Sony pulls PS3 4.45 firmware update amidst reports of bricked consoles

The latest firmware for PS3 has been pulled by Sony.

That’s following widespread reports that the 4.45 update, which users are prompted to install whenever the console connects to PSN, is bricking some machines.

We’re aware of reports that the recent PS3 update (4.45) has caused,” an official statement confirmed. We have temporarily taken 4.45 offline and are investigating.”

Reports on the company’s forums suggest that after installation some users have seen their console hang on the dashboard without the XMB menu appearing. The hardware also becomes unresponsive to the power button and does the same even when it has been disconnected and reconnected to the mains.

This, of course, creates the added complication that users suffering from the bug may struggle to reconnect to PSN to download the upcoming fix.