Sony‘s PS3 is getting a system software update this week. That isn’t a sentence that most people thought they would be reading in the year 2025, some 19 years after the console’s initial release date when the PS5 is the current console. And yet, here we are, with Sony having sent out the update to consoles on March 5.
Sony’s PS3 is considered a relic by most people’s standards these days. That’s what likely makes it surprising that the company has pushed out a software update for it. Does it include some new features to enhance the user experience? Not exactly. The small update merely says it’s to improve system performance.
That means there probably aren’t any new features to speak of, which might be a shame for people who still own and use their PS3. There is a reason Sony seems to have pushed out this update, though. It revolves around using the console to play Blu-ray discs.
The PS3 system software update is about renewing Blu-ray encryption keys
The small 200MB update looks to be mostly about renewing the Blu-ray encryption keys. As Notebookcheck points out, consoles like the PS3 are from a bygone era where these encryption keys weren’t automatically updated. A system software update had to be pushed out to update these keys. As such, this update appears to include those updated encryption keys so the console can continue to play Blu-ray discs.
Sony notes that the PS3 needs a renewed Blu-ray encryption key to play Blu-ray discs. So, without doing this update, the console won’t play Blu-rays. If you’re not using your PS3 console to play Blu-ray discs, then you can probably forgo this update and continue using your console as you normally would. You know, for playing games.
Additionally, the updated encryption keys should only be needed for new Blu-ray discs and movies. Older Blu-ray discs and movies should continue to work. That being said, if you’re using your PS3 to watch Blu-rays in this day and age, chances are you plan to watch newer movies. So you may just want to do the update.
You can update the console in two ways
If you’ve decided to move forward with the update, you can do so in one of two ways. The easiest is just to turn on your PS3 and download the system software update on the console. However, Sony says you can also install the update through removable storage media. If you go with the second method, you can download the software update to compatible removable storage media from Sony’s website.
