PS3 Gets Surprise Update from PlayStation

It’s been almost 19 years since PlayStation 3 was first released in stores, and chances are pretty good that most gamers have moved on from the system. Since then, we’ve gotten two more PlayStation generations, after all. Despite this, PlayStation announced this morning that a new software update has been released for the console, bringing it up to version 4.92. The patch notes from PlayStation merely state that “this system software update improves system performance.” That doesn’t really give us much to go on, but that’s often the case when it comes to any console update.

While the patch notes don’t say it, PlayStation’s support page explicitly mentions that users need to install the update to “renew the Blu-ray player encryption key,” so that might be the real reason behind today’s update. While PS3 is pretty old at this point, it’s not inconceivable that some people might still be using the console as a Blu-ray player. If you’ve still got the console hooked up for that purpose, you might want to consider running the update to make sure you can continue to use that particular feature. It’s actually nice to see that PlayStation is keeping up on this, particularly for those that still like using physical media.

The announcement from PlayStation has been largely met with surprise and bewilderment. PS3 was discontinued in North America in fall 2016, and yet here we are, 9 years later, still seeing updates for the platform. While PS3 doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to Sony’s consoles, it’s impossible to deny that it had a strong library of games, some of which remain unobtainable on PS5. If you’re still looking to play games like Twisted Metal, it’s your only option, and that’s not even mentioning some of the strong third-party games that never got ported. For that reason alone, it might be worth keeping your PS3 hooked up and updated.

Do you still have your PS3 hooked up for regular use? What games or features are you still using? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!