The Xbox 360 isn't the only console that can be changed through the magic of software. Today, via press release and a post on the official PlayStation.Blog, Sony has offered up a preview of the new features to be included in firmware upgrades to both the PS3 and the PSP. Gamers can expect improved trophy support on the PS3, enhanced power-saving options on both platforms, and a far more direct PlayStation Store experience for the PSP. Both updates are slated to launch "this month," and we're hoping Sony can meet that promise -- these features might not be the complete overhaul that the New Xbox Experience is hoping to achieve, but they certainly sound like some excellent new perks.
More details await you, beyond the break.
Starting on the PS3, the Firmware 2.50 Update will be adding support for the Official Bluetooth Headset, scheduled to launch this week in a bundle with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. The headset will get its own on-screen interface, which will detail its volume, mute status, high-quality mode status, and battery power. Speaking of power, a few new power-saving features have also been added to the PS3, including the ability to have the console shut off automatically after a long download. More importantly, the PS3 and wireless controllers can be set to turn themselves off after specified periods of inactivity. I'm quite glad to see this option finally appear; it makes me crazy, when I'm watching a movie on DVD, to look over at the controller and see it still using up its charge. If I had my way, the controller would power down five minutes after I pressed "play." It's nice that I don't have to power it on to pause the movie when the phone rings, but in the long run, I'd much rather not have to charge my controller twice as often.
The PS3 is also expanding and improving its social options. We're still a ways away from getting Home, but the new firmware will improve the PS3 Trophy system. We know how important trophies and achievements are to gamers, especially from an ego standpoint, which makes us glad to see that a few new options for comparing your trophies with your friends' trophies will appear. Players will be able to see how close their friends are to the next trophy level, and will also see how long it's been since their offline friends last logged in, similar to current options on Xbox LIVE. Perhaps best of all, though, to fulfill the needs of digital braggarts everywhere, is the addition of an in-game screen capture tool. It won't be universally available; Sony says it will be evaluated on a "game by game basis," and that we will learn later which titles will support the function. Still, a quick and easy way to save and share some critical in-game moments will certainly go a long way towards impressing the ladies fellow geeks.
Rounding out the list are a few minor tweaks to the PlayStation Store, including an easier-to-find option for redeeming PSN cards and promo codes. Previously, redeeming these codes meant digging through several layers of the "Account Management" area -- the easier system ought to be quite handy when, for example, players start receiving their download codes for their 20 free Rock Band 2 songs.
The PlayStation Store also headlines the upcoming changes to the PSP: Arriving in PSP Firmware 5.00 will be a PSP-ready PlayStation Store, nested within the new addition of PSN to the handheld's XMB. Previously, though gamers could buy PSP titles for digital delivery via the PS Store, they had to do so through the PS3 or PC, and then perform a secondary download to get the game onto their PSP. Sony has cut out the intermediary step, allowing players to now buy and download games directly onto the PSP from the internet, logging in to their PSN accounts from the handheld. This also means that PSN accounts will be universal, shared across the PSP, PS3, and PC, allowing players to access funds from their PSN wallets from any device once they are deposited. This is exactly how this kind of digital commerce ought to work, and we salute Sony for doing it right -- as opposed to Nintendo, whose online currencies are completely separate for the Wii and the DS.
Other PSP improvements include some better video-out functionality for the PSP-2000, and a sleep timer for music playback, in case you like to drift off while listening to that white noise album you have on your memory stick. All of these new changes, again, are expected to launch by the end of the month. Would you like to apply this update?
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