PS3:Scene History

This page documents the major events of the PS3’s history. The full history of the scene can be found on PS3History.net. Credit to GregoryRasputin for documenting most of these events. Credits to major developers are found on the credits page.

2005
May 16th: The PlayStation 3 is officially unveiled.

2006
November 11th [1.10]: The PS3 is released in Japan.

November 17th [1.10]: The PS3 is released in North America.

November 23rd [1.10]: CJCP dumps the first PS3 game (Madden 2007).

2007
February 4th [1.51]: Naoneo released video of an ISO loader called “Ferrox Loader”

February 26th [1.51]: CJCP releases PS3 Swiss Army Knife, which allows users to back up PS3 games and Blu-Ray movies without installing Linux.

March 1st [1.54]: The first PS2 backup is run using a hardware switch and a swap disk.

March 4th [1.54]: PS3HaX.net is created.

March 23rd [1.60]: The PS3 is released in Europe.

March 24th [1.60]: PS3Portal is released, which allows users to modify PS3 files with a PC.

April 9th [1.60]: NoxOm releases the OtherOS TILT Exploit, which puts the console in a boot loop with an orange light.

June 5th [1.80]: H3R3T1C releases a MPEG4 Exploit which uses a modified MPEG4 video to crash the console.

October [1.93]: The model CECH-G is released, the first model without PS2 backwards compatibility.

December 8th [2.01]: PS2dev.org releases a method that gives limited access to the RSX in Linux.

2008
January 18th [2.10]: Team Ice discovers an exploit in Resistance: Fall of Man to run unsigned code.

February 5th [2.10]: Team Ice releases ELF2SELF converter.

February 23rd [2.10]: Team Ice releases a video demonstrating modified files in the game Pain.

March 13th [2.10]: CF3B5 releases PS3 Proxy GUI, allowing users to install PlayStation Store games and demos via a PC.

May 17th [2.35]: XVISTAMAN2005 discovers a way to install DEX Firmware on retail console.

May 26th [2.35]: GPUP is released, allowing users to pack and unpack PUPs.

July 18th [2.41]: First Blu-Ray Java homebrew is run from the XMB using Blu-Ray Java.

October 15th [2.50]: 2.50 OFW is released, adding Recovery Mode.

November 3rd [2.50]: CJCP releases detailed information on the Factory Service Mode.

2009
January 4th [2.53]: SKFU releases Linux USB Logger, which logs USB actions on the XMB.

January 5th [2.53]: Hackerpointer leaks some Service Mode JIG setup files.

January 8th [2.53]: Giulio1992 releases PKG Backup Tool.

January 9th [2.53]: Qwertyasdfg123456 creates /r/PS3homebrew.

January 19th [2.53]: Ifcaro releases USB Advance, which allows users to play PS2 backups on an external storage device.

April 23rd [2.70]: Dashhacker successfully reverse engineers Remote Play.

September 1st [3.00]: The PS3 slim is released, the first model without OtherOS.

December 26th [3.15]: GeoHot pulls information from the USB bus regarding the Cell processor’s SPI port and a theoretical attack vector.

2010
January 22nd [3.15]: GeoHot gains full access to the system memory and processor.

April 1st [3.21]: OtherOS is removed from all PS3s.

August 19th [3.41]: PS Jailbreak dongle is announced and confirmed working.

August 26th [3.41]: Gamefreax reverse engineers the PS Jailbreak dongle.

September 1st [3.41]: Mathieulh and his team release PSGroove, an free and open-sourced version of PS Jailbreak, is released USB Development Boards.

September 3rd [3.41]: KaKaRoTo releases PSFreedom, another free and open-source jailbreak.

September 6th [3.42]: CJCP releases the first homebrew app; an FTP server.

September 17th [3.42]: Comgenie releases Comgenies Awesome Filemanager, allowing users to browse their system files and hard drive without FTP.

October 1st [3.50]: Developer AerialX releases PSL1GHT, an open-source SDK.

October 20th [3.50]: Fail0verflow showcases AsbestOS, restoring Linux and bringing it to the PS3 slim for the first time.

October 31st [3.50]: AerialX releases PS3Load, allowing users to run homebrew over a network.

November 29th [3.50]: PS Downgrade is released to downgrade to firmware version 3.41 or lower.

November 29th [3.50]: PS3SX, a PS1 emulator, is released.

December 7th [3.55]: 3.55 firmware is released, blocking all downgrading methods.

December 9th [3.55]: Graf_chokolo releases a lv2 decrypter.

December 10th [3.55]: Segher from Fail0verflow finds the mistake in the ECDSA implementation and announces it in a private chat.

December 11th [3.55]: b0xloader releases SELF Loader, which decrypts .self and .sprx files.

December 12th [3.55]: JaiCraB and PS3MrEnigma release Mount_Alejandro, an app that enables write access to dev_flash.

December 13th [3.55]: Gliitch discovers how to change the boot-up sound.

December 14th [3.55]: TeaM-ACiD1C release their custom XMB with added debug functions.

December 27th [3.55]: Graf_chokolo exploits HV through lv2 gameOS.

2011
January 1st [3.55]: Fail0verflow developers Mathieulh, RichDevX, graf_chokolo, N_D_T, and TitanMKD release the Lv2ldr keys.

January 3rd [3.55]: GeoHot releases the first signed homebrew.

January 4th [3.55]: KaKaRoTo releases the first modified firmware.

January 6th [3.55]: Team Rebug releases 3.41E Beta 1.0.1.

January 7th [3.55]: GeoHot releases a video, showcasing the ability to run homebrew on a 3.55 firmware.

January 8th [3.55]: GeoHot releases his 3.55 jailbreak, allowing users to use homebrew on 3.55 firmware without enabling piracy.

January 9th [3.55]: GeoHot releases his homebrew signing tool.

January 9th [3.55]: FamousMassacre releases an app to sign packages.

January 11th [3.55]: Sony files lawsuits against GeoHot and the fail0verflow team for their actions in hacking the PS3.

January 17th [3.55]: Graf Chokolo releases the NPDRM Payload, SYSCON, and HV exploit.

January 27th [3.56]: Firmware 3.56 is released with new keys, effectively blocking the execution of homebrew.

January 31st [3.56]: JaicraB releases a patched LV2Diag that allows downgrading of consoles with missing or broken Blu-Ray drives.

February 5th [3.56]: Sony searching for major PS3 hackers including: Cantero, Peter, Bushing, Segher, hermesEOL, kmeaw, Waninkoko, grafchokolo and KaKaRoTo by attempting to subpoena PSX-SCENE, YouTube, Twitter, PayPal and Slashdot.

February 10th [3.56]: GeoHot is forced to hand over his hard drives.

February 14th [3.56]: Graf_chokolo publishes his Linux Kernel v2.6, allowing full access to RAM, new HV calls, and more.

February 15th [3.56]: PSGroove member drizzt releases a FuckPSN, a tool which enables 3.55 users to connect to PSN without updating.

February 21st [3.56]: Team Rebug releases a 3.56 spoofer

February 23rd [3.56]: Graf_chokolo’s home is raided by police; he releases all his work on the Internet, which becomes known as the “Hypervisor Bible”.

February 24th [3.56]: PS3DevWiki is established by defyboy and eussNL.

February 25th [3.56]: It is revealed that Sony is suing graf_chokolo for 750,000 euros.

February 27th [3.56]: Facanferff releases a tutorial on how to get on PSN with a banned console.

March 9th [3.60]: PS3ita 3.55 MFW is released allowing full PSN access without any tweaks.

March 12th [3.60]: Team Rebug release Package Manager, allowing users to install and delete .pkg files from the XMB.

March 14th [3.60]: Mega Hyper Ultra Fantastico Team release details on how to “re-marry” a Blu-Ray drive.

March 16th [3.60]: Andoma releases Showtime, the first media player app for the PS3, enabling the playback of .MKV files and streaming of live TV.

March 20th [3.60]: Graf_chokolo fully decrypts the internal HDD.

March 29th [3.60]: Graf_chokolo releases Petitboot, allowing the dual booting of Linux and GameOS.

April 9th [3.60]: An unknown developer releases a script to extract the unique license code embedded in retail and debug PKGs.

April 9th [3.60]: zembor0 releases a tool to create custom dynamic themes and boot logos.

April 11th [3.60]: Sony and GeoHot reach a settlement in court; GeoHot agrees to never hack a Sony product again.

April 16th [3.60]: GeoHot donates the remainder of his court case donations to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, consisting of over $10,000.

April 21st [3.60]: The first hack of many attacks happen against the PlayStation Network occurs, forcing the network down and compromising user account information.

May 11th [3.60]: Fail0verflow releases CFW that allows dual-booting of GameOS and OtherOS, bringing Linux functionality to Slim consoles for the first time.

June 22nd [3.65]: Slynk releases a tutorial showing how to QA flag a console.

July 13th [3.66]: Uf6667 unveils ProgSkeet, a hardware flasher to flash and dump your PS3’s firmware and downgrade to 3.55 from higher firmware.

July 26th [3.66]: Varicela demonstrates the first dual NAND setup on a PS3.

July 30th [3.66]: Tical releases a method to block the copyright security, Cinavia.

August 4th [3.66]: DanyL releases PSheb, a Hebrew translation of the PS3 operating system.

September 6th [3.70]: The full 3.60 PS3 SDK is leaked by JoHNAaRoN.

September 7th [3.70]: A CEX to DEX kit is leaked.

October 8th [3.72]: DeanK releases discBOOT, enabling the running of PS3 backups from DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

October 27th [4.73]: Andbey0nd releases an application called gameDATA Tool which allows installing of PKGs on an external device.

October 30th [4.73]: Hotz8611 releases reActPSN v2.00

December 11th [4.00]: Team Rebug releases Toggle QA to automatically toggle the QA flag.

2012
January 12th [4.00]: MultiMAN v4.00 is released, no longer requiring the Cobra dongle to run.

August 24th [4.11]: Squarepusher releases RetroArch 0.9.7.

August 11th [4.11]: Rogero releases PS3 NOR Dump Auto-Patcher.

August 18th [4.11]: Aldo Vargas releases a klicensee brute-force tool called BruteForce/SCETool Decrypter.

October 22nd [4.25]: The Three Musketeers release the lv0 keys.

October 25th [4.25]: 3.70 appldr key released.

October 26th [4.25]: JuanNadie releases a tutorial on how to dump the bootldr.

October 27th [4.25]: lv1 dump released.

2013
June 28th [4.46]: Abkarino releases Lv1ldr crypto keys.

June 28th [4.46]: Rogero and Swizzy release PS3 Flash Tool v1.00.

October 3rd [4.50]: Mysis releases XMB in-game screenshot feature.

October 4th [4.50]: Cobra Team release the source code for their Cobra USB dongle.

October 31st [4.50]: Flatz releases EID Root Key Dumper.

December 27th [4.53]: Mysis relelases a plugin to allow the playing of background music while in-game.

2014
February 6th [4.55]: Firmware update 4.55 was released, and blocked all ODEs from functioning without the Swap Disk method.

2016
November 6th [4.81]: Russian hackers from pspx.ru release method to run PS3 game backups on 4.70 OFW.

2017
August 7th [4.81]: Esc0rt3w releases PS3 WebKitSploit and PS3 Playground for 4.81 OFW.

November 21st [4.82]: PS3Xploit is released by Bguerville, esc0rtd3w, W, and habib, enabling all downgradeable consoles to install CFW without the need of a hardware flasher.

2018
January 24th [4.82]: PS3Xploit 2.0 is released, fixing bugs and freezing issues found in the initial release.

March 3rd [4.82]: PS3Xploit 3.0 demonstrated to run PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP game backups on all models. Backup resigner tool source code is released.

March 13th [4.82]: PS3Xploit 3.0, nicknamed “etHANol” or “HAN”, is released, bringing the ability to play PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP game backups on all models and to install PKG files from USB and IDPS dumping.

March 14th [4.82]: Habib releases PS3Xploit Resigner, a tool to convert PSX, PS2, and PSP games to work on a HAN-exploited console.

March 15th [4.82]: Pink1 and DeViL303 release PKG Linker, a tool to serve out PKG files from a PC to a HAN-exploited console.

March 18th [4.82]: Pink1 and DeViL303 release HAN Toolbox, an XMB mod that places easy to access tools on the XMB in a manner similar to CFW Settings.

March 23rd [4.82]: Xorloser reverse engineers the PS4’s WiFi and Bluetooth firmware.

March 25th [4.82]: The PS3Xploit team releases Cold Boot Installer for HAN.

March 27th [4.82]: The PS3Xploit team releases XMB Waves Installer for HAN.

March 28th [4.82]: The PS3Xploit team releases an Image Font Replacer, XML Replacer, and RCO Resource Replacer for HAN.

April 10th [4.82]: The PS3Xploit team releases a Debug Settings installer for HAN.

October 11th [4.83]: Official firmware 4.83 is released, breaking (at least temporarily) PS3Xploit and HAN.

2019
February 14th [4.84]: Official firmware 4.84 is released.

March 21st [4.84]: The PS3Xploit team releases a new type of firmware, Hybrid Firmware (HFW), to allow the exploitation of firmware 4.84 by restoring an old exploitable WebKit version to newer firmwares.

August 28th [4.85]: Official firmware 4.85 is released.

August 2nd [4.85]: Zecoxao announces that he obtained the Syscon firmware key.

2020
March 25th [4.85]: Bguerville releases PlayStation 3 Toolset, a new suite of tools built upon a new exploit compatible with 4.82 to 4.86 OFW/HFW/CFW.

May 13th [4.85]: The rumored N64 emulator proof of concept Mupen64 port by emukid surfaces 9 years after first being announced.

May 31st [4.86]: Official firmware 4.86 is released.

May 31st [4.87]: Official firmware 4.87 is released.

December 23rd [4.87]: Zecoxao releases Project PS3 Decompilation which is a collection of ghidra decompilation modules to easily decompile any standard PS3 files.

2021
March 29th [4.87]: Sony announces that the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita stores would be closing on July 2nd, 2021.

April 19th [4.87]: Sony backtracks on their previous statement and announces that the PS3 and PS Vita stores would remain operational and that only the PSP store would be shut down on July 2nd, 2021.

June 1st [4.88]: Official firmware 4.88 is released.