Answer (without even needing to read the article): they can’t legally brick your console, but we live in an oligarchy that refuses to enforce the law against the powerful.
I’m not talking about technical capability; I’m talking about legality.
In any sort of just world, bricking your console (through a software update or otherwise) would be a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the executives who ordered the policy would go to prison.
Answer (without even needing to read the article): they can’t legally brick your console, but we live in an oligarchy that refuses to enforce the law against the powerful.
They can’t physically disable your hardware, but they can force a software update that essentially makes the hardware useless.
If you’re able to replace that software, you could probably keep playing offline, but they’re not going to make it easy for you to do so.
I’m not talking about technical capability; I’m talking about legality.
In any sort of just world, bricking your console (through a software update or otherwise) would be a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the executives who ordered the policy would go to prison.