The PlayStation 5 may have launched just last month, but many fans still haven’t been able to get their hands on one, whether due to stock shortages or thieves pilfering the PS5 from Amazon packages. This means that many people are still playing games on their PlayStation 4 or even PlayStation 3 and, lucky for them, Sony has continued to support both consoles.

On December 3, System Software Update 4.87 was released for the PS3 and, although it doesn’t contain much, it’s encouraging to know that the 14-year-old piece of hardware is still being looked after by Sony. The update requires 200MB of free space on either the PS3’s internal disk drive or on a removable storage device.

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The official Sony patch notes state simply that Update 4.87 improves system performance. However, the firmware improvements also include a minor security fix and updated Blu-ray keys for recent movie releases, enabling gamers to continue using their PS3 console as a media player.

For owners who have their PS3 configured to automatically download firmware and software updates, System Software Update 4.87 should already be installed the next time the console is powered on. Gamers who don’t enjoy having their console turn itself on in the middle of the night and have disabled the PS3's automatic update feature will likely be prompted to install 4.87 the next time they turn on their console. If neither of these scenarios play out, it is possible to manually download the update to a USB storage device and install it that way.

Stock image of PS3 controller

Despite the PS5 being backward compatible with more than 99 percent of the PS4’s library at launch, Sony CEO Jim Ryan has stated that the company has no plans for the new console to support PS3, PS2, or PS1 games. So a lot of gamers may be planning to keep their older consoles on the entertainment center even when they finally bring home a PS5.

Old-school PlayStation Plus subscribers will also have access to a selection of digital PS3 titles, as nearly 300 were released through the subscription service over the years. And although PS3 and PlayStation Vita titles were dropped from the service in March 2019, that should be enough games to keep most players occupied for a while. So hopefully PS3 owners who want to keep their console out of storage won’t have to relegate it to being solely a media player any time soon.

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Source: Push Square