Update: PS3/Linux installers, the mastermind behind the whole crumbling of the PS3, Geohot himself has some brief, yet hopefully reassuring words: DO NOT UPDATE! Captain obvious, is that you. To be fair, he is working on a work around to “safely” upgrade to the new 3.21 bag of hurt Sony is set to unleash in the not too distant future. And if Geohot’s words are any indication of his determination, his battle with Sony is going to be quite the long, drawn out bloody type we’re going to be hearing about for a while. Hoooah Geohot. Godspeed.
I’m simply amazed at how asinine, anti-consumer, and downright stupid major companies are getting these days in regards to money hoarding/cash grabbing policies. The latest news of kick-in-the-pants fury is brought to us by none other than Sony. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they know exactly how to piss someone off. Whether it be draconian DRM, lackluster support, or just a poor overall user experience, Sony has at least tried a little bit of everything. Their newest decision however takes them to a new low.
In the latest upcoming 3.21 update for the PS3, the niche option (though insanely useful in my book) to install another OS — in many cases Linux — is being removed. “Don’t worry” says Sony, the upgrade is “optional”. Of course, “optional” in Sony’s world carries a slightly different meaning. In their world, optional means that if you don’t upgrade, you will lose the ability to sign into the Playstation Network and play any content requiring firmware 3.21 or later. Ya, essentially Sony is forcing you to upgrade by making you choose: Linux/custom OS or actually using your PS3 for things other than a paper weight.
The real sting however is that back when the PS3 Slim was announced/released and shown to not support the optional OS feature, Sony promised — promised! — to not remove said functionality from the older machines via software updates even though going forward, new machines would lack the feature. Apparently Sony either has terrible short term memory problems or they just blatantly don’t give a fuck. Fair enough. I won’t give a fuck about them.
Kinda makes me glad I never got a PS3. And judging by Sony’s nice little kick in the pants, any lingering wants are now dead on the spot. Thanks Sony, you just lost a sale. And PS3′s eBay presence skyrockets in 3..2..
**I’ve contacted Sony for clarification, but let’s be real, they’re not going to reply.
