OtherOS

OtherOS is a feature of early versions of the PlayStation 3 video game console, allowing user installed software, such as Linux or FreeBSD. The feature was removed since system firmware update 3.21, released on April 1, 2010.

Software running in the OtherOS environment has access to 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements. Sony implemented a hypervisor restricting access to the RSX. IBM provided an introduction to programming parallel applications on the PlayStation 3.

After OtherOS was removed, a class action lawsuit was filed against Sony on behalf of users, but was dismissed with prejudice in 2011 by a federal judge. The judge stated: "As a legal matter, ... plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable." However, this decision was overturned in a 2014 appellate court decision finding that plaintiffs had indeed made clear and sufficiently substantial claims. Ultimately, in 2016, Sony settled with users who had installed Linux or had purchased a PlayStation 3 based upon the availability of OtherOS.

The settlement was then rejected in February 2017 by judge Yvonne Gonzalez, citing two problems: the lawyers' high fee percentage, and the users' difficulty in collecting. Sony responded in September 2017, offering each member of a single proposed class up to $65. This is a change from $55 and $9 payouts for members of two separate classes in the prior proposal.