Ahahahaha! This will be unbelievably funny if it ends up true.

You know, Sony reminds me of the Children in Midwich Cuckoos. Every slight against them is returned tenfold. First, we had the OtherOS exploit. What Sony did? They obliterated the feature out of existence in a firmware and removed it from the Slim version. Then, we had the Jailbreak where Sony released a firmware to phase it out of existence and in the proccess borked up  "unauthorized" usb devices. And now that Hotz has released the PS3 and PSP keys online, Sony takes it out where? On their "precious" and poor customers.

No used sales? A good thing! Obviously, the copy I have of the game is not mine for the taking. I cannot rent it, borrow it, sell it or some other similar crap! No, I must ask permission from the Overlord Sony. Simply, I have no First-sale doctrine. I have this wonderful EULA that is completely legal. Online activation on a home console? It's finally a dream come true!

On a serious note, I must say that I find Sony to be the laughing stock of this generation. From the Giant Enemy Crab to the DRM, Sony keeps on acting like an angsty teenager.

You shouldn't be. Certain people can't see the forest for the trees here. They will happily bend over and get reamed to defend a company that is screwing them. You can blame hackers all you like but the bottom line is that Sony removed a feature from people's consoles after the fact. Which is inexcusable. The PS3 isn't the first console to get hacked, but Sony is the first console maker to react in such a despicable way.

This is going to fail... this is not a new idea. We have had this serial code system on PC for over 10 years. It failed then and it continues to fail now. This is nothing more than a token effort on behalf of the investors and third party developers to let them think they can do something.

I don't understand the people that are so pissed off at a guy that hacked his own system and told other ps3 owners how to do it. Yet they defend a company that put rootkits on thousands of systems without the owners knowledge. But if you feel the ps3 hacker needs to be punished i came up with a solution. He should have to give up 2 cds he doesn't like to sony and admit no wrong doing.

You couldn't rent even without DRM or anything like that... copright law prevent you from renting without the license to do so...

IFFFFFFFFFFFF this rumor is true it's really an overeaction, but funny enough just sony fanboys (as other are saying) defend that what the hackers done is harmfull... to them it's okay to bring harm on a company because it's big...

@slowmo: So just Sony is to blame and the hackers are saints? no middle ground?

@squillem: There are modifications you can't do... even on your car, in Brazil every tunned car shall be aproved by the DERSA, but do you think the modifiers care enough??? No, because it's yours and you have all the right to do what you want... sorry it's not like this...

About the guns knowledge, you know the majority of your population don't like guns, don't want them sold but the lobby keep them selling and altough they were held liable of miss use some money warranted that they could escape?

I love people with a ear that just listen what they want...

@the "so much fail": it's funny how you didn't said anything about computers, since they have linux to be instaled no hacker would cause harm in a PC, but guess what, they do.

@darkrequiem: I never saw sony calling all system with Linux so they could remove it... Slim never had Linux so they didn't took anything... the phat you had your option to keep Linux or use new firmware to new games, altough lame you had the option so they "didn't take it off".

And the timeline suggest Linux existed, a hacker used in a way would harm sony profits they fight back, them all shit come... i don't defend sony or sony actions (but by law they are allowed to defend themselves and while a court don't judge one of their actions illegal so we can't do the same)... but i keep my side that just blamming sony for everything is moronic.

Did the hacker lovers expect sony to let them do what they want and jeopardazy their profits?

@all hackers defendant: your right ends when the others begin. You are allowed to have a Gun in USA (with some conditions to buy, but ok) but are not allowed to shoot someone because you don't like him, even for self defense you can be persecuted... the most idiotic part is the ammendment where done because of a British invasion that in more than 200 years never happened but you keep it like that. So resuming you can have a gun but can't use it to harm another human or being, in the same fashion you can have knowledge but you can't use it to harm another one - and as companies for better or worst are made of people the rule stands.

I have nothing against someone using his PS3 in his house for homebrew or even pirate i don't care, but i can't understand the need to defend them when they fake they are doing it for the good of people when in fact they benefit a minority bringing harm to the majority...

Because as i see it to defend less than 1% users that liked their linux they keep bringing harm to 99% of the users, and this is what you defend? I don't defend Sony but i defend my right to don't be bothered by this suckers actions... and as i see the complains of Linux removal, usb support removal, possible DRM there are a bunch more people harmed than benefited....

SO PLEASE KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT IF YOU THINK THAT FOR THE BENEFIT OF A MINORITY EVERYBODY ELSE MUST SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.... IT'S NOT RIGHT EVEN WHEN YOU HARM A MINORITY FOR THE MAJORITY WHY WOULD IT BE OKAY THE OTHER WAY ARROUND?

You my friend don't know if your funny or high, i liked it =]

And it's still a rumour, and even if it come to fruitition Sony and this companies will probably have some kind of agreement since they most mutually be health for the system to work, don't worry yet.

But this is not about unplugging your ps3 5 times... it would be more like you wanting to have your television in 5 houses at a rotation work or garage sale, i doubt to much people buy a 5th hand television... but there are a lot of people that love to sell a game they bought for 60 dolars by 20 dolars, and buy a game for 45~50 dolars that were sold to the store by that 20 dolars... i don't think it's a great money saver option...

I buy used games, but only when the new is 50 dolars and used 15 dolars or less... actually there are a lot of new games cheapier than their used counterpart even in the same store.... but it survive because there are people that use this system, so let them use... i buy things i like and in the most clever way i can figure out.

Give it time, they'll get to that eventually.

Jokes aside, I really hope this is a rumor. I also find it ridiculous that people are defending this. Gamers may take different views on a variety of subjects, but there is usually a general consensus that DRM-type stuff is no good. People who support this kind of move are really showing their bias to a company that cares little about their consumer, and mostly about making/saving money.

And as others have pointed out, this won't even stop the problem of piracy and will probably result in less legitimate sales. It may fix the issue with PSN, but is this really Sony's ONLY option? Again, I really hope this a rumor. If it's not, I'll probably avoid Sony products for a while.

@DonFerrarri - Every single console ever released has been hacked, not a single one of the other manufacturer of those other consoles treat their consumer base with such utter contempt.  I consider anyone that gives credit to Sony for removing features they advertised and subsequently sold said devices as having, to be completely stark raving bonkers.  What sort of brain washing have you undergone that you would put consumer rights above that of a greedy corporation.  I say greedy corporation as that's what they all are in the end, it's the bottom line that means the most to these companies.

I'm not saying all hackers are angels, I'm just sick of people blaming the hackers for Sony's heavy handed, ill advised "fight" they're taking to the general public rather than the glaring holes in their consoles security. 

For the record removing all those features didn't stop or even slow the hackers at all, perhaps they should have spent their time making their firmware more secure and less time pulling features because they couldn't be bothered to plug the vunerabilties. 

Like yourself I don't care either way, I have a PS3 but don't particular use it for anything other than Bluray films and no doubt Uncharted 3 when it's released.  If they get XBMC running on it in homebrew with Bluray support I'd happily hack it and wouldn't care less about losing the gaming side in all honesty.  As a 500GB media player with extensive codec support and full 1080p rendering capabilities it would be far more useful to me.

If sony didn't remove in then we would still have otheros on our PS3s. In my book they are assholes

@donferrarri: The hack wouldn't have happened if it still had linux. You need to realize that. Team 0verflow was fine with the system not being hacked until Sony removed otheros. Then they hacked it. I'm not saying all hackers are doing it for Linux. It just wouldn't have happened had Sony not removed it. 

Your post came off as annoying to me so I decided to be a jackass and point out where you were wrong :P