Sony releases patch to fix PlayStation 3 bricking issue

Sony has finally released a fix for those who were affected by last week’s PlayStation 3 firmware update. The company has given step-by-step instructions on how to install the update on your bricked PS3. The steps involve getting the console to boot up into Safe Mode and getting it to install the update from a flash drive. Grab the update from Sony’s official website here.

The new update fixes PS3s that were bricked by the previous update

“We have identified the issue related to the PlayStation 3 software update (version 4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week," Sony earlier told Eurogamer when it announced that it was working on a fix. "A new PS3 system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves the issue. Thank you for your patience and understanding and we apologise for the inconvenience."

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The brick issue is presumably not intentional, since Sony hasn’t ever mentioned in the past that changing the console’s HDD is against the Terms of Service of the console. Users might need to access the PlayStation 3's Safe Mode to be able to download the new update that Sony rolls out.

Booting the console up into Safe Mode is a lengthy process, but it is relatively simple. You can check out how to do so here. From the Safe Mode, you can simply make the PS3 install a new firmware from a USB drive as long as it is formatted in FAT32.