Sony Drops Surprise PS3 Update And It's Required To Keep Blu-Ray Working
It's been nearly 20 years since Sony released the PlayStation 3, which at the time ran $499.99 for the 20GB model and $599.99 for the 60GB model. If you've held onto one for that long, your splurge continues to pay off, as Sony is still releasing updates two decades later. The latest one isn't overly fancy, but it is required if you plan to play Blu-ray discs (movies and games).
The latest software update, version 4.93, renews integrated Blu-ray player's encryption key.
"Please note, to play Blu-ray discs, your PS3 system needs 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," Sony states.
Less specifically, Sony also notes that the latest update "improves system performance," which is standard language that it's been using for the past several software updates. This has become an annual trend with Sony, with once-a-year software updates arriving for what GameStop recently declared to be an officially retro console, a designation it also applied to the Wii U and Xbox 360 this week.
The other side of the story is that the ongoing updates are an effort on Sony's part to combat piracy. While ostensibly intended to improve performance and keep the Blu-ray party going, these updates also address exploits that can be leveraged to jailbreak the PS3.
This is an ongoing battle between Sony and determined modders, the latter of which continue to find ways to crack the annual encryption keys and ultimately jailbreak the aging console. It will be interesting to see how much longer Sony continues to participate in the back-and-forth beyond the latest 4.93 update.
In the meantime, PS3 owners have no shortage of recent reminders that their console is retro. Aside from GameStop's designation (which is actually a plus for anyone who wants to trade one in), Netflix this month pulled the plug on supporting the PS3.
If you're affected by this, we highlighted a bunch of Roku streaming stick deals with savings of up to 47% off, and those sale prices are still in effect as of this writing. As good timing would have it, Amazon's Fire TV lineup is also deeply discounted right now.
