Sony may owe PS3 early adopters some money

A court case over Sony's removal of the PS3's 'install other OS' option could lead to payouts for anyone who intended to install Linux or other operating systems on their consoles.

Sony may owe PS3 early adopters some money

As reported by Ars Technica, Sony are finally on the verge of settling a case with lawyers who represent 10 million PlayStation 3 owners who purchased their consoles in the US between November 1, 2006, and April 1, 2010.

This all links back to PS3 software update 3.21, which was released on March 28, 2010. In this update, Sony disabled the device's 'Install Other OS' feauture, citing security concerns. Some PS3 owners were understandably annoyed, and a lawsuit was pursued.

The settlement, which is still yet to be approved by a judge but which has been agreed upon between Sony and the opposing legal team, would mean that people who meet the above criteria and can attest that they installed Linux on their consoles are eligible for a $55 payout.

Anyone who can attest that they bought their PS3 with the knowledge that one of its features was the ability to install other operating systems will be owed $9.

The full accord goes into more detail, but here's the most pertinent information from it:

"Defendant has agreed to pay $55.00 to each Class member who submits a valid claim showing, among other things, proof that he or she used the Other OS functionality, and $9.00 to all other Class Members who submit a valid claim and attesting, among other things, that they lost value and/or desired functionality or were otherwise injured as a consequence of the firmware update. There is no limit on the number of valid claims that Defendant is required to pay. The Parties believe the terms of the Agreement are fair, reasonable and adequate, and that the Court should grant preliminary approval."

If a judge approves this settlement, expect to hear more about how to claim any money you might be owed.