Sony is tightening its grip on PS5 jailbreaks, and for many players the effect is visible on the disc itself. Some recent physical games won't start unless the console runs the latest firmware, and social media has reacted angrily.
The backdrop is familiar: over recent months the homebrew scene has found several ways into the console, and Sony has answered with more frequent updates. Access to the PlayStation Network had already been cut off for consoles stuck on 14.00, as covered earlier, and the 14.20 patch arrived after an exploit was made public by the scene.
The controversial part is the disc. According to Push Square, which picks up posts circulating on X, the required update can be installed straight from the Blu-ray, or downloaded from the PlayStation website for those who prefer not to connect the console. The same outlet notes that this has been common practice on almost every console for more than a decade, going back to the PS3. The friction is therefore less technical than perceptual: the disc looks like a complete product but needs a connection and an update.
Reactions on social media are harsh. One user wrote that Sony "still wonders why people hate them", another replied that "we don't hate this company enough". Push Square links the controversy to the mood surrounding the company for months, including the plan to phase out physical media by 2028, and to the Stop Killing Games class action. According to the same source, however, the backlash does not appear to have affected console sales so far.
Notebookcheck flags a further complication: a new exploit called Prolapse, described as a kernel exploit able to open the console even on firmware 14.10 and tied to the next major Rockstar release. If accurate, the issue of physical games and piracy would become even more sensitive, and the update cycle would likely tighten. For now, though, it is a claim from scene developers that Sony has not verified.
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