Firmware Updates, Scourge of Gamers Everywhere

If there’s one thing Sony is doing this console generation that is supremely annoying above everything else, it’s the mandatory firmware installations. Piracy is harmful (by most accounts) to the industry; firmware updates are one (temporary) fix for the problem. Why, then, are the legitimate consumers forced to endure mandatory updates?

I run into this nearly every time I buy a new PSP game. My lonely PSP collects dust until one day I bring home a present for it: a new game. Oh, how excited it is to spin up a new disc and finally see some usage again. Naturally, the battery is dead at this time, so I have to seek out the power cable and hook it up. I pop the disc in, choose the game from the dashboard, and immediately the “Firmware X.XX is required, install now?” message appears. Nothing world stopping about that, I always say “Yes” and proceed with the update. And then Sony stops me in my tracks every time. It absolutely refuses to install the update if the battery is low. Nevermind that the AC is plugged in and feeding it more juice than the battery could ever provide.

And so my moment of glory with the underused piece of hardware ends prematurely. Never do I get to play my new games the day I buy them. Most recently I picked up Space Invaders Extreme ($20 at Walmart). If I ever get to actually play it, I’ll post my impressions.

The PS3 is equally bad when it comes to mandatory updates. The problem with it is that the update must be downloaded. It’s always a lengthy download, followed by a fairly lengthy install and several reboots. The updates almost never add any functionality to the system (at worst, they cause issues and require more updates to reverse the damage done). Nintendo and Microsoft have this process much more streamlined, with MS taking the cake with their very small updates that add a lot of new features that actually improve the system for the customers, rather than simply patch exploits that pirates are going to break open within hours anyway. Sony… take a hint from your competition. Ditch the frequent, unasked for updates, or else figure out how to make them smaller and low-battery friendly!