Sony Pulls PS3 v.240 Firmware News

Sony Computer Entertainment has today removed the long-awaited v2.40 firmware update for PlayStation 3, following reports of major issues with the hardware after downloading the software.

The update, which adds features like an in-game XMB and Trophies, has apparently caused several issues including failing to show the XMB, and even blue and black screens of death! Whilst some on the official US forums have suggested re-formatting the PS3's removable HDD (do so at your own risk), others are planning on returning their console to Sony for repairs.

In a statement, the SCEA Director of Corporate Communications and Social Media, Patrick Seybold, confirmed that the firmware update has now been removed for the update servers:

"...we have 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. 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."

So far, it seems like the issue hasn't jumped across the Atlantic, with little mention of any problems on the European forums. Here, it seems the biggest concern is that the download progress bar jumps from 50% to 100%.