PS3 PS3 4.91 Firmware Released - Do Not Update!!!

UPDATE: its now safe to update to 4.91. PS3HEN (& HFW), CFW & PS3 Toolset have been updated to support 4.91.

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PS3 Firmware 4.91 is now Live

The expected once a year firmware update has been executed by Sony, PS3 4.91 Firmware is now Live. While an expected update, could this bring other changes to the firmware? Likely not but its still early to conclude as this update is fresh as of writing .

Do not update, various exploits / tools / essential homebrew will need to be updated to support the latest firmware update of 4.91. See below for a short FAQ on 4.91, as there is always some confusions around the update process. .
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F.A.Q.

• 
  Should i update to 4.91 now?
  
  • NO, you will temporary lose your jailbreak (CFW or HEN) if you update to 4.91. (until projects are updated)
  
  
  What should i do if I accidentally updated to 4.91 by mistake?
  
  • You will have to wait for developer's to update exploits and tools to support 4.91.
    • PS3HEN, will need two things to happen.
      • 1.) HFW (hybrid firmware) will need to be released (by itself, it's useless), so do not update to 4.91 HFW without PS3HEN 4.91 or you will essentially just be on 4.91 Official Firmware and stuck until solution for 4.91 are complete. RELEASED https://www.psx-place.com/threads/o...-for-4-91-firmware-from-team-ps3xploit.43199/
        
      • 2.) PS3HEN will need to be updated to support 4.91 (@esc0rtd3w provides an update for 4.91 )
        RELEASED https://www.psx-place.com/threads/o...-for-4-91-firmware-from-team-ps3xploit.43199/
    • CFW: will need two things.
      • 1.) A 4.91 CFW Release (@Evilnat is developing now) UPDATE RELEASED
      • 2.) An update to bguerville's PS3 Toolset to support 4.91 @bguerville has stated he will wait for the release of a 4.91 CFW until a PS3 Toolset update is rolled out.
  
  
  I did not update to 4.91, when tools and exploits are released for 4.91, what is the basic procedure for updating to 4.91?
  
  • PS3HEN
    1. Install 4.91 HFW
    2. Install/Run 4.91 PS3HEN
  • CFW
    1. Install a 4.91 CFW
    • You will not need to use bguerville's PS3 Toolset if updating from a 4.90 CFW to a 4.91 CFW directly. only would need to use the toolset if you updated to 4.91 Official Firmware.(or installed HFW)
  
  What are unofficial releases and can they be trusted?
  
  • HFW (method) & PS3HEN (code) are public/open source, so unofficial releases will appear, the quality can vary dramatically so its best to choose official release's, For PS3HEN its a PS3Xploit Team project (@esc0rtd3w and @Joonie). HFW was a creation of @Joonie with @Joonie or @littlebalup's supplying the official release's for PS3HEN.
    
  • CFW - In the current era of CFW, look no farther then @Evilnat for quality and features. but anyone can create a CFW, but Evilnat has had a long standing reputation that has been great in the PS3 Scene.
    
  • Ps3 Toolset: This is a closed source project, so you can only trust the official when it comes to quality and operating the way it was intended to be use. There have been imitations in the past but they have come with a great risk. Look for @bguerville support for 4.91 after CFW 4.91 is released.
  
  
  What is HFW (Hybrid Firmware)? Then, why it needed for PS3HEN / CFW Flash Writer but not bguerville PS3 Toolset?
  
  • See > this post <
  
  
  Why did Sony update the PS3, i thought PS3 Support has ended ?
  
  • While support on the PS3 has ended, As expected there are still a once a year firmware update for the Blu-Ray player on the console.
  
  
  Where can i find out the latest details and info about 4.91 and also how to connect to PSN from 4.90 (at your own risk)?
  
  • A thread created by @LuanTeles has been created for 4.91 here >> https://www.psx-place.com/threads/ps3-firmware-4-91-update-is-live-do-not-update.42990/

 

Well, here we go again.

 

Why sony, couldn't you just leave the ps3 alone , it seems they couldn't give up on it yet.
I wonder what happened to the cfw consoles whom had been online today since their owners weren't/aren't aware of this new update.

 

Why sony, couldn't you just leave the ps3 alone , it seems they couldn't give up on it yet.
I wonder what happened to the cfw consoles whom had been online today since their owners weren't/aren't aware of this new update.

its good to see sony update, if you use your console as a bluray player.
That is the reason for the once a year updates we see now..

 

its good to see sony update, if you use your console as a bluray player.
That is the reason for the once a year updates we see now..

I wonder if there is a chance that Sony develops some kind of feature or way to download the BluRay keys just by launching the movie player with an Internet connection.

That would be the most cost-effective and easiest way to publish keys and still make the players fully compatible with new movies.

Just a thought.

 

I wonder if there is a chance that Sony develops some kind of feature or way to download the BluRay keys just by launching the movie player with an Internet connection.

That would be the most cost-effective and easiest way to publish keys and still make the players fully compatible with new movies.

Just a thought.

They can't do that, those keys are inside dev_flash modules

 

They can't do that, those keys are inside dev_flash modules

Of course, my idea would require a big refactor that is not justified.

Let's hope for the best!.

 

I updated to 4.91 to check it out, buuutt im stuck at a screen that says that 4.91 couldnt be updated and i need to use usb. Thats fine so i use the usb i always use buuuuuutt, it wont update from that either. I downloaded the ps3updat.pup from the official website and im wondering did they even put the 4.91 into that download??????? because i have used 3 diffrent usb's and the ps3 doesnt pick up that theres an update

 

Why sony, couldn't you just leave the ps3 alone , it seems they couldn't give up on it yet.
I wonder what happened to the cfw consoles whom had been online today since their owners weren't/aren't aware of this new update.

Whay! Sony loved ps3 we are loved ps3 Im happy because ps3 on 4.90 gatte some bugs we are actually thanks for that

 

Sony really cares about ps3

 

I updated to 4.91 to check it out, buuutt im stuck at a screen that says that 4.91 couldnt be updated and i need to use usb. Thats fine so i use the usb i always use buuuuuutt, it wont update from that either. I downloaded the ps3updat.pup from the official website and im wondering did they even put the 4.91 into that download??????? because i have used 3 diffrent usb's and the ps3 doesnt pick up that theres an update

Update using recovery mode. Are you using cfw? If so why would you update now?

 

OFW 4.91 has just been released (Feb 27th 2024).
Do not update at this point! If you update you will lose the jailbreak and will have to wait until support for the new version is released.

FAQ:

Q: Will the new version be supported?
A: Most likely yes. At this point in the console's lifecycle Sony is very unlikely to seriously try to patch the exploits used to install CFW / HEN. The new firmware needs to be inspected by the community to see whether it has any noteworthy changes, but it's unlikely. Most of the PS3 firmware updates in the past years have just been updates to the Blu-Ray encryption keys. These are only needed if you use your PS3 as a Blu-Ray player.

Q: What will happen if I install the update now?
A: You will lose the jailbreak. Installing OFW removes CFW / HEN and also disables the QA flag, which means you have no way of downgrading back until there's proper support for the new version. It will happen eventually but since the people here are volunteers there won't be a hard ETA.

Q: What needs to be done for CFW support on 4.91?
A: First, a CFW based on 4.91 will need to be released. I assume @Evilnat is working on it. Again, he's not getting paid for this so do not nag. When the new CFW is released then everyone who's on an earlier CFW will be able to update to the new CFW without losing the jailbreak. People who've installed OFW 4.91 despite the warnings or people jailbreaking their PS3 for the first time will also need to wait until bgtoolset is updated to support the new version. @bguerville has confirmed support is coming, but will only be released once 4.91 CFW is released, since patching the system update to allow CFW is pointless if there's no CFW to install. Note that bgtoolset or any other hack does not allow you to downgrade your firmware; you have to install CFW based on the same version or a higher version than the OFW you're currently at, so if you're already on 4.91 you cannot install CFW 4.90.

Q: What needs to be done for HEN support on 4.91?
A: First of all, HFW based on 4.91 would need to be released. I suppose it's being worked on, but again, do not ask for ETAs. Only after HFW is available HEN can be ported as well. Do not update to 4.91 even if HFW based on 4.91 is released, because HFW by itself without HEN is pretty useless. Wait until full HEN support is available. Note that HEN does not support downgrading (only CFW can set the QA flag, which is required for that), so only update when there's a HEN version that fully supports all existing features.

Q: Is there any reason not to just stay on 4.90?
A: If you use your PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, new releases might not work until you update, but that's a minor issue unless you're into new movies on Blu-Ray. The more annoying issue is that PSN requires you to be on the latest version. It's possible to spoof the reported firmware version to bypass that, however you should not do that until it's confirmed that there have not been any changes to the PSN login process, as this had already happened a couple of times in the past and that can lead to bans. At this point in time such changes are unlikely but I assume you don't want to be the first one to try. Just stay away from PSN for the time being. Someone will report on the safety of spoofing version 4.91 soon enough.

 

@NiQ we already have several threads on 4.91
Thanks for the post, but i do not think we needed another 4.91 thread. (so moved your post into this thread)

 

I wonder if will use 4.8x kernel sources this time as well.
If so, 4.90 was 4.80, 4.91 is 4.81?

I checked @LuanTeles's report. looks like its 4.89 this time.

 

I updated to 4.91 to check it out, buuutt im stuck at a screen that says that 4.91 couldnt be updated and i need to use usb. Thats fine so i use the usb i always use buuuuuutt, it wont update from that either. I downloaded the ps3updat.pup from the official website and im wondering did they even put the 4.91 into that download??????? because i have used 3 diffrent usb's and the ps3 doesnt pick up that theres an update

i did this same thing on accident i used the ps3 usb i originally modded with you can not downgrade for the life of it i went to sony and downloaded complete install and loaded in ps3/update on usb and after a few attempts i am running 4.91

 

@NiQ we already have several threads on 4.91
Thanks for the post, but i do not think we needed another 4.91 thread. (so moved your post into this thread)

Please link to this post from the jailbreak forum then because people would usually check there.

P.S.
Experimental 4.91 HFW has been released as posted here. Like you said it's useless without HEN itself but I think you might want to update your post just so impatient people can see that progress is being made.

 

Please link to this post from the jailbreak forum then because people would usually check there.

P.S.
Experimental 4.91 HFW has been released as posted here. Like you said it's useless without HEN itself but I think you might want to update your post just so impatient people can see that progress is being made.

I didn't check the link, I don't have time, I don't know who released it or whether it was successfully tested unofficially with some updated HEN fork, if not HOWEVER given all the worsening BS that HFWs create version after version with layouts and obsolete files, releasing experimental fw without ever having tested HEN on it (HEN which must be installed on top of HFW to fix all the obsolete files issues!) would probably be one of the most stupid things one could do IMHO.

 

P.S.
Experimental 4.91 HFW has been released as posted here. Like you said it's useless without HEN itself but I think you might want to update your post just so impatient people can see that progress is being made.

I would recommend against it because "impatient people", the kind that doesn't read and got stuck on OFW 4.91 because of it in the first place, will try everything that's online whether from legit sources, tested or no. And then, after making a mess for not waiting, will come here with torches and pitchforks demanding for a solution.

So, people need to read first, read again, and read once more. After that, wait for things to be released.

There's a saying: "those who know how to eat, know how to wait as well".

 

When is the hfw/cfw 4.91 firmware update available? Because I can't sign in psn unless I update it.

 

I didn't check the link, I don't have time, I don't know who released it or whether it was successfully tested unofficially with some updated HEN fork, if not HOWEVER given all the worsening BS that HFWs create version after version with layouts and obsolete files, releasing experimental fw without ever having tested HEN on it (HEN which must be installed on top of HFW to fix all the obsolete files issues!) would probably be one of the most stupid things one could do IMHO.

Actually, no changes are needed on the hen, just for versioning purposes... the 4.89 build is running perfectly fine on 4.91, where 4.91 is essentially 4.89 (lv2 and vsh) with updated keys. The existing 4.89 package already fixes all issues with the 4.91 HFW; the same tar as 4.89 is compatible.