Hi everyone. We’ve been listening to all of your feedback about the PS3 and PSP, and with these next firmware updates (coming soon), we’ve added a number of new features and improved some existing functionality to make your PS3/PSP experience even better.
PSP (v5.00) update
Let’s start with the v5.00 update for PSP. In this version, you’ll notice the addition of the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB. You can now sign up for PlayStation Network, manage your account and access PlayStation Store directly from your PSP – meaning you can download games directly to your PSP while connected via Wi-Fi. Getting games, demos and trailers while on-the-go has never been easier! Check out the screen below.
The current PlayStation Store on the PC will be down in the interim as we take some time to revamp. Don’t worry, it will re-launch soon after we’ve made some tweaks. Please keep in mind, if you already have a PlayStation Network account, simply sign in on your PSP using your existing information. The same account and wallet can be used on PS3 and PSP. You will be able to check out the PlayStation Store on the PSP soon, as we’ll have a video demo featuring Grace Chen posted soon on the Blog.
Update v5.00 adds a sleep timer option that can be used while you are playing music on your PSP. In addition, we’ve added a full screen keyboard option for text entry and have redesigned the background of the XMB. You’ll be able to find all of the information on Firmware v5.00 here once it goes live.
PS3 (v2.50) update
Now on to the PS3 v2.50 update. The latest features/enhancements include:
- Support for the PS3 Official Bluetooth Headset – we’ve told you about the upcoming Bluetooth Headset and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Bundle on the Blog. This latest firmware installment enables High-Quality (HQ) mode, which delivers clear and wide-band online voice chat. On top of that, an added on-screen indicator shows battery status, volume level and use of HQ mode.
- PlayStation Trophies interface enhancements – I know that many of you are busy collecting trophies and raising your PlayStation Trophy level. This update makes sharing and comparing your trophies with your friends even easier. On 1st part of the profile page you’ll see a symbol under level that represents level and the actual percentage towards the next level along with the existing level meter. The level symbol carries over to the trophy comparison screen where you will now be able to see your level, your friend’s level and the percentage towards the next level for both users along with all of the game by game comparison information you see today.
- Friend status – Offline friends on your Friends list will have information below their avatars that will indicate how long it has been since they were last online.
- Video – This update adds the Scene Search feature similar to the feature on the PSP. Activating this feature while viewing a video on the PS3 will break the video up into scenes that you can quickly access by pressing the X button. You can break the videos into one, two or five minute intervals. In addition, you can now choose to have all of the videos under the video section of the XMB play in sequence. Go to Settings then Video Settings to turn this option on.
- PlayStation Store – We’ve added a redeem codes option right on the store to make it easier to redeem your PlayStation Network Cards and promotion codes. In addition, PlayStation Network Sign Up and Account Management have been redesigned.
- Power Save Settings – You can now set your PS3 and wireless controllers to turn off automatically after set periods of inactivity. Go to Settings then Power Save Settings to turn on these features.
- Background Downloading – You now have the option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system from the button under [Users] while content is being downloaded or installed.
- In-game Screenshots – this tool will allow everyone to capture, share and in other words, immortalize their favorite gameplay moments. This will be supported on a game by game basis. Please check back to find out which games will support this feature.
- In addition to all of the features above there are some additional features and enhancements included in 2.50. Once the update launches, you can read all of the details here.
The support for the Bluetooth Headset will be of particular interest to all of you SOCOM fans. With the “Proximity Chat” feature, SOCOM: Confrontation gameplay is intensified as it allows you to experience high-quality voice playback in full surround sound. Whether the action is near or far, Proximity Chat clearly matches distance to sound effects and voiceovers within the game, putting you in the heart of the action.
Enjoy and please share your thoughts with us.
When are you going to release more avatars for the psn?
@551…do a full format on the USB stick … don’t add anything and then plug it into the PS3…there is no size limitation so perhaps a reformat will do the trick?
update sound like you guys listen 2 us BUT PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ fix the msg problem with this update..ty
Thats what Im talking about… Thats what I call an update… Can you guys please! add more screensavers… the earth is nice… the earth is nice.. but some more options.. or perhaps we can take pics saved on our ps3 or psp and use it as a screensaver… but the color wave and earth are killing me…. not that im complaining .. but .. you know.
ok im confused…a lot of ppl are saying home is coming out with update 2.50…and all my blog readers are dying to know if it is comeing….would anyone mind telling me by email…users or sony workers if home is to be realested in the upcome 2.50 update.
well email me back at redsteath@comcast.net and check out my blog @
http://www.redsteath-playstation.blogspot.com
and my psn is redsteath thx forany info i get in advance….hope i here from a reliable sorce
hell yeah… when should we be expecting this??
your right like i said when SHOULD we expect this
In-game screenshots on a game-by-game basis? Sweet, another feature developers won’t use. Just like custom soundtracks. :(
Where’s backward compatibility? :(
terminator r u still here
i think that would be an exilant idea kukuk
Mhmm mhmm good. This is an update worth cheering for. Good job and keep listening to us. Btw I see someone previously mentioned the “Last online” feature on the weekly recap post. Pretty fast huh? One thing I would like to see is Cross game voice chat, and the ability to stream music and videos to chat rooms. This would be a BIG plus. Anyway, thanks again. Can’t wait for the new updates.
me neither
jimal do u think home will b soon?
Are we ever going to get proper playlisting and shuffling support on the PSP? Those features don’t span subfolders in the MUSIC directory.
Also, how about on the fly playlisting support for music on the PSP, like the PS3 has already? I think this feature has a lot more relevance on a portable player.
These seem like relatively simple features to implement, that users have been requesting for a long time now.
Finally, if possible, PSP users have really been wanting Divx support.
Thanks.
does anyone want to subscribe 2 my blog
i blog about games and systems
NVM if u want 2 look 4 my longest post w/ the link
well this is good stuff
1.but now i really just wish sony would add a better flash for the browser
2.more cities, countries, states ect on life with playstation, heck right now life with playstation is useless to me since i happen to live in Boston, however it is a good thing they got going with this, but can use an update as well.
also small live stream video feeds, for the news, also a time/date, and a 1 day forecast high-lighten on each of these cities countries and so forth, finally but not least the ability to zoom on the web base news. that will make it better in my opinion.
3. cross chat, this just connects more people easier than texting.
4. voice/video mailing system, this is crucial.
5. trophy system enhancement- like uncharted with its treasure system, make every 5 or 10 levels count, labels should be given to gamers to identify how good or hardcore they are.
example level 10 could be called something like “HUNTER” as in for trophy hunter, or level 50 general level 60 “LEGENDARY” and it goes on and on.
i think something like a “GRANDMASTER” would be like level 100 and that’s were it stops as far as the names/titles goes than by these ranking names certain individuals will have certain privileges like maybe discounts on add-ons, or discounts on everything else ect from
the store or free things from home for home.
these ranking names would than be labeled underneath the gamers tag. this will push more and more people to trophy hunt. and in return buy more ps3 games.
6. easier way to send to all messages, whether that’s video/voice or yes even text.
7. fix the time/battery collision scenario, that has to be address asap.
8. in-music playback and messaging during store browsing, hey doesn’t make much sense not to include this feature since you can already do these things while using the browser why not the store right?
9. automatic installations of what you download -options.
10. ability to edit and label your uploaded music and video content/ this can prove useful. like me i sometimes upload burned music so…yeah that needs to be added.
11. than simply bring this trophies system to the psp, keep it under the same account only the trophies you get on psps games will simply be added to your current ps3 trophy collection vice verse that’s all.
not to flame or anything after all the above gets integrated than ill say xbox live should be free, until than well? Sony’s got a good thing going.
also i think Nintendo should really start taking this whole online thing more seriously games like Mario kart Pokemon and even smash bro could benefit in a huge way with the proper service behind it.
disclaimer: this upcoming update is pretty decent and it shows Sony’s commitment to taking the necessary steps towards improving an already great service, i just want to say thank you Sony for a great entertainment system of a console (60gb model ps3)and a free service with on-going improvements. thank you.
X. anything else guys? please let me know.
@570
I added some of your suggestions to the list, the others were already listed, so here’s how its going
Show games you bought and demos you downloaded separetly in the Playstation Store
Option to have Passwords for users accounts
Custom Avatars (Possibly upload or at least have a large databse with more than the ones there is e.g. Football, rugby team badges, flags etc)
In/cross game chat
Auto sync trophies
Make the trophy profile load faster because its far too slow
More infromation on online profile (games played, more space on about me section etc)
Ability to view your friends friend lists
Ability to search for friend (using email or possibly keyword)
Improve internet browser ( possibly get Google Chrome? or at least improve flash player)
Change notification when you get a message or when some signs in, the grey with white text is bland, possibly make it similar to the information board maybe with the PSN logo in place.
Ability to group friends
Add a form of messenger or possibly Skype
Add a calendar , organiser
Have when a friend was last online when there offline
More statuses (Appear Offline etc)
Show trophy level without clicking on friend, have trophy level some where so when you highlight a friend on the XMB the game hes playing, trophy level status avatar etc appear.
Better music layout instead of Album or Artist have Artist > Album > Song, this will make it easier to find a song from an album.
Trophies Auto-Synch
Record Video from the matches you are playing
Save video of the matches you play from different points of view(halo-like)
Voice chat with friends while playing a game
Skype, MSN and AIM messengers in PS3
Video Playlists
Video Support, add more formats
Charging Controllers and headset while the PS3 is on Stand-by
The ability to send voice messages to our friends
Notification sound when we receive a message/voice message
Let developers or us move our notification box.
New PSN avatars
Custom PSN avatars
Update Flash player to latest version
Add quicktime, shockwave and java to internet browser
Update browser to some kind of Google Chrome or Firefox
Add option to change the color of the font and text on the PS3 icons
Fix bugs in the Clock display and controller battery level, just move the battery level a little lower
Bluetooth compatibility from PS3 to cellphones and computers or the other way.
Ingame Playstation Store
Custom Themes to the PS3, some theme maker for PC/Mac
Ability to change the font color on the XMB [with no background interference]
Voice messaging / Voice Recognition
Audio and video chat in-game
Ability to continue a download while watching a bluray movie / playing a game / playing a ps2 game / ps3 is on standby mode
Auto-install completed downloaded demos
Turn off the controller after a certain time of inactivity
Personalize tune at startup/shutdown login/logoff
Web browser: Ability to copy-paste
Be able to watch a friend play, from your screen
Take in-game videos, and being able to host them online directly from the PSN
Worldwide Trophy Ranking
Official Sony Calendar with all releases coming or updates and events
Play Split Screen online with 2 different PSN accounts
Listen to Music stored in PS3 Hard drive while browsing the Playstation Store on the Playstation 3
Add somewhere easier to find to post our feedbacks on games and Ps3.
Where can i post them so the staff of Sony read them?
Excellent update guys, looks great. As some others have mentioned, it’d be awesome if you guys added MKV (Matroska) container support (it’s a container, you guys already support the codecs that can be used in the container, you just need to add functionality to parse the container and retrieve the audio/video).
As someone with a nice big external hard drive, I’d love to see you guys add “exFAT” support (which is supported by Windows Vista). Basically it allows you to have really big files (like HD video clips, and so on) stored on your external hard drive. FAT32 (which is what the PlayStation 3 supports right now) limits your files to 4 GB. But exFAT has pretty much unlimited file size. Plus it has a bunch of optimizations for external hard drives (it was actually designed for use with external drives).
As someone with a ton of video content it’d be awesome if Sony added exFAT support for external mass storage devices (flash drives, external hard drives, etc).
OH, and like someone said on the very first page: PLEASE IMPROVE THE WEB BROWSER. Ideally use Firefox! It’s free, open source, and while I know it’d take some effort to port to the PS3, I bet you could get some free help from the Mozilla Foundation since inclusion in the PS3 would effectively be free advertising for them as well (while giving you an amazing browser that’s as functional as Internet Explorer (if not more so)).
@557 … why would I visit or subscribe to your blog when you can’t even keep up with the news that the SONY redacted the link between 2.5 and HOME that was previously implied?
Damn that is a lot of great news. I have been waiting for almost all of these features and I will take the rest. Excellent job.
It’s been along time but here goes.
SONY IS KING! SONY IS KING!
The XMB will be complete once Xross GameChat is implemented for games. Sony, I really hope your engineers are building this in soon.
In-game XMB needs music access while playing a game for all ps3 games. Let users choose their music, not developers.
Oh, and 2 things that I would love to see soon, 1) Faster PSN downloads and 2) Mozilla Firefox used as the web browser, its already free, just make it work. Thanks.
YES! Thank you Sony!
When, if ever, are you going to release a firmware update that allows ‘ REMOTE PLAY ‘ viewing of movies stored on the PS3 HDD or in the Blu-ray/DVD drive slot, and also allows playing CURRENT PS3 titles, on the PSP using ‘ REMOTE PLAY ‘??
As an ADULT owner of both the PS3/PSP, I would like to get more functionality out of this serious investment. I know I probably wont get a reply to this, because the majority of the other owners of the PS3/PSP are less than 20 years of age- and all they care about is ‘ LBP ‘ or ‘ In-game XMB ‘.
One thing I think would be nice is if the ps3 could be used as a internet router. That way, people that don’t have wireless internet could get it from there ps3. Also it would be great because people download updates, and go on the internet with their PSPs just by getting the wireless internet form their ps3.
I wonder…if the psp will be PSN intergrated, will we be able to access our friends list, message them, send pics, even VIDEO CHAT? I think with the built-mic and hopefully soon to be released psp cam, itd really be awesome if we could join a chat with our buddies that are using their ps3s…that would def be PSN on the go!!! Keeping fingers crossed! Play B3yond!!!
Thanks for the update!
Things I’d like to see in future PS3 updates:
(1) HDMI-CEC support. It’d be great to control the operation of the Blu-ray player with the television remote. I know that I could buy the PS3 remote, but I don’t need another remote sitting around my living room. If this is never going to happen, then Sony should consider developing a universal remote with Bluetooth AND IR support.
(2) Update the Flash plug-in!!! Without it, there is virtually no reason browse using the PS3. If I can’t view most internet videos on my TV, then I might as well be using my computer to surf the internet.
The PSN is scheduled to be unavailable tomorrow, Oct. 14, during the following time:
* 11AM – 4PM Pacific
* 2PM – 7PM Eastern
Wow! Amazing update.
For upcoming firmware updates, just a couple of ideas:
– I’d like to group my friends in categories like Family, School instead of just one long list of PSN names. If it’s possible, it could be collapsible groups too, like if I don’t want my Family list to be displayed, I can just hide them and keep the School list expanded. I think this idea would be pretty cool to add.
– Offline caching of icons would be great. For some of us who have more than 50 buddies, the icons take quite a while to load up. Having the icons downloaded to the hard drive and only synchronized with PSN when there are changes to them would, in my opinion, be more efficient.
– Volume Normalizing would be an interesting feature to add also, as sometimes the volume in-game is completely different than the XMB sounds that play when you highlight a game title (I think that’s the promo image? I may be mistaken)
– Also if it was possible, definitely 16:10 support.
another bad idea to leave it up to devs to incorporate in their games. How many games use video capture? How many games have custom soundtrack from the xmb? All things that were left to developers and not implemented in any games.
All of this is really cool. It’s nice to know that sony is working hard, to make are experience a better one. The one thing i would love to see more, is a lager selection of visualizers while playing music.
@ Red something..
HOME is NOT coming out in the 2.50 update. HOME is scheduled for release this Decemeber.
Quoted-
Sony please add these things!
1. Please improve Xvid playback! There are still too many Xvid files that will not play on the PS3!
2. Please add support for all WMV files!
3. Please add support for Quicktime HD trailer playback. This would rocked!
4. Please add support for MKV file playback!
5. Please update flash player to latest version!
6. Please make a way better browser! Maybe a Firefox PS3 version? :)
7. Please add option to change the color of the font and text on the PS3 icons!
8. Please add video playlists!
9. Please add and RSS reader where we can add our own feeds!
10.And please fix all the known bugs like the issue with the Clock display and the PS3 controler.
Yes, do all of this!
Will you be able to send messages and check whose online on your friends list with your psp or are you only allowed to acsses the psn store?
fantastic
thanks sony
since you have the ps store on the psp now, why not go all the way and add trophies in psp games too? it would be be cool to get trophies on the go and then come home on the ps3 and see them on the xmb too.
@FelonOnParole
You can already see movies on the hdd through remote play. You can play Bionic Commando ReArmed and PixelJunk Monsters through remote play. Maybe some day in the future you’ll be able to watch blu-ray movies with remote play, just don’t expect hd resolutions through it.
Well that may happen with the 5.00 psp firmware update along with the 2.50 ps3 firmware update. It’s not exactly what you’re talking about. It’s mainly that you may be able to use the ps3 to ad hoc connect 2 or more psp’s that are too far apart to use normal ad hoc connections on the psp. For example, you could use the ps3 to connect 2 psp’s that want to play an ad hoc versus of Tekken:Dark Resurrection even though the two users may be miles apart.
The last comment was directed to PyroJack.
can u add a function to the downloads, that allows a person to set a time interval between which it can dowload, because my internet provider splits my usage between off peak and on peak, also i do not want to disturb the use of the internet for other people in my house. combined with that auto shutdown feature in this update could you also have a wake mode so that when the dowload time starts the ps3 automatically turns on and starts downloading and then when it finishes it will turn off, that would really be a nice feature.
@GSpanFan
1. The remote is never going to happen. The ps3 uses bluetooth while most tv’s use infrared.
2. There are plenty of reasons to browse using the ps3. Getting new custom themes, new wallpapers, and videos from places like gamersyde.com, gametrailers.com, and watching the 1up show. Updating the flash client would increase the number of pages the ps3 could visit though. Maybe it may come some day.
Wow, great additions to the various FW’s!
So, one quick question: will we EVER be able to re-download PSN Video Store content that we’ve deleted from our HDD’s? I’d really like to start using the PSN Video Store, but, like many others, refuse to spend $15 on a video that I don’t actually get to own the rights to. Hell, I’ll just go buy the friggin’ DVD!
@freeluv
I can think of 3 games that have in-game access to music. But it should be all of them. Maybe they should reduce the in-game xmb by removing some of the categories such as videos and the playstation store. Hopefully that could free up some room to allow for in-game access to music and other things that complement gaming. Maybe the whole in-game xmb needs to be redesigned to take up less memory.
@norobots
What wmv files can the ps3 not play? It plays all my wmv files just fine.
The browser will never be updated with new version of flash until adobe finds a way to make it compatible with the cell processor. So go and blame adobe and not sony. You have a computer go browse the internet on it instead.
Choosing your own in-game music is left up to the publisher to implement it is because Microsoft filed a patent which allows the ability for in-game music to be played in all games. If Sony wants to use that technology sony would have to pay microsoft which there not going to do so it is up to the publishers to implement it in there games.