PS3's newest update removes "Other OS" feature

[RCA]

http://blog.us.playstation.com...pdate/

I don't use this feature but I know people that do and this infuriates me. This was a selling point for many people when they bought their PS3s now it's gone. When will the products I buy be mine, and not controlled by others?

This new interconnected future were headed for has some serious issues.

http://techdirt.com/articles/2...shtml

[MinisterofDOOM]

When will the products I buy be mine, and not controlled by others?

The only thing Sony has control over on your PS3 is PSN access...and that's where the problem stems from. For groups using the PS3 as modular supercomputing components, this is not a problem. They don't need or use PSN access. But for the home consumer, the choice between being able to sign into PSN or to run an alternate OS is a crappy one.

This is the same garbage that happened years ago with the PSP. It infurated me then, and it still makes me mad today. Sony is so terrified of piracy that they're willing to impair device functionality to make piracy as difficult as possible. But the really frustrating part is that, as has been repeatedly demonstrated with the PSP, all this does is leave "average" (people who use what they buy without modding/hacking/etc.) people with less functionality. Meanwhile, the rest of us just find ways around the limitations. My PSP's custom firmware makes the device far more appealing than it ever was with Sony firmware--and I'm not even running any illegal/pirated software on it. It's frustrating to have Sony forcing people to choose one branch of functionality (online service) or another (choice in OS/functionality)

There won't be any legal repercussions over this, though. Sony has complete legal right to regulate PSN access so no one has any ground to stand on against this move legally. Doesn't mean it doesn't suck, though. Also, user agreements always say something along the lines of "manufacturer retains the right to alter functionality without notice at any time for any reason." You agree to this when you use the PS3 software.

I can understand both sides of this, but I still think Sony needs to tone down the piracy fear and focus on improving the product over time, not restricting it.

Here's a far less conspiracy-theory-themed look at the patch and what it means:http://www.tomshardware.com/ne....html

[RCA]

That was a pretty good read. I had no idea that Linux was being used like that on the PS3, in fact I don't know a damn thing about Linux other then it is a OS and people love when products use their kernels...

Any who, I understand Sony's concerns, but when will this stop? All this exterior control, should I just lube up and just except the inevitable? I am definitely starting to feel that way.

[MinisterofDOOM]

As much as I take issue with stepping on the paying consumer to thwart piracy, I have to laugh at the idea of buying a console--a device DESIGNED to be as closed and restricted as possible--and then complaining that it is closed and restricted. If you want an open, free (choice), options-friendly platform, get a PC. The ENTIRE PURPOSE of game consoles is to offer a uniform, simplified hardware- and software-basis for games. Consoles were NEVER about options, they are about efficient design. No one is stopping you from hacking your PS3. Just don't expect to be able to sign in to the single ultra-consolidated, Sony-regulated, user-agreement-requiring online network if you do so.

Heck, with the PSP, you can hack the system and STILL access PSN. I have custom firmware on my PSP and can still purchase games from the PS Store. The network has no idea I'm not "legit." So when you look at it that way, it's not really a big issue. All Sony has done is remove OFFICIAL support for a non-Sony OS. Just OFFICIAL support. So now things will shift to unofficial support. Which might even IMPROVE the experience for Linux users. The Homebrew scene does great things with hardware. They may take this as an opportunity to offer superior alternative OS solutions for PS3 owners.

I dunno...the whole Linux-console idea baffles me. Why the f*** would you buy a closed-environment device like a console to run open-source operating systems. Buy a damn computer. The computer will never patch you out. It will never ask you if you're official. It will never tell you you have to upgrade or you can't sign in. Consoles are CLOSED. They have always been CLOSED. The whole point is to be CLOSED. Using them for things as open in ideal as Linux and homebrew is just weird. It's like buying a Prius to build an 8 second drag car. Sure, you can do it...but why when there are better alternatives. And, perhaps more relevant: why complain that the Prius makes a crappy drag car when you CHOSE the Prius over an alternative?

[RCA]

You're right, but it still sucks that they can just go and pull features that once were. What if this move lowered the value of PS3s? If I were selling 2cd hand PS3s could I make this an issue?

All I know is that I don't like where we are headed.

[zer0c123]

People buy the fat ps3's in bulk for research purposes and linking them all together is like a cheap super computer. In the science field, running simulations is expensive on a super computer. I know of one company or institution (forgot the name) that sells computing time and it costs a lot of money just for a few minutes. They even have a support staff for you that makes sure your computer code is optimized, so you aren't hogging the line.

Yea sony is terrified of piracy, but you can't really blame them considering the history of their past consoles. Ps1 was easy, as long as you had a modchip and the right cd writer. It got even better when the price of CD-R's were less than a dollar. Ps2 was the same, but the HDloader that allowed you to install games on the harddrive and play with the disc was a real kicker to sony. This might be the reason why they released the slim version of the ps2 and eliminated the HD bay. I think hackers eventually found a way to use an external HD instead. I should also add that the dreamcast was hacked to the point that you did not even need a modchip or boot disc to play pirated games....