Forums and blogs across the internet are abuzz with reports that the newest PS3 update has broken the system, rendering the Blu-ray drive unusable.
The long awaited 3.0 firmware update for the Playstation 3 integrated a wide variety of improvements, such as upgraded friends lists, trophy sharing, and a bit more personalization. Unfortunately, it also appears to have caused some problems with the Blu-ray drive.
Customers are reporting that both games and Blu-ray discs will play fine for around ten minutes and then just freeze up. The increasingly common story is echoed by countless posters on the Playstation blog such as JohnnyAstro who says that he “upgraded to 3.01 3 days ago, and in the middle of playing a game a day later, the game locked up, and that was it. The drive cannot recognize any disc now. Tried putting in games, Blu-ray movies and DVD’s. Nothing.”
Reportedly, Sony customer service is stating that this is likely a coincidental hardware issue, and customers are being asked to pay $150 for repairs on their systems. While this issue does appear to be widespread, it definitely isn’t happening to every system. If you’re using your PS3 as a Blu-ray player though, it may be wise to avoid the update until this all gets straightened out.
