If you ever used Linux on your now-outdated PlayStation 3, then you might be receiving $55 from Sony in the near future.
Back on March 28, 2010, Sony announced that the PS3 firmware (v3.21) update would be arriving in a few days that would disable the Install Other OS feature that was present on older PS3 systems out on the market prior to the launch of slimmer models launched in September 2009. As the firm notes, the option was intended to allow users to install an operating system on their PS3, but due to "security concerns" Sony decided to do away with it.
In theory, this wouldn't be a big deal, since Sony claimed in the announcement that the update was voluntary. However, the reality of the situation was that, by not updating, console owners couldn't connect to the PlayStation Network, play any games online, play any games or Blu-ray movies that required the new firmware (or any that came after it), play any files kept on a media server or download any future updates.
In other words, anyone who had Linux on their PlayStation 3 and wanted to keep the OS on the console suddenly found themselves with a useless system, as most of the key functions were now disabled.
Naturally, this didn't fly with affected console owners, and they took Sony, which argued that its terms of service allowed it to remove the Other OS feature and that the functionality loss wasn't that big of a deal for most console owners, to court in a battle that would last six years.
As of Friday, June 17, Sony and lawyers representing as many as 10 million console owners have reached a settlement: Sony will pay at least $55 to any gamer who purchased a Fat PS3 model in the United States between Nov. 1, 2006, and April 1, 2010, and of course, installed Linux on it.
The settlement has not yet been approved by a Federal judge who is expected to hear the deal on July 19, but it still details what gamers seeking restitution can do to get their cash:
Step 1: Attest under oath to their purchase of the product and installation of Linux
Step 2: Provide proof of their purchase or serial number and PlayStation Network sign-in ID
Step 3: Submit some proof of their use of the Other OS functionality
In addition, Sony may pay an alternative $9 to any console owner who bought a PS3 based on Sony's claims about "Other OS" functionality. In order to receive that extra bit of dough, console owners will need to prove that, at the time they purchased their console, they "knew about the Other OS, relied upon the Other OS functionality, and intended to use the Other OS functionality" or "may attest that he or she lost value and/or desired functionality or was otherwise injured as a consequence of Firmware Update 3.21 issued on April 1, 2010."
