Is your clicky, drab Cross Media Bar in dire need of a facelift? Is it sagging around the Video tab? Got some unsightly varicose veins in its Network section? You can give your XMB the overhaul it so richly deserves with the recently released Firmware 3.00 System Update, which adds the "What's New" section, a status indicator, a renovated friends list, PlayStation Store shortcuts, and animated backgrounds to your PS3's main menu screen. Check out these features in action in the video posted after the jump.
To install Firmware 3.00, just hit the "System Update" icon under the settings menu. To update to Firmware 4.00, you'll either need to acquire some sort of time-traveling apparatus or become the president of Sony R&D. Good luck with that!
[Note: Flame-free comment thread here; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
I like the update as it made the interface more streamlined and clean looking. The main profile in the upper right corner was sorely needed and the changes to the friends list make it easier to read and navigate. I'm not super crazy about the PSN Store icon being moved to the game and movie sections as well as the standard PSn section but it does make it easy and quicker to go straight to what is the latest and greatest. At least the "ads" are all for content thats in the PSN store and not from sone outside source like synthetic motor oil.
I even splurged and bought the new LBP dynamic theme. I like the new themes and the way they will incorporate them into the XMB. Hoopefully users can create dynamic themes the same way they did the regular themes.
I think an auto-synch feature for trophies would be much appreciated. It's a small annoyance that trophies have to synch anytime you want to compare profiles.
PSN & The XMB have come a super long way since launch and I'm thankful Sony continues to update it with new features. It would of been nice if they had prepared for this stuff from the start and had most of these features on day 1 but I won't complain because I do appreciate the UI tweaks.
Nothing's bothered me so much yet. I find that the XMB is much quicker than usual. The what's new on start up is nice, but the recently played is there as an incentive to the the user from turning it off. It detects the last three games played, instead of what's in the drive, so i've got an icon there of a game i can't load up. Should've just left a slot open for the disc in the drive, and if there isn't one, default back to 3 games on the HDD. Since the store updates once a week anyway, it's pointless to have it load up ever time i turn it on.
Yeah because 5 minutes is such a horrible long time for an update. I don't think ime even took that long to download and install. In fact, the install was slower than the download itself. I started updating, went outside and smoked a cigarette and by the time I came back inside the entire update process was finished.
Also, you don't speak for everyone else here so don't act as if your the grand poobah of opinions. I, for one, could care less about a party system or cross game chat. Universal music/custom soundtrack support for new titles would be more of a welcome addition than a party system or cross game chat IMO.
If the newest Super_Secret rumor is to be believed all that stuff was working and it was actually EA who put the kibosh on custom soundtracks and cross game chat.
Not to flame you or anything man but I can appreciate the UI tweaks. It doesn't have to be all or nothing for me. It's a free service thats improved a lot since it launched and I'm not going to act ungrateful because it could be worse (see: Nintendo and the Wii software suite) and has been dramatically improved over time.
Well that's great if you play the system all the time I guess. I don't play it that much, so it's really annoying to have to wait 5-10 minutes every goddamn time I boot up the system. There's no excuse for it taking so freaking long. On the 360 it takes 5 seconds to get an update that completely re-does the entire freaking interface and adds all kinds of crazy new features. Why the heck does this take 10 minutes to get "advanced photo-sharing" (a couple updates ago)?
It would be one thing if these were major updates we were getting all the time, but usually they're nothing that most people will ever even see. At least this one is something visible. The least they could have done is hold off on those last 3 or 4 worthless updates and rolled them out with this one.
I mean, wouldn't you be annoyed if the system took 5-10 minutes to boot up? That's basically how this works out in practice for me, since half the time I boot it up I have to sit and wait 5-10 minutes for some update that does something I'll never even know exists.
My thing is that it's-just-not-that-important-to-complain-about. The changes and additions aren't that drastic yet people are moaning as if the sky is falling, as always. It's just fine, imo. I like the LBP dynamic theme as it is now sunny as opposed to night time when I d-loaded it but I was looking for the new avatars which doesn't seem to be present. I guess they'll add the dynamic ones on Thurs. and the regular ones that are there seem like all the ones that have been there, already.
I have to say that the PS3 has come a mighty looonnngg way and keeps improving. That's why I don't complain about the little stuff. I take the overalls. Keep it goin', Sony..
It bothers me that they have broken the trend of starting the system with just "Sony Computer Entertainment," and that they now have removed the PS3 game boot-up screen. I understand changing the PS3 logo in advertising, but I didn't expect them to retroactively pretend that it never existed. Much less remove the tone you get by starting up a game!!!
I always hated the Playstation 3 logo and sound when you started up a game. Also, having the PS3 logo pop up when you start it makes a lot more sense then "Sony Computer Entertainment".
I don't know, I think it's made sense since 2000, when they never veered from the formula until September 1, 2009. (Since there was no difference between starting the system and starting the game, the PS one had both the system and the company name.)
If PSP gets a firmware update, replacing Sony Computer Entertainment with the PS logo and the PSP logo, and then removes the splash screen when starting a game, I'll be disappointed, but at least it will be uniform.
I will give Sony a 50% on this one since I have wanted two features added to the PS3 since launch and with multiple sound outputs, one of them is finally here. Now if we could just get that cross game chat going on...
One thing that may seem dumb to most is that this update STILL doesn't let me pick black as the background color. Every other shade is there but the one I want. I hate the whole "color depends on the time of day" thing.
According to Engadget FW3.0 also provides simultaneous audio output on all connectors. This is a big deal for me, I don't always want to turn on the surround sound in order to play something. Nice to finally be able to leave it off when I feel like it.
WOW. The avatar thing took freakin long enough. Its a neat update...but not MIND BLOWING!!1!1! What I'd like is more options for sorting pictures/movies. I have home movies and trailers all scattered amongst each other, and my pictures all go by date, which sometimes isn't a good thing when your camera has a messed watch battery and doesn't keep time well. If I could create folders like on the psp and move to those, that would be most desirable. Oh well, gonna have to wait a few years for those like the avatars...
I'm really liking the new update. I picked up a slim yesterday to replace my ageing 40gb system. Update makes everything look pretty nice, the new logo is a nice touch too. Only thing I don't really care for is the blur effect you get when you select into a menu. Other then that, I'm a very happy PS3 owner.
MULTI AUDIO OUTPUT THANK YOU SONY, ive been waiting for this 1 for a while, it is a convenient setting of the 360. i can listen from my TV or surround system now without changing an audio setting.
