Sony Withdraws Firmware v2.40 Update

Sony has been forced to withdraw availability of the keenly anticipated v2.40 firmware update for the PlayStation 3, after reports that the software was causing some consoles to freeze when loading a game. According to a post on the official PlayStation.blog website by director of corporate communications & social media Patrick Seybold, Sony has “temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline”. “We’ve received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3,” explained Seybold. “While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, we are committed to providing the PS3 community with XMB access features delivered in the v2.40 update.” “We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up,” he added. The update is amongst the most significant so far for the PlayStation 3, adding Cross Media Bar (XMB) access from within a game, as well as support for its Achievement-like Trophy ranking and rewards system and a number of other improvements including personalized background music for games. The software update was officially launched on July 2nd, but at time of press is no longer available to consumers – with offline updates for debug consoles also currently being withheld by Sony.