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.
Nice work sony!
remote start is already an improvement and a inovation!
but keep it up though!
for those who are complaining, please don’t allow any more room for haters to point and laugh at us owners …=\
@191
Agreed!
If we get ingame-XMB I’m going to pause in the middle of a game and send you cry babies an insulting messege for being imature. I don’t care if you sell your PS3s just because you didn’t get ingame-XMB, it’s just one less kiddie I have to bad mouth when I’m playing online against you.
I know that everyone who watched the 2005 E3 remember the photos of in game chatting on F1 motorsport, but guess what, things change. I mean really, the PS3 was going to originally have 2 ethernet ports and 2 HDMI ports. That was all just a concept. While some of it was a great idea, financial we as consumers couldn’t do it, and Sony couldn’t do it as well. It’s better off that you wierdos who complain about no in-game xmb don’t get it, because you are spoiled and you think you deserve everything you whine about. I love how idiotic you all make us Americans out to be. Spoiled and selfish. In the gaming community at least. That goes for you next generation spoiled brats.
It’s ok the 2.00 update
+Why aren’t ps2 games played on the ps3 going to rumble when you use the new DualShock 3 on the ps3 for??????????????????????
HOW DISAPPOINTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:-(
Hope thats in a firmware update soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of you complaining are just plain embarrassing. And I thought Xbox fans were bad…
Wont the information hub on the PSN make this blog obselete?
Wow people, why don’t you think? You all want in game XMB, because why? So you can do messages and stuff. Lair had this,(even though the game didn’t go so well) which shows you it can be done, it is just up to the devs.
BTW, the main reason more the in-game music is because a lot of the 360 have crap music.
@196
I gladly pay $60cdn on XBL, because it’s a true online experience. It’s not any of this incomplete BS that is PSN. It’s voice chat across all games, it’s messaging or voice chat across any interface(games, HDD, DVD, or HD DVD movies, basically where ever you are), the music across any interface, the constant flow of downloads instantly when they’re available, not days(in some cases weeks) after. That’s expansions, demos, trailers, XBLA games, etc.
Some may say that they are small features and Sony is working towards them, but honestly, you’ve been saying that since November 06, and what’s the date today? November 2007. A year after Sony hasn’t grasped what the true online experience is, and if the keep going at this pace, Im afraid they never will. Sony, please charge if you have to, but Im tired of using this half @$$ed experience. I was one of the few that paid $660cdn + tax at launch for my console, so Id gladly pay for online if it meant a DECENT service.
IF IT WASNT POSSIBLE , I WOULDNT HAVE BROUGHT A PS3!!!!
@colonel970
DONT EVER EXPECT A RESPONSE OR EXPLANATION
especially from Eric Lempel…he avoids evrything like the plague…
this Blog is a joke…Sony’s PR is a joke…and at this point SONY AS A WHOLE IS A JOKE…and buying my PS3 was a joke…i wish i never spent the $ when i did….
maybe in like 5 yrs Sony might get their act together and actually give people what they want…not what Sony thinks people want!!!
THANK YOU SONY FOR AN AWESOME UPDATE, YOUR HARDWORK ON AN AWESOME SYSTEM IS REALLY APPRECIATED!!
It’s a cool update,but I would have rather had it AFTER IN-GAME XBM. The fans are begging for it so stop what u are doing with firmware untill in-game XBM is done. Alot of people are starting to think its not possible,otherwise it would be done by now. Whats going on sony?
@aaquib
true dat
This sounds great, glad they’re changing how some of the XMB is organized, especcially the color of the icons since I occasionally had backgrounds where they just blended right in.
I’m not worried about the in-game XMB access too much, I know it will eventually be there. The evolution of the Playstation 3 is going at a good pace, glad I bought one.
Keep it up Sony and keep the upgrades coming! :)
Thanks!~ And wow, a lot of whiners. One second they love ya, the next they hate ya.
[…] dem offiziellen Playstation-Blog kommt die Firmware v2.0 in den nächsten Tagen. Außer dem bekannten Remote-Play-Feature und Themes […]
COMPLAINERS GO PLAY WITH THE RROD, GUARANTEED YOU’LL BE RIGHT BACK TO YOUR PS3 HAHAHAHAHA!!!
This isn’t a bad update, but I was hoping that in-game XMB access would be there. Of course, it’s NOT impossible that it will be in this update.
I mean, if they went through the trouble of making a demonstration video for the update, they would want you to watch it and if they didn’t tell you everything that is included in this update at first, they KNOW YOU WILL WATCH THE VIDEO!!!!!!
I mean, who really cares about seeing in-game XMB in action? We’ve all probably seen it on our deluded (Or deluded AND rich…) friend’s 360s. So I’m not going to give up hope yet……..
Also, he wrote this at ~9:30am Pacific Time (12:30 EST) so he may not be back anytime soon……
And I DO want in-game XMB. I would love to play Motorstorm with some decent music on.
First of all I’d like to say that a few trolls here are pathetic and there should be better moderation to kick them out.
Second thing, this update is nice but it doesn’t feature the most wanted and essential features people have been asking for (with in-game messaging the most important of them), so it’s an obvious disappointment, one that Sony has failed to prevent.
Sony should be less shy and talk more openly about future updates.
When rumors and/or expections about in game XMB features for 2.0 were spreading, it would have been smart to give an update about the state of implementation of those features clarifying that those things would not be included in time for the next update. That would have avoided all the disappointement by false expectations.
Sony has to learn how to handle marketing and public relations in the Internet/blogs era.
They are still locked in the world where news were coming only from official sources controlled by big companies. This is not the case anymore and if you can’t control rumors and people expectations you’re going to get hurt badly.
Now it would be nice to have an official comment about upcoming features and in-game XMB, it’s useless to hide because of the negative reactions and pretend that this update has been well received. In the meantime I’m still looking forward to try the new 2.0 features and the Uncharted demo tomorrow =)
Don’t be hating you guys……………they just metion that there was gonna be more features to metion before releasing the firmware so I’m sure they gonna be saving the best for last which will be in-game XMB and also maybe even have a feature where you can save game footage in video or picture format that would be tight.
You have to wonder about a company that is so afraid of giving out release dates and information. This is so they don’t look bad when they cant deliver. A company as big as Sony should be able to do basic forecasting and keep there customers and investors informed and listen to their feedback. Every time I see an interview by someone from Sony I get the sense that if they say anything promising they will get fired. I have been a Sony consumer since the Walkman. I currently own a PS2, PS3, Cybershot, DVD Handycam, a tv, and a home theatre system. All from SONY. I have always been willing to pay the extra for the Sony name. But with this latest news I feel their reputation and my confidence are slipping.
Are you kidding, Sony? No in-game messaging? How am I supposed to play with friends if I have to quit what I’m playing to talk to them?
We need to talk, Sony. I was an early adopter for the PS1. I was an early adopter for the PS2. I was an early adopter for the PS3. This means I have given you well over $1000 for hardware alone. I have 6 PS3 games–that’s $360 dollars. I have over 60 PS1/PS2 games. I don’t even want to know how much I’ve spent on them.
This is the first time I’ve ever thought about trading in my PS3. I don’t have a 360 but Live runs circles around you guys right now–I know they’re older, cost money, etc–but I’ve got the money and I want to play games with my friends NOW, on reliable Sony hardware, if possible!
All I am asking is for a little love, here. Just give us what we want. Please?
Love,
Me
Everyone is just dissapointed that there is no in-game XMB since almost eveyone wanted it with firmware 2.0.
People filled this blog with in-game xmb requests and Sony knows very well that that’s the thing fans want the most.
Of course these features are awsome but they’r not want everyone have been shouting for.
You know how funny this would be if Eric Lempel, Director of PlayStation Network Operations, is doing what is called a Cliffhanger.
“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.”
This would be hilarious if that video included in-game XMB.
@209
GO PAY FOR XBL THEN AND QUIT SPAMMING HERE, I’M TIRED OF YOUR CRYING!! YOU MAY PAY FOR XBL BUT WILL YOUR SYSTEM WORK??? HMMM?? WILL IT, OR WILL IT DIE THE DAY YOU BUY IT?? THAT’S WHY YOU HAVEN’T PAID FOR XBL AND BOUGHT THEIR SYSTEM NOW HAVE YOU?
Sony are really not listening to their customers are they. Not being able to reply to messages whilst in game is a major flaw and one that should have beeen put right by now. PS3 users have been pleading for this for almost a year now.
Eric is prolly behind his desk laughing his a$s off at this, he prolly gets a kick out of it
These features aren’t awesome… They’re an insult. We can’t even arrange the games we buy from the psn the way we want!!!!!!!! What is this, Sony? This is like them being dictators all over again. Dictate what we can and can’t do with the system even more. What a piece a’ JOKE!
@PhDFatty
“I’m sure they gonna be saving the best for last which will be in-game XMB and also maybe even have a feature where you can save game footage in video or picture format”
LOLOLOLOL…what do you think this is? Halo 3?
and people wonder why that game was the biggest multimedia release in HISTORY!!…LOL
were talking about SONY here…you should know already SONY isnt in the business of giving people what they want…only the competitor is!
A lot of you don’t even fully understand what you really want. What do you *really* want? You want to access your friends list in-game to send messages and chat. Does it absolutely *have* to be done through the XMB? Maybe you should think about other ways it could be accomplished. Maybe Sony can release a Networking API that exposes your Friends List and makes it easy for developers to add that into their games.
You’re all so caught up in saying “in-game-XMB” that you don’t even realize what it means anymore. You don’t *really* want to access a video in the middle of playing a game, do you? Do you expect to pause the current game, go to the XMB, load another game, play it for awhile, then go back to the original game?
You just want an in-game (unified) friends list with game invites, like the 360 has. You can’t go all the way back to the 360 Dashboard from within a game without quitting the game, but you *can* get to their little friends list thingy. That’s all you really want on PS3. Just get it straight, please.
ALL GET THE REAL MEDIA’S ATTENTION
send email to news sites like yahoo news, cnn, msnbc, etc
let them know about the update and the backlash on these blogs and boards. It seems bad press might be the only way to get a simple answer out of Eric,
Take a few seconds and email the contactts at various news cites that report on these kind of things
Ironically, if this were any update but 2.00 you’d all be kissing major @$$. This simple little number seems to mean everything. It’s a very good update, just not what you expected from this little number.
@226
I do pay for XBL, and I have bought their system at launch, as well. I’ve had to return it back to Microsoft once. I know about the hardware issues, but I’d rather have a system that may have defects, but has the most AAA games and a true online experience, then a system that has maybe 2 exclusive games that I really like(Resistance, R&C), and an online system that is a joke.
SEE Ciscorucinski is right like I been saying SONY would have to be idoits if they didnt deliver on the promise……………and also they do actually listen to what we are saying cuz the psp idea was what I actually wrote back when the firmware 1.9 came out honestly so just back off.
@209
As harsh as it sounds, it’s true.
@226
Chill dude. Wouldn’t you like all that stuff? You don’t even have to pay to receive content, only to game online.
wonder what the video will show hope its in-game friends list or browser update’s
@225
I was thinking the exact same thing ^^, maybe thats why he needed a video and not just post it.
The “INFORMATION BOARD” sounds a lot like the “ADVERTISEMENT BOARD”. I really don’t mind being marketed to as long as there’s also a focus on necessary features.
Do you know how annoying it is to have to quit a game to answer a message from a friend? It’s my biggest gripe with the system.
FIX IT! ’nuff said.
@ Xenokai
You are right. What i didn’t like is that when the guy ask eric what he thinks about PSN not having In-game XMB, Cross Invites, etc. he responds “Those are some minor features that eventually will be there”.. I mean MINOR!!!.. come on!, if it was minor why wouldn’t they haveit already!!.. and having all these people wanting it, I don’t think is minor at all..
Eric Lempel really just need to shut up. He acts (at least in that interview) as if nothing was important and as if he just don’t care
@elmogallen
good point…i c the rationality in that…never thought about it THAT way…cuz technically the PS3 does offer access to the XMB while in game it just doesnt do what we want it to do
Why dont SONY give us the possibility to install codec packs to view more video without converting a video to mp4 , like matroska pack! This will make our ps3 a REAL media machine that they had prommised!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N0K0EbdbWE
@231
Hey man, we know that you can’t do that on the 360, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be cool.
Like say you’re in the middle of a level in Resistance, and you get an invite from your buddy to play Warhawk. So you pause your game, go to the XMB, click on Warhawk, and blow him out of the sky for an hour or two. When he gets tired of being shot down, you quit Warhawk, go back to Resistance, and finish the game.
I don’t know about you guys, but I think that would totally rock.
Anyhoo, here’s to hoping that Eric is just pulling the ol’ cliffhanger on us.
+ Posted by Eric Lempel // Director, PlayStation Network Operations
anyone think this guy will even respond with anything that won’t create more of a riot?
I really can’t figure out what the deal is with Sony anymore!
All I want for Christmas is In-Game XMB!
In-Game XMB!
All I want for Christmas is In-Game XMB!
In-Game XMB!
Seriously the last serious firmware update was almost 2 months ago I think everyone would have waited another month or two if In-Game XMB was included in this so-called 2.00 firmware update. Maybe I am way off but I have to assume Sony knows the importance of this to the PS3 and gaming community. I certainly know the importance and feel everyone’s pain that it is not implemented yet, when it should have shipped in firmware 1.00 along with a Touch sense DualShock 3 but that’s another story all together.
Anyway I think Sony need to be more open with us, this blog started out ok with nice lines of communication and candid dialog but now it is just a bunch of PR.
Come on Sony be open with us let us know what’s going on we are gamers we can take it, be candid with us, obviously we are very candid with our comments and suggestions, return the favor.
For example the firmware 2.00 rumors for months have hyped everyone up to unreal expectations, a nice post or news release telling us what you’re up to what’s fake what’s real is a nice start. Also try to stop this denying thing, like the DualShock 3, when the info is leaked before it is supposed to be announced it doesn’t do anybody any good for you to deny everything, then you look like a liar and a company that doesn’t care what we say, and no one is excited or surprised by the announcements when you finally do make them. If it is leaked then come out and confirm or REALLY deny it with your PR babble if you must but whatever it is tell us the truth.
Back to firmware, we understand you can’t tell us everything that goes on during firmware update work but major things like a feature that is being worked on for a later firmware is nice perhaps a status report with tentative release date of upcoming firmware. We understand dates might not be exact but I am sure we all like a quality product even if takes a little longer than release date, that’s one reason we bought the PS3 over other devices. I would rather have a release date that’s really far out and end up with an earlier release than expected.
To know something is going on with features we want would be incredible. I just think there should be a better system for us to get some better feedback some acknowledgement that you hear us. With this firmware 2.00 post and no mention of In-Game XMB is irresponsible and not acceptable for the #1 most requested firmware feature update, and makes Sony look like they don’t even care about all the people that spent so much on the P$3. I think there should be some better system for submitting requests for firmware updates and a way to see which features have a lot of support which ones are absolutely impossible weather forever or just at this point in the PS3’s life and which features are being worked on based on popular support or Sony’s vision for the PS3, because let’s face it not every idea we have is good, and Sony has implemented some nice features including the features in firmware 2.00 that we haven’t thought of.
I guess what I am trying to say is Thank You for the support you give the community and PS3 as well as the great games from Sony Studios around the globe. Thank You for the FREE firmware updates although I am sure some of us would pay to get In-Game XMB. Just be more candid with the PlayStation community we can take it. One final note I love the new PSN Logo if all the icons on the XMB could be styled to match that would be one beautiful XMB but don’t make it so beautiful we can’t have In-Game XMB.
I didn’t bother to read any of the comments because I am sure most are whining about not having in game XMB. People are never happy with what they get.
I think its a pretty solid update and can’t wait to try it out.
If it weren’t for the fact I’d loose my Blu-ray player, I think my PS3 would be heading for eBay pretty soon. Firmware 2.0 sounds like a major disappointment.
@231
People use “in game XMB” as a pseudonym for “in game messaging” (and for a few it also implies custom music in game). You’re right to point out that what people are asking for is not the “full” XMB. However, many are dismissing in game messaging as a trivial feature. It’s central to the usage model of the console as an on-line gaming system. You want to be able to send or receive a message or invite in game, and respond to it, without quitting your game. Either to invite people in, or because you might want to go and play with one of your friends. If you need to exit your current game, chances are you won’t respond immediately, and will miss the opportunity to play together. In game messaging is a key usage scenario for on-line gaming. You can’t just leave it up to developers to implement in game (as in Lair) as not all will, and those that do will do so inconsistently. This is key platform service and feature (like 720p to 1080i upscaling should be) and not something Sony should be adding to developers costs.
A web site hosted by the Computer Architecture Group at MIT posts information on the course, including lectures and recitation plans. It has been visited more than 100,000 times since the completion of the course.
IBM and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, with sponsorship from Sony, plan to jointly offer the course again in 2008. More information can be found at cag.csail.mit.edu/ps3/.
IBM is also currently hosting a first-of-its-kind programming contest–the Cell University Challenge–for college and university students in 25 different countries, offering cash prizes and awards for the most innovative applications of the Cell Broadband Engine. All information on eligibility, rules and requirements, and entry applications can be found at
www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/university/students/contests/cell/index.html