So far, there have been two events that show that PS Vita hacks are right around the corner. Mamosuke is a celebrated member of the custom PSP community in Japan, and he recently developed a method of utilizing the PSP emulator to his advantage. Likewise, a fan found what could be a sort of debug mode that seems equipped with a sort of test pattern. At least, the screen could be interpreted as such. It displayed dolphins, a pearl and an oyster from various angles. If this is a debug mode, it might be the key to an impressive PSV mod. However, it might also mean that a development unit somehow got into the wild. If that’s the case, Sony will probably try to reacquire the system, but it is simply too early to tell what they’re going to do at the moment.

Mamosuke’s PS Vita hack relies on the PSP emulation mode, but it might mean that certain types of homebrew games could be enjoyed on the new hardware. Regardless of what happens with these two particular events, the mere fact that the hardware is now on the market in Japan means that PS Vita hacks are on the horizon. Once the system goes live on the world scale, there is no telling just what sort of PSV mod software people will come up with. As with anything else, once the hardware is successfully hacked, developers are only limited by their skill and creativity.

That doesn’t mean that every PS Vita hack will come in the form of a homebrew game, however. There were a number of other PSP applications that were homemade and each of the good ones seemed to enjoy a level of relative popularity. The PSPaint! series of applications is an excellent example of productivity software for the platform. The CrazyPaint project also shows that there is a good reason to consider the PSP a tool for artists. For those who aren’t artistically inclined, a simple paint program is a great way to take notes when one doesn’t have access to another type of mobile device. Since many gamers carry around their handheld unit with them, this can be used to turn a PSP into a reusable piece of paper.

For those who feel closed off by the XMD interface, PSP saw the introduction of a file management suite entitled PSP Filer. It basically turned the PSP into a handheld computer system that could actually be manipulated. Serious users probably had a copy of AFKIM installed as well. This instant messaging suite was quite feature packed for a piece of pocket software. Emulators are naturally quite popular, and while gpSP might be famous, the ability of DosBox PSP to give gamers the ability to play PC games on their handheld was really quite impressive.

Emulators are a good place to start speculation, since people like to bring older games along with them wherever they go. There is something to be said for older games, and considering that a PSP emulation mode was exploited for one of the PS Vita hacks, it seems only natural that emulators would be among the first things developed for the platform. Of course, much of this is dependent on the way that Sony behaves. They had a tendency to crush many of the attempts to hack their hardware in the past, but this is totally understandable. Those who are not as noble can engage in acts of piracy, and Sony naturally wants to protect the community from this. Sadly, it might be seen as a case of the acts of a few nasty people ruining everyone else’s fun.

Many gamers are saying that a PSV hack will be impossible. For evidence they point to the latest firmware in use with the PlayStation 3 (PS3). The last PS3 firmware to be hacked was version 3.55. Every version since then has completely frustrated hackers attempts to jailbreak it.

This is a problem for those that have already hacked their PS3s. All the games released after version 3.55 run on the newer firmware, and they will not run with the older firmware. This means that owners who hacked their PS3s are unable to play any of the newer games.

That is a major headache, and it is one reason that many gamers are saying that nobody will hack the PSV. If they do manage a hack, then it may render the PSV unit obsolete. If a later version of PSV firmware becomes unhackable, then owners with hacked PSVs will not be able to play newer games.

Even if it is possible to hack the PSV, many gamers are hoping that no one will find a way to do it. This is due to what happened with the PSV’s predecessor, the PSP. The PSP was hacked from the moment of its release, and the developers were never able to release a version of firmware that could not be hacked.

Since every version of PSP firmware was hacked right away, this meant that anyone could download free games with their jailbroken PSP. This kept money out of the game developers’ pockets, as they sold many less copies of their games than they expected. This soon led to game developers not wasting their time developing PSP games, as there was no profit in it.

However, it seems unlikely that nobody will develop a PSV hack. If there is one thing that has been proven in the computer world over and over again, it is that hackers will always find a way to hack. No matter how unhackable developers claim their software is, hackers will find a way to jailbreak it.