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)
lol I don’t think we have access to that folder :P
Señores de Sony si es una broma ,les felicito por su humor negro,pero si es en serio sepan que se estan equivocando, no se puede vender un producto y luego quitarle funcionalidades por que tienen miedo a la pirateria.
Bajen los precios de los juegos y creen actualizaciones que añadan funcionalidad y atractivo a PS3.
people didnt you hear ad-slogan “ITS a Sony”?
its a sony= didnt you noticed that they always were doing in such a manner,
they just think that they can remove whatever they want without even asking anyone.
I can imagine how people feel now who bought ps3 for 800$.
expensive system has now no functions at all.
But that is normal because it is sony with old fashioned way of managing business
This is a [DELETED] move Sony. Real [DELETED] move.
No big loss for me, didnt use it in the first place. TBH I didnt even know it existed. For those who do use it, this must be a punch in the gut.
To elaborate further: Stop becoming Microsoft. Stop pulling Microsoft moves. Why are you trying to be like Microsoft? This is ridiculous, being able to install Linux is a huge selling point. You should be ADDING features, not taking them away like Microsoft. But I guess if you guys want to be like Microsoft, then you’re doing a fine job.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
so far-
95% of us hate that Sony is removing yet ANOTHER feature of the PS3…
4% never really heard of the feature
1% is a sad troll named TRIKkey
@2196
you truly are sick. LOL!
Bought my PS3 on day #1. Few games, but I was a loyal Sony fan and I liked all the features.
After 2.5 years my PS3 got the YLOD. Had it repaired, can happen with a new console, a loyal Sony fan knows this.
Then I couldn’t access the PSN for a whole day like millions of other PS3 owners. Thin apologies, no compensation. Things like this can happen, says a loyal Sony fan.
Then a feature is removed which I, a loyal Sony fan, paid $600 for. I who always defended the PS3 even if they removed features such as PS2 BC, SACD, card reader or usb ports from their later models.
A loyal Sony fan. Not anymore. When the PS4 is released I will do the waiting game and start with a Xbox4. Sony seems to have forgotten who got the PS3 where it is now.
I have 3.15 firmware and why I can’t log in to PSN. Now, I can’t play my MAG!
and I used Ubuntu on my ps3. Also wanted very soon try OpenSuSe,Fedora,Mandriva. OS is really making ps3 like computer,like you can do a lot of things which is so great,like to use internet-browser which is better than the one ps3 owns.
And now I am really pissed off and screwed up, dont know what to do,cause thats not an update,but blackmailing(if not update-no online,if update-no my lovely Linux)-very hard choice.
May be better to wait and GEohot will release CFW with which i will do two goals(psn and Linux)? probably the best choice.
blog.share
search other os
vote to keep the feature
OtherOS has to stay even as an app! It is unethical to remove a feuture we paid for completely, just patch it or make it app-like! Or at least compensate us with fat ps3’s(and slim users) for this by giving us PS2 software emulation(PSN&DVD)!
Btw that is not an update, it is a downgrade of quality! Good work Sony!
LOL – it’s funny how so many say they paid $600 for this feature…..no you didn’t. People forked over 6 bills for a state of the art online gaming system, as well as, a next generation media player (BD). If anyone bought a PS3 solely for the fact you could install Linux (at launch it was the only O/S people could install), you my friend are a silly person.
this really sucks sony make a very [DELETED] update on my birthday what a crock of [DELETED]
W T F…. is the lowest rank we can give post blog posts 1.62? Push that ish lower!
I filed a complaint with the FTC over this and I suggest others who are affected by the loss of an *advertised feature* do the same. https:// www. ftccomplaintassistant. gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en
There are truth in advertising laws and I would love to see the legality of a terms of service contract and the meaning of “mandatory update” tested in court. Verizon removed advertised features from a phone (they crippled bluetooth) and they got sued. They lost.
11. MAINTENANCE AND UPGRADES
From time to time, it may become necessary for SCEA to provide certain content or services to you to ensure that PSN, content or services offered through PSN, your PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system or other SCEA-authorized hardware is functioning properly in accordance with SCEA guidelines. Some content or services may be provided automatically without notice when you sign into PSN. Such content or service may include automatic updates or upgrades which may change your current operating system, cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities. Such upgrades or updates may be provided for system software for your PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, or other SCEA-authorized hardware. Access or use to any system software is subject to terms and conditions of a separate end user license agreement found at http://www.us.playstation.com/termsofuse.
You authorize SCEA to provide such content and services and agree that SCEA shall not be liable for any damages arising from provision of such content or services or maintenance services. It is recommended that you regularly back up any data located on the hard disk that is of a type that can be backed up.
Tried the FTC thing, it won’t process after question 2 for me, Oh well, it probably won’t help. Only Geohot can help us now.
Sure, Sony removed PS2 BC, SADC, memory card slots, 2 USB ports. The thing is, they didn’t force the removal on people that already owned them.
Now they are removing something that people bought. Everybody who uses the Other OS feature, well, Sony are taking it away just like that. Now that sux. More than that. It’s completely disheartening.
Of course, all this assumes that it isn’t a big April’s Fool prank. But somehow that doesn’t seem like Sony’s style. They’ve been way too serious in the past to make big jokes. Nope, it looks like they’re going to do it. And I have never been more disappointed to own a PS3.
I bought a game system to play games…can I still do that…yes
0 problem.
@2213
That’s right. I authorized SCEA to *provide* content and services, not *remove* them. Do you have a link to the full text?
see my name sony take letters 2-3-4 and 1!
and shove this ps3 up your u know what on wed night.
im going to go buy an xbox, they’re coming out with a blu-ray player for it so ur ps3 can suck it
ufuknut – so your going to buy a machine that has to pay sony for every blu ray sold? way to not support a company haha.
does sony make all the blu rays? no u idiot
Sony, you FAILED
no they ufuknut they own the rights to blu ray, so if you make a blu ray player, you have to go through sony.
This has got to be a Aprils fool joke. look at all the rage! lol at the guy with the class action lawsuit xD
Technically, the Blu-ray Disc Association owns the blu-ray spec. Sony is one of 20 members. http:/ /en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association
oh well, i’ll just move over to something else. i paid for something, and now im getting less… not gonna happen.
it only does everything… like what, games, movies, music, photos and web? my phone does all that too…
WOW I’ve never seen so many comments on one Blog Entry before. Boy Sony you have really riled up your customers this time. I too have an original 60GB PS3 which I paid $500 for and I haven’t yet used Linux on it but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to in the Future.
I have to agree with most that have posted here that removing this feature is the wrong move. I don’t like hearing about updates that remove functionality rather then give it. It’s ridiculous.
All I know is if you remove this their better be something BIG & I MEAN BIG that were getting in this or the next update. If you do give us cross game chat you better not go charging for it because we all know you have been holding out on us with that feature for quite sometime. If Cross Game chat came out and was Completely Free, I could see forgetting about Linux. Even though I wanted to know what I could even do in Linux I know that Cross Game Chat is much more useful to me then Linux.
So Again to Reiterate, If you are going to take something BIG like Linux out you better be ready to replace it with something BIG like CROSS GAME CHAT. Which should be Free!!
@TwoIncheS
Backing up might actually work if the PS3 would recognize an NTFS file system! My backups ALWAYS fail because I can’t get my backup to under 4GB. I guess I shouldn’t have bought soo much or have soo many save files. Thanks for quoting that useless TOS to us like were stupid and don’t understand that Zony is in fact only interested in $$$ and itself and has no issues throwing us under the bus like trash.
Hell just look at the support we get from them! The system after all these years still runs like garbage.
Why can’t I backup induvidual save files?
Why can’t I go on the net in a acceptable fashion with the PS3?
Why can’t I play a game with out it freezing on me every other time?
Why are all the promised features taking soo long to be implemented?
Why did I REALLY get 2 bricked PS3’s?
WTF is wrong with you people?
Why do you sux soo much for the last few years!?!?
@2226 – format your external drive to fat32 using a free third party utility….you can have as much space as you need…
@Moon_Spot
I seriously doubt you have tried running a backup of your system. If you had, then you would know that the backups are split in to several files so the 4GB limit doesn’t apply. Sony asking customers to backup their data was in regards to data they may have on their Linux installation. Linux does recognize NTFS.
1st. Haven’t you improved the worst Web Browser ever made?. I think you don’t.
2nd. Great!. Deactivate “Install Other OS” is a goal for hackers. They had beaten you and won. Really disappointing.
Haven´t Sony PS3 better programmers to improve PS3 software against hackers. Why should we suffer your incompetence. We have paid for all PS3 features, even Install Other OS option. Can you tell me where I can find my refund option to back you my PS3.
April 1st: The timing for this update couldn’t have been better.
Perfect on Fool’s day.
I was initially excited! Now I’m scared of the word “update” (courtesy: Sony)
Moon_spot
why do you still use it then?
having the internet on the ps3 is a bonus and I use it if im to lazy to leave the tv and not go to my pc.
I dont really get the game freezing thing, thats mostly umm the games fault.
you can backup save files. not all save files but most save files.
why is running linux that big of a deal? so the cell is awesome. go buy a cheap 40gb ps3 if using linux is really the only thing keeping on the ps3.
and if using linux is the only joy the machine is giving you, then your not losing anything because you have the option to keep it. so you wont have to worry about the ps3 freezing games or backing up save files anymore. so really if your this misserable with life then just dont upgrade keep linux and grow to like life more and not be cranky.
@ Smokey, YES THEY DID PAY FOR IT! It was an included feature so yes they paid for it along with everything else! People paid a premium just have their machine turn into a Slim. Meaning they spent double(or if they paid $800, even more) just to end up with a Slim down the line. That’s BS!
The ONLY redeeming thing about this is that the people who still have the very first models that had EVERYTHING are still with a better machine than the Slim. But those who have the same 2 USB ports and no PS2 BC, no card slot, etc. congrats you downgrade to a Slim, but paid $100 or more. GRRRR!
Sony is showing that they are very willing to call each and every one of you a thief. They are more than happy to remove features that you paid for, whether you use it or not. The fact that only devoted fans actually know that this feature is going away is a little scary. It would be as if you owned a car that featured OnStar, and while you didn’t plan on wrecking, the feature just became useless overnight.
You, as a consumer, paid for a product that had features. What if you were a college student that was using that Other OS feature in place of a desktop computer? What if you used TurboTax to file your taxes and saved your documentation on the PS3’s hard drive? You turn on the PS3, download a pretty standard firmware “upgrade”, and it’s all gone?
This is just false advertising. As of April 1, you no longer have the product you paid for. It doesn’t matter if anyone is using the feature or not. It is a feature that is in the manual as part of the product. If Apple decided that for some reason they would simply disable your Mac’s DVD-drive, we would be furious. If Samsung decided that all internet capable TV’s would have their analog inputs disabled, we would rightfully freak out.
pair this with the possible data loss, if your bank simply shut down your savings account that may have only contained $25, you’d be right there in line waiting to chew someone out.
This is also a case of Sony deliberately misleading the public on what their hardware will do at any given time, and the overall value of that product. When a month ago, Sony execs assured that the Other OS feature would not be removed, they made a public declaration of their product’s value. While ultimately, the consumer decides the value of any product, what Sony has done is the equivalent of market manipulation. They made a point to declare what the relative value of their product was and advertise that feature. To do what they are proposing to do is illegal in so many ways. People manipulate stocks in this way all the time, and this is how people end up in jail.
Whether you use it or not, the Other OS feature is no different from Blu-Ray playback. It’s a feature that adds value to a product. Suckering people into paying the full price tag, then rescinding the features that gave it value in the first place, is illegal. I encourage anyone here, whether you use Other OS or not, to file legal complaints.
@Arcticblue
yes I have with external & 16GB USB key still fails.
But just check and you are right about the files being spilt up, so I appoligize for my azzumption on that one. But it’s not like I checked all the failed backup attempts till you comment, so thX for that one. I’m still SOL tho. such short notice too jezz, WTH.
as for NTFS the zony OS doesn’t see ANY NTFS storage device I attach to it.
lawsuit!
So when will SONY start charging for PSN and Cross game voice chat….this is not a good sign into what will come…
Shame on you, Sony! I think we must sue you.
Is this an April fool’s joke?
‘The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system will be released on April 1’
If it is a joke it’s pretty insensitive, many people seem very distressed about it. I hope, if it is a joke, that Sony have the good grace and sufficient compassion to make the appropriate apologies.
@TwoIncheS
No offence but I am really not interested in “how” you choose to do things.
You are right about the net being a bonus on the PS3, a bonus for sony that is. So they can advertize directly to the people that bought these systems. I on the other hand paid for it as a whole it is nor was it a bonus.
Also, yes it is a big deal. Why the h3ll should I pay for another computer when I got these, and more to the point who are you to tell me to do so? just what are you trying to accomplish here talking down to people that are upset about getting screwed over? THAT is BS, seems more like your just instigating arguments IMO.
Gawd I hate this, no one from sony ever replys, all we ever get is crapped on by strangers. blogs, forums, e-mail just a waste of time.
@ Moon_Spot
Agreed
This is a bad move on so many levels. First it has the stink of the RIAA and MPAA all over it. I bet it’s more for protecting content from supposed pirates than over any security risk. Second and maybe worse, it has the whole tech community talking, again, and not in a good way! Why generate MORE bad press and hostility toward your most ardent supporters? The people using this feature are the ones who more than likely, support Sony the most. Lastly, you’re taking away a feature people PAID for! Not everyone, but those who did want and use this option, let me say it again, PAID for it!! Even if its only to make future updates for the Slim and the old Phats easier, its still a bone headed move.
all im saying if you bought a 600$ ps3 to run linux on, thats the bottom of the barrel minority. Why do our home consoles need to be pc’s? I have 2 awesome pc’s fully capable of being..a pc. I bought a GAME system with some neat extra features for a game console.
if linux is that important to you you dont have to update and you can still play offline games. so really this short time period is up to you when you update no one is rushing you its not mandatory its not saying well regardless of if your connected to the internet or not on apr 1st its gone. no its your decision when to change it.