PS3 firmware 2.70 brings 16-player in-game text chat [update]

by Jem Alexander on Apr 1st 2009 8:25PM

Congratulations: your PS3 is about to receive another firmware update. Sony has just announced the details for firmware 2.70, which includes in-game text chat for up to 16 people at a time. Check out the video after the break to see how it works. Additionally, you can now sort friends in your friends list alphabetically by online status and last login time. Files you send to your friends can now be as large as 3MB.

For those of you in the US, this firmware update also allows you to transfer video files from the PSN Video Store between the PSP and PS3. No word on when this update will hit, but it shouldn't be long. Judging from previous releases, they usually go live the morning after the PlayStation Blog posts the info. We'll keep you informed.

[Update] 2.70 is now live. The pre-download patch list details the following additional features:

The ability to search the net about a particular game direct from the game section of the XMB using the triangle menu
The ability to cut and paste text (does that mean the PS3 is better than the iPhone now?)
A Dynamic Normalizer to prevent sudden increases in volume between music tracks
~~In-game voice chat~~ (not really!)

Source

Tags: 2.70, firmware, ps3-firmware, ps3-firmware-2.70, sony

Reader Comments (195)

Sounds great!

It's LIVE

The XMB for the ps3 is still sluggish...not sure if they can fix that. It would've been nice to have in-game text chat implemented like MGO, but with a more reasonable character limit per message instead of what I see in this video...

but as always, something is better than nothing! Hopefully if/when audio chat in-game is rolled out, it's done in a more feature-rich fashion than what's found in Live.

I like how the guy has to change his hand position dramatically to use the gamepad keyboard. It looks uncomfortable.

@kentuckyfried: the framerate of the XMB depends on the framerate of the game you’re playing. If you pop up the XMB during a game that runs at 60fps (e.g. Wipeout HD or one of the 2D games), it goes silky smooth.

If the XMB would want to run at 60fps always, it would have to switch to a different display mode once you pop it up, and then you wouldn’t be able to see the game running in the background. Probably there would probably be some memory issues as well because you need an additional display buffer, or something.

lmao. Was Jackson's comment meant to be sarcastic?

Nope! I was being genuine.

No in game voice chat = FAIL

I saw that you can choose text or voice chat at the 0:25 mark. I hope voice chat is there when it is released.

I wonder if he meant it when he said "We look forward to your feedback" at the end of the video. Im pretty sure he knows what the feedback will be, unless the higher ups are completely oblivious to the ps3 community.

Its interesting that they took this route.. I mean, sure it will get its use for a while, but who will use text chat once the voice chat goes live? Seems like a waste of development time personally

@Pdriver

dont get your hopes up, Sony has been disappointing to much lately

Most games have in-game voice chat now on PS3.

I guess you're saying that you want cross-game voice chat?

@ why not the

No games have In-Game XMB Voice Chat. I don't know what you're smoking.

What the fuck is the difference between in game chat and in game xmb chat? If you're talking about cross game chat or whatever, get the fuck over it kiddo. The only reason to chat to someone else on a game console is to do so while you're in a game. I don't see this obsession, JUST CALL THEM. furthermore, if they are friends that have a PS3 and a broadband connection, SET UP SKYPE, as I'm sure you wouldn't have these things and not have computers as well. This bitching about cross game chat is so gay, you guys act like the system sucks if it doesn't have it.

I welcom in game text before cross game chat. stfu or diaf.

@Levi

Thats the stupidest thing I read today, and its April 1st so I read a lot of crap today

No cross game voice chat = epic fail Sony. Fuck you.

cross game voice chat would be great so i can still talk to my friends who are playing COD while i'm playing killzone. yeah, i could use a phone, but some of them live overseas. why waste minutes and money on long distance calls when i could talk to them for free?

as a 360 gamer, voice chat cross game is one of my most used features. especially with my real life friends, if im playing 360 and so is he, he would just voice chat with me and tell me to come over, and all that while im still playing the game.

@Averna: there are many people who don't have headsets, there are people who don't have HDTVs and play their ps3s in SD, there are even people who don't have broadband access!!! incredible...huh?

What I mean is, not everyone who has a ps3 is in the same situation as most of us. I would've love to see voice chat across games but I think it doesn't hurt to have text chat. There will always be more people able to text chat than to voice chat since you don't need anything extra for text chat. So yeah...people will use it.

Cantflame

You must not be able to read then. Seriously, I know people here are going to disagree with me on this, but saying it's the stupidest thing you've read is far from accurate I'm sure. It just seriously bothers me that people bitch and complain that an entirely non-gaming feature isn't part of a gaming console. It is blowing my mind, right now even. Cross-game chat has nothing to do with playing games, and since everybody is so quick to dismiss PS3's "extra" features, then it's supposed to be a gaming console, right?

As far as the idiots saying FAIL, think about it from a realistic perspective, not incredibly ignorant preteen perspective: Something like millions of streaming audio conferences between users that aren't attached to game sessions would require servers and server upkeep, which would cost money that would be passed on to the users as a subscription, just like XBL. I'm willing to bet there are a lot more PS3 owners that appreciate free online access and multiplayer options a lot more than cross-game chat.

levi, i'm digging what you're saying

@Levi: Amen! I never understood the point of talking to other people while I'm in another game. If I want to talk to my friend, I'll call them. I don't need a voice chat messing with the in-game music or sounds. Whats so important that we have to chat while I'm playing a game? If I wanna talk, I'll call you. Other than that, I'm playing a game, leave me the fuck alone unless we're online. In which case, once again, I'm trying to concentrate on kicking ass, not talking like some fuckin 16yearold girl.

I love that the PSN is free. All my Xbox friends say the PSN should have a fee so it's better. I'd hate that so much. If I can play with my friends online, then who cares. PSN has come a long way since Nov 2006 and yet people always have something to bitch about.

"an entirely non-gaming feature isn't part of a gaming console."

I guess you haven't been paying attention this gen, as people en masse want this functionality. Guess what, it's a gaming feature nowadays whether you like it or not. As much as you'd like to act like (speaking of bitching and complaining) it's just as easy to set up skype or wasting cell minutes if you don't have an unlimited plan, it's not. Get with the times.

jarhead:
If you're talking about at the XMB, you mean select a random person and chat them. That's cross-game voice chat. No, PS3 doesn't have that. Most games however have in-game voice chat.

Cross-game voice chat would be nice. On the 360 (which has it), I use it a little bit, but definitely not a lot. The #1 use for it is to select a game to play or game modes or whatever. But that's a hassle, you end up setting up and breaking down voice chats over and over.

There are definitely better ways to do that, which Sony hinted at for years would be coming with Home and they didn't deliver on. MS included them for some games in the NXE, which is cool.

@ Bob, Levi or anyone else in denial, or just indifferent on this thread...

"Amen! I never understood the point of talking to other people while I'm in another game. If I want to talk to my friend, I'll call them."

Lol Bob, so antisocial, so kewl. Its not a big deal to have X-Game-chat as you both have stated but since i don't have my cell phone on my hip at all times or a house phone in my room, cross game chat is "convenient". If i want to tell a friend about something quick, or ask him to join me in a specific game then its done in a simple transaction.

Wow guys, I don't know how you can say it's not needed or stupid unless you've used it.

When I play with friends on Live, I love to create/join a party and stay together in private voice chat. We can then decide to change game types together, or change games all together and on top of that, we don't hear the 12 year olds being idiots. Also, we can just all laugh at those we're playing against or lay down strategy.

In-game chat is cool but you are chatting with everyone, and the connection breaks when you change rooms, game types etc. With "xmb" party or regular chat, the advantage would be to chat with your friends in real time, which is lots of fun.

I was really hoping they'd release this soon for PSN. Txt is way too slow, and breaks from the game's flow.

"realime" meaning chat vs txting is faster. Wrong term use.

People still text chat?

Yes?

If I'm in a game like GTA IV and playing multiplayer with my friend in Japan, we usually send quick Subject messages because one of our microphones died.

I mean how the hell else are you going to communicate with someone while playing a game? THATS WHY EVERYONE WANTS IN GAME XMB VOICE CHAT.

The last time I text chatted on a console game was while playing Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. It may also have been the very first online console game ever, but I'd have to check that. It was the last time I ever needed to use text instead of my voice during an online match.

That they are adding it as a feature in 2009 is laughable (it was equally as laughable when Microsoft did it last year)

lol, aren't we text chatting right now?

Text > Voice.

Now if only we could get around the tricky issue of having to use your hands for multiple purposes simultaneously.

Did he say that the Voice Chat (15 people + you) works while you're playing the game, like the Text Chat will?!!!

I don't know if I'm mis-hearing this.

No, that's just the normal video/audio chat that's just in the XMB itself.

Why is this not voice chat?

Come on Sony
Ps2 annoument
Then jak annoucemment
Now text chat
Worst annoucements ever!!

This is getting ridiculous

And yet I was bashed for saying sony's great at letting people down with conferences and announcements. Let's see em bash me now after the barrage of terribleness you listed.

@ tmac

wow...

@tmac: ya remember how Nintendo's E3 Keynote was, right?

Sony still has to beat that, even though Nintendo has already redemed themselves..... twice!!!

...Text Chat? TEXT CHAT!? I hope this is an April Fools and they say "el oh el, JK! Voice Chat!"

I love my Playstation, but...Text chat!?

I think Sony is just stretching the new features across Firmware Updates to make it seem like each one is significant..... I guess.

This Text Chat update is a lot better than people are making it out to be.

is better than nothing

AND it's still free. If people want to bitch about free, they should go ahead and kill themselves now.

This is what most people in here are doing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I

Okay, so no party system for PS3?

@jarhead

You talk about it like is a good thing, not everybody likes to text chat.

I want a party system.

Sorry. Joystiq's faulty Reply system. Tried to reply to guy above you.

I was just saying that this 'Party' Text Chat for In-Game XMB is a lot better than what people are making it out to be. It's like AIM, Skype, MSN Messenger, etc;.

Yes, we DO need a Party System that is functional. That is supposed to be something that Home supplies, but since Sony sees fit to keep it in Open Beta it won't happen anytime soon. Only Warhawk and a few other games have limited Party System.

On Pap3r this seems like the first building block towards a party system. I'm not sure how the current MS party system works but when my friends and I played Gears 2 last year within a party we would always get random disconnects. I don't think its necessary because all the games have in game audio chat and you can send and receive messages within a game using the XMB.

Who has time to chat to 16 people in a mass convo while gaming, its bad enough trying to chat to 16 people on MSN 'WITH' a keyboard while trying to check out Joystiq let alone chat to 16 people without a keyboard while being shot at and losing points in Killzone multiplayer ¬_¬

Voice chat please!!

How big is that bravia!? Ive got a 52" and mine doesnt seem that big...

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PS3 firmware 2.70 brings 16-player in-game text chat [update]

Reader Comments (195)

Posted: Apr 1st 2009 8:29PM Jacksons said

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