By Tom Ivan
Sony Computer Entertainment America is facing a class action lawsuit over the botched release of mandatory PS3 firmware 3.0 and a later system update that is said to have irreparably damaged thousands of consoles.
Released on September 1 and billed as the last significant PS3 firmware update of 2009, version 3.0 introduced new trophy and friends list features as well as dynamic dashboard themes and PlayStation Store shortcuts. But shortly following its release a number of users reported running into technical problems, including the inability to synch up controllers with consoles and game freezes mid-session.
SCEA said at the time that it was aware of “isolated issues” being experienced by users and that it was “looking into the matter”, before releasing PS3 firmware update 3.01 as a partial fix later in the month.
However, lead plaintiff John Kennedy claims that the latter system update not only failed to rectify the problems but also caused users' Blu-ray drives to malfunction. Sony said it would cost $150 to repair his damaged console, according to Courthouse News.
Represented by California-based Parisi & Havens, class members are demanding declaratory relief, compensation and restitution from SCEA for an alleged breach of implied warranty, negligence and unjust enrichment.
Sony has run into problems in the past when rolling out major PS3 firmware updates. In July last year, firmware version 2.40 - which introduced in-game access to the system's XrossMediaBar and a Trophies achievement system - had to be pulled for further testing after numerous users reported technical problems - including consoles locking up - after downloading or while attempting to download it. Sony released a new firmware update shortly afterwards which fixed the issues.
