Controversial PS3 firmware goes live
End of the Linux.
Reports in the wild suggest that users are being prompted to grab the controversial 3.21 firmware update for PlayStation 3, announced earlier this week.
Unlike previous updates, which introduced new features, firmware 3.21 is designed to shut down the "Install Other OS" option that previously allowed owners of the original 'fat' PS3 to install Linux or another compatible operating system.
Sony blamed the decision to ditch Other OS support on "security concerns" - believed to originate with hacker Geohot's breakthrough in cracking the console's tough veneer.
The platform holder advised users who currently rely on the Other OS option to reject the mandatory update - but warned that doing so would make it impossible to sign into PlayStation Network, use games or Blu-ray movies that require firmware 3.21 or later, access copy-protected videos, or use any features introduced to the console by future firmware. Lose lose!
Eurogamer's technology editor Richard Leadbetter analysed the situation this week, concluding that the firmware is "a pre-emptive strike against the possibility of piracy".
