According to PS3center, Sony is planning to remove the ability to operate Linux on old PS3 models. The PS3 Slim was released sans Linux functionality, and now it looks like Sony wants to nuke the ability to install the open source operating system altogether.

The decision is reportedly being taken in a bid to reduce piracy on the console, which is odd because the general consensus is that the PS3 is the least pirated gaming platform. The reason may be attributed to a hack which was released earlier this year, whereby a hacker named Geohot claimed that he had hacked the PS3 to claim copied games, and furthermore, that he had used Linux to do so.

The hack was only possible on the PS3 fat, thanks to its support for the third party OS.

This information is strictly filed as rumour for now, as its original source remains shrouded in mystery. If it is true, then gamers have one more thing to thank hackers for ruining.