Nothing says priorities like a system update for a system that released over 12 years ago. Sony out of nowhere released a new firmware update for the PlayStation 3 today, which is also Valentine’s Day. Sadly, it relates nothing to Valentine’s Day or love and only “improves the quality of the system performance.” While that update is extremely vague, it was probably done to attempt to deter or stop the use of custom firmware such as homebrew. If you are someone who just happens to use custom firmware, no need to be alarmed, most custom firmware is still functional.
It’s interesting to note that the last time the PlayStation 3 had firmware update, it was last October and removed the ability to use PS3Xploit. Most recent updates for the PS3 have been just that, preventative measures against custom firmware. Sony has been increasingly strict with their stance on custom firmware and hackers ever since a certain hack happened in 2011. This explains why much of the support that Sony has been giving to the PS3 has been focused on cutting down on these types of potential vulnerabilities. Since the next installment in the PlayStation family of consoles is coming soon and many developers have recently shifted focus in preparation for its release, don’t expect the support for the PS3 to continue much longer.
It seems like Sony has been having some big changes, even with the end of the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle coming closer and closer. With a new CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment being recently appointed, it’ll be interesting how that’ll affect the future of the company. It’ll also be incredibly interesting to see if this affects the development of the next console in the PlayStation family in any way. For those who are interested in reading our coverage on this change in power, you can find it here.