Sarah Ewen of SCEE’s technology recently released a statement about why Sony decided to drop Linux support from the PS3 Slim. Here is what she said:

“The reasons are simple: The PS3 Slim is a major cost reduction involving many changes to hardware components in the PS3 design. In order to offer the OtherOS install, SCE would need to continue to maintain the OtherOS hypervisor drivers for any significant hardware changes – this costs SCE.

One of our key objectives with the new model is to pass on cost savings to the consumer with a lower retail price. Unfortunately in this case the cost of OtherOS install did not fit with the wider objective to offer a lower cost PS3.”

Although Linux support was a nice feature to have, it was a very underused one, and it is better for Sony to cut Linuz support out, rather than some other, more popular feature.

Trexman89 via exophase.com »