Rumor: Sony to Remove OtherOS in Next PS3 Firmware Update

[lilshortwun]

So I already have a Linux OS installed on the hard drive. When this firmware comes out, and if it does in fact removed OtherOS, what happens to the existing partition? Will I simply lose the ability to switch to the already installed Linux OS from the menu?

Will the partition get deleted and the free space reclaimed by the main PS3 OS or will the free space remain unclaimed?

I realize the EULA states they can change things, but since I have used it like a standard computer for email, bookmarks, pictures, etc ... what ... they can just delete it without checking if personal data would be lost?

I can totally see a class action occurring if people lose data without being given an official heads up and sufficient time to backup their stuff. Wow.

What are you talking about. I think this is just a rumor most likely started by some person who is against piracy. Moreover, you can bet that Sony is coming up with a solution to patch this exploit from occurring again in the near future.

OtherOS will most likely still be there, just difference is that it will have even tighter security than ever to prevent this kind of attack. Just like the RSX graphics exploit, I highly doubt they will leave OtherOS users hanging just because of this.

[Reaper2122]

LOL I guess is a little bit too late now.

Since, to me, PS3 online game play sucks two monkey balls at the same time, this is not a problem. Since PSN has nothing good to offer and if you really want something from there, maybe in the future with the exploit you will be able to download from top sites and use it, this is not a problem.

1. If you want to play online, buy an X-Box 360, the live rocks.
2. If you want something from PSN, (what would you want from there?) wait a little bit.

My ps3 is really off the internet for almost 6 months, 1 year. Sony should have learned from the past, ps1 was only a huge seller because of piracy, ps2 the same.

Fan-Boy much? and ps1 piracy was not very big ps2 slightly higher but not by much and if ps3 does get it well then they YES will sell much more but without piracy a lot of companies might have gone out of business slowly but surely.

[semitope]

Err.. you mean no x360 bans? no 3rd party expansion blocking?

Live bans arent the same. You've broken the agreement and are banned. Nothing too wrong there. 3rd party expansions werent something people bought the 360 for...

[bostwick]

I have been worried about losing otheros since slims came out. A rumor is just a rumor. Sony can patch exploit and we can all move on with using our otheos.

I mean i would have waited for less expensive slim and bought that if Sony did not offer otheros option. I mean history repeats it self. Look at ps2. They took away linux support with newer slimmer consoles. Yea yea i know the disks worked but no hard drive.

Other side note: the cheapest netbooks (my opinion) can outperform ps3 linux at its current crippled state. Sorry but it is true other then a couple of program written by fixstars for encoding. I mean 300 dollars can get you acer aspire one with wirless n card. with flash. ready to go. I wont argure my last statments because they are my opinion.

[SCE]

IMO, this is a desperate move from Sony. Removing OtherOS will not be enough to prevent piracy. If devs find holes in the HyperVisor, Sony must have to change the whole code I think, correct me if I am wrong though.

And even if Geohot's hack can not be applied on Slim, this does not mean Slim is secure.. Like we saw in the past, thanks to modchips, both fat and slim will taste piracy.

I do not condone piracy, I believe people who produce quality games deserve support, but in countries where PS3 games cost 1/4 of people's salary, piracy will show up for sure... Here comes the cat and mice fight...

[livpool]

It's doubtful to happen and even if it does, simple. set up a PS3proxy so you don't ever have to update, (that includes going online without having to update) and then when the software hack is out someone can flick the switch and turn otherOS back on.. its in the software so its definitely possible.

[aries2k6]

Hmm, i don´t know but I don´t see this happening. I thought they couldn´t remove features that were already included in the console when you bought it?

I think this would lead to a lot of hate against Sony and even increase efforts to hack and pirate it. Just like one user said, what happens to the Linux partition. do you just suddenly lose all your valuable information with a FW update?

But with Sony who knows. I´m going to wait and see what develops before commenting more.

[androvsky]

Where did Owen Stampflee post that information? It's not on the YDL boards that I've been able to see...

Edit: Never mind, managed to find a couple links back to the original post. Which has been deleted. Maybe his source wasn't as reliable as he thought?

[Surfaced]

Man, they really wanna protect their baby... I already saw Homebrew on the horizon, now they already begin to take it away from us?

They're not objectively taking away homebrew. They're trying to delay the dawn of piracy on the PS3, which is what most hackers REALLY want. I can see it here, too. It's obviously what most of you are striving for, calling Sony a money-grabbing corporation. Oh, down with the corporations! Screw capitalism! Greedy pigs!

God I see this on every torrent site or warez forum, all these people acting like they are some sort of liberator, justifying their desire to get content but not pay a dime for it. Proud to be a pirate! I need the money more than they do! It's not piracy, because it doesn't directly affect them!

Please. Its a business, and guess who's doing the worst currently? Sony Computer Entertainment. "But Sony has other ways of getting money!" Yep, only, those other ways are barely pulling the revenue and the profits are low, if not nonexistent. I'm no corporate apologist but I support SCE's work in this industry and the PS3 might've been dead by now if piracy were here as early as it hit Xbox 360.

And then the people who think piracy was the only reason the PS2 and PS1 were so successful. Wow, seriously? I pray you're not truly so parochial.

I'm going into a rant now but with all of these people complaining about companies being so "greedy" it gets ridiculous. Like you wouldn't do (or be intensely pressured to do) the exact same things if you had their jobs. Look at the PSP, because if anything, it's the perfect sign of what might come.

I was happy to see Geohot had no intentions of creating image loading software but inevitably that will come if things go "smoothly". Some people don't get it. After all, this is entertainment. And it's the entertainment business. You have zero entitlement to any content without paying, because the developers/engineers didn't get to make it without paying either. This isn't even at the level of software like Photoshop, where you're being asked to pay upwards of $300 for a single program.

These are games, and they're $60 or less per title. I'm perpetually broke as hell, and this season I've had to make a lot of cuts and tough decisions on what games I'm going to get because there's too many coming out. It's just out of respect for the people who make the games and the industry as a whole, which I want to see succeed, above all things.

I'm solely in this for the homebrew and some hacks I really want for some of my games.

But whatever, I can't change any attitudes. I deeply respect others who have the intelligence to think about the repercussions that piracy will have.

[kablooey]

Thanks GeoHot, you are such an ass. Next time you do something like this try not to tell about your work to the world via CNN. Now we have this bad news.