OtherOS

OtherOS is a feature of early versions of the PlayStation 3 video game console, allowing user installed software, such as Linux or FreeBSD. The feature was removed since system firmware update 3.21, released on April 1, 2010.[1]

Software running in the OtherOS environment has access to 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements.[2] Sony implemented a hypervisor that restricts access to the RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' graphics chip. IBM provided an introduction to programming parallel applications on the PlayStation 3.

After OtherOS was removed, a class action lawsuit was filed against Sony on behalf of users, but was dismissed with prejudice in 2011 by a federal judge. The judge stated: "As a legal matter, ... plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable."[3] However, this decision was overturned in a 2014 appellate court decision[4] finding that plaintiffs had indeed made clear and sufficiently substantial claims. Ultimately, in 2016, Sony settled with users who had installed Linux or had purchased a PlayStation 3 based upon the availability of OtherOS.[5]

The settlement was then rejected in February 2017 by judge Yvonne Gonzalez, citing two problems: the lawyers' high fee percentage, and the users' difficulty in collecting.[6][7][8] Sony responded in September 2017, offering each member of a single proposed class up to $65. This is a change from $55 and $9 payouts for members of two separate classes in the prior proposal.[9]

  1. ^ "PS3 Firmware (v3.21) Update". PlayStation.Blog. 28 March 2010. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  2. ^ SPE Access Archived October 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Sony Tosses PlayStation 3 Upgrade Claims Aside". Courthouse News Service. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Appellate Court Puts PS3 Class Action Lawsuit Back in the Game". topclassactions.com. 8 January 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Kravets, David (21 June 2016). "Sony agrees to pay millions to gamers to settle PS3 Linux debacle". Ars Technica. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Game over for PS3 Linux settlement". ArsTechnica. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  7. ^ "Judge Rejects Settlement In PlayStation 3 "Other OS" Lawsuit". Consumerist. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  8. ^ "Judge Nixes PS3 Linux Class Action Settlement". Consumerist. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  9. ^ "Sony Asks For Approval Of Revised $3.75M PS3 Settlement". Law360. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-07.