Problem after update to PS3 firmware

Problem after update to PS3 firmware(community.us.playstation.com)

75 points by kyle_t 12 years ago | 50 comments

levesque 12 years ago |

Not bricked since it still boots stuff and can be fixed. Oh well, everyone's taken a liking to say they are bricked - it sounds so much more dramatic.

TillE 12 years ago | |

Yeah, I'll allow the usage of "bricked" if recovery requires opening up the device and connecting via JTAG. That's effectively dead and unrecoverable by any normal consumer.

But c'mon, a device that you can fix by sticking in a USB drive with a patch is not bricked.

pandaman 12 years ago | |

Also the number of the affected PS3s is not large both according to Sony and neogaf's lack of a rioting. But, I think such exaggerations in the news are good to catch attention of the people who might be affected by this.

josephlord 12 years ago |

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-playstation-3-u...

This story says the offending patch has been pulled offline.

K2h 12 years ago |

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/06/19/playstatio...

affected systems estimate:

Aftermarket HDDs, 500GB-1TB ~90%

Stock 500GB models ~8%

Stock 120GB models ~2%

Stock 1st-gen fat models ~ 0%

criley2 12 years ago | |

Heh, it's worth noting that the Forbes source for those "numbers" is a Redditor who is ballpark estimating based on user reports in a forum.

Didn't realize we were in a time when Forbes sources were nearly unsourced Reddit comments.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1gmrmx/do_not_update_...

viraptor 12 years ago | | |

At the top, over the article: "Paul Tassi, Contributor". I think the official articles are written by "..., Forbes staff". There's not much distinction these days between the core and the affiliated people. (not that this is an excuse)

josephlord 12 years ago | |

I initially read that as 90% of the aftermarket HDD systems were affected rather than 90% of the affected systems were those with aftermarket HDDs.

These numbers come from looking at the problem reports on a forum.

Aardwolf 12 years ago |

What happens if an official update bricks your device and the warranty expired?

InternalRun 12 years ago | |

They are not bricked, the update is just buggy. They will release a fix and you will have to put it on a USB and upgrade from that. Bricked means it is completely unusable. It is a sensationalized title.

dcaunt 12 years ago | | |

Sensational, maybe, but it's not good for PS3 owners, whether bricked is the right word or not.

sp332 12 years ago | |

Downgrading is not for the faint of heart, and requires special hardware ("factory jig") to overwrite some firmware. http://www.ps3news.com/ps3-hacks-jailbreak/ps3-firmware-3-6x...

gozmike 12 years ago | |

Happened to me and I was SOL. They wanted me to send it in and pay about 200CAD for repairs. I yelled till I was blue in the face, but no dice.

whaevr 12 years ago | | |

Wait for the company to realize what's going on. Wait for said company to release a patch to fix a problem that was obviously their fault to begin with. You face can return to it's normal color now. Jumping to conclusions like "SOL" is a bit ridiculous

edit: I'll gladly take a downvote for this, you're talking about screaming at customer support and IM getting downvoted. Constructive group we have here.

gmac 12 years ago | | |

IANAL but I suspect the law would have been on your side in that scenario, if you'd been able to use it. Seems pretty clear-cut that they broke your device. The guarantee ought not to be relevant.

dspillett 12 years ago | |

Officially you are out of luck if it is completely bricked though for PR purposes, especially this close to a new product launch, they may far more generous than that.

whaevr 12 years ago | | |

Officially out of luck? I've read in multiple places they are looking into it and will release a patch

snarfy 12 years ago | |

You agreed to that in a EULA.

yekko 12 years ago | | |

Yeah, and your first born.

loucal 12 years ago |

These may not actually be bricked but I had an old ps3 that actually was bricked after the update following the psn hack and consequent month-long outage. This ps3 had linux installed on it at some point (from back when ydl had a ps3 tailored distro) but that was overwritten by a sony update that I grudgingly agreed to since I didn't want to give up my access to psn. When psn came back up after the long outage I got on immediately and the update was downloaded, but as soon as it finished and before any indication of a restart I heard a 'click' and it was gone, forever. Sony told me they would 'pass on' my info about having linux legally installed previously but admitted nothing and it remains useless to this day. Luckily, I received a new one as a gift... but now I am afraid to update it ;) I'll wait a couple days I think to be sure.

scrabble 12 years ago |

It will be interesting to see how this type of situation would be handled in the XBox One, which can't play games unless you're checking in online. It's not like you'd avoid connecting in order to see if people have problems with a patch.

kogir 12 years ago | |

Probably much like Windows updates, which come out regularly without issue. Microsoft has a pretty good track record and decades of operational experience around this kind of thing.

scrabble 12 years ago | | |

Back in 2011 there was an update to the 360 that bricked consoles. Microsoft sent out replacements to people affected. So it's not unthinkable.

I imagine more people would be affected if the machine is always on, since the updates could be applied even if you're not using the machine and would likely be required in order to connect.

teamonkey 12 years ago | |

If you've paid for PS+ your PS3 will switch itself on in the middle of the night (optionally; you can disable it) to sync, download and install queued titles and most importantly apply patches.

I wonder how many people woke up to broken consoles?

But really, you can unplug the new Xbox, it's just that if the situation goes on for more than 24hrs you won't be able to play anything (Sony 'resolved' the situation within hours by removing the problem patch).

maskedinvader 12 years ago | | |

" But really, you can unplug the new Xbox, it's just that if the situation goes on for more than 24hrs you won't be able to play anything (Sony 'resolved' the situation within hours by removing the problem patch). " not sure what you mean by 'resolved' when scores of people are complaining Sony just bricked their consoles.

pandaman 12 years ago | | |

PS+ does not update the OS.

bdcravens 12 years ago |

Seeing all the drama about XBox One vs PS4, I can't help but laugh. The PS4 may seem a better solution (lower cost, more freedom) but then I remember, this is Sony. Gaming network hacked many times, company that attacks hobbyists that hack on the hardware they own, and then situations like this.

shadowmint 12 years ago | |

OP not about PS4. Don't care.

(seriously, are you trying to start another PS4 / XB rage thread? Stop trolling)

bdcravens 12 years ago | | |

No, I'm not. In the same way that a post related to the iPhone somehow magically turns into a discussion about Samsung and "rounded corners", when the original article had nothing to do with those issues. My point is situations like this are further indications of Sony's incompetence, yet there's plenty on HN who will be standing in line to give them money when the PS4 come out, as if it's a different company without all the fails.

larrik 12 years ago | |

Plus, Sony will stand up to a crowd and lie their face off. I wouldn't be surprised if the DRM differences between PS4 and XBox One aren't actually different.

VLM 12 years ago |

I would imagine they can roll out the rootkit PR campaign almost unchanged. In order to protect our IP, sometimes extreme measures have to be taken ... Along with a healthy dose of the ole "In order to save the village we had to destroy the village"