Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) has suffered through some freezing issues on the PlayStation 3, and Rockstar Games has done what it can to create a patch to fix the problem. However, Sony itself is apparently now stepping up to the plate to look into the problem, and it may end up creating an all-new firmware update for the PS3 to remedy the situation.
According to 2K Games, publisher of GTA IV and the parent company of GTA IV developer Rockstar Games, the problem with GTA IV freezing PS3 consoles boils down to certain hardware found only in the launch versions of the PlayStation 3 console.
The Xbox 360 has had more than its fair share of launch-unit errors (red ring of death, anyone?), but this would be one of the few issues we've heard about regarding PS3 launch units.
At any rate, 2K Games has begun sending out the following notification to PS3 owners who have had trouble running GTA IV:
Hello
There is an issue with the launch edition of the PS3 and this game, the game was checked over and passed as 100% compatible with the current version of the PS3, of course the earlier version has custom chips which mean that it is a very different animal from the current PS3 on sale.
Sony are aware of this difference and are looking into producing a new firmware just for the earlier version of the PS3.
Source: Daily Game