Just when we all thought it was never going to happen, here comes the PS Jailbreak. Some people call it the PS3 Jailbreak or a PS3 Modchip, but whatever the name, its one cool little accessory. It’s a small USB dongle, that tells the PS3 that it’s okay to install games on to your PS3 hard drive and then will also allow you to load them from there too, sands the disc.
It actually reminds me of the USB Mod chips that were out for the Play station 2 console. They too were very easy to install, just plugged into the USB port on the PS2 and did their magic.
The PS jailbreak appears to be a similar solution. A quick plug in of the USB dongle gets your Playstation3 ready. You’ll then need to use another USB Flash drive to install your homebrew games and applications such as the backup manager.
Many people didn’t think that a PS3 modchip was possible, as it’s been several years since the release of the PS3 console itself, and no modchip for the PS3 ever surfaced.
What really has me excited is that the installation, if I can even call it an installation, is so incredibly simple, that anyone can do it, without any technicals skills or soldering experience. Heck, you don’t even have to own a soldering iron..
Most mod chips for any other consoles, certainly first generation mod chips, always required installation by way of solder anywhere from 10 – 40 wires internally on to the main board of the game system. I was very surprised, but thankful, that you don’t need to do any soldering inside the Playstation 3 console at all. All you really need to do is be able to plug a USB dongle into a USB port, and you’re done.
Along with the USB Dongle, you also get the included backup manager software, and this piece of software is what does the work once the dongle is plugged in. After you’ve installed the dongle, you also have to install a piece of software called the Backup Manager, don’t worry – it’s included with the PS Jailbreak from what I can tell.
When you select and load the backup manager, all you have to do is insert any PS3 game disc, and the option to install the game will come up on screen. Once selected, you can see the progress bar as your game is being installed on the Playstation 3 hard drive.
The installation time varies based on the game you are installing, but so far, I have not had any game take more than 5 minutes to install.
And now the fun begins. After your game is installed just go back into the backup manager and pick the game you want to play. Load it up and you’re good to go. All you have to do now is press your X button on the controller and the game will load right up.
It’s faster to play games from the internal hard drive because there’s virtually no load times. I’m honestly finding that games load about 10 to 20 times faster from the hard drive, then the disc itself. Again, the biggest speed increase I noticed was when I would beat a level in a game. The next level came on almost instantly.
Whether you already have a PS3, or are planning to buy a PS3 sometime in the near future, make sure you get yourself the PS Jailbreak too – you won’t regret it. It allows you to game faster, but also protects your expensive game collection from scratches or damage that you would have during regular use.
