Rumor: PS3 Firmware 2.4 adding in-game XMB, trophies

by Jason Dobson on May 30th 2008 5:00AM

After all of the fuzzy promises, teasing, and schoolyard taunts, rumor has it that the PlayStation 3 may soon be getting a number of long overdue upgrades, from trophies (read: achievements) to the hotly demanded in-game XMB, all as part of the console's upcoming firmware 2.4.

Originally reported by videogaming247, we followed up with our own sources who, while not wanting to be named, likewise confirmed the rumor. However, even if true, the timing of the impending update remains a mystery, much like the Bermuda Triangle, crop circles, and Home.

Source

Tags: PS3, psn, rumor, sony, xmb

Reader Comments (89)

if that all ahppenes on the rumoured date (12th june-mgs day)
Then i will be one happy bunny

I've never understood what the fuss is with in-game XMB. At most it might let you message friends. It's not going to provide you with unfettered access to the regular XMB.

Yes but I think you'll agree that it's a big omission if you compare it to the Xbox 360. Coming late to the game you would have thought Sony would implement it already, but yet like with background downloading it came after launch rather than as an out-of-the-box feature.

I'm hoping this will eventually pave way for the use of custom soundtracks as well, but baby steps, baby steps...

The number 1 rule of project development is you don't throw the kitchen sink into version 1.0 of anything.

Make 1.0 "good enough" and rock solid and then follow-up after with incremental updates based on priority and complexity. We've seen a pile of functionality added - background downloads, DIVX playback, PS2 game upscaling, DLNA streaming, PSN store update, various Blu Ray improvements, themes, new visualizers, BC updates and a pile more besides. At the same time, Sony are reducing the OS footprint freeing up memory for games but still giving themselves the space for future functionality.

In-game XMB is a frequent requested feature but I suspect Sony are holding back because Home will require a massive infrastructure build out and messaging will be part of that. They probably rationalise that if they're ripping up all the backend hardware there is no point adding a new dependency to it. So they're waiting and in-game XMB is probably the first part of the Home rollout.

Sure would be nice to change mp3's, chat, check friend invites, play with yourself, and so on without having to quit the game.

well sometimes i don't really care about it.. tho sometimes it can be annoying, e.g. somewhere in march, i was playing CoD4 and a friend messaged me, and i was just in a game where i was kicking ass.. if we had ingame xmb i wouldn't have to shut down the game to view the message, but i had to switch off the game to view it .. so i'd rather have it than not!!

Calling friends on the telephone to organize an online gaming session is, at this point, completely ridiculous, especially on a closed network like the PSN. If in-game XMB can provide the ability to message friends playing different games or, even better, allow chatting across games, it will improve the online experience on the PS3 immensely.

Do we know a date for 2.4?

In game XMB would be great but I don't think its a necessity. But if they were to release it on June 12th chalk up another win for sony because people would go crazy....me Included.

Ok, so the "timing is a mystery." But the rumour is June, right?

June 12th....? :D

Wait MGS4 is going to have achievements.F*ck yeah!

I could die happy if that happened Mr Esc

well ok maybe not die...but i'd be happy

12th would be awesome. In-MGS XMB FTW.
:)

I love your Icon.

The in-game-XMB is a lie.

in game XMB is waaaay better than cake

The man eating cake right now begs to disagree

Shouldn't that be a woman eating the cake? Since there are no men in Portal.

My questions are:
Why did took Sony almost 2 years to do this?

And why they didn't implement this as an out of the box feature?

Why isn't the ps3 free? with a full body motion interface? and 20 cores? Why only 7? And a terabyte of storage? and a cupcake?

@ghen...

Shit...I don't think they'll EVER implement the cupcake.

@ Ghen,

That is the most stupid ass response I have ever heard. Nobody was asking why the PS3 wasn't free. They asked why it took Sony two years to have something comparable to the competition.

It was a legit question. In game XMB should have been something implemented A LOT earlier. One of the reasons the 360 is so popular is because of the integration of Live and the Blade menu at ANY time.

Bullshit roach, no one buys the Xbox 360 because they can open up a pane on the left or right side of their screen in the middle of a game.

"OMG, look at that pane! I just came!" - roach

Have to agree with oZone on this. Live's features are great as is the blade system, but that isn't the reason people got on board.

The 360 took some time to implement changes after its release too. I don't see why its so shocking that the systems are evolving to meet the customer demands. Saying they should have met those demands prior to release is pure hindsight.

The PS3 released with a functional operating system and they are just amping it up to best the competition. There was never a time that I said the PS3 was too gimped to use - these are all perks now. I’m happy they are coming as opposed to wasting time angry over not getting them a year ago.

Right on NATO

WOW. Talk about PK STARSTORM on Roach. Ouch.

The 360 online has evolved since it came out. At launch, it didn't support any kind of jump-in/jump-out game, all games had to have all their players in before beginning. This was fine for games with rounds (like Halo), but Burnout:Paradise and Gears of War wouldn't be nearly as good without it.

It was implemented for Test Drive:Unlimited and used to great effect by Gears.

So 360 also was missing important online features at launch.

But, all in all, the 360 online was far more advanced at launch than PS3 was at launch (a year later) and even was more advanced in many ways than PS3 is now (hence the need for in-game XMB). So saying PS3 doesn't measure up technically as a total online system is fair game to me. But in many games it doesn't matter one whit (like Burnout:Paradise), so it isn't like the PS3 isn't fun.

I don't know who buys a 360 because those blades are there all the time, but I think those that do buy 360s are probably pretty happy they are there once they have it.

Because they rushed the PS3's firmware out the door?

"The 360 online has evolved since it came out. At launch, it didn't support any kind of jump-in/jump-out game, all games had to have all their players in before beginning."

That's a software feature, not a particular function of XBL. Why would the XBL network care if the game is already started or not, since online games are hosted by players, and not a centralized server?

No Marty, it was an update to the software on the Xbox and to the XBL servers.

Unlike on the PS3 where the developer can code what they want and talk to any servers they want, there are certain constraints on Live, and they didn't allow jump-in/jump-out type online play. But they do now.

Weird, I've had my 360 since launch and don't remember that LS2, but then again I didn't really play many 360 games online prior to Gears. Interesting little tidbit though.

I think being able to bring up the blade while in game is one of those things where you really don't know what you're missing until you've used it. I think if I had owned my PS3 before my 360 instead of the other way around I would be a lot less frustrated with the PS3's online interface.

I just can't go back now, everything is so much smoother and easier with everything integrated so well. I'm salivating at the thought of the PS3 catching up in this regard this month so I can play PS3 games online with friends without planning ahead and without wanting to pull my hair out.

If they have it before SC4 I'll be ecstatic.

you don't have to pay 60 simoleons for the online ¿what do want for free?

What really concerns me is if in game xmb will require some additional memory, some additional cpu power, some additional memory, express bus or powerpc bandwidth or other resources to be maintained/accessed or to have that feature available than Sony's operating system currently uses.

I know some games(See: F.E.A.R as an example off the top of my head) on the ps3 will studder during intense fight scenes and fire effects. If in-game xmb takes away say 2% of the ps3's resources(a small process), would it make that game studder 2% more frequently due to 2% less fps? Cause some games to take about 2% longer to load, etc etc?

This is probably why it's taken so long: Sony's probably been trying their best to find a way to get in-game XMB to work without affecting game performance in any noticable way.

One SPU is already reserved and probably some % of the main CPU is too. Games would already be required / compelled to work with those restrictions by the system TRC. The 360 has similar requirements.

Any new features added by Sony would also have to work with those restrictions to ensure existing games don't break. So I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Isn't and entire core of teh Cell devoted to the PS3's OS? I hardly think an In game XMB is gonna kill it.

They've obviously already got the CPU power set aside to do this with one of the cell cores. But you'd be surprised at how much resources an extra menu on the OS can use for this sort of thing.

I wonder who was the idit who said, "Oh HAi Guise, I think we can launch a 600 dollar console without the key features our competition has..."Someones fired..

*thats idiot...damn my wireless ps3 keyboard....

*someone's and *that's

More lies.

roflcopter

Okay if I gave a f*ck about you fanboys but who was the b*tch who downvoted the roflcopter.

No one downvotes the roflcopter,ever! Is in the internet rules,lurk it.

Oh I see,nevermind my comment.

You are doing it wrong.

It is:

"Mai roflcopter goes soi soi soi soi soi soi".

Internet is serious business.

1. I thought we 'knew' this months ago...a SONY hack admitted it no?

2. I like grapes.

I think instead of hack you meant flack.

A hack is a cab driver or a lousy writer. You're talking about a Sony PR person, sometimes known as a flack.

Man...I don't want in-game XMB as much as I want Sony to release in-pant XMB pants :)

Oh Dick Move

its seems that im not the only that doesn't care about the trophies lol.. yeah its cool to have them, but i couldn't care much about it.. its over hyped i think.. but im welcoming the in game XMB :)

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Rumor: PS3 Firmware 2.4 adding in-game XMB, trophies

Reader Comments (89)

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