PlayStation 3 owners warned latest update might kill their console

Sony surprised us all this week by dropping an update for the PlayStation 3. Yes, you heard that correctly. Not the PlayStation 5. Not the PlayStation 4. The 17-year-old PS3.

PS3 System Software Update 4.91 launched yesterday, with users requiring a minimum of 200mb “on either the PS3 Hard Disk Drive (System Update) or on removable storage media (PC Update)” to get involved. Users were further urged to always ensure that their system is kept up to date, with Sony adding that this will allow them to “enjoy additional features, improved usability, and enhanced security,” even 17 years on, it seems. As for what the update includes, well, the official patch notes simply say that it “improves system performance”. That’s about as vague as vague can be.

It is nice to see this support shown for the PS3 all these years on given that preservation is a major concern in gaming. That being said, there are already some users who aren’t impressed with the patch.

Rise of the Ronin is set to launch on PlayStation 5 on 22 March. Take a look at the game in action below.

In truth, these annual updates typically address various exploits, stamping them out. As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, it’s thus going to prove to be a pretty lethal update for those who have jailbroken their console. They note that all known PS3 jailbreaking tools will need to be updated, with one forum’s users adding that all exploit developers will need to begin working on fixes. There’s no way to rollback the update so it’s a case of what’s done is done.

If your console isn’t jailbroken then you have nothing to worry about, so that’s a positive tidbit of news. Sony’s patch notes did also mention that those of you that use your PS3 as a Blu-ray player will require a renewed Blu-ray player encryption key: “Please update your PS3 system software to the latest version to renew the Blu-ray player encryption key.”

The PlayStation 3’s Update 4.91 is available to download now.