hopefully but I am still waiting for a patch that will allow me to play my ps2 games on my ps3....STUPID Sony

oh man i really hope so...the problem is i got a 60GB B/C PS3...and if the PS4 dont got B/C i got to use the PS3 for my PS1/2 and 3 games...and i dont know if it will survive it...i mean i read so much about how the old PS3s died and i got an old thats over 3 years in use...i dont wanna lose all my PSN games and save datas...

sounds to me like the PS4 will need to move beyond mere emulation and instead host an entire virtual PS3 to stop something like this...with a virtual machine, any PS3 signed software could run on the PS4 and the virtual PS3 could be utterly oblivious to the presence of the host PS4.

that would even solve a few issues like PSN and trophy sync etc...

any custom code could run quite happily though, but only on the virtual PS3 until the host PS4 is hacked too, but it wouldn't be through cracked PS3 software...

wouldn't take too much hardware wise to run either - provided the architecture is an upgrade of the PS3 and not entirely different i.e. no cell - especially if the PS4 can only run the vPS3 and nothing else at the time. a few small midllewares translating the vPS3 hardware calls to the host and all should be hunkey-dory.

in theory at least lol

If Sony have any sense the PS4 will be based on PS3 architecture, i.e. faster Cell, more memory, faster Blu-Ray etc and if so, there should be no logical reason for the PS4 not to be backwards compatible. I'm sure the Sony programmers are smart enough to have the PS4 drop into Virtual PS3 mode when a PS3 disc is inserted to stop any security exploits.

I've been thinking about this as well. But since it would seem they only obtained the main key... If they don't get access to the actual key used for games but choose to just override the system, then I don't think it should be that big of a problem actually. Since the game key would still be secure.

Probably yes. It's not like don't making it compatible will stop piracy in the much cheaper PS3 by then. And, well, Sony should have learned some lessons by now.

By the way, I recall that last gen you had to install mod chips. In the current one, only software suffice. Probably the PS4 itself will be pirated by blowing on his drive before inserting the game or something, so people will forgot about exploits for pirated PS3 games on it.

No, they actually have Sony's private keys for the PS3. They were able to get ahold of them because Sony were noobs with security, they got them through the public keys on the PS3. Theoretically if someone say had the Halo source code they could recompile it for the PS3 and sign it so that the PS3 would run it as if it was a native PS3 game. They have nearly the same if not the same priveledges as Sony does now with the PS3.

Hmm. It was my understanding they only obtained the overall-all access key and not the region specific ones... Hence enabling them to do everything without knowing the ones used specifically for games. If you are correct though, then backwards compatibility would indeed proove a problem.

They have all the keys, every single one which matters anyway. Backwards compatibility could present issues as the hackers could try to gain access to PS4 hardware through any emulation of the PS3. The easiest way forwards is if Sony issues a second set of keys from now onwards but limits backwards compatibility for current PS3 games and relies on cheaper games on demand if people want to play older games.

Hackers = Neo on the Matrix after he got all wierdly super powered.

It seems reasonable to assume the next Playstation will be backwards compatable. but i really dont think Sony will do it.....

because the amount of money they can make by reselling PS1 & PS2 software on the PSN store, i'm sure it will play PS3 games, but as for PS2, i think things like God of War HD render bc obsolete, because the PS2 versions are inferior, and because its more expensive to add bc, when they could make these games available exclusively for the PSN store, and make loads of money.

so from a buisness standpoint i dont see it happening because they lost billions with the PS3, and PSN is still losing money, so imo they wont put them self in a vunerable position like that again and they will make inroads into recouping those losses anyway they can imho.