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PlayStation 3 platform holder Sony is facing up to a further two legal challenges to its decision to remove the ability to install alternative operating systems from the console.
OtherOS functionality, which allowed PS3 owners to install the likes of Linux, was removed from the PS3 in last month’s firmware update amid concerns that it could provide a back-door for hackers to crack the console.
The update is optional, but failure to install it results in the user losing the ability to sign into the PlayStation Network or watch Blu-ray movies.
Californian gamer Anthony Ventura last month launched a lawsuit accusing Sony of putting its own interests above those of its customers. Now GameSpot reports that two more lawsuits have been filed.
The first, again filed in California, claims that each plaintiff purchased a PS3 with the justified expectation that Sony would continue to support the Other OS function and other features and would not deliberately cripple those functions”.
The second follows along the same lines, adding: Installing firmware 3.21 renders the PS3 inoperable for its use as a computer; on the other hand, failure to install firmware 3.21 basically renders a user’s PS3 inoperable for its intended purpose as a gaming and Blu-ray Disc console.”
Despite the legal hot water it has found itself in, Sony remains adamant that its decision to remove OtherOS is covered within its T&C’s.
