What the PS3 homebrew community hoped was an April Fool's joke by Sony turned out not to be, as the latest system update for the console (3.21) axed the ability to install another operating system, i.e. Linux, on it. The feature has been absent from the PS3 "Slim" since its release, but owners of the original form factor probably never expected to lose the functionality. Enter Geohot, the person who in January claimed to have "hacked the PS3." He now claims to have created a custom firmware update that not only reintroduces the Other OS feature to original PS3 units, but potentially the Slim systems as well.

Geohot writes on his blog that "this can be installed without having to open up your PS3, just by restoring a custom generated PUP file, but only from 3.15 or previous. It's possible this CFW will also work on the slim to actually *enable* OtherOS." He also takes Sony to task for removing the feature in the first place, saying it is "potentially turning 100000+ legit users into 'hackers.'"

The YouTube video we've embedded after the break purports to show Geohot's PS3 booting Linux thanks to his custom v3.21 firmware. He hasn't put a firm date on the release of the hack, but simply divulging its existence was probably more than enough to get Sony's lawyers drawing up the paperwork for a cease and desist.

What "break." There's no link. Did you copypasta this from a site?

he obviously did.
he always pasta's from another site, just the text.
i wonder if he even reads them. probably not

Fail

What's the big idea with everyone with Other OS on the PS3? I've heard people rage on about this one. What difference does it make? I don't get it.

Other OS was actually pretty cool if you didn't have a laptop/computer to browse the web or use IM programs. I used to have YDL 6.0 back in '08 :3

Only downside was the hypervisor which restricted the use of the SPEs and graphics card.

I use it weekly to run virtual table-top software for my D&D campaigns (mainly to display maps for encounters and junk on my TV).

I will likely be one of those 100000+ legit users being turned into a hacker. I really don't want to lose Other OS, nor do I want to lose PSN.

I toyed with the idea of using my PS3 as a clonezilla DRBL server (don't need to do much, just receive the ghosting images from the network and store it to an external USB hard drive). Sadly, it was not to be since I ended up with a PS3 slim. But given how hot my PS3 slim can get within an hour tho, I think building a server out of the cache of spare parts I've accumulated in my room is a better deal.

Aren't the slims supposed to run cooler than the phats? I got a phat and it barely gets past warm, even after hours of playing.

Same here :D He lives near the equator, though.

He said he had melty Mentos, once, iirc. MELTY MENTOS. It's against the laws of science.

My Slim gets a little warm.

That's all I have to say on the matter.