Sony relaunches long-awaited in-game XMB PS3 Firmware – this time 100% bork-free*
Sony has now launched a new version of its latest PS3 Firmware, 2.41, following the disastrous events of last week.
Anticipation among PS3 owner for Firmware 2.40 was very high as it was set to unlock new features in the PS3 that have been highly sought after almost since the PS3 first saw the light of day. Unfortunately, when the long-awaited day arrived there was a bit of a glitch – an error installation turned some users’ consoles into big shiny black bricks.
The problem, believed to stem from an error in the final installation process, caused some launch model PS3s to seize up on the intro screen. A solution was found, but it involves reformatting the console’s hard disc and losing all of your save data, videos, music, pictures and anything else you had stored. Not exactly ideal.
As a result, Sony had to pull the old Firmware for “further testing”. There’s no indication whether Firmware 2.41 will magically fix the problems caused by the last one, but given the nature of the error, we highly doubt it.
Firmware’s 2.40 and 2.41 add a lot of much needed functionality to the system and should help it stay competitive with the rival Xbox 360. However, the upgrades have merely drawn it in line with features which the 360 offered right from the word go. Even now, the PS3 is still lacking a number of important things, such as private voice chat in-game and individual game invites. After the recent mishaps, it seems unlikely that Sony will be rushing to release these new features and risk a repeat performance.
*Evidence based entirely on the fact that my console did not brick on installing it.
(via PSPSPS)
Related posts: See 2.40 in action (minus brickage) | Rumbling pads arrive in UK after, like, FOREVER
2 comments
So by your logic you are saying that a mere 18,285 consoles would have been affected worldwide. And that’s not disastrous?
In fairness, you’re right – it wasn’t as a huge a problem as the RRoD and I never made any suggestion that it was. We have also covered that major hiccup in many, many previous posts and we like to share the criticism out equally.
Considering that Sony had put so much hype behind the update, I stand by my argument that it was a disaster, if not for the company’s PR (saved by the fact that the problem was handled well and reasonably swiftly) but for anyone who was affected and for the chances of PS3 owners seeing as many sophisticated and rapid Firmware updates in future.
“disastrous events” LOL, it was hardly, that. It was not even close to the 360 firmware bricking of 2006, when a million units were toasted by a flawed dashboard update.
This one is pretty rare, and does not hose the machine, merely requiring a HDD format. Not great, but not disastrous. I don’t know anyone with 2.40 problems, and on Neogaf forums, out of 700 repsonses to a poll, 1 person had a problem. Work that out as a percentage..
If you want to talk “disastrous”, look at 360 failure rates, rather than inventing problems to get hits…
Sumbitted your site to google, so it’s delisted from Google News, as it’s clearly not “news” you are posting..
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