Game sharing feature

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uspual
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Game sharing feature

Post by uspual »

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20407
To use Game Sharing in Namco Museum, the player with the game selects the transmit function from the game's menu, while the other player selects Game Sharing on the main menu of the PSP (it's the icon with two PSPs and arrows between them indicating sharing.) Once the systems recognize each other, a short download starts where the game-less player is sent the playable selection -- after that is complete, the gamer can go ahead and play without even having a UMD game in the system.

For the Namco Museum feature, all seven classic arcade games are uploaded in one big package -- Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Galaxian, Rally-X, New Rally-X, and Dig Dug -- and players can choose and play any one of them from a simple menu without having to download anything more. The cool new Remix modes are unfortunately not available for Game Sharing, there is curiously no use of the Game Sharing for multiplayer gaming, and the seven arcade classics are stored to RAM instead of to Memory Stick -- once the PSP is shut down or sent to the Home menu or another game is played, the sampler download is erased.
It's proven that booting from MS is possible. However, I guess the bootable file in MS must be encrypted. (AES?)
Now, it seems that PSP can download image to RAM directly and, run it.
Possible cases :
1) the image is not encrypted.
2) the image is encrypted, and client PSP decodes the stream before storing into RAM.
3) the image is encrypted, and client PSP decodes it run-time.

I think 3) is not likely because, the case leads several issues hard to handle. (ex : every memcpy operation needs decryption. OS must keep encrypted memory blocks isolated from decrypted. blah blah ...)

Though I think 2) may be the case, I guess 1) still have high possibility because, I'd heard that SCE library does not provide AES related operations to developers.

So, if we could intercept and find out what game sharing packets contain, we may find the way to upload custom program into PSP.

PS. Some unofficial comments from official PSP developers : SCE has plan to include web browser to OS but, it may be able to access only official sites. ( mp3 downloading? ) SCE seems that they don't want to allow high-quallity movies on MS. (resolution restriction of MP4 is intentional) SCE never allows 3rd party developers to store any executables into MS.
ooPo
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Post by ooPo »

While its good to have this confirmed, you can start work on it now.

The 'fake' firmware update already downloads to the memory stick whereupon it can be executed. It can be found under the 'game' menu in the PSP browser. On the memory stick, it can be found in the /PSP/GAME/UPDATE directory.

The file itself is called EBOOT.PBP. We've done some work towards understanding this file and the files it contains. You can read this at:

http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=929

http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=931

Feel free to join in, any help is appreciated. :)
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uspual
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Post by uspual »

ooPo wrote:While its good to have this confirmed, you can start work on it now.

The 'fake' firmware update already downloads to the memory stick whereupon it can be executed. It can be found under the 'game' menu in the PSP browser. On the memory stick, it can be found in the /PSP/GAME/UPDATE directory.
Yeah, i've read whole thread about PBP and PSAR. But, it seems not easy to decypher .PSP file or PSAR archived data.
I hope analysis on game sharing could give us further insight.
At least, we may get another .PSP file to see. ;)
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Post by ooPo »

Yeah, I'd love to get my hands on any other files. :)
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mc
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Post by mc »

Yes. Even if the game sharing uses the same file format (which is rather likely), having more samples would aid comaparative analysis (since there would actually be something to compare to :).

Game sharing always happens in ad-hoc mode, right? Is there a way to snoop such traffic with a standard access point (I have a TOPCOM something)? Provided I can find someone else with a PSP to do game sharing with...
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lordeldor
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Post by lordeldor »

Well, as far as I know if you can just get any old wireless sniffer on site when you do your game share you ought to be able to sniff the traffic ad-hoc or infrastructure. This is an issue I have spent much time on, and the hardware is allways a BIG factor. If your using a laptop I would highly suggest a cisco aironet card. (The main factor with the hardware is the support of monitor mode, which allows your network card to recieve transmissions without being associated with an access point. However to the best of my knowledge you cannot use an access point as it will not enter "monitor" mode. To find a good program for this you would likely be hard pressed for anything that wasn't god awfull expensive. Having said that I suggest WildPackets Airopeek NX. (Realy pricy stuff, and their trial version is extremely limited....) If you can get it it is likely your best ticket to capture, and save the packets involved in the transsfer. (If you use *nix you may find luck in monitor mode with a normal sniffer like ethereal, but I have never tested this.
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mc
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Post by mc »

The only WiFi equipment I have, apart from the PSP itself, is the TOPCOM access point. I don't have any laptops.
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Post by ooPo »

I have an ibook with an airport card running ethereal under linux.

It'll capture your mom if she was wearing a tcp header.

The PSP puts up less of a fight.
lordeldor
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Post by lordeldor »

Its funny you mention it but my moms tcp header was hacked this morning....but no seriously, I am glad to know that ethereal is capable of picking up monitor mode signals....This makes things much cheaper ;)




Just started reading all of your posts on the psp threads, extremely interesting stuff keep up the good work, oh and oopo hope you enjoy the psp when you get it back.
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Post by ooPo »

Yeah, maybe someday I'll see it again... *sighs longingly*
senas8
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Post by senas8 »

Don't feel so bad Oopo your psp isn't the only one that lost it's mind...Im afraid mine went bannanas too. Mine won't come back to me, im afraid.
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