PS3 Firmware (v3.21) Update

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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)

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7,437 Comments

  • For all you people who THINK Sony have the right to do anything they want with the products they sell us.

    www. joystiq .com /2010/04/15/does-ps3-firmware-3-21-come-with-a-refund/

    No so clear cut is it?

  • The more intriguing option for those in the US is actually rooted in credit cards. Many credit cards provide fairly substantial warranties for products purchased with those cards. I can’t say I’ve reviewed every credit card warranty agreement in existence, but it’s possible that some may provide for a partial or full refund on PS3 purchases based on this change. You would have to review your cardholder benefits to see if this might apply to you.

  • Clearly, we have an interesting new problem where, in theory, a company could sell a product based on a key feature that it could then choose to disable; meaning the consumers have essentially bought something that doesn’t do what they want it to do.

  • www .joystiq .com/2010/04/16/uk-game-retailer-claims-7-500-souls-with-a-legal-agreement-prank/

    So I guess some of you think this would be legally binding as well, LMAO

  • Still trying to post.

  • Well done sony, im now a proud owner of a xbox360 elite and will no longer but purchasing future sony products.

  • @Zombieland-can
    well they didn’t add it to there new systems so you had to of known it was being removed.

    People did suspect this. Sony responded to these fears:

    “Please be assured that SCE is committed to continue the support for previously sold models that have the “Install Other OS” feature and that this feature will not be disabled in future firmware releases.”

  • Hey Sony, after my update for 3.21 FW, my PS3 leave to read GOW III Blu-Ray…….and my another games are read normally with before….
    And now, what i do!??!?

  • Has anyone thought to print a hard copy of this thread?…….Before they(Sony)decides it’s a threat?………144 pages,7K + mostly negative comments could be deemed as furthure damaging to their image, and they may decide to remove the thread.

    Just a thought.

  • Yes, I’ve done at some random times, since April, 05.
    And I’ve read some others who have done this too.

  • I am very sad about the way Sony Entertainment elect to treat their customers.

    Earlier I have always recommended the PS3 to my friends. I was believing Sony to be a bit less evil than other companies since they after all allowed me to install 3rd party operating systems on my console. But after this move I will not recommend a PS3 to anyone, more likely I will advice people not to buy one (or any other Sony product for that matter).

    As a matter of fact I was looking forward to buying a new TV once the 3D stuff get more common place, probably a Sony. But after this I will definitely avoid purchasing anything Sony again.

    I have not updated to 3.21 yet, preventing me from playing online which sucks. Voluntary update yeah right!

    The only reason I have not yet tried to get a refund or some other form of compensation is that I do not want to force the innocent retailer to pay for Sony’s actions. If it turns out Sony will have to cover the costs, I’ll be first in line for a refund!

  • its sucks that i will need to use a custom firmware =(
    i sad!

  • Dear Sony,

    It is a shame that the “Other OS” option was removed, I am using my PS3 for gaming and multimedia purpouses, and beside of this also as a linux desktop. It is not fast and furious, but it works and gets the basic things done. The options presented in the upgrade are not real options…… Lose “Other OS” option, or do not play online anymore. This is simply not acceptable.

    One of the reasons i bought this device was that because of its features.

    My question, the US Military bought a bunch of PS3 systems…for clustering purpouses, it was in the IT newspaper I read. will they also lose the abillity to run linux on the PS3?……..

    I aslo own an Xbox360, multiplayer online with cross game chat is really nice and works like a charm, why o why does sony not focus on this to improve….

    Just my 2 cents….

    Hope “Other OS” will return soon.

    Bye,
    Tag.

  • Sony should release their own supported Linux distribution based on Ubuntu if they don’t want more flak. This would be an elegant way out of supporting generic OtherOS feature.

  • @fredc97,

    Great idea! very creative!

  • Sony should release their own supported Linux distribution based on Ubuntu if they don’t want more flak. This would be an elegant way out of supporting generic OtherOS feature.
    ——————————————————————————————————–

    Yelloow Dog Linux was practically that.

  • … Registering my disappointment at the removal of the other os feature. I use my PS3 as a linux box and although it may be not be the fastest it provides PS3 owners with thousands of applications to run on the console. I’ll choose to sacrifice PSN and buying new games for a long, long time.

  • So, I emailed Customer Service, with several volleys back and forth, indicating my complaints. All responses are canned, copy-paste versions of the same thing:

    “We apologize for any inconvenience you are having with the change of the Other OS feature on the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system. We value your input and appreciate your feedback. Please rest assured that we will convey your feedback to Sony Computer Entertainment America’s (“SCEA”) appropriate management. Please be aware that SCEA is not offering refunds for the change of this feature. The PS3 can still be used for Linux or another operating system, but you will not have all of the features of the PS3 available to you if you choose to keep another operating system installed.”

    Despite my best arguments, the same response (even though it didn’t address my questions).

    Oh well, time to contact the B.B.B., (like everyone else should), as well as keeping an eye out for the C.A.L. bandwagon to jump on.

  • I wonder if Sony reads this Blog and what they think……. even more interesting is what Sony will do with all this pushback…

    Time has proven that locking up the system makes it much more attractive to hackers… to my knowledge VMS is the only operating system that is 99.9% hacker proof, I cannot imagine that the OS of the PS3 comes close to VMS so eventually it will surrender.

    Dear Sony, please turn “Other OS” back on………..

  • Just filed a complaint with the BBB, requesting a partial refund based on false advertisement / removal of functionality. Probably will go no where, but Sony has to respond within 10 days. The amount of time/money they will spend refuting these claims will probably not be insignificant, however.

  • @orange

    same thing with me but with one change, they ban my other psn accounts from this blog.

    HAIL TO THE NEW SEGA!!!

  • wow what a relief when sony “offers” in such a friendly manner to still let us have access to online features like online play if n when you update …thanxx for giving me a choice *_* it shows that all the patronage$$$$$$ that Ive given you is still paying of

  • You guys are r i g h t about one thing, S o n y responds to m o n e y. U just have to s t o p buying games and not re com mend P S 3 or S o n y products to friends. Can you imagine if S o n y dis ab led a fea ture on my friend’s in ter net connected TV? My tech rep would be so r u i n e d!

  • Bought original 60gb PS3 years ago, the otheros feature was better than the xbox360 and better hardware, been through 4 x 360 broken consoles, I still had a trusty PS3 running linux and playing games (though TBH more games), multipurpose! Teen of the house plays COD & me and missus played RE5 together while I could still do a bit of cell programming. Everyone was happy. I bought a PS3 slim for her birthday so could play RE5 & COD together (That’s 2 lots of games), The slim didn’t have the otheros feature, but it didn’t matter for her. Everyone even happier. I have stuck with Sony. With the exclusive GTA4&COD downloads on xbox360 (which upset the teen) we stuck with it and resisted the temptation of xbox360. Now my missus has updated my firmware without my knowledge and linux is gone, the only person unhappy is me, and I paid the money.

  • And I’m sat here thinking, why not an xbox360? Be better off *and* get all the latest downloads? ‘Home’ is a waste of money! IPlayer cool & I PS3 network os free! (even though it is better as a result) I have no interest in hacking you Sony, but yet you have shafted me Sony, thank you. I have bought from you PS1, PS2, 32″ TV & surround sound. Your console has turned into an expensive xbox360 with a blu-ray player. And to be honest, buying all the old movies on new format for more money does not appeal as I’ve already bought the rights to watch it once. I could do without it. The cell processor interests me, and that’s it. As a console, choose between MS and Sony? Now, no difference, except price!

  • @ zzzNATzzz

    that’s a sad story.. i didn’t use otheros but i liked having the option of maybe using it one day.. id be pissed if i had all my hard work taken away

  • htt p://www .mcvuk.com/news/38565/Sony-rules-out-OtherOS-refunds
    proof that sony does not care about their customers

  • Wow, they are getting much more verbose defending thier position in these responses, must be they are starting to get a bit concerned.

  • come on ppl remmember ps1 and ps2 only played games and cd/dvd why is everyone whinning this gen

  • “The decision by Amazon to give a consumer a partial refund is clearly between Amazon and the consumer, but we do not expect the decision to have a legal basis and we have no plans to compensate retailers.”
    —————————————————————————————————

    Guess if there were quite a few people getting a refund at Amazon’s expense Amazon may not be too keen to stock Sony products in the future.

  • @zombie_56

    because we have (had) more options this gen

  • Hello there Playstation Network users I would like to stop this spaming rumor about Playstation Network users have to pay for playing online,please help me stop the rumor spaming

  • Can I not say anything on here anymore?

    7203

  • Wow, that actually made it through. Let’s try this again.

    Sony refuses to sanction PS3 refunds ht tp: / /is. gd/b w5EV

    I really dislike that Sony has placed so many filters on this thread. I had to cut a bunch of what I was trying to say out just to get it through!

  • Sony doesn’t care about anyone here. I filed my complaint with the BBB and they were supposed to respond within ten days. It has been 16 days, and still no response. The BBB had to resend the request.

    And their claim that their is no mention in the manual about installing another OS is a flat out lie. I have the manual in front of me and walks you through step by step how to install another OS.

    This company disgusts me and I have woken up every day with regret for ever supporting them. Sony is bad for the gaming world. I hope your next system tanks even harder than the PS 2.5 did this generation.

  • Well they removed my last comments…But here is the truth…I have purchased over $150 in online games and add-ons. I changed out my hard drive 2 days ago and now all of the purchased content does not work… I have to update and login for it to fix itself.. Now here is the problem… I do my college work in open office under linux on my ps3. So I cannot update or use any of the content that I paid for……So I called customer service…they basically said get bent in so many words. So food for thought….Is this someone that I would do business with…..Forget it… I’m Done

  • Oh yeah…forgot that they removed Backwards Compatibility about a month before I bought mine…But I didn’t find out till a few weeks later…I knew I should have taken it back then…..

  • While I’m here, I might as well say this:

    I believe that if a class action lawsuit does happen, and I’m sure it will, Sony will lose. There is quite a bit of evidence against them. They themselves even said that they were never going to re mo ve OtherOS, and yet they did. Also, they advertised the function, and advertised the PS3 as a computer, and not just a gaming console. Those three things will hurt their case ALOT. now as long as they aren’t able to bribe someone important, I think they will lose…badly.

    7205

  • No one is going to win anything from a class action lawsuit. (For those that don’t know, if you were a Comcast subscriber when they were throttling bit torrent they lost that class action lawsuit, and you are entitled to a $16 credit.) Sony has big pockets, and the U.S. government is bought and persuaded by large corporations every day. Our government has been for the people, by the people for a long time. Sony will just buy their way out of this, I’m sure most people here couldn’t afford to go through with this. Justice has become extremely expensive in the Divided Police States of America.

  • @ DEADMANWALKING01

    two of my accounts are banned from posting on this thread, so dont be surprised

    some of u might remember my original name Fo X_Hound_2.ooX

  • Sony I’m freaking angry with this move!

    I paid so much money for the PS3, it was expensive because of the O.S.
    Now it was taken away, what about my money????
    you are not giving us anything back?

    I’m really really angry with this move man!
    I know the reason why it was done.
    But at least give us an update on what we fans want!
    Cross game chat, ps2 emulator, party system etc.
    you gave us nothing.

    I hope you get sued for this, because this is Fraud!

  • Ok.. now this company is really pissing me off. I just finished typing in along rant and it deleted it after it said I went over the 1250 character limit. Thanks for the warning!

    I’m Officially done with this ‘Company’. I’ve had two PS2 units (1 Fat, 1 Thin) and now I decided to stay loyal and get the PS3. Nice to see that Loyalty gets you a kick in the nuts.

    I loved the fact you could use the versatility of the 80G model and have linux loaded on it to play around and use it as another PC, albeit very slow but workable.

    I’m not supporting this company by purchasing another $70.00 Game. For now on I’ll be getting them from the used bins for 5-10 bux. PS4? No thanks! I’m going back to PC Gaming where I should have stayed!!!!

    I don’t care why it was done as it was the wrong way to ‘fix’ it. Worried about people trying to break into your house? Don’t put locks on the doors or alarms, remove all doors and windows. Thats what Sony would do if they sold houses!

  • Now my worry is what happens to the 10G partition of my 80G hard drive? Do I just loose it? Or are you wanting me to just reformat my drive and have to use one of the 5 downloads for the games that I’ve purchased online? ( another GREAT feature ).

    Other features you can think about removing since not everyone uses: Online Movie Rentals (Not available in Canada), PS2 Emulation on the older PS3s (Not everyone has purchased PS2 games in the past), Free Online Play on the PSN (Not everyone likes to play online).

    The above removals would make your PS3 system Top Notch!!!

    What a short memory this company has. These posts remind me of the Girl complaining of the GOW3 game whereas the Sony Complaint Dept isn’t listening. I was very interested in GOW3 but no longer. Back to PC Gaming!

  • @wontbesilenced
    Sony has lost plenty of class action suits in the past. Google “sony settles”.

    @i_am_the_Dude — Yes, unless you reformat… and then you’ll lose copy-protected saves from certain games that can’t be backed up, if you own them.

  • @i_am_the_Dude — P.S. – If you Deactivate your downloaded games in your account settings, first, you shouldn’t lose a download I think.

  • And still, not a single response from their end. GR8

  • i say to wait on the man, if everybody updates then sony would have the last laugh, if we wait we would be able to do everything and play everything and we would be the ones with the last laugh, i laugh at you sony, your lose will come soon and we will see it on the news.

  • ohh and another things is that i veryfy that whats coming not only works on the older ps3’s but also on the new ones, as i say i laugh at you sony, and block my acount from posting on here i have more i can make

  • when i see a million post ill still be laughing because sony doesn’t care. ha ha ha

  • Seriously Sony . . . where is your response ? ? ?
    I have purchased 4 ( that’s right 4) ps3s – my own and for my nieces and nephews – numerous games and tons of online content. i’m a very busy person and i dont get to see my brother’s and sister’s kids as often as i would like. at least before i could play lbp or something else with them online or message them. i can’t do that anymore. i have also bought them games for their psps. unfortunately i have to continue to buy games for the kids . . . so guess what – maybe you win, but as busy as i am i will make the time and put in the effort to fight you, to stand up for my rights. i will not buy another gaming system as i dont think there is anything better than the ps3 (even if does less now) – what you’ve done is cruel and immoral. like i said before you show no initiative nor creativity to fix the problem the proper way and you show no loyalty to your loyal customers. you’ve gone silent now like this is some kind of psychological study. seriously, man up and give us your side of the story. . . at least you owe us that much.

    most comments on this thread are from people that care – dont you ?

    thanks.

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