Linux PS3 PlayStation 3 1

Remember when you could install Linux on a PlayStation 3? If you answered "vaguely" to the previous question, then you may be eligible to compensation – well, $9 to be precise. For the past six years, Sony's been battling a class action lawsuit, which proposed that the platform holder wronged up to 10 million owners by removing the 'OtherOS' function from its last-gen format. And it's finally agreed to settle.

As per the terms of the accord – which are yet to be approved by a federal judge – those who can prove that they used Linux on the console are eligible to a payment of $55. Meanwhile, those who didn't use the function but are able to articulately illustrate that they purchased a PS3 based on the feature will receive the aforementioned $9. The company will also have to cover legal costs, which will set it back some $2.25 million.

A steep pay out, then, but why was Linux removed from the console in the first place? Well, Sony said that it represented a security concern, which could lead to piracy. It subsequently patched out the feature, describing the removal as "voluntary". Of course, those who didn't agree to remove the 'OtherOS' option from their console subsequently lost access to the PlayStation Network, among other key features.

Ultimately, the company will probably be rueing the day that it decided to include a Linux option on its console to begin with. Who wanted that feature anyway, apart from the dweebs who try to get DOOM running on modern fridge freezers? As per the case, the manufacturer will need to inform its customers of the potential compensation by leveraging its email database, while also purchasing banner ads on gaming websites.

What a ball ache!

[source arstechnica.com]