Thought PSP hacking was only a problem for Sony? Think again. PSP hacking is actually robbing you of features on your handheld. Sony’s Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel revealed that security is one of the main reasons you’re “not going to see Trophies on the PSP.” Confused? Read on to find out why.
The problem with Trophies, Gamerscores and any of the other equivalents is that players want them to mean something. That means the console makers have to keep a close eye on them to make sure no one’s cheating the system. Take a look at Microsoft’s treatment of Gears of War 2 cheats to see how it deals with players who trick their way into a higher Gamerscore.
Technically, the PSP’s sophisticated innards and wireless PlayStation network connection should mean there’s no reason why handheld gamers can’t enjoy the same Trophy system as PS3 gamers. The difference is that the PSP been hacked to hell and back.
Therefore, any new Trophy system would be vulnerable to hacking too. “If people can artificially inflate their rankings and amounts of Trophies [then] it kills the whole system,” Lempel explains.
Seems like a fair argument, but then again, we’re not sure we actually care that some 14-year-old code monkey in Sweden has about a billion Trophy points to his name. We just care what we’ve got and our mates haven’t, and we’re hardly likely to look up anyone else’s. It does seem a shame that we’ve all got to miss out because Sony has already written off the system as a lost cause.
(via Joystiq)
