Sony Disable “Install Other OS” in firmware (v3.21)

For purchasers like the US Air Force, Other OS was the only reason the PS3 was purchased. I'm sure the service would love a 50-100% refund.

 

It was marketed, so it "really" was marketed. I believe I linked to the Ars article that had a number of links.

Wireless controllers aren't strongly marketed, either, but I am sure the removal of all wireless controllers would be seen as contrary to the marketing and product box. The fact it was marketed, for real, is the only really salient point.

 

Really?!

I'm not debating the legitimacy or consumer/corporate angle of the move. In fact, I fear that it may have set a dangerous precedent.

The marketing you've referred to was the PR-speak I was referring to that's been used to fuel the suit itself, which includes words from Harrison and whatnot (all listed in the lawsuit). My point was that you couldn't find any advertisements in any media that listed Other OS as a feature (the channels associated with marketing). Your other examples however, were. Other OS remained a stealthy feature much like the ability to swap HDD's; thankfully, that one is a physical feature that they can't touch. It's one of the better features of the unit as a gaming console considering the large number of mandatory installs.

Those units don't go through mandatory firmware updates, so everything remains intact.

 

There is no need for them to upgrade to firmware 3.21.

Their existing PS3s can still run OtherOS today. Connecting to PSN or even booting up GameOS is not exactly an Air Force PS3 cluster requirement.

They are more worried about expansion and maintenance issues. It is not uncommon for companies to stop development of a product though (See Apple Newton).

Leaving OtherOS in may harm consumers and Sony too due to the security attacks. The court has to decide whether Sony has the rights to alter its plans based on the latest development.

 

Not saying that I agree with Sony's move or if they marketed or not.

But the analogy doesnt sound right as the controller is a primary accessory used constantly, a controller replacement generates cost, and this is a replacement of a convenient product which the competitor offers with a less convenient. Linux is a freely distributed software and a secondary feature compared to a permanently used controller.

 

Did not know that

 

Got to be bogus, why not just give people back the Other OS...much much cheaper.

 

It's not exactly a stealthy feature if it's featured in the product manual.

And that choice isn't exactly a choice. Either remove a feature you may (in part or in whole) or may not have purchased the console for, or not be able to run any future games on said console.

Either choice you make, you WILL lose one of the features of the console and thus not be able to use it as advertised. It doesn't even have to be advertised on TV. If represetatives of the firm convinced people to buy it using OtherOS as a carrot, and it was implemented, and it was documented... It is at that point a feature of said console. Heck just being implemented and documented (in the manual) makes it a feature. Much like the fast forward ability of a DVD player. Or the clock feature of a microwave. Or a rear window defroster on a car.

Had they only disabled/force removed OtherOS and/or banned the console after hacking was detected, then there would have been no issue.

How they decided to react to claims that haven't even materialized into an actual hack (yet) has left them wide open in this. At least if there was a working hack that allowed use of pirated games, they could try to hide behind the DMCA...

Regards,
SB

 

Hacking has happened. We know because geohotz publicized it. ^_^

Content partners may be concerned. By the time Sony react to a real incident, it may be too late. Sony simply prevented the hackers from proliferating with this move, though it may have the opposite effect. We shall see.

 

I'm well aware of that, and it's in the EULA as I upgraded the firmware. All I said that the feature was not an advertised one and nothing more, and not refuting any of the consequences of the removal (use the one feature and lose everything etc.). That's all I said.

Again, I'd put it alongside the HDD swap or SACD feature; documented but not advertised. or used to push a product.

 

But there haven't been any news for a while, right? And no, replacing a tarball inside a PUP is not compromising the system, not the extent some people would want you to believe. The result of all this today is that consumers lost something and gained nothing.

 

"Design and specifications subject to change without notice" is a classic EULA used in almost all consumer electronics, yet it's ambiguous. Never the less, it stands.

 

No news doesn't mean people are not working on it. Before Geo Hotz's publicity, most of us didn't know what the hackers are up to on the PS3.

The result of all this today are:
* A small portion of PS3 owners, including myself, cannot launch PS3Linux like they used to anymore.
* Cell researchers, businesses, game developers prototyping/developing on PS3Linux getting burnt

We have:
* Sony focusing on GameOS (No need to upgrade and test Linux drivers) -- when they removed OtherOS from PS3 Slim
* Shutting down OtherOS exploitation (potential piracy, privacy, PSN attacks, ...) -- when they removed OtherOS from all SKUs.

Whether consumes gain anything from these in concrete numbers, I think it's hard to quantify.

If you ask me, since PS3Linux didn't take off, I'd rather Sony reinvest the resources to port Android or WebKit or something more impactful to GameOS than to fight OtherOS exploitation.

 

And you're not?