PS3 firmware 1.60 adds background downloading; due March 22nd
by Christopher Grant 
{ Mar 19th 2007 at 6:52PM }
A Japanese PlayStation press release reveals details and a date for the next PS3 firmware update, 1.60. On March 22nd, Sony is finally releasing background downloading for the PlayStation Store in addition to the Folding@home client, Remote Play for 20GB PS3s removing the built-in wireless requirement, a full-size on-screen keyboard, and enhanced browser viewing functionality. These features fall in line with earlier comments by Sony's Phil Harrison. While we applaud the new functionality, notably background downloading, we're assuming the emulation software necessary for playing back earlier PlayStation titles -- necessary for European PS3 units to maintain backwards compatibility -- will be included in this update as well. If not, we would assume the software will come pre-installed on European PS3s alone, before being trotted out to the rest of the world. Harrison has promised that a list of backwards compatible titles will be made available on March 23, and that that list would grow with every subsequent PS3 firmware update, so we're curious to see what Thursday's update includes and how it's received.
[Via Loot Ninja]
Read - Japanese PlayStation.com press release
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rom @ Mar 19th 2007 6:59PM
I wonder if the background downloading will work while playing games like the 360. Well, either way it's good news.
CW @ Mar 19th 2007 7:02PM
"On March 22nd, Sony is finally releasing background downloading for the PlayStation Store -- nearly two months later than it took Microsoft to add similar functionality to the Xbox 360 last year -- as well as the Folding@home client, Remote Play for 20GB PS3s removing the built-in wireless requirement, a full-size on-screen keyboard, and enhanced browser viewing functionality."
That's a really great run-on sentence.
But it would have been even great-er if you had included the relative times for Microsoft to have added all the other features, not just the background downloading.
Diman @ Mar 19th 2007 7:01PM
The download will be paused when you run the games, so no.
Jeb @ Mar 19th 2007 9:04PM
@2
where did you get your information from?
gullum @ Mar 19th 2007 7:27PM
I dont remember phil saying "I promise" to have a list. he said "we expect".
Jon @ Mar 19th 2007 7:29PM
Nice dig at Sony on the '2 months later to add download'. I wonder how long it took MS to include a browser or distributed computing on their 360.
Hiroken @ Mar 19th 2007 7:29PM
Ah, thanks Joystiq for adding more fuel to an burned-too-long already flame war.
The reality is that the 360 pauses background downloading while playing a game too, although some titles do support continued downloading while playing.
Also, since the DVD/Blu Ray player is part of the XMB, you can watch a movie, listen to music or use remote play while you download.
~
Digi Smalls @ Mar 19th 2007 7:32PM
before xboxLive, you weren't downloading much of anything to your console *at all*. why should it matter when they added downloading in the background? they were pioneering all this stuff for consoles over a year ago.
Sony is still trying to catch up a year and a half later; even after this update. blu-ray diodes were to blame for the lateness of PS3's hardware, whats their software's excuse?
.
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comtar @ Mar 19th 2007 8:09PM
Am I the only one concerned that Sony will shut down the hardware compatibility for software compatibility in this patch? You have to think about, they are not going to make one patch for us, and one patch for those who don't have the old hardware in the PS3. It's cheaper and more effective to make one patch for all the systems, which means all the systems will software emulation.
It's not difficult to do, the patch would simply make the system use the CELL processor and Nvidia video chipset do the emulation, and the old hardware would just sit there. It would turn every PS3 into a PS3 with no hardware emulation, even though the hardware is in there. This would streamline the system and make it so every system was the same and that way only one patch is needed.
I just would be so upset if they shut off the hardware emulation for software emulation.... unless I can run my old games in 1080p, or even 720.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 19th 2007 7:37PM
yeah. blu-ray movies, a browser and distributed computing.
why is it even called a PLAYstation?
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Mr Khan @ Mar 19th 2007 7:52PM
You PLAY movies, PLAY music, and PLAY games
that's why they stuck with the PS name back in the day, because of the multimedia functions
And i do think this will include the downloads to "brick" the emotion engine and get everything running off emulation, it would make sense to keep all 3 regions running off the same technology at the same time
Digi Smalls @ Mar 19th 2007 7:59PM
if thats true, then this is the first playstation that playing GAMES is last on that list.
hey - imagine downloading movies or playing music *while* playing your GAMES.... well you really don't have to...
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jc @ Mar 19th 2007 8:00PM
You're way off on this one. The first 360 update that you linked to did NOT support background downloading. It was much much later.
PS3 beat 360 to the punch on the time till update for this essential feature. But not really a big deal. They all have background downloading now, hurray. However PS3 console interface is still pretty clumsy. Needs a complete overhaul.
Colin @ Mar 19th 2007 8:06PM
Hahaha, I love that the link to the 360's 'quicker patch' actually just proves you wrong. The 1/30 update did NOT add background downloading.
Next time you might try actually reading the article you're linking too (especially when it's YOUR article!), instead of just trying to badmouth Sony. ;)
-Colin
Digi Smalls @ Mar 19th 2007 8:09PM
last time i checked, 2006 was still earlier than 2007.
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CW @ Mar 19th 2007 8:15PM
The XBox 360 added background downloading as part of the Spring 2006 update, which was released in June (isn't that summer?).
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2006/0605-springrelease-features.htm
C. Grant @ Mar 19th 2007 8:21PM
Whoops! Background downloading was added later:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/26/msft-announces-first-major-xbox-360-update/
I've removed the original note. Point being, Microsoft messed up by not having it in the box at launch. Sony should have taken note of the flack they got (from us and everyone else on the net) and made sure standard features like background downloading were in the box from the start.
CW @ Mar 19th 2007 8:27PM
@14,
"last time i checked, 2006 was still earlier than 2007."
Yes, 2006 came before 2007.
What does that have to do with anything being discussed here? Neither you nor anybody apparently responding to your previous posts is disputing the fact that Xbox 360 sucked even worse in 2006 than it does in 2007.
Sonic_extreme @ Mar 19th 2007 8:32PM
To: Hiroken. The xbox software always supports background downloading up till you don't need to use the bandwidth by another application. Such as playing in multiplayer online rooms or loading a EA sports game that has that espn real time tracker. You make it seem that it's the game telling it not to download. It's that right now for some reason you can't download while playing multiplayer games thats all. (may need everypacket available to it not to lag while playing online). The rest you can function no problem, movies, music, xbla, offline campaings. I even stream pictures, music and mpegs movies while downloading.
CW @ Mar 19th 2007 8:37PM
@16,
"I've removed the original note. Point being, Microsoft messed up by not having it in the box at launch. Sony should have taken note of the flack they got (from us and everyone else on the net) and made sure standard features like background downloading were in the box from the start."
It's pretty clear to everyone who saw the original article summary that the above was not "the point" to the now-deleted text.
"The point" to the original text was: Sony can't even add firmware updates as good (as fast) as Microsoft can. And now that it's been pointed out by PS3Fanboy Nation that the exact opposite is true, you've deleted the offending text and offered up "yeah but they should have had it in from the start.."
To which everyone, I'm sure, can say: no shit sherlock.
Hatch @ Mar 19th 2007 8:38PM
Where's the Custom Soundtracks Ghhaad!!!
Diman @ Mar 19th 2007 8:40PM
Last time I checked 2005 was still ealier than 2006.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Mar 19th 2007 9:07PM
Most people I know don't use the background dl for the 360, so this update really isn't very important. You'll probably use it about twice in the system's life-span.
Sony get off your asses and make some worthwhile videogames instead of releasing mostly useless features.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Mar 19th 2007 9:07PM
Most people I know don't use the background dl for the 360, so this update really isn't very important. You'll probably use it about twice in the system's life-span.
Sony get off your asses and make some worthwhile videogames instead of releasing mostly useless features.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Mar 19th 2007 9:08PM
Sorry for double post :p
Digi Smalls @ Mar 19th 2007 9:11PM
correct, 2005 was earlier still, before 2006 even.
2005 is when 360 came out "out of the box" with achievements, in-game and cross game chatting, status checking, invites, messaging, music playback etc etc.
things the PS3 can't do as yet in 2007.
so how long will it take PS3 to catch up to 'sucking' as hard as the 360 CW?
.
Brick the Wulf @ Mar 19th 2007 9:18PM
@22 - I found a website that mentions it. Basically, it is not background downloading at all. If you play a game, it will stop the d/l. Hopefully they will change it to be more like the X360 where you can play games at the same time (however, not multiplayer gaming as it would affect your bandwidth).
http://www.innerbits.com/blog/2007/02/27/ps3-online-background-downloading-the-sony-way/
scepia @ Mar 19th 2007 9:23PM
Sorry Sony, you can only have 2 SKUs... As opposed to...
20GB EE, 60GB EE, 20GB, and 60GB.
bootsielon @ Mar 19th 2007 10:44PM
It was already confirmed in an interview with Phil Harrison that the emotion engine won't be "bricked", that it can't be shut off, so all you early adopters, including myself, can rejoice.
Anyway, I don't think this half-assed background downloading can be fixed anyway. I read that Sony has allowed developers as much RAM as they can from the PS3 during gameplay, and therefore "background downloading" turns off. Perhaps that's because PS3 has non-unified RAM (which doesn't mean it is less, since the GPU can access the whole of it, but still, the Cell can't access the entirety of it). So more RAM for games, less RAM for downloading. Is that good or bad? You choose.
LordAlu @ Mar 20th 2007 4:13AM
Having received our first shipment of PS3 consoles at GAME yesterday, we eagerly opened one of the staff members' machines to have a play. I'm sad to say we were all quite disappointed. Motorstorm had some serious issues with terrain deformation (especially funny was when our rider fell off the bike and proceeded to destroy the floor with his right hand), and Resistance, whilst playing well enough, simply felt to us like a prettier version of Black.
Oh, and I can confirm that the European PS3s DO NOT come with the updated firmware - we put three or four different PS2 games in and none of them worked. It _will_ need a firmware update.
Keith @ Mar 20th 2007 5:34AM
There is some misinformation here.
Currently games compiled with PS3 SDK < 1.6 will pause background downloading when the game start, so as not to affect gameplay experience.
Future games compiled with PS3 SDK >= 1.6 can control when the background downloadinf can pause/resume.
So yes, current crop of games will pause downloads, future games will control it..
james @ Mar 20th 2007 9:36AM
Even if it may not happen, what would happen if they bricked the emotion engine? Would the games run any slower? would there be any drawback other than just unused hardware now taking up space?