Hmmm... this sure is weird. Have you visited Belzar's domain lately? If you have, then you probably also found it odd to see the site is down, and "may be for sale by its owner". Don't believe me? Just check out this screencap I took just a few minutes ago in the full article.

To call this week "PS3 Week" is no exaggeration. The PS3 Slim, a US$ 100 price cut across the board, a new firmware, another Home update -- they may not have all been surprises, but Sony had a lot of announcements at GamesCom for the PlayStation faithful. devs didn't fall behind, either. PS3 headliners such as Gran Turismo 5 and God of War III also got on the frontpage with some beefy updates this week, leaving us with a rather lengthy PS3 Weekend Warrior.

Now we've seen our share of fake PS3 news before and this one looks too good to be true. According to a post from Belzar.com, they are now on the verge of releasing the worlds first full-fledged direct boot modchip for the PS3 that is packed full of useful features including multi-region DVD and blu-ray movie playback.

Here's a bit of a progress report for PlayStation 3 owners out there. Another dev team has found a way to downgrade your Sony PS3's firmware to an earlier version. You'll be needing a console with an Infectus modchip - and you don't need previous dumps. Check out the full article for more info.

QJ.NET Forums member kompas has pointed us towards an experimental PS2 homebrew loader for the Sony PlayStation 3 developed by PS2 homebrew developer Hermes.

The app is called PSXLoader. It's still very much in the preliminary stages of development and can only be used to run Hermes' Guitarfun and PS2Reality Mediaplayer homebrew apps. The developer is already working on a new GUI, though, so we can probably expect more features in the coming days.

To run PSXLoader, you'll need PS3 firmware 1.90 and version 3.6 of the Swap Magic PS2 modchip. You'll also need a few files from the PS2 bios, but those haven't been included in the download for the usual law-based reasons.

You can check out the leeme.txt file for more info, but be warned that it's in Spanish. You can also click on the Visit link below to discuss this release on the QJ.NET Forums.

Download: PSXLoader
Visit: QJ.NET PS3 Hacks, Exploits and Homebrew Forums thread

Two new InFeCtuS programs have been released recently - the new InFeCtuS Programmer and the InFeCtuS Tool. For those who are unaware, InFeCtuS is a modchip that is supposedly the ultimate next-gen solution, as it can be used for all three next gen consoles. So having said that, here's a changelog for the new Programmer, which is InFeCtuS Programmer v0.0.3.4.D

• Fixed a problem in wizard. Hid the commands write/erase when xbox flash is selected.
• Fixed a problem in memory size for SST-39SF020A. Fixed Flash ID Detector (caused problems on wizard and first connection).
• Changed gui interface. If the flash isn't recognized all the commands are hidden.
• Added Double Nand Flash controller. Fixed a delay on HY27US08281A reading.
• Updated the reseller list. Flash Support for: SAMSUNG K9F1208U0B XBOX 360 DEV - NOT TESTED.
• Compatibility fix for NAND Flash and Double NAND Flash
• NAND Flash and Double NAND Flash controller ( PS3 )

As for the new InFeCtuS Tool, InFeCtuS Tool 1.1 says that the new version should be more user friendly.

Again, we have to note that using InFeCtuS, you can downgrade your PS3's firmware. We're not quite sure what that implies, but we're pretty sure that all you developers will be able to figure something out. Now that the latest InFeCtuS software is out, the tinkering should be easier for all of you.

We'll leave you with a two things before we go. First is a little observation posted by an Administrator at the InFeCtuS forums, and next, a download link for the new InFeCtuS software. Enjoy folks!

Admin says: "After some tests, we can confirm that the firmwares are specific and unique for each console, and it's not possible to use a firmware from a PS3 console to another one."

Download: InFeCtuS Programmer v0.0.3.4.D and InFeCtuS Tool 1.1

Now this blogger isn't exactly technically knowledgeable enough to figure out the significance of being able to downgrade one's PlayStation 3, but all you code-smart homebrew folks might be.

QJ Forums member mhorpheox, writes in the QJ Forums that there's been some progress with the InFeCtuS Modchip (the one that's intended to be a modchip for all consoles). To be specific, mhorpheox claims that the modchip is the first that allows the for the PS3 to be downgraded.

You can head to an English language tutorial on how to do that via the video or our "read" link below. Word of caution first, a lot of Flashing is involved so be sure to follow instructions on the InFeCtuS tutorial carefully. To discuss the merits of this chip feel free to head to the QJ Forum Thread via our link below.

Will this lead to the inevitable? Time will tell.

Discuss: Downgrade the PS3 with the InFecTus modchip

A group called InFeCtuS (yes the alternating caps is part of their identity) has announced that they are planning to release a modchip on the market that has support for Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, and Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

For the X360, the chip is said to allow access to the Xbox 360 flash driver, so that (their claim) you can read and write the internal flash of any X360 DVD reader in the market. It also promises FLASH ID realtime patching, Globe Modchip 360 emulation, and NME 1.2 firmware emulation. For the PS3, InFeCtuS promises that the chip will allow users to flash directly to the PS3 BIOS by USB. Here are their words:

The first work to be done is to allow our users to flash directly the PS3 BIOS by USB. So no more problem with firmwares, you can install everything you want, when you want. All the complications due to firmware versions that cannot be downgraded will not bother you anymore.

This solution will be released in the next 4 weeks!

Another new feature that we want to add is a REAL TIME patching of the firmware part that you want to be emulated from the chip. Being the 512Kb flash not enough to store a real dual firmware, we'll have to wait for the first hacked firmware to understand if a "realtime" patching will be possible. In case we won't be able to find more ideas, a new version of Infectus with a memory expansion bay will be released.

For the Wii they promise that the chip should be able to do Wiikey and Wiifree emulation, which means that you'll be allowed to play what you want on your Wii. As for the PS2, they promise complete O2 modchip emulation.

For more info on their potential product, feel free to head to their site via our read link below.

In an effort to comply with Australia's obligation under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, a legislation was proposed to prohibit the use of devices and services that circumvent Technological Protection Measures or TPM. When the new law by the Australian Federal Government takes effect, users of mod-chipped videogame consoles could face fines of up to AU$6600. The distributors of said devices in turn could face fines of up to AU$65,500 and/or up to five years of jail time.

The law covers "distribution, offering, provision and communication" and it no longer has to be "in the course of trade."

The short of that very legalised paragraph is this: when the law takes effect on the first of January 2007, all mod-chipped devices would be deemed illegal. Even journalists and bloggers could possibly face fines and jail time for writing about mod-chips or other methods of breaking copy protection systems.

Word of the legislation came for law firm Minter Ellison and a draft of the legislation was released for public comment earlier this week. A sharp user at CNET has inquired about what happens to users of devices that were already modded while they were legal? Are the citizens required to dispose of the devices? Are those users exempt? Does the law only apply to "newly-modded" chips?

Officially, there are exemptions to the law. The lucky ones are those who use mod chipped devices for computer security testing, law enforcement, and libraries. For the rest of the imported dvd game/movie using, homebrew loving Aussie folk, really sorry mates, you'd have to say good-bye to those modchips come the new year.

We'll do our best to keep you updated about the situation.