Update: Sony has posted the following message on their online help desk in response to the issues surrounding firmware 2.4:

The PLAYSTATION 3 system software version 2.40 has been temporarily taken offline and will not be available for download as our engineers examine any possible issues with this update.  The Knowledge Center will be updated with information as it becomes available; please check back here for further details.

It seems as if a rash of reported issues with the recently released PS3 firmware 2.40 update has subsequently led Sony to pull the firmware from its Network Update servers. PS3 owners not on the latest firmware are now asked to simply download the previously released 2.36 update.

The issues have not been isolated incidents, as a number of PS3 owners over at the official Sony forums were greeted with an icon-less XMB screen after installing the 2.4 update, even after completely turning off and rebooting their console. The fix? Format the PS3’s hard disk drive, which obviously isn’t a very convenient workaround.

Sony has not issued a statement yet in regards to why the firmware was pulled. We’ll update when (or if) they do.

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