Here are a few thoughts from wraggster, webmaster and news poster at http://www.dcemu.co.uk about the homebrew scene, tho i could not agree with most of it.
First off let me say that i am a 100% Homebrew Fan but at times even the best of us can see that things seem a little stale or stagnant.
Why do i think the Homebrew Scene has become stagnant?
Well firstly the ease to update our systems using firmware updates has made things very hard to near impossible unless you want to own 2 of each consoles. The PS3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox360 are too easily updated nowadays and that makes homebrew a lot harder to get a footing on these consoles. Nintendo even managed to stop people using the Wii for Gamecube Homebrew and Region Free Gamecube Games. Yes you can modchip your Console but if you want to play the latest games then you have to either buy a new console just for homebrew or sacrifice one or the other.
The handheld Market actually fairs much better, the DS, GBA and GP2X once you buy a Flash Card/Mem Card you are resonably safe. The PSP However suffers the same fate as the mainstream consoles in that firmware updates keep killing homebrew albeit not for long.
The Ipod/Iphone seem to be sufferng the firmware update issue too and that makes a homebrew scene very hazardous unless you want an expensive brick every time Apple update.
Sadly a fully legal Xbox scene seems to be one of those dreams that will never happen.
The Gamecube scene whilst small is picking up and theres rumours of a hardware addon that will turn the GC into a very powerful Homebrew console but is it too late in the day.
The Dreamcast community still produce a few gems a month thankfully.
If im being honest then the PSP Scene once an extremely redhot scene seems to have slowed a lot and most certainly become stagnant and mostly due to the Custom Firmwares and endless amounts of homebrew released for them that for me run the risk too easily of bricking your console.
The GP2X has also slowed a lot of late while people wait for the Craiginator the supposed PSP Beater, but we are nearing the end of October and no more concrete news on that console as of this newspost.
Im hoping that all the consoles that havent been fully cracked for homebrew get cracked soon and that on the handhelds we get back to real homebrew instead of countless releases that enhance a custom firmware.
Obviously this is just my personal view and no disrespect is meant at any coders as they work extremely hard to give us the tools to use on the consoles we own. But the recent stagnancy in the homebrew arena has caused me to ask the question in the title.
Am i right, am i wrong, do you agree that a certain scene needs to focus away from certain areas. Give your views via comments, are you bored of homebrew on the console or consoles you own ?