Sony has been forced to pull a PS3 system update after widespread reports that it was causing machines to crash.
The 4.45 system update was supposed to include improvements to system stability, as well as new trophy notification options.
But according to many posters on the official PS3 forum as well as commenters on video gaming websites, the actual result was to local users out of their systems.
"Wow that update just bricked my PS3 and my warranty has expired," said one. "Great!"
Some reported that their systems were either unable to boot-up after installing the update, or said they're console crashed as soon as it completed loading the welcome screen.
Worse still, the update was mandatory - meaning that many users had no choice but to install it if they wanted to use the full functionality of the machine.
After just a few hours Sony took the update offline as issued a statement explaining that the issue had affected only "a small number of PS3 systems".
It said:
"We are aware of reports that the recent PlayStation 3 system software update (version 4.45) has caused the XMB to not display on a small number of PS3 systems. We have temporarily taken 4.45 offline and are investigating the cause of the problem. We will announce when the system update is available for download as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience."