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)
Yeah umm big mistake Sony can’t there be other ways to prevent whatever security reasons you are trying to prevent you shouldn’t be removing features from playstation 3 you should be adding them and as you can see many of us are very very angry at your decision to remove the feature I sugget finding another way if possible
@Autofury
HOW?! :O
@4134 I know exactly what you mean lol i’m going to try it now and see if it still works ;)
@Autofury14
how?!?!
Wow, I’m amazed that Sony is being so arrogant as to just go full speed ahead with this update without any further explanation (what happens to OtherOS partitions? Does it nuke the HD? etc).
Nice slap in the face to your most hardcore and tech savvy fans, Sony– you’d think the Senior Director of Corporate Communications would understand that. The very people who “got” why the PS3 launched at $600 and could understand how much potential had, just got smacked down because Sony’s corporate arrogance and paranoia made them figure it’d be easier to turn off a feature than fix it.
Hmmmm, so…. you can still be on PSN without an update? My sister is playing inFAMOUS on one PS3 and my little brother has been playing LBP on the other for a few hours now online. What’s with this now? I’m confused.
They may not make the update FULLY required for a few days, they’ve done that sometimes– not force you to upgrade the day a FW comes out, but it usually becomes required within a week.
Can’t log into the PSN unless I update. This is going to get ugly!
I can’t connect to PSN, and I still have money on my account. Give me back my money.
Its on like Donkey Kong now Sony.
Thanks for the update.
Ill send everything to the lawyers tomorrow for the Class Action.
It’s required for me. I am unable to log into PSN! Thanks Sony, for once again ruining a good thing. How about you worry about bugs like the ApocalyPS3 instead of taking features away.
Class Action Lawsuit anyone? Put my name on it!
ok here go they did do it and it says its gonna delete the menus for other os. if you are using other os and do update then they tell you to back up data used by other os and the playstation 3 system software to storage media
Won’t let me do anything PSN related – Store, friends, trophies, even some GAMES won’t work.
Any update if this actually does remove the feature? I’m not updating until I find out.
If they really do remove a feature, I believe they owe the older PS3 owners something in return – maybe a free game(or two), and free premium online service when it comes out.
WARNING WARNING: it seems that SONY has changed the User Agreement in this update. Read about the SERVICES AND UPDATES and you will see something about LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITIES.
Can someone confirm if this was there in older updates?
@ MrCrAzyFAcE
In the US, there’s still more time before 12am April 1. You can probably keep playing until then. Maybe it’s by region?
Does it say to backup the PS3 stuff as well? As if it’s going to reformat the HD to remove the OtherOS entirely, and not just disable it?
@Techie, I’m on the East Coast and I cannot go online. I guess some people got lucky?
The “loss of functionalities” has been there since the beginning.
The issue is all the legalese in the world can’t take away your statutory rights. Sony could say they’d come to your house and take your PS3 if you violate the terms of service– that doesn’t make it legal if they try, and would void the entire contract if they were found to be breaking state or federal law.
So the update adds NOTHING IN RETURN???? That’s no update but truly a downgrade.
SO THEY DID GO THROUGH WITH IT FEEL SORRY FOR THEM……. WAIT NOT REALLY THEY CAUSED IT UPON THEMSELFS. AND AS FAR AS THEM BLOWING THE 360 AND WII OUT OF THE WATER THIS YEAR….NOT GONNA HAPPION. NOW THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE AT LEAST GIVE US AN UPDATE WITH SOMETHING WE CAN USE ANYTHING POSSITIVE WOULD BE NICE
Any new functionality to replace the lost stuff though?
I’m thinking my little brother is only on LBP online for as long as he remains online. When he shuts off the PS3 or logs out, there’s no going back. It’s just that he can’t be kicked off from PSN I guess. :/
The bypass does not work unfortunately. In the update it tells you about OtherOS being removed and they even ask you twice if you want to update lol
F’it. I’ll grab a fatty from a friend that doesn’t even play his PS3 anymore friday.
Hopefully Sony gets bitten in the ass on this one. Hackers/Enthusiasts are now out in full force. Bye bye Sony.
Let’s spread the word: DO NOT UPDATE!!!!!! I am twitting it right now!!
@Techie, No, that’s where you’re wrong. It adds this new ability to connect to PSN, a feature that the older version currently lacks. DISGRACEFUL!!
That’s unbelievable, Sony. It seems you really did it.
IT DIDNT EVEN GIVE ME THE SPACE THAT IT TOOK UP (OTHER OS) IT LEFT ME WITH 34GIG THAT IS SOME BULL F****** $HI+
EVERYBODY ON TWITTER NOW:
#ps3fail #donotupdate #sonyfail
AT LEAST GIVE ME THE HDD SPACE. DAMNIT
Why was it so essential to bring out the DOWNGRADE (that’s what we should all refer to it as) now, instead of waiting and including it with and actual UPDATE? Seems like they are paranoid.
You’ve got to be fu**ing kidding me! There’s nothing new in this update! At all! OtherOS has been removed and that’s it! No 3D options, no new menus, NOTHING!
We’ve waited months for this s**t!? I’m glad Patrick Seybold’s number is all over Facebook now!
This post is the last thing my PS3’s YDL ever did.
Good buy homebrew community, I will miss you.
:(
You guys have put out some disappointing (as in we were waiting for a feature but didn’t get it that time) updates, but this makes me disappointed in the playstation brand as a whole.
Hackers will find a way around this, and those who want the feature for it’s intended purpose will be the only ones harmed. Are you really that concerned that no one will buy your games? You might lose what, a million dollars?
I thought the playstation brand was going to get better. I’m now sorry I foolishly assumed that.
Sony needs to suffer a huge boycott.
Yeah they said you have to reformat your drive to get the space back.
I’m really hating Sony right now, worst move they could have possibly made ever.
I really hope geohot f***s you up now, I really hope your piece of S*** system gets pirated up the a$$…
DONT KNOW ABOUT THOSE WHO DID DOWN DATE BUT MY PS3 IS ACTING LIKE ITS HAVING A HEART ATTACK
That’s an interesting take on it, 3894:
Let me post that again, in less broken English (I studied French a long while back, so..)
“The Hen with Eggs of Gold”
L’avarice perd tout en voulant tout gagner.
Je ne veux, pour le témoigner,
Que celui dont la Poule, à ce que dit la Fable,
Pondait tous les jours un oeuf d’or.
Il crut que dans son corps elle avait un trésor.
Il la tua, l’ouvrit, et la trouva semblable
A celles dont les oeufs ne lui rapportaient rien,
S’étant lui-même ôté le plus beau de son bien.
Belle leçon pour les gens chiches :
Pendant ces derniers temps, combien en a-t-on vus
Qui du soir au matin sont pauvres devenus
Pour vouloir trop tôt être riches ?
[A greedy person] loses everything in wanting to gain everything.
I do not want to testify
To [the tale in] which the Hen, of whom this fable tells,
Laid a golden egg everyday.
He believed that in her body was a treasure,
He killed her, cut her open, and found her the same
as the eggs that brought him nothing,
for he removed the best of his goods.
A good lesson for greedy folk:
In these end times, how many have we seen
become poor morning or night
wanting to be rich too soon?
I refuse to download this update, simply because of “What do I get out of it??” Nothing, so why would I waste my download quota. I can go without online access until this fail is resolved.
I take it people with the slim PS3 will STILL have to do this bullcrap update even though our PS3’s don’t have the ‘Other OS’ thing?
If so, it’s total crap. Then again, I hate when Sony comes out with these firmware updates, since they never usually add anything good anyway.
Backwards compatability for those of us who didn’t wanna pay the gouged price of $500-600 for a launch PS3. THAT would be useful. The ability to put off updating that wouldn’t keep us off of PSN until we update. THAT would be useful. The ability to pick and choose between the crap we want from updates(90 Playstation store icons=/=useful btw). THAT would be useful.
This is just crap Sony. If I knew I could get out of my PS3 and the games I do have for it currently without losing a ton and the 360 was a bit more reliable, I’d do it in a second.
Just don’t update and check Geohot’s blog regularly.
That’s what I’m going to do, it’s sad I had to do this to prevent being stolen from.
DO NOT UPDATE
READ GEOHOT’S BLOG
I feel bad for the tech guys on the phone, and I even warned them that they were in for kind of a big fight on their hands…but I’m amazed I at least got a callback appointment out of it, especially when I kept hammering the point home that I now own a defective system.
Why couldn’t this have been some kind of sick April Fools joke? Why?
What was so serious that you had to go and take out a feature that was so innovative and tech savvy that you could have shoved in Microsoft’s face. Nope, you just had to but technically you gave us no other reason to update the system other than losing new features and trust me new games aren’t going to affect me because I have GOW3. You bring your system to life but then you try tearing it down, your logic or might I say fear has took a turn for the worse. Looks like another lost customer.
It only does less than what it did! Just wait til they post about the release….
Wow sony looks how many comments are on this update great job on serving your customers!! DON’T UPDATE BOYCOTT
@ Vanmagi
Follow your own advice and keep quiet if you’re not going to make any sense; just becoming the real world? That’s very insightful. If you think that ranting in a comments section on a blog is productive in any way, you real a large dose of reality.
Then again, the majority of posters here are likely adolescents who don’t know how to take real action. I just pointed out the obvious and if that doesn’t make any sense to you, well I can’t help you there.
I already can’t post here on my main account, these guys are about to hear it again but this time about the PS3 instead of the PSP.
Buzzy what do you care? I thought you were refusing to update, and spending 4000 points on an opposing console.
It’s BS and I’m thinking of getting an xbox 360 and selling my PS3 and If I can’t sell it. It will go in my basement and my daughter can play little big planet as I’m not buying new games for it.
Thanks for nothing Sony flood their phone lines tomorrow with useless calls to waste their time.
Sony Sux
Bypass is confirmed working, by me and two other PSN friends of mine. I guess people need proof?