Currently, downloading a patch for your favourite game can be a little annoying. You have to wait for the patch to download and install before you can get playing. A rumor suggests that Sony is working on a new feature for a future firmware update what allows gamers to download the patch in the background while enjoying the game.
With the release of Firmware 3.30 today, Sony has also updated the Terms of Service and the End-User License Agreement (EULA). One of the main modifications is to the “Maintenance and Upgrades” clause, which allows Sony to automatically change functionality on the PS3 and could “cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities.”
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The PlayStation 3 will be getting a new mandatory firmware update shortly, with many improvements to the trophy system. In addition, the update preps the PS3 system for some upcoming new features, including 3D stereoscopic gaming, which is coming soon to PS3, in time for the launch of Sony’s 3D BRAVIA TVs.
The recent PS3 Firmware v3.21 update is at the center of many discussions at the moment, but this time the issues are more serious than the removal of the OtherOS feature. The PlayStation Forum appear to be the centre of much of the discussions, with many users complaining of problems on the PS3 after installing the update.
If you would like to keep Linux and the OtherOS option open on your PS3 and have not yet updated to the latest firmware update, you can continue to use the PSN services through a cleaver hack. The hack doesn’t require any hardware modifications to your console and does not void your warranty – it simply tricks the console into thinking there is no update available.
Although the main reason for the recent 3.21 Firmware update was to remove the OtherOS option from the older PS3 models, the firmware also contains a few undocumented features (undocumented in North America and Europe). The Japanese version of the Firmware 3.21 changelog mentions two new features included in the firmware.
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George Hotz, responsible for hacking the PS3 and causing the removal of the OtherOS functionality on the PS3 is recommending that user do not update to Firmware 3.21. Why not? Hots is looking to release a custom firmware once the new update is released to retain the OtherOS option for those that want it.
While Sony has been doing a good job of keeping the PS3 up-to-date with new firmware updates and features, today’s announcement of Firmware v3.21 is a backwards move by Sony. The 3.21 firmware update will remove the OtherOS feature from the older PS3 models over “security concerns,” mainly due to the recent exploit discovered by hacker George Hotz. However, this isn’t the first time Sony has removed functionality from the PS3.
