They could force new firmware or keys or whatever on new game releases. Those will be the most important software anyway.

If you watch the source video you can see why new firmware is a waste of time.  Each new firmware update would stop people for a matter of hours at most since they also have a way to trick the PS3 into thinking it has the latest updates when it's running an older version.

Also, you can't really have two different keys, one will always work so there's no point for the other.

Finally, even if for some reason making a new key did work for newer games, the launcher the homebrew people will eventually make will that pointless since the PS3 will verify the launcher as an official legit app and then the launcher can launch whatever it wants.

This is truly about as close to worst case scenario for Sony as it can get because it's about as close to best case scenario the homebrew scene can get without the console being completely open by default (which Sony or any of the three would never do).

-edit-

Whoops, the source video isn't in this thread, check this thread but be warned the video is a good 40 minutes.

cry? no wait.. pray and hope..

No one recommend Sony remove the ability to play games on PS3?

"The reasons are simple: The PS3 Slim is a major cost reduction involving many changes to hardware components in the PS3 design. In order to offer the OtherOS install, SCE would need to continue to maintain the OtherOS hypervisor drivers for any significant hardware changes - this costs SCE. One of our key objectives with the new model is to pass on cost savings to the consumer with a lower retail price. Unfortunately in this case the cost of OtherOS install did not fit with the wider objective to offer a lower cost PS3."

So basically everyone would have had to pay more for a ps3 slim so a few people can run Linux on it?

Then hackers had to ruin running OtherOS on older models

"The upcoming firmware upgrade, version 3.21 for the Playstation 3, will be dropping Linux support due to security concerns in a recent statement released by Sony.  This comes shortly after famed hacker George Hotz released his findings on an exploit which allowed read/write access to the console through another Operating System and Linux.  This new firmware is not a mandatory upgrade for Playstation 3 owners, but will severely limit the console's functionality if gamers choose to forgo the upgrade.  Since, this feature was not bundled into the PS3 Slim, this update will only be affecting the older models.

This move is thought to be a preemptive strike in the battle against piracy which the Playstation 3 has been seemingly winning in this generation."

Ofcourse that only led to more hacking and more problems for normal consumers, more firmware updates and GT5 missing its launch window.

Do you really think that if Sony had continued the fat model (next to the slim) with OtherOS this would not have happened?

1.  The Slim actually runs OtherOS and Linux without problems, that was just marketing BS they were spouting.

2.  If they had not removed Linux, I believe this exploit would not have been found for quite some time, if ever.  The fail0verflow people were only prompted to start looking because they wanted to put Linux back on the PS3 (whether just to have it or move onto piracy, that part is irrelevant).  The people that kick start the homebrew scene would still not have had the incentive to bother with the PS3.  The fact that it went three years with virtually nothing is a good indicator and the fact it only took them a year or trying after OtherOS was removed is another excellent indicator.

i know retrieving them is a big task but the members were discussing any possible way sony could stop it.

i didn't say it would be easy but it is possible

and sony doesn't have to retieve all the keys just lock on whoever is using psn or buying new games

old games will still work

I've read this a few times and I have no idea what you're getting at.

Sony cannot revoke the old key without recalling every game sold.  Period.  No amount of firmware upgrades will change that.

I have no idea what you mean by "lock on whoever is using psn or buying new games."  Do you mean instating a new key?  Again, won't work because the old key will still work for anything, it has to remain valid or else everything before the new key would be invalid. 

If the old key is still valid, then no new keys matter because all it takes then is to make a launcher with the old key that launches anything.

About the only way to fix it is revoke the old and even then it still won't work because then they can just downgrade the firmware and fool the PS3 into thinking it's using the current firmware.  This can already be done.

Even by trying to monitor PSN users it's still pretty hopeless as long as they aren't actually cheating.  Again, everything will be a completely legit signed app with no hardware or software changes.  What do you think they're going to be looking for?

I'm not sure of it. Even in the case you are right, there would still be the issue of a firmware contaning all the white/blackmailed lists that could be easily edited, rendering useless the entire process.

Besides, if there was no fix for both the PSP / Wii homebrew scenes, I doubt Sony would go all the way to stop it - there is sort of a myth around Sony and the PS3 security IMO that they would go any lengths to make the PS3 a fortress of sorts. Yes, they had a lot of fw updates who fixed security issues and whatever, but most of them were second thoughts to, say, giving the XMB and PSN to what Microsoft and NIntendo already offered.

Anyways, what should worry Sony the most (and the others too, for that matter) is the AACS keys leaking. Every PS3 released so far is a potential and unfixable blu ray ripper. Simply taking BD support like they did with linux would be suicidal, since it would obviously be deemed illegal and lawsuits would follow.

The best things Sony could do IMO are:

1 - completely revamp the BIOS and usie different encryption on future consoles. Since those will mostly be sold at 3rd world countries, it would be very effective against piracy. However, due to full access to previous PS3 master codes and so it wouldn't be long until someone came with a modchip or neo Jailbreak. Anyways, it wouldn't be different from most consoles on this aspect.

2 - give the PS3 everything the homebrew scene are looking to offer - different browsers, Linux, 3rd party support etc. It would keep the big hackers uninterested on it and diminish the appeal of methods which could be used to games / blu ray piracy. 

3 - release PSP-2 and PS4 earlier than planned if the worst come to be true. Honestly, we stand very close to it so far... Sony's bad luck has been of karmic proportions the last few days.

What I don't understand about these kids who started hacking to get Linux back on the PS3 is why they cared so much about it in the first place. I mean, sure, having Linux support might have had a slight influence on whether or not you purchase the system... but if it's the main reason, then, well, you should really be looking towards better alternatives - you could always buy a computer for much less the price of a PS3 with superior specs - even back at launch.

I don't understand why anyone would have bought a PS3 for the Linux functionality in the first place, much less kicking up a fuss and giving up a social life (or, giving up trying to develop one) for months on end to crack the security systems to get a service back that was probably subpar compared to their computers, anyway (I imagine that these people have fucking Hal sitting under their dorito-stained computer desk - with 50% of its power dedicated to providing private servers for various MMOs).

Maybe, just maybe, a few Linux enthusiasts chose a PS3 over a 360 for the functionality, but I'm pretty sure that once the novelty wore off of having some uber-crappy distro being displayed on their TV screen, the console either started collecting dust, or was used for one of its primary purposes - games, blu-ray, pornography storage.