PS3 Slim drops optional OS install feature

Sony can always add that feature back in for institutional use. It's not like it is a hardware feature. They are just removing the install other OS from the firmware since less than 1% of PS3 owners actually used the feature.

What about hard drive switch ?

Though I have never--and don't plan to--made use of this service, it does seem a bit disappointing that it's being taken out. It was a nice thing that the PS3 had going for it that the other consoles didn't. =/

PlayStation3 slim vertical stand will be sold seperately.. retailing at $24.. expected release date unannounced.

Here's my take on it: they've locked this out either in firmware or maybe even EEPROM to curb Blu-Ray (movie) piracy (though I don't think it's going to help that much). However, they can easily re-enable it for use by such corporations and institutions.

My guess is that they've done this so that they can sell special unlocked editions directly to the institutions (thus cutting out the retailer part of the equation and driving up profit margins). They may even sell these special versions at a premium.

THE WORLD HAS ENDED!

It's ok, I will still get it. :)

I guess if you look to th upside on the specs do list Bravia Link as included in the new model. In other the old model you get OS capabilities if you want it and the new gets Bravia Link to work with all of Sony's other stuff you might already own and should have been there in the first place. Nice Job Sony

thank God, too many idiots are installing "Ubuntu","yellow dog" and God knows what other OS in the PS3..then when it breaks down and Sony doesn't want to give them warranty they cry about it....I just don't get nerds =O

The only people this has a real impact on is people making computing clusters, and if you're prepared to do that, you're prepared to hack the firmware anyway - but why make the hassle?

Well, this device's slender looks aside, i personally need to have the backwards compatability goshdarnit! I would rather be able to reminisce like the old sexegenarian i am whilst idly perambulating the corridors with my erstwhile pal Solid Snake, whilst i enjoy my brandy.

Its rather a boosh that i should have to pay for two systems, aint it old beans?

The OtherOS feature had great potential for homebrew, which runs straight from OtherOS mode (without using Linux), but nobody created the dev tools for applications which run without Linux. If we saw a clone of PS2's LaunchELF for PS3 OtherOS, this probably would've been used a lot more.

I actually use Linux for running emulators (mostly UAE which does great Amiga Emulations even without access to the gfx chip). But the option is hardly important.

I just don't understand the point in removing it. Unlike PS2 BC which actually cost Sony extra to implement allowing Linux has no hardware overhead. Removing it just looks like a dick-move - a small one maybe - but still a dick move in the middle of what should be all happy-glee over the Slim and price-drop.

I once considered installing an OS. ...That's about as far as I got. Waste of time.

Actually, it's slow only if you run regular PowerPC code, not Cell-optimized code that take use of the SPE's. (Tough, I don't know if there were Cell-optimized codecs and scaler routines already.)

While this feature is really appealing to my nerd side. After 2 and a half years of owning my PS3 I really haven't found a reason to take to plunge and install Linux. This is a feature I will not miss.

Yes, it's useless, but compare to the original PS3, it has now lost TWO features - BC and the ability to run other OSes.

Confirmed here - next PS3 iteration? No Blu-Ray movie player, only games.

It's useless to tell it's useless to you... It's not for everyone. But for those who take use of this it can be very useful...

While 256MB of main RAM is perhaps not enough to use it as an everyday PC with several apps running at once, it's enough to run some, like a regular web-browser and email client, a movieplayer that plays all of your media files (provided there are Cell-optimized codecs for HD encoding formats), 3rd party or hombrew programs as a hobby, "demos", and so on.

The main thing with "Other OS" is: without this option you cannot EVEN RUN programs that is not developed by official developers using the very costly official SDK!

I'm sad it's disabled on the Slim, so the Slim is now my piece of cake...

And so they've "pissed" at the demoscene, as well...

I installed Linux so I could stream Netflix to my PS3 from Firefox.

I would consider that a useful feature because now I don't have to go out and spend $3-500 on an HTPC, Netflix box, or an X360 /w Live Gold.

LOL Like Sony has a choice in this matter once it gets out to the public.

I can't believe people cry about backwards compatibility, Go to a pawn shop and get a ps2 for $20. And if your so worried about the other os feature the go to Game stop and get a used fat ps3, Soon it will be cheaper than the slim. The only feature I use in the "other os" AKA Yellow Dog Linux is fire fox.