virtual table. I knew someone that had every physical console ever made in one room, and it took up too much space, and he had to have special switches and stuff just to get them hooked up to his tv.
Yeah, when I worked at Nintendo we got a few really angry calls from people when we didn't have any parts to fix their old Nintendo 64s or NES systems. I would love to have pointed them to this article. There are a ton of emulators out there for these systems… and you can easily get the ROMs and then own the entire Nintendo catalogue… not just the few cartridges you have in a box.
Yeah, it's weird how Sony used to practically condone piracy when they were new and selling cassette recorders and VCR's. Now they would arrest you if they could if you even have a thought of downloading an MP3 without giving them money.
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