PlayStation 3 firmware 4.46 released, fix for 4.45 detailed

Sony has released a new firmware update for PlayStation 3 minus the issue which rendered consoles inoperable last week. If your PS3 is frozen, read on for a fix.

If you were one of the few unfortunates affected by firmware 4.45's perfidy (you'll know, because your console won't load the XMB) don't despair; a fix is on hand.

All you have to do is download the new firmware update via a browser, and save it to a USB storage device.

By starting your console in Safe Mode, you'll be able to grab the 4.46 firmware from the USB device and update your system manually, which Sony believes will resolve the issue.

For full instructions on how to achieve these potentially arcane-sounding steps, check out this handy step-by-step guide.

For everybody else, firmware 4.46 should be available through a normal system update.