As many PlayStation 3 owners discovered the hard way last week, Sony’s 3.50 system update added 3D support for Blu-ray movies, but also killed support for some third party accessories like controller adapters as well. And the firmware update’s effect goes even a little further, as MadCatz has now confirmed three of its older controllers no longer work with 3.50-equiped PS3s.
“With the exception of a small quantity of controllers sold before 2008, we believe that all Mad Catz products will continue to function as they did prior to the 3.50 Firmware update,” MadCatz announced in an email. The three controllers confirmed to no longer work are the 2008 wireless PS3 GamePad, the 2008 wired PS3 GamePad and the PS3 wireless MicroCon (which is now discontinued, anyway).
Otherwise, MadCatz assures all of their other accessories continue to work, including all other wired and wireless gamepads, fight sticks, and their range of Rock Band controllers. Also, if you happen to be one of the unlucky few who use one of these older MadCatz controllers that no longer work, you can call their customer service department and work out a replacement.
Sony’s explanation for why the 3.50 update was disabling non-Sony controllers and accessories in the first place was that “counterfeit PlayStation 3 Wireless Controllers” had been discovered that “may ignite or explode,” according to a consumer alert they released alongside the 3.50 update. Clearly, whatever they put inside the update to shut them down went a little further than just counterfeit wireless controllers.
