By any measure, PlayStation Vita hacking is not a new development. Soon after the handheld’s launch PSP homebrew tools were up and running, but up until this point the exploits have always involved PSP code. If a new report is to be believed, all that may change soon and homebrew developers will be able to start creating games using native PS Vita code.
Developer Yifan Lu has started a new project called “Usermode Vita Loader” that is allegedly based on a new exploit found on the system. For obvious reasons, the exploit has not been publicly revealed. However, it does appear to be viable, and Yifan Lu has already used it to write a few lines of code.
A release date for UVLoader has not been set, because it is in the very early stages of development and does not yet work. With that said, Yifan Lu is looking for other developers to help with the project, so it likely won’t be long before the Vita is ready for its own homebrew.
Sadly, this also means that the Vita will more than likely have to deal with software piracy in the near future. Yifan Lu has plainly stated that it is “impossible to decrypt or load retail games” with the exploit, but the reality is that someone will take his work and do just that at some point.
We can only hope that when PS Vita software piracy does eventually get here it won’t turn into the same widespread problem that plagued the PSP.
