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.
are people really complaining right now? All the stuff people nag and nag for is starting to happen, not overnight, but regardless,there have been so many steps in the right direction. Sony is providing us with support for a video game console. Think back to the ps1 and N64 days when what you bought is exactly what you got, no improvements, games cost the same as they do now and they are constantly updated and improved, sometimes for free, burnout for instance =). so i say mad props to you sony, thank you
I was messing around with sorting the friends list….and now I cannot get it back to the way it was. alphabetical for those online, and alphabetical for those offline. How do I do this? If I restart my PS3, will it go back to normal?
ok wtf happened to the PSP updates theres no GO messenger and no update for the PSP its like they gave up on the psp. Where is the PSN friends list for the psp???
Nice update Sony. I’m not a huge online gamer so all of this text/voice chat features mean nothing to me really. I don’t see the big deal that everybody’s making. A video game system is made to play video games on, not act like spoiled 16 yr olds because the 2.70 update wasn’t the massive update that was dreamed up and posted online by somebody. I do like the new backup feature for the PS Store movies though. I will use it quite often. Keep up the good work!
#1087
i agree but that goes to show that microsoft involves customers more than sony sad but true…on the other hand you are right we dont know how hard this process is so cut sony some slack im sure they know what we want but if instead of biting the bullet and saying we cant do it they are trying very hard to deliver this so if they fail 100 times they will ignore us not because they want to but right now its bigger stuff to worry about also than cross game chat
@1097 It’s not that I don’t think they’re working on it, it’s that there hasn’t even been word of it AT ALL. A good portion of the community would be satisfied with a simple, “we’re working on it.” We haven’t even heard THAT. If we get that, awesome…I don’t need a time table after that. I’ll be happy knowing they’re working on it. Things take time, of course, but at least let us KNOW they’re working on it.
i’m sorry i can’t help but feel this is another update that doesn’t really offer anything that i’ll use
what everyone wants is the ability to talk to players that aren’t in the same game as you and some sort of a part system
At this time and before almost 1100 post i think it´s a good idea not just complaining and bring some ideas to Sony since it seems that they haven´t single one, and just can bring to us this crappy text chat.
I think in-game have to means quickly pop-up windows to select options and not to show all XMB with black backgroud and then move to friend list to select an option.
It´s more like go out of the game, do want you want to do and come back to the game, not in-game that all.
The pics in #1061 are a good way for that, pop-up windows with semi-transparent background.
About trophies and gamecard, i´m still waiting for that “Hall of fame” in Home, and the rumored avatar pics for gamecard, wich needs a make-up and faster load.
Of course, in-game real voice chat.
That´s all i want at this moment and all i´m waiting for from Sony.
Can they do something?
meh
SONY PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY VOICE CHAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDED ALREADY?? IS THE PS3 NOT CAPABLE OR DO YOU GUYS NEED TO HIRE SOME SMARTER SOFTWARE ENGINEERS?
you guys seem to be big on so many chat systems, now we have the default message system, we have the new text chat, and HOME, well at least that’s something you can say that xbox doesn’t have, multiple ways to text chat with your buddies.
i really don’t like that we are limited to 5 or 6 words in the chatroom, i really don’t like that we don’t see if someone is typing anything as i could be doing something else, i really don’t like this feature as i find it much better to use the default messaging option we already had, it seems like all the recent updates we’ve been getting is for you guys to get our money more securely and update to where purchases are made, i know you guys know what we want and i know you guys want to make money as i am sure you are already making lots of, can you please put more people to work on the features we want,
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME!
;)
I think Voice Chat across games is a must now-a-days, maybe Sony could rethink the XMB? Maybe make it less flashy and see through while in game? I dunno, whatever makes it run faster.
As for the system being slow, it runs fine for me in game, don’t know about you guys.
As for Xbox 360 designed for voice chat… SONY should have designed the PS3 around voice chat too, they had a year to do it and have the amazing ‘CELL’ they brag about, surly it can support voice chat?
Also, I really hope this text chat is testing the waters for voice chat in the next update. I also hope the next update is sooner than later :)
I love updates to firmware, even if its bunch of stuff I don’t care about! I guess I just like news :)
if this doesnt allow you to actually talk through your playstation headset this will suck. ive been waiting on this since launch and now that they have their own headset they need to make it work.
For a moment I thought this was going to be another April’s Fool joke! Thank goodness!
We want ingame personal voice chat not some text chat that we keep having to press ps button to see what some one has put. Thers no point in text chat its exacly like messaging !
@1113 I’ve been refusing, and continue to refuse to buy the Sony headset until the proper features are added to facilitate its use.
Until then, I’m sticking with my $20 bargain bin Panasonic POS that does everything the PS3 offers.. which isn’t much at all.
Not a great update. The text chat feature works quite well but like so many other people have said its cross game/private chat we all want and why is a private text chat with people on your friends list censored?? makes no sense to me.
Also i really dont like the new way the friends list is sorted. Im all for adding new ways to sort the friends list just let people who liked the old one keep it that way.
I like how we complain about this not having the features we want. I know that they SHOULD have already put cross in game voice chat and giving us TEXT chat is sorta rubbing it in our faces.
Though look at Microsoft’s latest update:
“There are no other changes or enhancements in this update…in other words no new features.”
– Via Kotaku
Some features better than no features IMO.
Thank you Eric for taking the time to inform us on the update and making a video.
I must say I am disappointed. I was hoping it would have voice chat.
I find this all rather amusing. The same thing always happen; someone decides to start a rumor about an update with most of the desired features in it; everyone gets worked up and it turns out to be false. Then everyone starts to blame Sony. Sorry but Sony never said that any of that stuff was coming in their next Filmware Update, someone simply claimed that they heard that they were going to do it. Its not Voice Chat, but this is still useful and better than nothing. At least it is progress.
Thanks Sony!
Please fix the in-game XMB freezing bug. I think it feezes way too often when you access your trophies in-game.
@SabbathRider
That’s amusing. You think people are complaining because Voice Chat isn’t in THIS update? That’s funny.
People are complaining because it hasn’t been priority #1 since 2005.. actually 2002, since it’s been available on another, much cheaper and according to Sony, an inferior system (2 generations of an ‘inferior’ system in fact)
We’re not blaming Sony for lying to us. I don’t think anyone has claimed they have. They just aren’t being honest. They’re not being honest with gamers, with developers, with anyone.
Ps3 fanboys rejoice, sonys $500 ps3 system will finally let you text chat during your games, wow! Too bad they are still years behind the competition. They still haven’t figured out how to let you talk via headsets to your friends while in a game. Other systems let you create a party of people who can talk no matter what game you are in.
Look… THis is all fine and good. But when in the world are we going to get the ability to log in more than one unique PSN ID? I know there is a game that allows you to do it… It would be nice if this could be a universal thing so more than one ID could be getting trophies and have their scores and such kept track of.
Sony give me a break
PS3= ONLY FAT32, which has a 4GB file size limit
Why not=NTFS so I can play my own HD video (1920×1080 files over 10gb)
Texting is to old and to long!!!
Give me Skype to use with SP3 Ipod is able.
Its the year of the PS3 :-)
At folks that referencing post 1069. I belive those photos weren’t supposed to be leaked Sony photos of a new design but a PS3’s user take on what XMB should be like.
There have have been many designs posted on the forums that would do the PS3 a great service in look and functions, yet as far as I know, they get ignored.
I am talking above external HD!!!
wow, over 1100 post.Can any one tell me if this is the most post ever in the ps3 blog.
I really feel sorry to whoever has to read and catalog all of these comments.
Here’s mine, it’s a bit more positive.
This is a great new feature to have in-game, 16 person chat. I think it is an excellent alternative to one-on-one chat with a person. You can still be across games and it allows you to answer at your leisure and not worry about holding up a conversation while you are playing a game with a good story that you want to pay attention to.
Can’t wait to see more to come. The people are never satisfied–remember that.
in my opinion, the ps3 is a beta test for the psn,
psn will be complete and offer what we want went the ps4 comes out
sony had a different idea for psn, they didnt believe ms and 360 with xbl would be a threat and so they got lazy
now they are trying to catch up, but the ps3 and psn were not designed to do what xbl does ( the os footprint would have been smaller or ps3 would have had more ram )
sony now is doing a great job, especially giving us a free service, but i believe this is just a beta test, and the true psn will be available by the time the ps4 comes out
360 has had this feature for 4 years now, but what we all want is voice chat between games (another 360 feature).
Also, I hate the auto play setting on ps3, should be 3 options not just 2. auto play if disc in ps3 at power up, never auto play, and should also be an “auto play on disc insert”… once again like the 360.
End of this generation you may have it close to the 360 at launch! on the other hand, i am on my 3rd 360… hehe (bloody ring of deth) :P
The Blog always gets pretty active when Sony under-delivers.
I’m thankful for the new firmware update, but can there be an option in the future to go back to how the friends list was set up?
With name, online and offline gets mixed up.
With status, online is fine but offline puts who was on last.
There should be the 3rd option we’re all used to:
Online, then alphabetical.
You’ve given us this great opportunity for lots of friends, but now we have to search through our list to find them instead of knowing alphabetically where they’d be.
For me, text at the moment is fine…last night I was in one text chat room with 16 people and text was ok, but if it had been voice…I’ll bet no one could understand a thing as everyone would be talking. (I’ve seen this in Home when Voice was available in public places).
Who knows, maybe a future update will include Voice as the option is there, it just won’t work In game now.
Voice chat does work, not in game, but it uses the PS3 Eye and up to 8 people can talk and see the other people or their avatar depending on how the person sets it up.
That may also be the reason we may have to wait a bit, as the Voice function currently uses Voice and video as well….Sony may want to implement in game voice chat with the video feature too, or maybe just the voice without the video feature, but that may take a bit more coding to remove the video feature in Voice chat already there.
Sony for me you’ve done the right thing and if Voice is coming in the future all the better…but I’m not sure if I’ll use Voice if it ever does become available a lot.
People are already complaining in Killzone 2 with 32 players how it’s difficult to hear a single person because everyone is talking all at the same time.
Im sorry to say this guys, but this is the closest Sony can get to cross game chat.
M$ have put a patent on other consoles including cross-game chat.
Unless they find a way round this, text chat is the only way.
WOW. I was fully expecting there to be a new Blog entry today that said APRIL FOOLS! This is a totally worthless update. Pause a game to text chat? Are you insane? Don’t hype something like that. Just release it and hope the xbots never find out.
I also agree with bunnyhunter… should be 3 options. one reflecting past settings
@ Korbei83
I highly doubt this is a feature that the majority of users have wanted to be Sony’s #1 priority, I for one could care less about cross game voice chat.
I don’t understand why the PS3 can’t use a Skype variant for its voice chat. The nice thing about Skype is that it’s very, very low footprint on windows and works perfectly.
Surely, it could be integraded into the OS and used to talk to friends on PS3 who would be logged in my default with it.
How about Trophies for the PSP!
Alright update, hoping that 3.00 will be huge. I think that you guys should take a look at the PS forums. There are some nice XMB revamp threads that I think would be a nice change. Mainly I think that in game there should be a mini xmb with the things that are actually usable in game, since anything that requires you to leave the game to use will take about as much time to activate whether you quit the game first or not.
That’s awesome!!! I can’t wait to check it out!
Also, have you guys ever thought about adding a functionality to the XMB, (possibly to the Network icon?), that would allow us users to email questions/opinions/ideas to you guys at the blog? I don’t really mean questions that would fall under the Tech Support/Customer Support category, but more along the lines of new things coming out, ideas for new functionality/updates for the XMB or PSN, things like that?
I always want to write you guys, but I feel that if I write something on the blog in a category that doesn’t really match the subject matter, I might be wasting time, or would have to wait for the subject to be brought up, THEN post.
Any Ideas?
Hey, how about an appear-offline option? C’mon, make it happen.
I know it’s gonna be tough to pull this comment out of the 1,000 plus that are here already … but
CHANGE THE FRIENDS LIST SORTING BACK!
Before, I could have it alphabetized and sorted by status.
Online would be on the top alphabetized,
Offline would be below that alphabetized.
With this new system, it’s either alphabetized… or sorted by status.
When I’m trying to find a friend that’s not been online for a while to send them a message…. I have to wade through my ENTIRE list and look them over one by one to try to find where they are.
CHANGE IT BACK!
Please! This new sorting is -awful.
Whats up with all the hate? You guys do remember PSN is free right? I agree Sony does take awhile to give the consumers the features they want, but you gotta be thankful at least. Geez..just a bunch of babies whining cause they couldn’t get sprinkles on their ice cream. At least be thankful you got a firmware update.
@torontoml
What is your #1 priority? (Even if the feature has been released already)
I think this is great theres tons of people I have played re5 with who simply dont have a mic. This is a god send. Great features here I cant wait to see what they do next. As far as cross game voice chat I dont really want to be playing metal gear be involved in the story and have 8 invites to voice chat with someone etc.
Text chatting while playing KZ 2 no thank you.I’ll just stick to my headset.
That’s cool! Also if we could have a box in the lower corner of the screen that would show what people are saying in-game such as in home would be nice! Voice chat is still better though! If it is not possible to voice chat then you should make a voice recognition system that puts what you say into words like in Tom Clancy’s End War so we can have a conversation without pausing the game all the time! Thank You for the 2.70 update and please consider my suggestion!