The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system will be released on April 1, 2010 (JST), and will disable the “Install Other OS” feature that was available on the PS3 systems prior to the current slimmer models, launched in September 2009. This feature enabled users to install an operating system, but due to security concerns, Sony Computer Entertainment will remove the functionality through the 3.21 system software update.
In addition, disabling the “Other OS” feature will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system.
Consumers and organizations that currently use the “Other OS” feature can choose not to upgrade their PS3 systems, although the following features will no longer be available;
- Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
- Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.21 or later
- Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
- Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.21 or later
For those PS3 users who are currently using the “Other OS” feature but choose to install the system software update, to avoid data loss they first need to back-up any data stored within the hard drive partition used by the “Other OS,” as they will not be able to access that data following the update.
Additional information about PS3 firmware updates, including v3.21 (once it becomes available), can be found here:
http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps3/index.htm
PS3 owners who have further questions should contact Consumer Services:
http://us.playstation.com/support/ask/
800-345-7669 (800-345-SONY)
Good move IMO. It wasn’t really needed and no one could take full advantage of it.
I know this is going to outrage all the people who aren’t abusing the other OS feature, but this will prevent piracy and hacking. That Geo Hotz guy is probably crying, lol.
I just wish we had an OS update that added some cool new features… all the recent updates (well, it’s been a LOOONG time since we even had a single update) has been so lame, adding hardly anything new and if there was something new it was something no one was asking for. I don’t think people would be as upset about this if sony were doing more ADDING instead of SUBTRACTING from the PS3 experience.
Does anyone in there adult years play Playstation Home??..why don’t they just get rid of that feature and give us something we want..I understand about the chip and alll…but it would be nice if there was some way to play our PS2 games on the PS3…But for $50.00, you could basically just pick up a PS2 anyway (just more cords and such)
In addition,”Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat” thats the kicker right there. Man, so many people are gullible. lol. Nice one Sony!
THIS IS MADNESS!!! HACKERS UNITE!!!
CHANGE ROUTE, THERE MUST BE A WAY AROUND!
THE WORLD’S FIRST iPHONE HACKER AND CURRENTLY THE FIRST PS3 HACKER GEOHOT WILL LEAD US INTO THE LIGHT!
im getting [DELETED] tire of ya sony instead of taking away things why dont ya give us things like cross game chat??? and delete this i dont give a [DELETED]. i just want you guys to know that ya will never be better then the 360 because ya [DELETED] FAIL [DELETED]. 600 dollar rip off.
im sure its april fools.
i feel bad for them(sony) if not.
…..the next update better make PS3 Backwards Compatible, in fact, i would pay for an update like that! But instead of a new update with new features, your taking something away….=/
i feel sorry for the people who use ps3’s as clusters and may want to play games
ugh stupid update just to counterattack geohot’s hack which if it gets further would be able to get rid of the disable and likely still be able to go online away if it gets that far..
That’s more like a downgrade.
Mosh_pit is correct…this is a downgrade.
Sony Computer Entertainment vs GeoHot (PS3 hacker)
Who will prevail? >:O
this better be an april fools joke…
Thats a april fools joke don’t get mad over a joke lol
This is ridiculous! What’s next, cutting out my PURCHASED HARDWARE’s ability to play PS2 games!?
whats next? they takin away ability to send messages, cos ppl MAY send hatemail and stuff…
this just isnt how the world works. WTF! i smell lawsuits
I’d wager this feature is easily used on less than 3-5% of ALL of those that can. Why are you punishing your early adopters? Moreover: why are you antagonizing linux users? They are determined to get linux running on anything. Robbing them of their install is going to set the proverbial dogs on you.
Why in the heck would you do this so late in the system’s life? Especially after things like this:
http://thezerogameproject.com/
Are just getting off the ground, and making the application of Linux for our classic games really appealing.
After the hub bub with partnering with Yellow Dog a few years back, what about people who bought YDL based on this feature?
For people like me who gave up 10gb of their 300+gb hard drive, performing a backup and restore to get that 10gb back it going to be infuriating.
I really don’t know what I’m going to do. Hell, maybe I should just hold out and not update. With all the angry linux users and coders out there now having a REASON to want to hack the PS3, I wouldn’t be surprised if I could bypass the update in due time. But either way, I don’t want to make this choice.
So some of you would rather not upgrade so hackers can turn the console into complete shyt great logic everyone
Hope this is an April Fools joke, because giving a firmware update that’s sole purpose is to REMOVE a feature and not even making up for it with something else is both crappy and lame. Wasn’t it enough to make the slim incapable of this? Now you have to take it away from other users? Normally I like what Sony does, but this has crappy written all over it. Guess you won’t be selling systems to scientists and such for supercomputers anymore either, will you? Boo, Sony…
Bad move sony, look at the ratings for this blog post.
We don’t like it. This is a anti-choice, anti-consumer decision that is not supported by your customers.
Sony. Due to this move I fear that I will no longer be able to in good conscience support the playstation brand or any other Sony products. Nor will I recommend the purchase of any Sony products to any friends or colleagues. By removing this feature you are removing a key feature that swayed my purchasing decision to your platform. You have also lost any trust or faith in your products and company knowing that at any time you can disable or make less useful what I, the consumer has paid full price for. I do hope that others whom are as outraged by this as I am speak up. I also believe that modifying a product after purchase, especially when the modification removes a feature that was actively advertised as well as in use by the consumer is a breach of contract. I will be contacting both the NCLC and the NACA to see if t here is any legal recourse that can be taken.
This is a downgrade! I demand compensation! :(
if you hit the links youl find out that it is a april fools joke
has to be an april fools joke..
Awesome! Great to hear! Hopefully not an April Fool’s joke. :p
so how much did this feature cost when i bought my ps3, cos i want that money back!
Sony does not seem to be driven by the “user Experience”, I think that took a back seat to a lot of other issues they have been having. They can’t keep biting the hand that feeds them. We are the consumers. I will most likely buy both Microsoft and Sony next gen (like I did this time around) but still, I thought my primary machine would be a Sony..
As Dylan said ….”Times are a changin” (yes, I’m old).
*giggles*
So now, the difference between my fat and slim is that, my console is heavier now?
I don’t like this update, but i’ll have to install it any way…
released on April 1? isn’t that April Fool’s day
Doble post: Wait a sec… a bad update in april’s fool?
Mmmmh now i hope it’s a joke.
This probably isn’t a joke, based on the level of detail of the post and also the fact that geohot had gained access to the hypervisor in the PS3 via the otherOS.
It’s really unfortunate since the linux OS on the PS3 has a lot of useful applications in research settings requiring mass computing.
(example: http://gravity.phy.umassd.edu/ps3.html)
Don’t know if I’m more annoyed at Sony (for doing this) or Geohot (for gaining level 0 access to the hypervisor) though…
From my perspective, Sony is clearly *able* to remove features from its products, but it’s a terrible PR move.
On the other hand, hackers like Geohot shouldn’t be flaunting these hacks (at the very least it would be a nice courtesy to let sony know ahead of time so they can formulate a patch that lets people keep the otherOS setting while not allowing people to “hack” the console any further).
So I think in this situation both SONY and Geohot have committed grievous errors and should both be blamed severely (albeit for slightly different reasons as discussed above)
Sweet! :D
I was really hoping for 3D support… :(
oh well, I don’t use it anyway so I don’t care about it.
Sorry to intrude BUT,
I’m telling you all these people posting right now and complaining don’t use or won’t use the feature anyways.
You didn’t lose anything except now your trying to be cool on the internet.
This was obviously implemented to stop hacking and is the right move by a company running a business that needs to stop piracy.
How long till 3.30 Firmware that will remove BC from the earlier ps3 models? You marketed the Ps3 as an alternative to a PC and now you are going to take away a feature and not put one in its place? Bait and switch sony, now you are becoming as bad as Microsoft.
Come on people. Think before you all make yourself look foolish.
Aren’t you supposed to be adding features not taking them away? Plus, you don’t even mention what this “update” will be adding. It seems like a downgrade to me. I talked my parents into buying their own PS3 because I told them it was basically a computer since you could put Ubuntu(Linux) on it. Now it’s just a gaming system that plays BluRays and browses the web.. Not quite what I was expecting from Sony. It’s fine that the slim models don’t have it but removing it from old models for “security” is bullsh!t and Sony knows it. Thanks for nothing. Listen to the community for once here, 1 box blog post.
I am EXTREMELY upset. I USE this feature on my system… Screw geohot, and you know what Sony? I have backed you guys around every bad decision you guys make. But I am done with that. You are going to kill a feature I use because some little hacker kid tore apart his PS3 and is dumping the memory. We can’t even do this without opening the unit and soldering things… Are you guys really that worried that a handful of people may EVENTUALLY may hack the OLD PS3s that are NO LONGER BEING PRODUCED????? Well, now if you’re making me choose between playing with my friends online or losing my Linux that I work on, I choose to keep my Linux, and I guess I will be watching the pirate scene to see if anything comes up that will maybe make my $400 purchase justified… I am IRATE with Sony right now….
Maybe the April Fools joke is they are GIVING all ps3 support for other OS?
The reason I don’t think it’s real is because why would they go from 3.15 to 3.21?? If they were just removing a feature, it would probably be 3.16 or 3.2 (if they followed their psp paterns)
This is absolutely stupid. I’ve been doing my graduate work on the CBE. Due to this development, I will no longer be able to buy PS3 and PSN games until I graduate. Thanks Sony.
Sorry to say this but are some of you guys blind!? Its obviously an April Fools joke, look at the first feature thats supposedly going to be removed.
– Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
Removing the ability to Sign-in to Playstation Network? No longer the ability to use all the features that require it? Obviously theres something wrong with that! Furthermore its release date is April 1! Heeelllooo people!!! Its definitely an April Fools prank.
Do they celebrate April Fool’s day in Japan? I don’t get how this could be funny, if it really is a joke. Not that I use the feature, but still, odd announcement.
Gotta love how the least used feature of the PS3 brings out a sudden overflow of people who never used it but act like they do on a daily basis.
Honestly, it’s not a huge deal. It’s a small item of contention for an extremely extremely extremely small number of PS3 owners, but that’s it. For the good of everyone, though, which means protecting their investment even, it has to be removed.
i don’t use Linux(like 99% of the userbase) so it’s easy for me to support this move. The backlash is worth it if it means the ps3 stays hack-free
@#$%*^% wow man i really really hope this is a sick and disturbing joke and even still its not funny. i have the 80gig model that supports this and was the second reason why i bought this. this move is something characteristic of microsoft I HATE MICROSOFT please sony dont become microsoft. i thought SCE was about the people. i have YDl and fedora installed on my Ps3 and i use this feature almost everyday. i am building my own programs and writing stories that this update will destroy. i sear to every thing holy that if this is real im done with sony.
WHAT THE [DELETED] SONY! WAY TO [DELETED][DELETED][DELETED] OF THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY USE OTHEROS FOR REGULAR USE. NOT EVERYONE IS A [DELETED] HACKER YOU DUMB [DELETED]. I BOUGHT A PS3 JUST FOR THIS [DELETED] FEATURE AND NOW YOU TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME? I FEEL LIKE CHOPPING THE [DELETED] OF OFF WHOEVER’S IDEA IT WAS AND SHOVING IT DOWN HIS THROAT. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU TOOK IT OUT OF THE SLIM PS3 BUT NOW YOU HAD TO REMOVE IT FROM THE FAT PS3? CAN’T YOU PATCH ANY SECURITY HOLE? AT LEAST LET THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T UPDATE ACCESS TO PLAYSTATION NETWORK! HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE PISSED AT YOU. YOU REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO BUY AN X-BOX INSTEAD HUH SONY? CUZ UR DOING A [DELETED] GREAT JOB AT IT. YOU GUYS ARE SO [DELETED] STUPID.
PLAYSTATION: IT ONLY DOES NOTHING
Well I do not see a press release from Sony yet on their site…so I will wait and see,,