Pesky PS3-bricking update won't see repair until next week

Deus Ex hacking
If only fixing a PS3 was as easy as hacking in Deus Ex

If your PS3 was rendered a useless brick this week thanks to a poorly-crafted firmware update, don't worry - you'll be able to play your games again. In a week, that is.

Sony acknowledged the issue quickly, pulling the 4.45 patch from its servers so it affected as few players as possible.

But many are still suffering with useless consoles that won't display their menus or play games, and a fix won't arrive until Thursday, Sony revealed on its official forums and confirmed on Twitter.

Better late than never?

Transmission incoming

"We have identified the issue related to the PlayStation 3 software update (version 4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week," Sony wrote this morning.

"A new PS3 system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves the issue. Thank you for your patience and understanding and we apologize for the inconvenience."

Sony said it will update the official thread on the issue with instructions on how to implement the patch (not easy when the console's menu won't appear) once it's live next next week.

You won't like us when we're angry

It's unfortunate that Sony can't fix this issue faster, as a number of users are left with PS3 consoles that won't boot up past the start screen.

We gamers are a cantankerous bunch, and Sony was just starting to get on our good side with a smart strategy at E3.

With the PlayStation 4 right around the corner, the PS3's lifespan is at its zenith, and it's disquieting to see it plagued by issues still.

One can only hope that the next-gen system doesn't suffer similarly.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.