Sony talks spring cleaning, major PS3 firmware update in the works

by James Ransom-Wiley { Dec 13th 2006 at 7:25PM }

During his appearance at a meet-and-greet for semi-official Sony blog ThreeSpeech, Phil Harrison allegedly confirmed a major PlayStation 3 firmware update would be rolled out in March to coincide with the console's launch in Europe (should the delay rumor prove false). According to an unidentified attendee, Harrison outlined some of the features to be included in the update, expanding on SCEE VP of Technology Paul Holman's hint that the update would focus on improving PS3's capabilities as a media center:

Multi-tasking; includes voice/video-chat while browsing XMB
Auto-resume for downloads from PlayStation Store
PSP Remote Play upgrade (access PS3 media via WiFi connection)
New animations during audio playback
Enhanced photo album functionality
Additional XMB display options

While still vague, these features definitely focus on PS3's non-gaming abilities. Anything you'd like to see added to the list?

[Via 1UP]

Tags: Patch, ps3firmware, Update, XMB

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Tsalagi @ Dec 13th 2006 7:29PM

How about 1080i support.

bigshynepo @ Dec 13th 2006 7:33PM

Also, screw the 1080i update, I'm glad I waited to buy my 1080p Bravia...

I'd rather Sony put their time into other advancements...

bigshynepo @ Dec 13th 2006 7:33PM

Background downloading...
Folder Hierachy...
Custom Wallpapers/start noise/nav click...
Much more organized and streamline store appearence...
ALARM AND SLEEP TIMER
Bluetooth support for Sony-Ericsson phones (K800i) so I can access my phone files on the PS3 and Vice-versa.
More audio visualizations...

That's all I can come up with on the spur of the moment.

jason @ Dec 13th 2006 7:36PM

Couldn't give a crap less about that stuff!

kudos @ Dec 13th 2006 7:37PM

still no unified online service?

no thanks - i dont want to be having a friends list per game i own.

BklynKid @ Dec 13th 2006 7:40PM

Wait, is this the update that makes the console good?

3rd Gen @ Dec 13th 2006 7:41PM

Uhhhhhhhh.........yeah, the xbox live menus!

Aran @ Dec 13th 2006 7:43PM

40% price drop?

ahamsandwich @ Dec 13th 2006 7:47PM

@6: "Wait, is this the update that makes the console good?"

no

Ken @ Dec 13th 2006 7:48PM

How the upgrade that makes units appear on store shelves for longer than 20 minutes? :D

Cage @ Dec 13th 2006 7:49PM

Translation: "We pushed this thing out so fast that half of the stuff we wanted to put in it could not be put in on time"

Josh @ Dec 13th 2006 7:49PM

I want to listen to my music on my hard drive while doing stuff on the XMB and I want to listen to my music while playing a game, I mean come on, the Xbox 180 did it why can't the PS3?

jason @ Dec 13th 2006 7:57PM

Is this a video game machine? I hope Sony doesn't do what they've done to the PSP. I'm not even sure they know what they're doing anymore.

Inspired @ Dec 13th 2006 7:58PM

A good 1080p game?

And head nod on the 40% price drop. Or at
least 25%, please.

Upscaling of DVDs, PS1 and PS2 games, and ... hell, PS3 games too since some people seem to be stuck in 480p on the TRUE high definition system.

And what's the deal with the online service? I
haven't heard a peep about it. It is supposed to rival Xbox Live, no?

And open the Playstation store to f*ckin PSP users so people can download PS1 games. You have how many PSPs sold ... and how many PS3's sold?

Optimus Prime @ Dec 13th 2006 8:11PM

Where's the handy-dandy, bricking feature? That was the most viable one in the last 360 update... its a huge sales driver.

Rask @ Dec 13th 2006 8:12PM

Voice chat while surfing the XBM. Wow. This thing is now worth 600$!

Auto-Resume downloads. A step in the right direction to be sure. How about background downloading.

New visualisation while listening to music? *yawn*

Enhanced photo browsing - We took what we did best and made it even better! Try and touch that Microsoft!

DBX00 @ Dec 13th 2006 8:13PM

Keep it coming, keep it coming...My list includes

1) Unified buddy list for Resistance (the rest of the games I play are fine)
2) Upscale DVDs (upscaling PS1 and PS2 games won't really do much for me)
3) Email/Voicemail
4) PS1 games playable on PS3
5) Plugin codec support or at least continue to add more codecs
6) Faster downloads and organized Playstation store
7) Music, Movie, TV show downloads

Oh yeah, for all those that try to make it sound like the PS3 sucks; keep your heads up, you always can buy or play your XBOX360...I hear GoW is pretty good and the online stuff isn't that expensive...oh wait, yeah it is kinda expensive now that I think of it.

Pulse @ Dec 13th 2006 8:15PM

Sounds good, there are a lot of other things I want to see though. Like the actual PS3 for starters seeing as we Europeans have to wait. There will be more firmware updates later. :) Keep your pants on ppl, no need to start a riot on Joystiq.

BklynKid @ Dec 13th 2006 8:21PM

#9, oh ok, thanks. :p

Pixelbox @ Dec 13th 2006 8:26PM

This sounds quite a bit like the early stages of the PSP, when Sony was emphasizing its role as a multi-media machine, not the games part. We know now that this was because developers weren't going to be making high-cost games for a system with such a limited user base.

I don't know about you guys, but I think Sony is in a lot of trouble this time around. Development costs for the PS3 are huge, and no one will tackle those costs if they can't make up the cash in game sales.

Silver R. Wolfe @ Dec 13th 2006 8:30PM

I believe that the background downloading would be incorporated under multi-tasking. The voice/video chat option was just an example of what it included. :)

Hardcore @ Dec 13th 2006 8:48PM

"11. Translation: "We pushed this thing out so fast that half of the stuff we wanted to put in it could not be put in on time""

Nothing like the Nintendo Wii that has um NO online capability and won't until 6+ months after it's released. NDF sheep assemble!

J. McNair @ Dec 13th 2006 8:54PM

"My list" or "things that would make the $600 more bearable" Note that some of these could apply to the XBOX 360.

1: Region free PS1 and PS2 emulation for any LEGALLY PURCHASED game. So I can play JP and EU games that don't or won't come to the US and vice versa. They can at least do this for the PS1 since it is already "dead". This alone would make me buy a PS3 RIGHT NOW. (BONUS: may force MS to do the same for XBOX1 games on the XBOX 360)

2: More codec and format support, just to one up MS some more. XviD, OGG, and Matroska are all Free. (XBOX360 could use this too)

3. A better web browser: Just port Gecko (the Firefox rendering engine) to the PS3 or license Opera like Nintendo did. Make the interface less sucky for controller + keyboard use (no mouse pointer unless there is a MOUSE PLUGGED IN).

4. Optional upscaling for everything within reason including DVD, PS1, PS2 and stored media. I think this will actually come.

5. Unlimited choice and control over video output: formatting, letterboxing, pan & scan, resolution, refresh rate whatever. Hide it under a super-secret menu and disclaim the hell out of it to keep away dummies who might kill their TVs. I see no reason why a system that can do 1920 x 1080p shouldn't let me set a custom 1680 x 1050 on my HDMI monitor. I'll take the letterboxing to preserve the aspect ration thank you. (Microsoft, I'm looking at you too)

6. Make the store more better. Shamelessly rip off MS and Nintendo wherever possible.

7. Backup software to backup your whole PS3 HD+firmware data to external storage. Just in case. also good for installing new drives, etc. (Why can't the 360 do this?)

8. I 17th (we're WAY beyond 2nd) the motion for background downloading. Yeah.

9. Second the person for custom wallpaper, system sounds, color schemes, etc.

10. Better file management.

...skip a few...

333,333,333. Support the Wiimote for all things except games. Just because. Bluetooth is Bluetooth folks, and the Linux monkeys are working on it anyway.

You asked, I answered.

--JM

Paul @ Dec 13th 2006 9:01PM

1. 1080i
2. 1080i
3. 1080i (I'd really like to be able to play these games in High Def)
4. Background Downloads and ability to resume broken downloads (I had a demo get to 98%, mess up, had to download it all over again)
5. Ability to download an update rather than the ENTIRE firmware every time any little thing is changed
6. Ability to change background color of XMB, add photos, movie clip, anything at all to the background (seems they made all the same mistakes that they made with the PSP)
7. Better interface for the Playstation store (Xbox360 got it right, built into the interface, easy and fast downloads, come on)
8. Better codec support for videos. Give me Divx and xvid support
9. Region Free PS1 downloads for PSP! I just wasted $5.99 for a game that doesn't like my white PSP

Scythe @ Dec 13th 2006 9:08PM

1. Custom Ingame Playlist (I like my choice of music make this required from all game companys)
2. Dashboard Background Change Ability (As pretty as it is I would like to see something better)
3. Multi-tasking Durring Downloading (I don't like watching the download screen)
4. Resume-able Downloading (I hate having to start a 500+mb download over)
5. Online Splitscreen (required for all online games, if the x-box 1 could do this then there is no reason we can't)
6. PS2 Upscaling (We want it so fix it)
7. Custom Avatars (I can do better then what we are given, also make the user have the option to see the other users icons or not)
8. Make our friends list "One" and not split up
9. Show wen a friend is online and if he is in a game better.

CKpr @ Dec 13th 2006 9:36PM

An apology for a rushed hack job of a product?

jp @ Dec 13th 2006 9:46PM

Finally PS3 v1. is coming, It

Matt @ Dec 13th 2006 10:08PM

1080i support???? I really hope they fix this..

Bryan @ Dec 13th 2006 10:54PM

how about location free tv!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom @ Dec 13th 2006 10:57PM

How about a firmware update that'll make the PS3 not totally suck ass?

Miguelotron @ Dec 13th 2006 11:15PM

I WANT ACHIEVEMENTS DAMNIT!!

Hoffer @ Dec 13th 2006 11:17PM

Hopefully they let me output 720p for Blu-ray movies to my 720p HDTV.

Cristopher Boyer @ Dec 14th 2006 12:14AM

Fix the HDMI issues. Grumble grumble.

Cuja @ Dec 14th 2006 1:56AM

What's this XMB crap. Another exploit to confuse the masses. You don't see Microsoft using XBPS360 whooper dooper in any of their terms.

Shogan @ Dec 14th 2006 2:01AM

Some good games
price drop on the system
Add something fun to the PS3, like a good game.
Maybe a price drop

James @ Dec 14th 2006 4:26AM

I finally got my hands on a PS3!!! Haha sorry, I was pretty "enthused." Personally I would like to see some kind of support for a USB Wireless Network Adapter or all of them while they are at it. And Possibly support for other Playstation 2 controllers like the Guitar Hero controller or a DDR pad for those who still play it. I'm not really into either of these games hardcore but it would add additional funtionality and backwards compatibility to the system. Just another opinion I guess.

Fubar @ Dec 14th 2006 4:37AM

120fps games running at 1080p that look like the Killzone trailer.

DrXym @ Dec 14th 2006 5:04AM

Enough with the bitching about 1080i support. The PS3 doesn't have a hardware upscaler. If your non-standard HDTV can't scale between 720p & 1080i (the vast majority made within the last 3 years can including ~100% of all EU models) then you'll have to live with 480p for games that don't natively support 1080i, or hope that some 3rd party fills the niche with some cheap gizmo that sits between the TV and PS3. There is no point griping on this point since the situation won't change unless a Rev B board includes a hardware scaler.

Upscaling for DVD & BD CAN be done, as well as 1080p/24. As can background downloading, and other strictly software-side functions. Sooner or later the firmware will support all of those things. Sony have an established record with the PSP (and now with the PS3) of providing incremental and substantial improvements to the firmware.

Ben Furneaux @ Dec 14th 2006 5:23AM

I was there and blogged the whole thing, for a more accurate representation of the truth lookie here:

http://benfurneaux.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-went-on-in-3rooms.html

I'll state here that Phil or the reps NEVER once said that there will be a March release date and theses upgrades were mostly 'announced like this:

"obviously we'll be making more visualisers in the future"

B

Dave Smith @ Dec 14th 2006 7:28AM

Background downloading
Add the option to not autoplay discs at startup.
DVD upscaling
improved PS1/PS2 video output quality

teknomusik @ Dec 14th 2006 8:50AM

Upscale and enhace PS1 & PS2 games!

John @ Dec 14th 2006 10:59AM

xbox 360 firmware! yeah just take the 360 firmware and stick it onto the ps3 so it can play 360 games, and compatible with the 360 controller via usb, and xbox live!

then itd be an ok console apart from the fact that itd still suck

Djeet @ Dec 14th 2006 12:02PM

Make Guitar Hero work. PS to USB adapters do seem to be getting some button signalling from SG to PS3, but I cannot launch game =(.

Then make GH2 work.

Extinction @ Dec 14th 2006 1:35PM

"still no unified online service?"

It had that the day it came out

the_insider @ Dec 14th 2006 4:41PM

I want the 4th dimension that they promised us.

marxwang @ Dec 23rd 2006 12:48PM

sony version of "home media center"!
strength the ability with access file on pc!
let ps3 become the remote player of HD content( h.264, vc1,mpeg2)

ryan @ Dec 23rd 2006 11:14PM

i love my ps3 but they do need stuff like...
downloadable backgrounds fro ps store and custom wallpapers...

1080i fix

listen to music while playing my madden or resistance

and a sprray cleaner or something to hold the dust off!!

Ray O @ Jan 2nd 2007 3:05AM

Mr DrXym,
To Add to your little knowledge Upscaling is not done always by Hardware, but also by Software (Actually Most Cases is by Software) So Don't Jump like you know everything. I guess you don't Know about Faroudja Software on the Phillips Blu-Ray Player, Open your Mind to the World my Friend, and learn.