Gamer or not, whoever has purchased the original PlayStation 3 before April 2010 may now submit their claims in a lawsuit due to Sony dropping Linux support towards the console. Claims can be as much as $55 each and details can be read below.
The said lawsuit deemed "In re Sony PS3 "Other OS" Litigation" has been grinding within courts for six years already. The lawsuit points out the feature that the PS3 had at launch called "OtherOS". The said feature permitted users to partition their PS3 hard drive so that Linux can be installed.
However, Sony removed this feature over security concerns by April of 2010. This has upset customers back then saying that it is a breach of warranty along with false advertising and sorts of other offenses.
Sony has settled with the petitioners and agreed upon a proposal last June followed by a federal judge's preliminary approval last month. Fun fact: the lawsuit officially termed the console in question as "Fat" which was only exclusive for people in the gaming world.
Who is eligible for the claim again?
Those who bought a Fat PS3 between the period of Nov. 1 2006 up to Apr. 1, 2010 can process their claims. It is important to note that this is a 'settlement' meaning Sony does not admit any fault on their end, Polygon reports.
The gaming site added that according to the agreed terms, the settlement is being grouped into two. Consumer Class B - are residents of the US who purchased the console in question during the dates mentioned on the previous paragraph. These people are eligible for $9 each. Consumer A - has the same qualities as Class B but have actually used the OtherOS feature will receive $55 each.
Those who wish to claim should submit their claim forms via the settlement website, proof of purchase and PSN IDs registered before Apr. 1 2010 are additional requirements. For Class A, they should also prove that they used the OtherOS feature, Polygon adds.
More details can be found in the FAQ section of the settlement website. Claims should be submitted on or before Dec. 7 then there will be a hearing on Jan. 24 next year to determine who will get approved for the settlement. Payments will then be given around 40 days after. Here's a commentary about this issue posted a month ago by Game Spot:
