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It appears at least one Best Buy store is charging customers for the simple act of upgrading the firmware on their PS3 to the latest version. The "Geek Squad" service adds $30 to the normal cost of the PS3, and the service is even available to those that already have PS3s, at the same price premium.
Updating firmware on the PS3 is extremely easy, as long as your PS3 is connected online, a must if you play games online. The process is as easy as going into the Systems menu, selecting system update, and then following the prompts. And yet, Best Buy wants to charge $30 for the upgrade, and many unsuspecting consumers may end up paying for it when it sees the list of benefits listed as being available after the upgrade, which includes such items as "eliminates bugs and glitches", "system runs smoother" - all of which is generally true for firmware updates.
One real benefit for those that have PS3s out of warranty is that, with the chance a firmware update could break the PS3's disc reading functionality (a well known problem for those with older PS3s), the $30 might be cheaper than paying the $150 Sony asks to repair the broken PS3s, that is if Best Buy assumes responsibility if the upgrade fails.
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Updating firmware on the PS3 is extremely easy, as long as your PS3 is connected online, a must if you play games online. The process is as easy as going into the Systems menu, selecting system update, and then following the prompts. And yet, Best Buy wants to charge $30 for the upgrade, and many unsuspecting consumers may end up paying for it when it sees the list of benefits listed as being available after the upgrade, which includes such items as "eliminates bugs and glitches", "system runs smoother" - all of which is generally true for firmware updates.
One real benefit for those that have PS3s out of warranty is that, with the chance a firmware update could break the PS3's disc reading functionality (a well known problem for those with older PS3s), the $30 might be cheaper than paying the $150 Sony asks to repair the broken PS3s, that is if Best Buy assumes responsibility if the upgrade fails.
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