Hi everyone, we’re adding some great new features with the next PS3 firmware update (v2.70) that will continue to enhance your connected experience on the PS3. The 2.70 update brings a new Text Chat feature that enables you to communicate online with your PlayStation Network friends. Now, you’ll be able to chat with up to 15 online friends using the Wireless Keypad, on-screen keyboard, or other compatible keyboard peripherals. Not only can you chat with your friends instantly, but you can also access Text Chat while playing PS3 games and even participate in up to three chat rooms at once.
In addition to Text Chat, we’ve added a few more enhancements:
Friends list on the XMB (XrossMediaBar)
- Sort your friends via their online status
- Attach larger files to the messages you send to your friends (file size will increase from 1MB to 3MB)
Video delivery service on PlayStation Store
- Video files you’ve purchased from the PlayStation Store can be backed up to an external storage device and then restored to PS3’s internal hard drive for playback – so you can clear up space on your hard drive and then restore the video anytime in the future
- Videos you’ve purchased for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system can now be transferred to PS3 for playback
For a quick preview of Text Chat and some of the other 2.70 features, check out this video:
The 2.70 update will be released soon, and as always, we look forward to reading your feedback.
Getting alot of DNS errors guys…
hey cool. finally some more news about 2.70. when exactly will it be released??
Actually TEXT CHAT really isnt so bad, its faster then normal messageing…
and now i see y the text is limited to how much u can enter, cuz the other chat people are in game, so it makes it less complicated to read…
its ok but the xbox 360 has all of that but better
xbox 360 is still better
yep still the ps2.5 lol be a long time until they catch up with features that were on the 360 at launch. sigh…..glad i got both but i rarely buy games for ps3.
didn’t sony say the 400 dollar price point was for a premium service?
at this rate? we won’t have these standard features: cross game invite, private voice chat(in-game), mandatory custom soundtracks, mandatory trophies.
untill…..2012?
and wtf happened to 3d trophies in home?…. oh wait i forgot home was/is a laughable gimmick that no one is talking about.
This is nice, keep up the good work, but voice chat would be nice, I was expecting a bit more, faster loading times for the in game xmb would have been awesome
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT finally!
I want to punch Eric right in the face! WTF!? Come on! You know I think I have finally given up on Playstation… It’s been 2 1/2 years since PlayStation 3 came out and they are just now introducing cross-game text chat!? Who the heck wants TEXT chat?! Was it just too much to give us voice chat? I don’t think you guys have made one good update yet…every time I think they have already made so many stupid updates they have to make a good one this time you go and surprise me like this…well played! I have been a Sony fan for a long time but I honestly have to say that I don’t think PS3 with ever compare with Xbox and it’s not because they can’t it’s because they allow idiots to be in charge. It’s like they are running the console race with Chloroform masks on.
Wow, another pointless update that I will have to download. Cross game text chat? Is this your idea of an april fools joke? I can already message someone during a game, I shouldn’t have to leave the game temporarily to push a few buttons to chat with them.
PUT IN CROSS GAME “VOICE” CHAT (KEYWORD THERE BEING VOICE). “VOICE” MESSAGES ALSO WOULD BE NICE (NOTICE THE KEYWORD “VOICE” IS IN THE SENTENCE).
And there should also be an “appear offline” function where you want to appear offline so nobody bothers you yet you still want to play online to talk to people who do you feel like speaking to.
Well, I’m out of here. Looks like things are getting out of hand. People are flipping out!!!
I’m going to post again…seriously in the 90’s and early years on this 20th NOBODY really cares about ”chat” and people usually use that to send annoying and trolling messages I preffer to play with my real life friends.
just give us backwards compatibility ps2 has a big library why not give that advantage to the ps3 over the 360?
April Fool’s! If there wasn’t video evidence, I wouldn’t have believed it, but here it is…
this is awesome ^_~
This is getting ridiculous.
Downloading now!!!
Releasing text chat points to the likelyhood that in-game voice chat is simply not possible… it would likely require game-by-game support like trophies and custom sountracks… This text chat is something that can be game-independent, and is really a great work-around.
text chat….I mean I don’t wanna look a gift horse in the mouth but how the heck am I suppose to smite helgasts while texting. How about giving me 6 man voice chat. I would even take one man voice chat in game. Thank you for the update but I dont feel like I will ever use this feature.
Can someone please confirm that they are still able to stream divx movies from a network meida server to the PS3 after the update. Every one of my videos now shows up as unsupported data. Crap!!!
When Eric went to the text chat thing there was an option for audio chat? Is this cross game chat?? Because this is what everyone wants and is the only thing the xbox has over the PS3 which myself and all my friends are [DELETED] about. Also are there more features? Such as auto sync trophies etc? Is there going to be another feature video?
Nice update, but what I really wanted was the ability to keep custom themes when accessing the in-game XMB. That’s all Sony, please, can you make it happen?
i really think that the text chat is absurd, why you ask well because this was already possible with messages my opinion is that this is like 2.69 not 2.7
Wow Sony
in-game text chat, really?
loooool
I bet the idea came from SCEE, lol
Cmon Eric, text chat, are you serious? So were suppose to hit pause then the PS button then text, then enter, then the PS button while playing in-game?
Does the team that works on XMB updates have any future plans for in-game voice chat? please let us know now. By In-Game Voice Chat we mean we want to play our game and not have to exit/pause everytime we want to talk, make it seemless.
nice now only if we could listen to music and play a game at the same time? next update???
After reading some of the comments I realized just how useless in game text chat is, it really seems pretty worthless, I mean AIM has known instant messaging doesn’t work when playing a game for a decade (An included away message being “Sorry I’m playing a game”)
However, thanks for trying to improve the system and I can see video back up being a very useful so congrats on that one
but seriously you guys need to either actually read these forums or conduct better consumer surveys because I feel you spend alot of time adding features no one wants or is asking for
Since when did “queue” become a curse word?
2.70 is live right now!
i agree with macling
ummm. . .im still waiting for the firmware on the website!!
jeez how hard is it to put a link on your website.
Great update, text chat will be handy for setting up multiplayer games with friends. A couple ideas for a future update:
1. OGG/Vorbis support in the music player
2. Ability to group/tag friends
Thanks!
Now if they can just add aac files that can be sorted like mp3’s
For those of you believing the Xbox is better, my sons just died. Ya, a lot better than the PS3 that I have for 2 years more than he had the xbox. What junk those things are. At least the PS3 is dependable.
This update was something i could live without.I understand that Sony wants to do there own thing.But,please understand that text chatting was so 1995 AOL ok…come on sony be the big dog!!!
LOL. What better day to have a firmware update then on April Fools Day. I take my hat off to you Sony as you deliver another excellent firmware update. But I still want ingame video chat (Hint.Hint) and ps2 backwards compatibility for everyone, even though i have the original 60gb model.
Q.uic C.ash
– Your #1 Asian Guy! Steve Sap!
I love it!
PS3 FTW!
Can someone please confirm that they are still able to stream divx movies from a network meida server to the PS3 after the update. Every one of my videos now shows up as unsupported data.
An addendum: I like the texting feature, but I’d like a slightly bigger text limit. I haven’t tried the backup function yet, but it sounds like a solid idea all around.
Wow not what I expected not that I expected anything at all. But I think the Text option in kinda unnecessary IMO. BTW the US MNT suxs
Good job with the update Sony! I can kinda sympathize that this update is a TINY bit underwhelming. Probably our expectations of the rumored 2.70 not being met.
But I’m grateful we still get updates at all. I find ways to make use of all of the new features (most of which I still use even today). And I’m sure I’ll make extensive use of the new text chat feature too.
I still use the “Photo Gallery” when importing big batches of picture files (lately I’ve been importing JPG versions of school texts and grouping them into one playlist).
Anyways, thanks for this one Sony. Some suggestions:
– XMB design refresh/overhaul? (there’s a popular XMB v2.0 thread floating around the official forums)
– forced in-game music for unsupported games (with a disclaimer that a game can possibly lock up or cause other problems)
– more web browser improvements
– in-game voice chat (not important to me, but everyone and their mom asks for it nowadays)
– support for apps/widgets (approved by Sony first, of course)
– Adding system/game startup sound customization to Custom Theme creation
Happy times, Sony :). The PS3 is not what it was a year ago
Interesting. 360 pays for there online so they get in-game VOICE chat and we get free online so we get TEXT in-game chat.
I just lol’d.
Is there another way to download this firmware on my PC besides this link?:
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/SystemUpdates/PS3
I want to start downloading this update while I do my Yoga on the PS3.
How about stabilizing the freaking in game XMB and more avatars? How about a sound when you get a game invite or someone logs on?
No. We get…TEXT chat…gay?
Sorting friends list by status is new as of 2.7? Cause I’ve had it sorted by status for.. like.. ever.
SONY SHOULD MAKE AN UPDATE WHERE YOU CAN LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE PLAYING IN GAME
This is basically what the Send Message system is…..I want Cross game-VOICE chat… not text chat.
Why bother with a text chat that doesn’t overlay your current game play? Pair that with the text limit and you have a pretty lack luster feature.
Nice try, though. (Why do you bother?)
It dosent seem like theres much difference between sending regular messages and chating while in game. I still have to go the XMB to do either one. Sure, I can have multiple people join it, but still, voice chat would of been better.
I think MS patented something important relating to the in game music feature.
Just did a quick test with a buddy, text-chat censored the word “chatter”.
A sense of irony, I see.