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US Air Force To Suffer From PS3 Update

tlhIngan writes "The US Air Force, having purchased PS3s for supercomputing research, is now the latest victim of Sony's removal of the Install Other OS feature. It turns out that while their PS3s don't need the firmware update, it will be impossible to replace PS3s that fail. PS3s with the Other OS feature are no longer produced since the Slim was introduced, so replacements will have to come from the existing stock of used PS3s. However, as most gamers have probably updated their PS3s, that used stock is no longer suitable for the USAF's research. In addition, smaller educational clusters using PS3s will share the same fate — unable to replace machines that die in their clusters." In related news, Sony has been hit with two more lawsuits over this issue.

14 of 349 comments (clear)

  1. Re:COTS = COST by LighterShadeOfBlack · · Score: 2, Funny

    Levenshtein disagrees.

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    Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
  2. Well they have the bargaining power by Chrisq · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well they have the bargaining power. Like, if you don't supply us with an OS install feature you better get nervous when you see an aircraft flying towards your headquarters. Or maybe you won't see a thing. Accidents happen you know

    1. Re:Well they have the bargaining power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Not a problem. US missiles have a highly accurate targeting system. Its calculations are powered by a cluster of PS3s.

  3. Re:Sony is a terrorist organization by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Benjamin Franklin said it best. "Anyone who would trade money for something produced by Sony deserves neither, and will lose both."

  4. This would be a great time for Microsoft by MikeRT · · Score: 2, Funny

    The XBox 360 has already been successfully used for scientific computing. Microsoft should move in for the kill with a modified 360 that includes a complete tool chain and a new clustering API.

  5. Re:Sony is a terrorist organization by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bomb them to hell if they don't bring back this feature, vital for national security.

    This was their plan all along.

    It's payback for Hiroshima.

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    You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. Idea by kurtis25 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have an idea... Let's make the PS3 useless, then sell a PS4 with the other OS option, when it's time to sell PS5 (to be nicknamed the piss) we will turn off the other OS option in the PS4. We can do this for 50 years before anyone catches on.

  7. Re:Not really a surprise... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2, Funny

    The original post had spaces, but they were removed by Sony in a firmware update.

  8. Re:Sony is a terrorist organization by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, the whole "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me"

    No, no. You have it all wrong. Here's the actual quote:

    There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- [pauses] - shame on you. Fool me -- You can't get fooled again. - George Bush, September 17, 2002.

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    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  9. Re:This was already an issue by tophermeyer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Personally I think it was a dick move to not include it on the slim models without putting it very clearly on the packaging that it was a crippled machine, and not a real PS3.

    I don't mean to be rude, but I think you might need to adjust your definition of crippled. It is still a 'real' PS3, still plays Blu-Rays, PS3 games, connects to PSN, etc. They removed a theoretically popular feature that very few people actually took advantage, and that posed a mild security/piracy risk to Sony. They didn't send killbots out to peoples homes to force the update. They simply stopped offering this completely extraneous feature, and stopped supporting it.

    For what its worth, I agree that it was inconsiderate on Sony's part to go about it the way they did.

  10. USAF to Sony: by damien_kane · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Really? You want to play this game? We've already nuked Japan once, did you like it that much?"

  11. Re:Sony is a terrorist organization by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bomb them to hell if they don't bring back this feature, vital for national security.

    This was their plan all along.

    It's payback for Hiroshima.

    Someone better tell them that it was Cow and Chicken that's been responsible for Hiroshima all along.

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    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
  12. Re:Sony is a terrorist organization by Xeno+man · · Score: 2, Funny

    You mean it wasn't whale and dolphin? I need to make some apologies...