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Original PS3 owners can file claims in the 'Other OS' lawsuit
After more than six years, Sony agreed to pay out millions to settle the class-action lawsuit surrounding its removal of the "install other OS" feature from the PS3 in 2010. Now owners of the original version of that console can file claims. A settlement notice sent out this week states that PS3 "Fat" owners who made the purchase between November 1, 2006 and April 1, 2010 are eligible to do so.
Sony will pay out millions to spurned PS3 Linux users
A long-running lawsuit stemming from Sony's claim that its PlayStation 3 consoles would allow for third-party operating systems has finally come to a close. As Ars Technica reports, the class-action lawsuit could end up costing Sony millions of dollars for getting on the bad side of some Linux fans, and if you're one of those Linux fans, you could be in for a $55 check.
Federal judge dismisses class-action suit against Sony, 'Other OS' feature remains dormant
Last year, a group of disgruntled gamers filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony over its decision to remove the "Install Other OS" feature from its PS3 firmware. Last week, though, their case was dismissed by US District Judge Richard Seeborg, on the grounds that the plaintiffs failed to actually state a claim. In a ruling issued Thursday, Seeborg said he sympathized with the gamers' gripes, but ultimately determined that they had failed to demonstrate any legal entitlement to the feature, thereby neutering their arguments. "The dismay and frustration at least some PS3 owners likely experienced when Sony made the decision to limit access to the PSN service to those who were [un]willing to disable the Other OS feature on their machines was no doubt genuine and understandable," Seeborg wrote. "As a matter of providing customer satisfaction and building loyalty, it may have been questionable." He went on, however, to point out that the users "have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable" post-PS3 purchase, effectively ending the litigation.
PS3 'Other OS' class action dismissed
Sony was successful with its motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit against its removal of the PS3's "Other OS" Linux compatibility. A federal judge has dismissed all of the counts in the suit. All but one of the claims had been dismissed in February, Gamasutra reports. The plaintiffs amended their claims, but judge Richard Seeborg has dismissed the amended claims. "In light of the prior amendment, and the fundamental shortcomings in plaintiffs' basic theory that it was wrongful for Sony to release the software update in dispute, leave to amend will be denied," Seeborg wrote, closing the door on future amendments. Seeborg wrote that while Sony's decision to allow users access to OtherOS only if they decline updates necessary to access PSN caused "dismay and frustration" to PS3 owners, no legal basis was shown for preventing the move. "The flaw in plaintiffs' [argument] is that they are claiming rights not only with respect to the features of the PS3 product, but also to have ongoing access to an internet service offered by Sony, the PSN."
OtherOS++ brings Linux back to the PS3, taunts Sony
Mourn no more PS3 owners: what Sony hath taken away, the hacker community has given right back. The team at Gitbrew.org have returned Linux to the Cell-based gaming console with OtherOS++, which boasts a number of benefits over Sony's official stab at supporting other operating systems. For one, Linux is no longer relegated to a performance-degrading virtual machine and has full access to the PS3 hardware, and two, it works on both old-school "fat" models and the newer "slim" ones. We warn you, though -- this install is not for the faint of heart, and some older models that use NAND flash instead of VFLASH aren't compatible (check against this list). If you're undeterred, hit up the source link for downloads, instructions, and (most importantly) to stick it to the man.
Hacker gets XBMC running on his PS3, tells you how (video)
Sony's disabling of Linux on the PS3 has made many people very angry, some more so than others, but for an enthusiast named madshaun1984 it was something of a call to arms. He didn't file a lawsuit or whine about it in forums -- oh no. He sat down to get XBMC working and has succeeded, albeit slowly. Right now the CellSDK that this build relies upon is not up to snuff performance-wise, so just scrolling through media is somewhat less than fun and you can forget about playing it. But, the hope is to improve that and to turn the PS3 into a proper media-streaming Linux box... so long as you don't update the firmware, anyway. Full instructions on how to do this are at the source link, but be prepared to spend the better part of an afternoon at it if you want to try yourself. For those not ready for that kind of commitment (or anyone who already has the latest firmware) you can just enjoy the video proof after the break.
Sony taken to court over PS3 'Other OS' removal
Sony forced PS3 owners into a tough decision with the mandatory 3.21 firmware update: either lose online play, or forgo Linux support. On Tuesday, Anthony Ventura chose door number three -- and filed a lawsuit in California, asking the judge for class-action status. The complaint quotes Sony executives on numerous occasions saying how vital and important the "Install Other OS" feature was to the game console (it's a computer, remember?) and claims breach of contract, false advertising, and several other causes of action against the entertainment giant. Sure, a lawsuit was bound to happen, given the number of angry PS3 owners out there, but here's the thing: there's no telling whether the court will grant a class-action certification here, and even if the case gets that far it's pretty unlikely to force Sony to turn the feature back on -- instead, customers will probably receive a token amount in damages while the lawyers get their full fees. For example, a rare, successful class-action suit against Palm -- filed in 2004 -- got Treo 600 owners only $27.50 in store credit, five years later. Meanwhile, we hear European PS3 owners just have to ask for their money back -- which, we promise you, is the fastest way to put an end to your Linux-based PS3 nightmares. Either that, or just wait for Geohot to make it all better.
Bypass PS3 firmware 3.21 in seconds -- at your own risk (update: defunct)
Face it: Sony's backed you into a corner. You can't play PS3 online without downloading the 3.21 firmware update, but if you download, your precious 'Other OS' is forfeit -- and there may be side effects. You could wait it out, hoping Geohot comes through with a workaround. You could even sue Sony for a refund if you live in Europe. Or, if you're not terribly worried about the security of your PSN account and personal information, you could instead input just ten digits into your PS3 and magically bypass the entire issue. Though technically minded individuals have been skirting Sony's firmware checks for years now using private proxies, homebrew developer Aaron Lindsay decided to set up a public server at 67.202.81.137, which allows anyone to piggyback on his success in mere seconds -- we tried it ourselves, and it worked like a charm. By doing so, you run the risk of giving Aaron all your credentials... but if the odd identity theft doesn't break your stride, you can jump right back into that Uncharted 2 session by entering the above number into Internet Connection Settings > DNS Setting > Primary DNS. Update: As of April 13, the proxy DNS trick no longer works. We're not sure why, but considering how long the hacking community holds a grudge, we expect a workaround in due time.
PS3 owners eligible for cash refund after 'Other OS' removal?
Admit it, most of you don't use the "Other OS" option on your PS3, do you? That's ok, we don't either, at least not regularly. Nevertheless, it's irksome, nay, vexing that Sony had the audacity to pull it; that feature was part of the deal bargained when we purchased the unit after all. Forum moderator, "lapetus," over at NeoGAF decided to take on the man by invoking European directive 1999/44/EC, a consumer protection law that requires goods to be "fit for the purpose which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of purchase." That little tactic earned lapetus a refund of £84.00 from Amazon without physically returning the console even though his (?) PS3 was well out of warranty. Oh just you never mind that Sony's user agreement claims the ability to revise settings and features without limitation to, "prevent access to unauthorized or pirated content, or use of unauthorized hardware or software in connection with the PS3 system." In other words, request your refund before installing Geohot's hacked 3.21 firmware.
PS3 hacker claims custom firmware revives 'Other OS' in 3.21, provides video proof
What the PS3 homebrew community hoped was an April Fool's joke by Sony turned out not to be, as the latest system update for the console (3.21) axed the ability to install another operating system, i.e. Linux, on it. The feature has been absent from the PS3 "Slim" since its release, but owners of the original form factor probably never expected to lose the functionality. Enter Geohot, the person who in January claimed to have "hacked the PS3." He now claims to have created a custom firmware update that not only reintroduces the Other OS feature to original PS3 units, but potentially the Slim systems as well. Geohot writes on his blog that "this can be installed without having to open up your PS3, just by restoring a custom generated PUP file, but only from 3.15 or previous. It's possible this CFW will also work on the slim to actually *enable* OtherOS." He also takes Sony to task for removing the feature in the first place, saying it is "potentially turning 100000+ legit users into 'hackers.'" The YouTube video we've embedded after the break purports to show Geohot's PS3 booting Linux thanks to his custom v3.21 firmware. He hasn't put a firm date on the release of the hack, but simply divulging its existence was probably more than enough to get Sony's lawyers drawing up the paperwork for a cease and desist. [Via Engadget]
PS3 firmware 3.21 is out: say goodbye to 'install other OS'
Just a tad ahead of schedules -- perhaps as a macabre assurance this isn't some April 1st joke -- firmware 3.21 for the PS3 is now being seeded to anyone who tries to log onto the PlayStation Network. As far as we can tell, all the update seems to do is remove the "install other OS" option and kill access to anyone who does have another platform dual-booted. Just a friendly reminder, if you fall into that category, be sure to either backup your partition or wait for Geohot to find a workaround. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support
In case you hadn't heard, there's a PlayStation 3 firmware update coming this Thursday that'd knock out the "install other OS" option and remove any currently-installed non-PS3 platform. Our guess is it's not going to affect the majority of owners, but the diehard users are certainly up in arms, and no one really likes losing a feature, even if it's rarely used. Leave it to Geohot, then, to right the wrong. Arguably the reason for Sony's reversal (see: PS3 exploit), the famed hacker has published not only a letter of sorrow at the company (unsurprising), but also a call for users not to update. Instead, he claims he will "look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support" and issued a tech-savvy threat about "touching the CFW," much to the company's chagrin (trust us, you don't even want to know what he's talking about here -- far too scary). We wouldn't normally say a war's brewing, but ol' George Hotz has proven himself more than capable at starting something fierce. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
