Yesterday it was reported all over the internet that firmware version 2.40 was crashing and freezing up PS3s after installation.
Sony has announced that it has pulled the update from its servers and will be keeping the PS3 community in the loop with "further information" as it tries to solve the issues, which Sony states, has only affected a small number of machines.
On the official PlayStation Blog, Patrick Seybold, director of corporate communications at Sony said,
"As has been reported on many gaming blogs and websites, we have temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline. We’ve received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3.
"While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, we are committed to providing the PS3 community with XMB access features delivered in the v2.40 update. We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up."
This is the second major fiasco occurring at Sony regarding quality control and the proper testing of their software. The first incident occurred with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV at the end of April. Gamers reported similar incidents of freezes and lockups while trying to install the game.
It was later discovered that the problems associated with these crashes were occurring primarily with the early 60GB models of the PS3. The irony that some see in all of this is that Sony, the makers of the PS3, should have had all iterations of the PS3 to test their software on, but somehow dropped the ball on this.
While Sony claims that they have received a "limited number of calls" regarding this problem, the actual number of incidents may be far greater since the established user base of the original 60GB PS3 probably numbers in the hundreds of thousands.
The spin from Sony, that it is a "problem for those few consumers," certainly doesn’t fool anyone and doesn’t endear it to its loyal fan base. A simple, "Sorry, we screwed up," would have been much more effective and refreshing than the standard corporate line.
[via playstationblog]
