The PlayStation Portal sparked controversy since its announcement because Sony decided it would function by streaming data via a powered-on PS5 and an internet connection. The opportunity to compete again in the handheld gaming sector passed, but that didn't stop some experts from seeing potential for the hardware to do more. A couple of months ago, a hacker made headlines by finding a vulnerability, but he took it upon himself to help Sony fix it.
Google Engineer Hacks PlayStation Portal and then Assists Sony with the Solution
Andy Nguyen, an engineer and cloud vulnerability researcher at Google, revealed that the recent update received by the PlayStation Portal includes his work as he collaborated with Sony to cover a vulnerability that he and his team detected and exploited. If you didn't know, Andy Nguyen gained fame last February when he demonstrated that it was possible to hack the PlayStation Portal and managed to run PSP games via an emulator, a feat that ignited enthusiasm within the enthusiast community.
We responsibly reported the issues to PlayStation. Bugs are fixed on 2.06. https://t.co/0B38HRaaaw
— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) April 2, 2024
However, remaining true to his ethics, Andy Nguyen immediately informed Sony about the vulnerability he found in their handheld gaming device and explained the hacking process to the Japanese company so they would have all the necessary information to fix it. However, Sony didn't stop there and sought the engineer's support to address this issue in the PlayStation Portal, hence update 2.06 no longer allows hacking the device to install emulators and run games locally.
Although his actions were commendable, Andy Nguyen faced criticism from some users, to which he responded that this was the appropriate way to act in such situations in the professional sector where he works. He also assured that sooner or later Sony would have found the solution, covered the vulnerability, and the outcome would have been the same in this or another update.
According to Sony, the PlayStation Portal is only intended as a complementary experience to the PS5, so the company has no interest in providing it with applications or improvements that would allow users to have a different type of experience. This has led to a series of criticisms against the device, especially in an era where portable gaming hardware is on the rise.
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