Hi everyone. Here’s a preview of the next PLAYSTATION 3 firmware update (2.00) scheduled to release within the next few days. This update contains features that will allow you to receive news directly from us on everything PlayStation, enhance the way you access and organize your media, and allow you to customize your XMB in new ways.
Here’s a closer look at the new features:
You’ll notice this icon in the Network category of the XMB. This is the Information Board.
Once activated, you’ll notice scrolling headlines in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. We’ll be delivering the latest news on new games, PLAYSTATION Store updates, hardware, accessories and lots more through the Information Board. Click on the Information Board icon and you’ll be able to see all of the headlines and click through for more detail. The headlines and associated stories will be updated on a regular basis. You can choose not to display the Information Board, but you never know what you might miss, so I’d recommend keeping it on.
We’ve added a nice enhancement to Remote Play called Remote Start, to use Remote Play locally or from a Wi-Fi hotspot, you needed to make sure that your PS3 was on. With Remote Start this is no longer necessary. As long as your PS3 is in standby mode, you’ll be able to turn your PS3 on remotely via the PSP. You can then use Remote Play to access media on your PS3, and when you’re finished you can put your PS3 back into standby mode.
Another feature we’ve added with this update is the ability to set themes on your PS3. Themes will change the whole look of your XMB; the background, icons, and in some cases sounds on your XMB will completely change. We will be providing themes on PlayStation.com and through the PLAYSTATION Store. Once you have downloaded a theme, under Settings go to Theme Settings, select Theme and then choose a theme to display or install a new theme. We are also providing the ability for you to get creative and make your own original themes.
We’ve also added a new way to organize your photos and music on the PS3 – you can now create custom playlists for all of your music and photos.
Finally, regular readers of this blog may have noticed that I’m using a new avatar. You will see that logo above on your XMB representing the new PLAYSTATION Network category. You’ll find the PLAYSTATION Store and Account Management in this category.
We’ve added several other features in this update. I’ll soon be back with more details with a quick video demo of some of the new features.
As always thanks for all of your support and feedback.
no music while playing, no friendlist while playing, no browser flash update, no video codecs :(
Ignore gamesblow and he will go away. The 360 will never outsell the ps3 in japan. But anyway, We want ingame XMB!!! Let your Loyal fans, the ones the spent 600 on your system in the begining know when it will be coming. We deserve it!!! Or will you just ignore us? I know your reading these messages!!!
Eric,
It seems very apparent that many consumers want the feature of in game XMB.
Please demonstrate integretity and respond as to why it is was not included in this update, and will it ever be available.
Also please comment on wheterh the PS3 will ever scale 720p games to 1080 (without a developer coding this feature into the game prior to releasing)
It’s very sad that Sony have completely missed the single thing that people have really been universally asking for when it comes to firmware. The replies to this blog post alone is a great example of how many people think that in-game XMB is important.
gamesblow:
Your childish behavior isn’t easily ignored by keeping up posting ignorant [DELETED]. Please just STFU!
The meltdowns over no XMB access are epic. Seriously, no one promised that, people just assumed it. Get over it D: these firmware updates are a free service, you know.
@ slomo788
Well, we will know when the time comes.
Until then, let’s just calm down and think about the grand scale of things. Like flowers, cabinets and annoying TV ads right in the middle of your favourite movie.
Sweet update. I’m sure I’ll sound like a broken record on here but PS3 users really want access to the XMB during gameplay or while watching a movie.
Everyone that disapointed about in-game xmb lets all make sure we disable the little ad program there giving us. This is just so sad we get in game ad banner but no in game friends list! Guess i wont be playing any ps3 games till mgs4 then after that back into the box it goes.
Remote start and an updates box???What kinda bull$zit update is this?! This is one piss poor update for the big 2.0.
NO XMB Ingame music?! XMB XMB XMB 360 can do it why can’t PS3? Atleast give us the answer. I’m just another playstation fan thats pissed off at Sony.
great work guys
looking forward to the next post
Thanks for the Update..
But where is Ingame Music?? In game acess to friendlist and messages?? I hope we get it one of this days.. But thanks for the update and the nice improvements..
No in-game access to XMB Friend List = sh*tty PSN community = PS3 failure.
Everyone should “Digg” this article. 150+ diggs would get this article seen by many non-gamer/consumers who may be on the fence about which system they should buy their kids for christmas. When they read the replies they would be out of their mind to buy this system based on feedback from Eric’s post. If everyone who wanys in-game XMB would digg this article it would send a message to Sony that we can influence purchases and to stop toying with it’s fanbase and give us some straight answers.
Can’t wait to try out some of those features, but to be honest I was expecting more from the famous 2.00 update. Will we have to wait for Home before getting some of the features we want the most?…In-Game XMB!? I guess we will get there eventually, its just taking too long. Anyway looking forward to the video demo to find out more about the update, those features sound great.
i hope the people working on these updates get all fired, obviously they cant get the community/gamers what they want, since the beginning we have been asking for 2 very simple features,
1) in game xmb access
2) custom soundtracks
1 year has gone by, and we get backround wallpaper crappy stuff, remote turning on… …. playstation information feature ( what a joke ), are you guys that incompetent?? are you not able to satisfy your costumers??? are you people thick in the head??? what is the problem???
Sony has made a huge error in judgment in releasing a major firmware upgrade that does not address the issues that owners have been screaming for since launch: in-game messaging (what some are calling in-game XMB) including larger friends lists, custom soundtracks, and 1080i/p PS3 game upscaling for existing titles. These are the features that people have been asking, and patiently waiting for, with each successive firmware update. There can be no mistake from the discussion boards the priority and importance of these features. While Sony didn’t commit any of them for a specific firmware release, there is an expectation from users that such clear deficiencies in the PS3 operating software and user experience would be addressed prior to, or in, the platform’s first major update. To release a major update containing only a rag-tag group of usability features, with no mention of the features that gamers care about, is almost insulting to those who have kept faith that the issues would be resolved. The product manager responsible for this marketing blunder should be very embarassed and probably publicly flogged.
Agreed on #5 post, able to access XMB while in game without exiting
In. Game. XMB. Do you get it yet? Don’t release another update unless it has 1 thing:
In. Game. XMB. Get it yet?
@Chuck-FN-Norris
If Sony promised to release this feature with 2.0 I would understand. In-game XMB would be nice, sure. But I don’t think there is reason to get so pissed because it’s not in this update.
Um……….. Ok for all the XMB fanboys here:
On the Xbox360 when you use the ingame XMB it slows your FPS down to about 15 fames per second, on the Nintendo Wii, it slows your FPS down to about 10 frames per sceond. So if we fallow this trend here:
PS3s with Ingame XMBs would slow down at least to 25 frames per second and it would make gameing alot more hecktic.
Why you may ask? Because of the extra memory it would take to use it ingame. The PSP even has issues with this feature and also has a noted slow down when you use it in a game to quit, or even to just look at something then go back to your game.
The DS dose not have this feature because it takes to much memory to use it right. I mean it’s not that big a deal is it?
Also spamming we wan’t In-Game XMB is totaly childish and I hope you all learn not to act like kids in the future.
Wow. I can’t believe all the hate. Anyhow, we’ll see how good this update is when it comes out, hmmm? I’m sure there’ll be a few goodies that he did not mention as well.
they give you something new and you act like this… you can’t always have what you want!
If you don’t like what you have, sell it or something! They’re probably working on it, just wait…
Sony doesnt care about the US cummunity everything there do is toward the UK and im guess they wanted remote start lol This is sad Playstation has become a UK tyep company and not japan like it use to be.
@metalhead32
I’m pissed that we can’t get an answer as to if in-game XMB is even a possibilty in a future firmware update. A simple answer from Eric confirming that they are working on it and a reasonable estimated time frame would be great.
@171
The Wii has in-game access to the menu??!?!?! Are you freaking serious? The WIi?!??!?!?!?! The wii has like 128mb of ram, how the $%^& does the Wii have in-game menu??? Ok, this is pathetic. LMAO, the Wii. Out of all the consoles, not only does the 360 have it, but the low powered Wii does too. But wait, Sony. I thought PS3 was the most powerful next gen console? How is it when it doesnt have enough memory or enough sensible engineers to have in-game XMB when BOTH the other consoles even the sh1tty one does.
@Rubin
Yes sir.
If custom sound track is already implemented into the Ps3. I think more developers should start using it. We need a custom sound track player that can be minimize while playing a game.
Read #164
and Digg this Blog Entry
great update Sony!!! i can’t believe that people in here are whining about in-game XMB its pointless guys. They never promised it for us anyways, so just get over yourselves. Now for those that are “bashing” on Sony saying that they are gonna go get the xBot 360 by Micro$oft, then go ahead. I won’t invest anymore into that company than I already do on computer software. its sick, the sh*t that company has gotten away with. but that’s another story. once again Sony AWESOME update. can’t wait to get those headlines scrolling with my matching themes for my psp and ps3.
Cheers,
Lh
please in game xmb i beg you!!!
Another vote for in-game XMB.
@Xenokai
LOL…dude i havent even turned my PS3 on since i sold back that rediculousness also known as Warhawk a week after its release
Yup GAY UPDATE!!!…we got theme BS in the last update and as gay as that was Mr.Lempel you want to add MORE GAY THEME CRAP???
glad to see Sony doesnt really give a crap about what we REALLY want…maybe soon enough the BLOG readers will see everything i’ve been saying and start to understand what F’n BS Sony is pulling with these cheezy ass gay wannabe updates
SONY DOESNT HAVE ANYTHING THAT MAKES ME EVEN WANT TO POWER ON MY PS3…I THOUGHT MAYBE WITH IN GAME XMB OR HOME OR JUST SOMETHING WORTH WHILE I MIGHT CHANGE MY MIND…BUT NOW I SEE EVEN CLEARER THAT SONY JUST WANTS TO BEND THEIR CONSUMERS OVER AND GIVE IT TO THEM
NOW MY BOYCOTT OF 720P GAMES AND HORRIBLE PORTS IS BEING EXPANDED TO (((( ANYTHING )))) SONY…UNTIL SONY CAN DELIVER ON ITS STATEMENTS OF PROVIDING THE “FUTURE” OF GAMING…WHICH SORRY TO SAY SONY IS ((( NOT )))
I am sure there will be a conflict with the Cell processor it can do many things at once. but once you add custom sound track it’ll probably interrupt with the game some how..
You people are all ridiculous. Do you realize that we PS3 owners have a free online service, while the competition charges $50 a year? Why should Sony offer the exact same stuff for free that the competition charges for? Also, why is it SO necessary to “chat” while you’re in a game? If you have friends you want to talk to while in a game, call them on the phone. If you don’t have their number and only met them online, then you are a loser who meets friends online. Yeah, that’s right, I went there.
Will there bee in-game XMB this year (2007)? YES or NO sony thats all we want to hear. If NO a timeframe would be great.
Screw In-Game XMB!!! I want a soda dispenser on my PS3! Hurry up and write some codes for that!
.. or better yet.. A Nacho Cheese dispenser.. hmmmm..
This wasn’t the monumental update rumored to come out, but that’s why they were just rumors. I’m happy with these updates, and can’t wait to start messing around with the themes option.
@171
The biggest headache is having to exit the game you’re playing to read messages from friends. No one cares if their FPS drops when checking the message…because they are most likely NOT playing at that moment. They are just sick of having to quit the game in order to see what someone wants to tell you.
@Rzarekta
second that.
@ 185
Easy, for instance if you’re playing Tekken and you receive a message from a friend. You absolutely have no idea what the message is, unless you exit the game. It could be either an invite to a challenge or just a simple message
I’ve been coming to this site for months and I swear, it seems no matter what the topic of discussion is somebody chimes in about “in game XMB”. And today with this firmware update announced, everybody is bemoaning the lack of “in game XMB”. Honestly, why is that such a great feature. Why is that functionality the difference between an awesome multimedia/gaming device and a piece of garbage. I don’t get it. Yeah I guess it would be kinda cool to listen to my mp3s while I’m playing a game. If it was that important to me I would listen to my ipod or put a CD in my boombox and mute the TV. Yeah it would be more convenient to do it all in one device, but seriously is this particular feature worth all this hysteria? It seems a little crazy to me.
@185 in game xmb wouldnt have anything to do if the service is free or not. access to your music in game has nothing to do with it being free. the system costed $660 double the price of others. Its not much to ask. Can the ps3 even do in-game xmb or not why keep people in the dark.
@Chuck-FN-Norris
Well, Eric said they still have other features that will be revealed later and maybe then he will comment on the in-game XMB progress.
What really gets me mad is that Sony has this blog for fans, but they never respond to comments when they know they messedup or when we really need an explanation. A lot of people wanted In-game XMB, and even though it was never promised by Sony at all, they should make a post, or answer in a comment about the possibility and what could we excpet of it.
About this FW Update, I HATE the new logo of PSN, I mean is cool, but why would they put it in color! It just look awful and out of place with the rest of the XMB… everything else I think is fine.
Excellent update Sony, you never let me down :)
@Rzarekta
I GLADLY pay my $50 for XBL…you know why???…becuz it 110% worth it!!!!!…you get everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sony CANT charge cuz if i had to pay for what Sony offered i’d sue to get my $ back!!!!!!!
heres another thing and then you can shut your mouth…if SONY offered everything the 360 offered i’d pay the online service as well…
bottomline SONY CANT CHARGE FOR ONLINE CUZ THEY DONT OFFER YOU ****
Nothing really too exciting. The theme thing sounds cool. I was hoping for the ability for custom soundtracks in games soon.
@194 yes it was promised but not said to be in 2.00 but it would of been the logical time to add it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N0K0EbdbWE
@185
He clearsly has no friends online. He doesnt know what a pain in the ass is having to quit out of a game to just check messages receive while Playing. I really want In Game music because even the Xbox offers that and was last gen.
Will the next psp firmware update have some of the ps3’s 2.0 firmware features?