Sony kills Other OS in all models of Playstation 3

[octopus]

It would be interesting if someone can hack the PS3 based on a media sharing vulnerability. Will they remove the media center features away then? ;o

[Kaisha]

It would be interesting if someone can hack the PS3 based on a media sharing vulnerability. Will they remove the media center features away then? ;o

Not if it's patchable.

Main reason they nixed OtherOS was because there was no way they could patch the issue, it was a direct hardware exploit.

[6souls]

European Law Grants Partial Refund Due to PS3 OtherOS Removal

According to PlayStationUniversity.com, a European law grants a partial refund to PS3 consumers due to the recent removal of the OtherOS feature in the PS3 Firmware v3.21 update.

A PS3 owner (60GB) version has managed to gain a partial refund from Amazon (without returning the system) due to the removal of the OtherOS feature.

The EU citizen cited a European law which states a product must be fit for its purpose which was made known to the seller at the time of purchase, and as a result he managed to receive around 80GBP back!

To quote: "The online retailer's policy was to offer a refund weighing in at approximately 20 per cent of the console's original value. Amazon responds:

We are writing to confirm that we have processed your refund in the amount of £84.00 for your Order 666-5327564-4432412.
Item Refund: £71.49
Item Tax Refund: £12.51
This refund is for the following item(s):
Item: Sony PlayStation 3 Console (60GB Premium Version)
Quantity: 1
ASIN: B0007SV734
Reason for refund: Account adjustment"

And here is the legal citation under http://www.wak-tt.com/tt/2yearwarranty1.htm, which was accepted into European Parliament on January 1, 2002.

"The goods must:

- comply with the description given by the seller and posses the same qualities and characteristics as other similar goods
- be fit for the purpose which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of purchase."

http://www.ps3news.com/forums/playst...al-110519.html
http://www.playstationuniversity.com...other-os-3555/

also, Geohot found a fix to get Other OS back after updating to 3.21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9wLWQ4-uA

[Kenai]

From someone who just bought a PS3 and literally just did all the random updating crap yesterday...what would I have used this for? I honestly don't know if I should care enough to be upset or not. Removing features sucks (I still complain that I need my PS2 out next to my PS3 with my Wii and 360 there flying solo), but I don't understand what this did. What did people use it for?

[aru]

From someone who just bought a PS3 and literally just did all the random updating crap yesterday...what would I have used this for? I honestly don't know if I should care enough to be upset or not. Removing features sucks (I still complain that I need my PS2 out next to my PS3 with my Wii and 360 there flying solo), but I don't understand what this did. What did people use it for?

Good question.
Aimbots and pie charts according to KoD.
Totally worth getting upset over.

[Kenai]

Good question.
Aimbots and pie charts according to KoD.
Totally worth getting upset over.

I read about this on Neogaf too, and have been looking for actual things this OS was being used for this whole time. I have found next to nothing.

Is there some pie-in-the-sky dream that this has slowed down theoretical homebrew or something to that regard? I wouldn't be surprised if there were (vocal) wannabe pirates among the whiners waiting for an exploit, but I'm skeptical there's so many.

There's something I'm missing somewhere...right people? Right?

Edit: Just read all the other posts. There's not an icon to reasonably describe my contempt at this time, but I laughed a bit too I guess. There's SO many better options than the PS3 for legit homebrew. There are enough games to play (BUY) for even someone like me now, and I haven't looked in the PSN store yet. At this rate the next gen will be here before any real progress is made in that regard. Enjoy waiting I guess?

[Shojin]

I read about this on Neogaf too, and have been looking for actual things this OS was being used for this whole time. I have found next to nothing.

Is there some pie-in-the-sky dream that this has slowed down theoretical homebrew or something to that regard? I wouldn't be surprised if there were (vocal) wannabe pirates among the whiners waiting for an exploit, but I'm skeptical there's so many.

There's something I'm missing somewhere...right people? Right?

Not missing anything, this is pretty much it. Geohot had said he would hack the PS3, while he did find an exploit through the OtherOS, and he had access to the hypervisor, there wasn't much he could do in the actual GameOS. Just reading the comments on his blog you could see people foaming at the mouth for piracy to become available.

Now Sony released v3.21 and people now have to choose between being able to play online and have access to PSN, or don't update and wait, hoping that the hackers will eventually enable piracy. (Of course, you can bypass the authentication server with a DNS and still be able to play online for now, but you'll still be on v3.20) But when more features become available through firmware updates, if people want to use them, they will have to update.

Now, I'm not saying all people didn't use it, because some did. But it was far from useful as you had no access to the RSX. The only people I feel kind of bad for are the people that use OtherOS to study the Cell for school.

But he apparently has a custom 3.21 firmware that allows you to keep OtherOS and doesn't require taking apart your PS3. So if that gets released they could use that, but then you will be relying on people to keep updating the custom firmware as new firmwares get released by Sony. This is what the PSP was doing, and since Dark Alex has stopped working on it, piracy has started to drop off for new releases that require the latest firmware. (On another note, have they released anything later than 5.50GEN?)

[Corrderio]

Doesn't seem like anything of much value was lost. As long as I can play games, browse, buy games, etc. I'll be fine.

Someone needs to find a way to hack a PSP-3000 series ASAP though. Getting sick of my friend bragging about what his PSP-1000 hack can do ><

[lilfoo]

Someone needs to find a way to hack a PSP-3000 series ASAP though. Getting sick of my friend bragging about what his PSP-1000 hack can do ><

just don't upgrade past 6.20. There are a couple save game exploits that will enable soft hacking of all models of PSP. Just have to wait for the cfw...

[Corrderio]

just don't upgrade past 6.20. There are a couple save game exploits that will enable soft hacking of all models of PSP. Just have to wait for the cfw...

Already did ><

I'll just find a PSP 1000 to hack. I think with the remainder of the 50 bucks I got from my birthday yesterday and what's in my banking account I could afford one.

[Arnwulf]

(On another note, have they released anything later than 5.50GEN?)

No, as someone else above me said, there's a soft mod with a 6.20 save game exploit, but there's no real custom FW above 5.50. The PSP scene has taken a nose dive since Darkalex called it quits and shut down his site, I doubt there will ever be newer custom firmware at this point. Still works for me though since I mainly use it to play PS1 games and the occasional PSP game.

[6souls]

Sony Apologizes for OtherOS Removal due to PS3 Piracy Concerns

We asked Sony UK to respond to reports that at least one user had received a partial refund from Amazon UK in compensation for the fact that part of the device's advertised functionality had been removed.

A Sony spokesman told us:

We are sorry if users of Linux or other operating systems are disappointed by our decision to issue a firmware upgrade which when installed disables this operating system feature. We have made the decision to protect the integrity of the console and whilst mindful of the impact on Linux or other operating system users we nevertheless felt it would be in the best interests of the majority of users to pursue this course of action.

As you will be aware we have upgraded and enhanced functionality and features of the console by numerous firmware upgrades over time and this is a very rare instance where a feature will be disabled. Further enhancements are in the pipeline.

Users do have the choice whether to install the firmware upgrade and this is clearly explained to them at the time the firmware upgrade is made available for installation. Furthermore our terms and conditions clearly state that we have the right to revise the PS3's settings and features in order to prevent access to unauthorised or pirated content.

Whilst we fully understand why Sony has decided to remove this function from the PS3 OS, and that users are free not to install the firmware upgrade, we also understand that not installing the latest firmware will prevent users from accessing a number of online services including the Playstation Network.

We're also not quite clear how Sony's EULA can be used to contravene European Directive 1999/44/EC which quite clearly states that goods must be be "fit for the purpose which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of purchase".

We're pretty sure the proportion of users who bought a PS3 for its ability to run Linux is tiny compared to the many millions in circulation, but they are a vocal minority to say the least.

Our readers are asking us why Sony can, despite EU law, remove an advertised and documented part of the system to protect its own interests.

We'd also like to know whether Sony will be reimbursing Amazon and other retailers for any further refunds they are forced to offer under the law.

We've put these questions to Sony UK and await a response.

We have also spoken to the Office of Fair Trading and Consumer Direct who tell us they cannot comment until an official complaint has been made

http://www.thinq.co.uk/news/2010/4/9...-os-take-down/

[Minions]

http://www.thinq.co.uk/news/2010/4/9...-os-take-down/

That's honestly the response they got about European law from Sony UK? Doesn't seem to talk about that at all... same rehashed shit.

[6souls]

PS3 Firmware Update Shows How Retailers Can Be Exposed

Sony recently stated that it will not compensate retailers who refund customers because of a PS3 Firmware update to its PlayStation 3 entertainment system.

The change prevents the machine from using alternative operating systems, which it was previously able to do. Some owners installed the Linux operating system, allowing them to use their consoles as desktop computers as well as games machines.

Consumer law protects the buyers of goods if their functions change, but retailers generally cannot pass those claims on to the device makers who made the change, according to Richard Parkinson, a technology lawyer with Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM.

To quote:

Press reports indicate that one consumer received a refund for his console from online retailer Amazon. Sony itself has said that it will not reimburse retailers who do so.

The company told reporters that the machine's main function was as a gaming console, and that an ability to run the Linux operating system is not explicitly mentioned on its packaging. Others have claimed, though, that a feature called "Install Other OS" was listed in Sony's promotional material.

"The retailer has a contract with its supplier, the distributor of the product or the overall manufacturer, so he has to look at that contract" said Parkinson. "Because this is a business to business contract you are able to exclude warranties for fitness of purpose or description, so these are very often excluded and warranties and remedies are limited."

http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3...an-be-exposed/
http://www.channelregister.co.uk

[willriker]

Ok, do i need to save my game data somewhere else before updating to a new OS? I mean i downloaded a few games and have save data that i do not want to lose.

If i need to back it all up, how would i go about doing that?

[Shojin]

lol no, you don't