Surprising PS3 Update Adds an Annoying New Feature

Believe it or not, Sony has pushed out a new update for the PlayStation 3 this week. Despite being two generations removed from the era of the PS3, Sony has continued to push out new firmware updates every now and then for the legacy hardware. Once again, that trend has continued today, but unfortunately, this patch only makes the PS3 a bit more annoying to use, even if the reason behind such a change is meaningful.

As of this moment, firmware update 4.89 for PS3 consoles has rolled out and is available to download. As you might expect, this patch isn't an extensive one given that the console is pretty dated at this point. Despite this, the update does make one major alteration in regard account creation and recovery. Essentially, those who are still using the PS3 will no longer be able to natively create PlayStation Network accounts on the console. Instead, you'll have to do so on your phone or computer and then log in on the PS3 afterward.

In addition to this, Sony is requiring two-factor authentication if you're looking to sign-in to your own account on PS3. This is likely a feature that many PlayStation users already had turned on in the first place but Sony seems to now be requiring it as we move forward.

It's worth noting that Sony pushed out a similar update today for those who still own a PlayStation Vita handheld. This patch, which is version 3.74, essentially does the same thing as the PS3 update. Basically, Sony seems to be tightening up security on these legacy platforms, which isn't all bad. If you're someone who happens to still be using the PS3 or Vita, though, you'll just have to jump through more hoops than normal in the future.