Sony to remove 'other OS' PS3 option

[custard]

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.

not worry,you can choose not to install this update
just dont expect to use most of the consoles features.....

edit: i see mention of April fools but do you think it is?

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/03/28/ps3-firmware-v3-21-update/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8594720.stm

 

[ChrisUK]

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[custard]

well looking at the ps3 history

from the hyped specs we had....

2 HDMI,6 USB ports and 3 ethernet ports

on release this went to 1 HDMI,1 ethernet and 4 USB

they have removed;

card reader
hardware backwards compatibility
software backwards compatibility
2 USB ports?

so we basically now have a games machine with a bluray player
a far cry from the 'set top box' that the PS3 was originally touted as
this was meant to be a media hub but cutting specs and (for me) the lack of media formats support leaves it lacking

 

[MiniMonster]

It's come out and i have installed it. It aint no april fools, the only thing is that i couldn't play online without downloading and installing this update... there wern't an option to NOT install it.
This aint affected me though.

 

[custard]

It's come out and i have installed it. It aint no april fools, the only thing is that i couldn't play online without downloading and installing this update... there wern't an option to NOT install it.
This aint affected me though.

thats the issue
if you dont install it you then have a severly crippled PS3
so in real terms its not optional

 

[custard]

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2010/04/09/amazon-refunds-on-otheros-ps3s/

 

[ChrisUK]

lol.

All internet hear-say gotto love it.

 

[fenton_jd]

The whole point of a games console is to plug it in, switch it on and play.

That was the advantage and the main arguement over PC gaming.

"PC gaming too complex"
"PC hardware wont work with all games"
"New PCs wont play old games"

Near enough all of this applies to consoles now....

Damn I remember the days of the playstation 1

 

[custard]

The whole point of a games console is to plug it in, switch it on and play.

That was the advantage and the main arguement over PC gaming.

"PC gaming too complex"
"PC hardware wont work with all games"
"New PCs wont play old games"

Near enough all of this applies to consoles now....

Damn I remember the days of the playstation 1

if you gaming history starts at the PS1 then you missed loads of classics
the console argument is still in place,a stable fixed specification machine

 

[pensuke]

It's the price we playstation owners pay for not shelling out £40 a year for maintainence, we have to take ALL updates given to us.

My only issue with playstation at the moment, is right after this update my PS3 crashed, or rather no games would play. When i called up their customer service line they stated it may be a Bluray failure, to which i would have to have it collected and provided with a refurb. Now Sony are not providing like for like replacements and my Ps3 was an original one, with the 4 usb hubs, from Japan (which i specifically got to play Jap ps1/2 games). Luckily a quick format and all seems well, however if my BluRay player should die, i know that a replacement would mean i lose the initial benefits of being one of the first owners.

I guess Sony realized they gave away to much too soon, and didn't need as much equipment to compete with its competiters, thus downgraded it over the years, kinda like the Stilo.

 

[fenton_jd]

if you gaming history starts at the PS1 then you missed loads of classics
the console argument is still in place,a stable fixed specification machine

Red ring of death anyone?

Alternate sizes of HDD
Software patches to upscale video resolutions
removal of hardware and software backwards compatibility
"Arcade" version of 360, no HDD included at all
Software releases that have disabled consoles in their entirety, all 3 have had this.

Its pretty bad.

I had a GameCube which my little brother threw out of the upstairs window in 2002 for god only knows what reason and it started and played fine and still does 8 years later!

Fortunately the next round of consoles will be less complicated.
Sony & MS have no choice but to run after the market that Nintendo have got locked down with the Wii.

Old people dont do complicated things. PS4 and Xb720 will be forced to cater for the "non gamer" market and dumb things down.

 

[custard]

Red ring of death anyone?

Alternate sizes of HDD
Software patches to upscale video resolutions
removal of hardware and software backwards compatibility
"Arcade" version of 360, no HDD included at all
Software releases that have disabled consoles in their entirety, all 3 have had this.

Its pretty bad.

I had a GameCube which my little brother threw out of the upstairs window in 2002 for god only knows what reason and it started and played fine and still does 8 years later!

Fortunately the next round of consoles will be less complicated.
Sony & MS have no choice but to run after the market that Nintendo have got locked down with the Wii.

Old people dont do complicated things. PS4 and Xb720 will be forced to cater for the "non gamer" market and dumb things down.

i dont see your argument for 'less complicated' hardware
the WII is simple because it is a gamecube on proplus
so you cant really equal it to the PS3/360

360 with or without hard drive will play games
from launch to end of life the machine will play games
same for the PS3,it will play games all the way through
can a PC play the latest releases after 5 years?

so your old person( how old exactly is old?) can buy any model of any console and play games
thats the core purpose of a console
what M$ and Sony want is a machine under your TV that you play all the games on but also buy/rent movies/music etc via digital distribution

oh and the no HD 360 is a moot point given the 360 now supports 16GB USB drives for saves,demos and full games

 

[pk090]

to be completely honnest,,,my dad is 50 years old and he has no intrest in gaming whatsoever...i have attempted to have multiplayers with him multiple times and the intrest is not there...as opposed to my 13 year old brother we are always having 2p's....therefore its my belief that old people dont car and if they do a specal console such as the wii should be therefore them not to ruin our ps3/4/5/6/7/8/9 etc.

 

[custard]

to be completely honnest,,,my dad is 50 years old and he has no intrest in gaming whatsoever...i have attempted to have multiplayers with him multiple times and the intrest is not there...as opposed to my 13 year old brother we are always having 2p's....therefore its my belief that old people dont car and if they do a specal console such as the wii should be therefore them not to ruin our ps3/4/5/6/7/8/9 etc.

sorry whats your point here? theres plenty of 50 year olds who are techy and know their games
my point is im sitting right now with a PS3 streaming HD content over gigabit
why does the PS3 have this capability? because Sony want to make the PS brand THE box under your telly for all your media/gaming uses
so gamers use it for games
others use it for media
you think the next ninty console wont have HD capabilities?

 

[karbineftw]

Ps3 yayyy. wut

 

[Chas Uno]

can a PC play the latest releases after 5 years?

Maybe not. However, my PC, a 2004 spec machine running Win XP Pro, can play games that were written in 1982. That's nearly 30 years backwards compatibility. Let's see a console that can do that!

Oh, and for the PC you can get emulators for all the classic consoles (Atari, Nintendo, Colecovision, Intellivision, Vectrex, Sega, PC Engine etc.), classic home computers (8 and 16 bit) and even MAME for full arcade game emulation covering games written up until very recently.

The old PC still has its plus points :slayer:

 

[custard]

Maybe not. However, my PC, a 2004 spec machine running Win XP Pro, can play games that were written in 1982. That's nearly 30 years backwards compatibility. Let's see a console that can do that!

Oh, and for the PC you can get emulators for all the classic consoles (Atari, Nintendo, Colecovision, Intellivision, Vectrex, Sega, PC Engine etc.), classic home computers (8 and 16 bit) and even MAME for full arcade game emulation covering games written up until very recently.

The old PC still has its plus points :slayer:

well the xbox 1 can so your point? the very fact a console is a locked down architecture is why you dont get emulators.
your PC wont play newly released flagship games after 5 years of use

but lets be honest,who cares? the 360 and Wii are getting a fair dose of retro games
i was playing duke nukem on 360 just the other day.yeah its fun but times have changed and games move on
in the case Sony have removed a feature of their console
as soon as i saw it on the specs i saw it as a foothold for hackers/modders so why is sony pulling this kneejerk reaction?
seemingly its already been circumvented ,so the only losers are those with standard unmodded consoles

 

[Chas Uno]

your PC wont play newly released flagship games after 5 years of use

No, but chances are a five year old Xbox/ PS3 console will have been superceeded by a newer model and won't be able to play newly released flagship games either. Also, five years after the flagship game has been released there will probably be an emulator that will allow a newly released PC to play it

Consoles and PC's both have their pros and cons. The point I was making is that a reasonably recent PC has the ability to have a massive backwards compatibility for many platforms whereas consoles don't. Isn't it the PS3 that won't even play older PS1 games? Of course, if you're only into the latest releases then that doesn't matter, but if you like having the absolutely huge back catalogue of older games at your disposal via emulators, then PC's have a definite advantage.

 

[custard]

No, but chances are a five year old Xbox/ PS3 console will have been superceeded by a newer model and won't be able to play newly released flagship games either. Also, five years after the flagship game has been released there will probably be an emulator that will allow a newly released PC to play it

Consoles and PC's both have their pros and cons. The point I was making is that a reasonably recent PC has the ability to have a massive backwards compatibility for many platforms whereas consoles don't. Isn't it the PS3 that won't even play older PS1 games? Of course, if you're only into the latest releases then that doesn't matter, but if you like having the absolutely huge back catalogue of older games at your disposal via emulators, then PC's have a definite advantage.

i chose 5 years for a reason the 360 was launched in nov 2005,so we are nearly at 5 years and no real mention of a successor.the hardware of a launch 360 will play the same games as one bought now (if its still running
the PS2 had a 9 year lifespan,the PS3 was launched in November 2006 and will go on way beyond 2011.though might be spec'd as a record player by the time Sony have stripped it down
i dont know why you are making a PC vs console argument as it has nothing to do with the thread
if folks want to use their PC for games thats fine but they will be upgrading

 

[Chas Uno]

i chose 5 years for a reason the 360 was launched in nov 2005,so we are nearly at 5 years and no real mention of a successor.the hardware of a launch 360 will play the same games as one bought now (if its still running
the PS2 had a 9 year lifespan,the PS3 was launched in November 2006 and will go on way beyond 2011.though might be spec'd as a record player by the time Sony have stripped it down

Five years is a long time in terms of electronic technology. Consoles (and computer graphics/ processing cards as well as processors) of that age are going to appear very outdated compared with newer technology being released five years later. A PC can be upgraded graphically, sonically and in many parts of its hardware, whereas a console is pretty much limited to its original release specification.

Also, new game releases for a PC are unlikely to target a market that only covers the latest hardware specifications as to do so would exclude the majority of computer users. More likely games will be aimed at computers 2 - 3 years old, perhaps with higher definition mode options to take advantages of the latest technology for those that have it. As such, a well specced 5 year old PC probably COULD still play the latest releases. Not as well as a current machine mind, but the compatibility is still there.

i dont know why you are making a PC vs console argument as it has nothing to do with the thread

Because you brought up the question in one of your earlier posts maybe?

can a PC play the latest releases after 5 years?

if folks want to use their PC for games thats fine but they will be upgrading

Agreed. And as mentioned above, a five year old computer can be quite substantially upgraded over time to bring it to a spec that can still play fairly recently released games optimally. Of course compared to a console where all games released for that system will play without question there is always the 'minimum requirements' issue that can stop people getting the best out of a new release.

I do wonder where the next generation of consoles will be heading though. Technology wise, they aren't really any different to modern spec computer, even less so than a purpose built gaming PC. Have we reached the pinnacle of graphics and sound? Will there be any greater improvements to come or will it level off? Will some concentrate more on making the games feel good to play (as per Nintendo Wii) or will they try and push graphics and sounds even further (Xbox/ PS3)?

Personally I feel we've almost reached a technological plateau, much like audio quality for commercial music releases. Yes, there can be higher quality but compared with the standards already in existence the average person is unlikely to be able to appreciate much difference. For instance, a generic pop song will sound just as good to the average person in MP3 format as it would in higher quality, negating the need to push the quality aspect much further. In which case, regarding game design I hope more effort will be spent on making game play better and more satisfying for the user rather than on graphics and sounds, which are already quite amazing. Perhaps there will be some really incredible game play to come as a result of this

Custard, please note this is in no way meant to be critical of your posts. I'm merely debating the pros and cons of consoles, PC's and the technology used