PS3 1.5 firmware update clears up backwards compatibility, implements other changes [update 1]

by James Ransom-Wiley on Jan 24th 2007 10:52AM

While the complete change log of the latest PlayStation 3 update (v1.50) is still conspicuously absent from public eye, it's been widely reported that Sony has corrected the fugly resolution issues that plagued PS1 and PS2 titles (those not originally coded for 480p output) when played on the new rig. That's right, no more (unprecedented) artifacts and jaggies. Huzzah!

Note: the fix does not upscale the original resolutions of PS1 or PS2 games.

Update: PS3 Fanboy has posted a list of additional changes implemented by the update:

A personal image/photo can now be used with a user ID
Edy support added
'Operation Sound' added to sound settings
'Delete Backup Data' added to backup utilities
WEP128, WPA-PSK (TKIP), WPA-PSK(AES) can now utilize AOSS
Login password can be saved without setting the system to log in automatically
Korean keyboard setting now available

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Source

Tags: PS2, PS3, ps3firmware, PSone, Update

Reader Comments (103)

" This update goes out to all of those morons who ACTUALLY said this would require a hardware fix."

I recall almost nobody claiming this particular problem couldn't be fixed through a software/firmware update.

It's the scaler issue that some are claiming can't be done through the software without a significant performance hit.

Thank you Strike Man. The PS2 emulation problem was known to be easily fixable. The scaler issue on the other hand is not. DBX00 claims that the Cell was built to handle the scaling issue but I have yet to see any evidence of that. If that were the case, there should have been a software fix by now. Even if one the SPUs for the Cell can handle the scaling duties, that just takes yet another SPU away from developers for game use. They already have one SPU dedicated to run the OS and one of them is not used at all to help out with the Cell's yields.

I still don't get the problem -- most HDTV's out there should be able to upconvert themselves.... WHile it can only display 1080i or 720p it should be able to upconvert. Sure some older ones that are cheap may not be able to. However, I have a 51-inch 1080i tv that is 4+ years old and it has no issue receiving the 720p signal and converting it to 1080i and it only cost $1,800 FOUR years ago..... My other tv is 720p and it has no issue converting 1080i to 720p -- while it is a shame that dvd's won't be upconverted to 1080i/p for MOST people the whole game thing shouldn't be an issue. Just set the PS3 to output everything and it will output the native format of the game........

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