Sony has released a system software update for the PS3 almost nine years after the seventh-generation console was discontinued in the US.
Of course, the update is a pretty small one; it doesn't add any major new features to the console, nor does it fix any obvious, glaring issues. Instead, much like the two updates before it, it simply "improves system performance", which usually involves smaller under-the-hood changes.
According to Sony, you're going to need 200MB of free space on your PS3 if you want to download this update. You can either update your system software through the console itself or via PC using a USB drive or other removable storage media.
Additionally, if you're looking to play Blu-ray discs on your PS3, you'll need to update, as Sony says you'll need a renewed encryption key to play the discs. You can get that key by - you guessed it - updating your console.
The PS3 was discontinued back in 2017, which means it was supported by Sony for around eleven years. That's not a bad innings for a console, and it's roughly the same time period for which Microsoft supported the Xbox 360.
Sony released the console in late 2006, and while it went on to achieve the lowest hardware sales of its respective generation, it was up against the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, so that's hardly a surprise.
Iconic franchises like Uncharted, The Last of Us, and the Souls series got their start on the PS3, and many of its games have been remade or remastered for subsequent generations.
The PS3 was also the first console to feature a Blu-ray disc drive; Xbox instead opted for the doomed HD DVD format, although that decision would be reversed in time for the launch of the Xbox One in 2013.
In 2021, Sony announced it would shut down the PlayStation Store across PS3 and its two handhelds, but widespread backlash saw the company reverse that decision swiftly, at least in the case of the PS3 and the PS Vita.
Sadly, this PS3 update almost certainly doesn't herald some kind of phoenix-like revival for the console, but hey - if you're still playing your PS3, at least you know it hasn't been totally forgotten. Stay tuned for more.
