WWWipeout

PSP web browsing via Wipeout!

The recently released PSP game Wipeout Pure is capable of downloading extra content from the internet. No downloads are currently available, but some clever folk decided to packet-sniff Wipeout's wireless transmission to determine where the PSP was looking for updates. They then set about fooling the PSP into accessing a different web page, spoofing the location of the actual Wipeout download site.

They found that through a PC-based DNS hack, Wipeout Pure can be tricked into accessing different locations, such as this custom-made web portal to spring-board out to the web. Surprisingly, it appears that Wipeout Pure (or perhaps the PSP’s own firmware) contains a functional web-browser. Despite the lack of a cursor, the D-pad can be used for navigation, and the X button works just like a mouse click. Upon entering a text box, the PSP pops up its built-in “mobile-phone” keyboard interface to allow input. Javascript is supported, though many HTML features (like frames) are not.


Thanks to this simple piece of PC trickery, wireless web-browsing on PSP is a reality already. So now the question is how long until Sony offers an official web-browsing solution?

More details and pictures here and here.