When PlayStation 3 users went to play their console a few days ago many found the new 4.45 update to the console left their device crippled or, at best, locked on the ribbon animation.
Sony pulled the update as soon as it noticed the problem and on Friday revealed they'd figured out and fixed the problem. Unfortunately, the problem won't be resolved for another week.
No one has exact numbers as to how many people were affected by the flaw in the PlayStation Network's latest firmware update but the company insists it was not widespread. Still, this means several people will be locked out of their PlayStation consoles for more than a week.
"We have identified the issue related to the Playzstation 3 software update (version 4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week. A new PS3 system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves the issue," PlayStation Europe wrote on their Twitter page. "A new system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that will resolve the issue."
The problem in question occurred when people tried to download an update that was supposed to let them control what kind of trophy notifications they receive on their console. Instead, upon reboot, it locked people out of the system by never loading past the ribbon animation screen. When some users tried to reformat their PlayStation 3 to try and solve the problem, they found their device crippled or "bricked" by the fix attempt.
It's unclear as of yet how Sony plans to fix the bricked consoles with a new update but official instructions are expected to come along with the June 27 release.
This problem comes at an awkward time for PlayStation in terms of PR. Just as the company was gaining momentum from their E3 showcase of the new PS4 next generation console, the product's name is marred by this mishap.
Meanwhile, PlayStation's competitor, the Xbox One, announced it would be getting rid of region locking, a 24 hour Internet connectivity requirement and all restrictions on game sharing, which were all causing it to look significantly less appealing than the PS4.
