PlayStation 3 Firmware Update Now Live

I'm a software developer and, although my PS3 isn't my primary development machine, I do use my PS3 for development. This was a key feature when I was buying my system, the result of having Sony remove this feature is I will not by anymore products made by Sony. The PS3 is the only console to have had functionality consistently taken out of the machine.

I personally didn't use Linux on my PS3, but I can see why people would be annoyed. I'm sure that companies these days just wish to take away the best things about their creations. Oh well.

@Vanderhoth
will i be able to sign in on playstation network if i do this update and what is 'OS'

The new slim PS3 doesn't even have this feature anyway, so why is everyone crying about it. We all know this is going to be the backdoor to piracy so you can't blame them for trying to prevent it. If anyones to blame look at Geohot or whatever he's called.

A Corporation does not sell a product with capabilities advertised and then a year later the feature will be taken away by terror of consumer threat that you can not go online psn network until you choose between update your system or linux capability. If hackers were the main concern why in the first place was this console sold with the other OS capability in the first place. This rieks like a class action law suit which they most likely will loose. I'm sure there legal department is already prepared.

I don't care if this feature is usefull or not. You sell a product blu-ray player and then suddenly you can not play blu-ray but only regular dvd's because blu-ray can be hacked and dvd not unless you upgrade the firmware but you will loose capabilities to listen to music cd's. Does this reasoning makes any sense? You can reason you don't care about listening music on a blu-ray player so why was the product advertised then this way the first place and you asked big bucks for this feature $699. Still makes sense to you?

The linux on the PS3 was slow as hell so I don't see why people are feeling bad about this.

It was hardly big "advertised" feature, 99% of owners probably didn't even know it existed. Sony did it to try and save on tax, which was removed from future revisions of the PS3. You can all pretend it's some "civil rights" big issue that you've somehow been wronged and are outraged how your human rights have been compromised, but we all know it's a piracy prevention measure.

Unfortunately for those who care, a corporation can and does have the right to modify functions and features of its products - such clauses are usually expressed in the form of a EULA that most consumers never actually read.


Lack of foresight I guess. I'm not entirely sure enough people care to form a class action lawsuit though, but I could be wrong. It is the 1st of April after all.

Using firefox and openoffice and learning Linux/Unix is the only reason I purchased a Fat PS3. How can sony justify removing a feature you paid good money for? That has to be illegal surely. Unless they are planning on sending a fat refund through the post, to buy a laptop with!

Whatever :)

You bought a PS3 to use Firefox, Openoffice and learning Linux on?...mmm Ok. You do realise you could of got a more powerful, more versatile PC for less money do you?

And? its more convenient to run Linux on the PS3 than it on a PC, because a PC is for main use and because most applications run on Windows these days, it saves alot of time and effort than messing around with Linux all day with something you use for every day use, but with it being on the PS3, you don't have to worry about making it your own personal PC because it doesn't need to be, its just to learn and play around. Sorry if i didn't make alot of sense with this, but you should understand the concept right?

I'm still not updating, i refuse to, i love my Linux ability soo much i would like to marry it! lol.

Hi Vanderboth

Fancy writing us something in more depth about the issue of development and this 'update'?

Cheers

Tim at spong.com

I never used it nor was I going to so really I've lost nothing, If I was ever to decide to learn Linux I'd just do some kind of dual boot or something

Yes you will be able to sign in if you apply the update. "OS" means 'Operating System' - in this case the Linux operating system.

regards

Tim

I find it funny that sony is teh only company that as its product life continues, it removes more and more fatures from them? usually as they age they add more to them but sony is doing the opposite. My friend got rid of his because the linux support was going and he is now on 360, i migh do the same as he was my main playing buddy :) honestly sony listen to the people, its they who buy your products you retards !!!

Well, I bought my PS3 to get the most from it. So I decided to use this capability. I really do think that this is unfair. People will complain about their money, other, about the fact that they can't use their PS3 like a computer with 1080p screen resolution, 5.1 audio, etc... anymore.
I personnaly do like the idea to be free and use something as you want, I have been seduced, really. NOW THEY are taking all back. I HOPE this is just a joke from Sony...
Regards,
A really dessapointed customer...

my 60gb ps3 is updated
my 40gb is not but i am thinking of sellling it as it only sits in a arcade cabinet for use with soul caliber and street fighter iv and mame running on linux and i will just put a pc in it for my mame

I waiting and hoping this was some bad April fools joke... guess not.

I had a bad experience with Sony, I had bought a CD burner several years ago that was packaged as a model that had all the features that I was looking for. I got it home, unboxed it and to my surprise what I had was not what was advertised; the device was originally the model that was on the box, but Sony had done the old bait-and-switch and swapped model numbers. With the PS3, and its capabilities, I thought I'd give Sony another chance... one of the reasons I bought a first gen machine was because I had the option to install Linux and develop on a big endian platform and on the cell processor. To take away a feature that has VERY little to do with hacking or reverse engineering or what have you is, I'm sorry to say just like the Sony I remember. We bought the features and the device as advertised, and now Sony is removing the hypervisor to protect the consumers for fear of piracy... just pure BS (more so since the hardware requires modification too). Sony, you want to discontinue features in a new line of your product, that is your choice; no one could say word one about it because the feature list is right there for everyone to see. Changing your tune and dropping support of a long-standing feature that was a selling point is just plain evil in every sense. Further a real hacker will find another way of doing what they want, because that is what they do... its about getting into the nitty gritty and making the device do more; the only thing Sony has done with this is isolate and annoy a section of its consumer base... 'grats.ir

Sorry to burst the Linux bubble over here but you guys do realise that the "Other OS" option wasn't in the PS3 at the start right? It was realised on a later firmware, thats how Sony can get away with a lawsuit. So anyone who says they brought the PS3 at launch because of the "Other OS" Feature is speaking crap because it wasn't there until a few months later.