PSGroove and Teensy++ Review.

If you are not already aware, an exploit for the PS3 has been released for public consumption.  It is based on a reverse engineering of the PSjailbreak that was announced prior to this.  PSGroove, unlike PSjailbreak, is an open source project.  The project can be found here.  It is designed to run on ATMEL based USB development boards.  Two of the more popular boards are the teensy and teensy++.  A great source for these is PJRC.  Myself, due to better specs, purchased a teensy++.  (There is no evidence that the added storage/memory will ever be needed for this project.)

Teensy++:
The most striking thing about the teensy++ is how teensy it really is.  At 2.0 by 0.7 inches, it is smaller than a stick of gum.  The procedure for flashing PSGroove to the teensy++ was incredibly simple.  After finding the appropriate .hex file, a button push and a few mouse clicks later the process was done.  Upgrades are just as simple.  At a price of $24 it makes for a very low priced option for those wanting to exploit their PS3.

PSGroove:
At the moment there are few different revisions of PSGroove.  As this is an open source project, expect many more to come.  For the most part they all function the same and for the purpose of this review an overall generalization will do.  The main function of PSGroove is to allow the installation and execution of unsigned packages (homebrew) on the PS3.  While PS3 homebrew is in its infancy, even it this short amount of time numerous projects have come about.  Among those are a Backup Manager, FTP server, and SNES emulator.  All these projects work well with PSGroove, as designed.

It would be impossible to review PSGroove without a quick review of the Backup Manager.  Backup Manager is by no means a feature rich piece of homebrew.  It does, however, perform well.  Currently compatibility is high, over 90%.  A growing compatibility list can be found here.  While it could be argued that there are no legitimate reasons for using the Backup Manager, it is very possible that using the Backup Manager could extend the life of the Blu-Ray drive in the PS3.  For those with original consoles with Backwards Compatibility, potentially keeping these original consoles working as long a possible is important.  Getting a replacement for these is next to impossible.  On the other hand, the ability to backup games they do not own will, unfortunately, appeal to a large group of people.

Other Thoughts:
For the price, a Teensy/Teensy++ with PSGroove is a worthy investment.  It does, however, come with other costs.  It currently can only be used on firmware 3.41.  If your firmware is higher than this, you are out of luck.  This means, at least for the short term, you will have to sacrifice online play and future features.  Ultimately, it is up to each user to decide if the pros outweigh the cons.

While this is a brief overview, for those who would like more information please spend some time on the psx-scene forum.