PSP firmware 6.10 coming 'soon,' introduces PSP Go cell phone tethering
by Randy Nelson 
{ Sep 30th 2009 at 8:40PM } 
PlayStation Network's Eric Lempel has just announced via the PlayStation Blog that PSP firmware version 6.10 -- which he dubs "a big update" -- will be available soon. The update will add a new feature, SensMe, to the system's XMB. This music player, announced at E3, can be used to generate playlists from songs stored on the system based on pre-defined "moods."
The most substantial addition, however, will only work with the PSP Go. Using the Go's built-in Bluetooth networking, owners of the new system will be able to tether the device to their Bluetooth-capable mobile phones and use them as wireless modems for internet access beyond WiFi hotspots -- essentially wherever a cellular data network is available.
An update to the free MediaGo software -- designed for transferring PS Store items and media to and from the PSP using a PC -- will be available for download tomorrow, October 1, according to Lempel.
We'll update once PSP firmware v6.10 goes live. In the meantime, you can watch SensMe in action after the break.
The most substantial addition, however, will only work with the PSP Go. Using the Go's built-in Bluetooth networking, owners of the new system will be able to tether the device to their Bluetooth-capable mobile phones and use them as wireless modems for internet access beyond WiFi hotspots -- essentially wherever a cellular data network is available.
An update to the free MediaGo software -- designed for transferring PS Store items and media to and from the PSP using a PC -- will be available for download tomorrow, October 1, according to Lempel.
We'll update once PSP firmware v6.10 goes live. In the meantime, you can watch SensMe in action after the break.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ALBGunner04 @ Sep 30th 2009 8:45PM
What's stopping Sony from making a PSP Phone is what I don't understand. I'm sure they could do it, and if they did, I would buy it instantly. They have their Ericsson brand and they have their PlayStation brand. Bring the two together and you might have something.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 8:59PM
SE wants to do it....but Sony says the ONLY way we will get a PSPhone is IF it has ONLY Sony Branding...Not "Sony-Ericsson"
but there is no Question....IF the "minis" take off and turn into a FULL Blown AppStore...Expect a PSPhone within a couple of years....and that thing will FLY off of the shelves...
BunnySlapper @ Sep 30th 2009 9:04PM
I don't think they should ever make a PSP Phone personally. The market is getting saturated with "all-in-one" cell phones...and it usually results in a device that can indeed do several things...but do none of them really well.
If I were Sony, I'd resist it because I think it'd dillute the platform - creating an underpowered or underwhelming device that does the brand harm.
The PSP is a pretty successful portable gaming system...leave it as a portable gaming system in my opinion.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 9:27PM
Underpowered or underwhelming?? the damn PSP Go is the PERFECT size for a Phone...spend a little extra to get the tech smaller so they can throw in Cellular components without having to make it much thicker add a touchscreen and you have a WINNER
Spike941 @ Sep 30th 2009 9:31PM
You're not excited about portable devices becoming all-in-one? Maybe you should go back to your spoons and your barrel of hay.
Bubbameister33 @ Sep 30th 2009 9:50PM
I'm waiting for a Mother Box.
deaftly (PSN,LIVE,STEAM) @ Oct 1st 2009 11:15AM
Rather have a Zune HD phone
LegendaryRedass @ Sep 30th 2009 8:45PM
iPhone owners are screwed on this, as usual.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 8:55PM
LMAO....only those of us in the US
Premature ejaculation man @ Sep 30th 2009 8:57PM
Yeah I know!
...What?
LegendaryRedass @ Sep 30th 2009 9:05PM
Yeah, everyone else has better networks than we do in the states. I assume it's federal intervention over here.
Autobot @ Sep 30th 2009 10:16PM
Not as much as zune us-
Oh wait, nevermind.
Fakeplasticball @ Oct 1st 2009 4:44PM
Apple is responding in kind giving iphone users their "Genius" playlist technology. How well it will be implemented is a big question. The SenseMe tech has been around for 2 or 3 years in the Sony Ericsson walkman phone. It may have looked to frivilous but using it right now on my PSP. I'm really impressed or atleast I'm enjoying it. I can listen to music in shuffle while my podcasts are kept safely away not to interupt my music.
And it does sort the music well Energetic, relaxing, night,emotional. It's good.
We'll all see how apple's genius compares?
Tom Kalinske @ Sep 30th 2009 8:48PM
So basically SensMe is a Genius knockoff.
Since Genius sucks, this must as well?
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 8:51PM
Genius Knock off??
you DO Realize that programs have been playing "like" music LONG before Apple did right??
Tom Kalinske @ Sep 30th 2009 8:52PM
I wasn't implying Genius was at all original, I was just using an example.
Really, nothing Apple does is original.
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 30th 2009 9:00PM
But they invented the TOUCHSCREEN! I mean, no one ever, ever, ever did that before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_digital_assistant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Surface
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 9:04PM
genius is actually pretty good, at least from my experiences. here's an example.
1. Joker & the Thief - Wolfmother (that's the original song for the playlist)
2. Knights of Cydonia - Muse
3. Anna Molly - Incubus
4. Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria
5. Heart Shaped Box - Nirvana
6. Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden
7. I Don't Wanna Stop - Ozzy Osbourne
8. Tick Tick Boom - The Hives
9. Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes
10. Hammerhead - The Offspring
11. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
12. Lithium - Nirvana
13. White Unicorn - Wolfmother
14. In Too Deep - Sum 41
15. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
16. The Metal - Tenacious D
17. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
18. The Saints Are Coming (Live) - U2 & Green Day
19. Mississippi Queen - Mountain
20. Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs
21. Spoonman - Soundgarden
22. Slither - Velvet Revolver
23. Immigrant Song (Live) - Led Zeppelin
24. The Trooper - Iron Maiden
25. Colossal - Wolfmother
very good playlist IMO.
Tom Kalinske @ Sep 30th 2009 9:05PM
I think I recognized about three of those artists...
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 9:10PM
are you kidding? most of the bands are HUGE. there are maybe 6 bands on that list that aren't all that famous, but all the other bands are EXTREMELY famous. what bands were the ones you heard of?
[ArchiGamer] [Soon to be a major religion] @ Sep 30th 2009 9:11PM
Hmm, that's kind of sad Tom.....
Tom Kalinske @ Sep 30th 2009 9:12PM
I guess it's five. I'd heard of Ozzy, Iron Maiden, U2, Green Day, and Led Zeppelin.
Amazingmike @ Sep 30th 2009 9:15PM
All of those bands are pretty big relatively. If you've only heard of three you must either be living under a rock or have a really narrow-minded taste in music.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 9:16PM
you've NEVER heard of nirvana?! where were you in the 1990's? under a rock? if you're pretty young like me, there's still no way you've never heard of them. consider my mind blown.
and then there's coheed, incubus, the smashing pumpkins, the white stripes, and the offspring. all of them are really famous.
Tom Kalinske @ Sep 30th 2009 9:20PM
I'm not that old, but I prefer mostly older music, varying from the 70's through now.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 9:24PM
if you like music from the 70's to now, then i guarantee you'll like at least half of the songs you've never heard of. they all fit in that category.
ZaxCG2 @ Sep 30th 2009 10:44PM
Somebody likes their Guitar Hero/Rock Band soundtracks!
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 11:16PM
haha yeah, it's weird how a lot of them are in GH/RB. kinda explains how i love the tracklists of most of the games.
xxhonkeyxx @ Sep 30th 2009 11:44PM
was i the only one who noticed that Sly's list of music was strangely filled with a lot of guitar hero/rock band tracks?
killdash9 @ Oct 1st 2009 12:32AM
My general preferences in music are classical and orchestral soundtracks (well, and Billy Joel and some J-pop). So, while I may recognize some of the artists in Sly's list, I really don't know any of the titles. Am I a rarity here?
Metkis @ Oct 1st 2009 1:12AM
No need to be mean because someone doesn't recognize big bands. I never expect anyone to know the biggest bands because music might not be that important to them or they might be from an environment that didn't regularly expose popular music to them. I find that others forget this and use people's ignorance as a fuel for their condescending asshole-ness.
Tom Kalinske, CEO. @ Oct 1st 2009 1:19AM
I'm not too offended by the downvotes. So what if I prefer instrumental or Sinatra over 'modern' music? Does that make me a 'nubcake' or something?
JXCgunrunna @ Oct 1st 2009 2:15AM
I just turned pandora on and Heart Shaped Box was the first song so i had to come back to joystiq to tell you that. How old are you anyway Sly? 20ish?
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Oct 1st 2009 5:58PM
jxc, i'm 14 actually.
honkey, didn't we already establish that a lot of the songs on that list are in GH/RB? like i said before, the GH/RB games have kickass soundtracks IMO. and i actually started listening to a lot of those songs (zeppelin, iron maiden, and sabbath especially) way before GH/RB came out.
and tom, you said you like music from the 70's to now. that's modern. that's why i was so surprised. sinatra doesn't fit that category at all.
and metkis, no one was "mean" to him. we just said it's strange that he's never heard of a good number of them, especially bands as big as nirvana. and i know a ton of musically ignorant people (a lot of my school friends think rap is the only kind of music) and even they have heard of most of the bands on that list. granted, they think a lot of them are rappers or rap groups (which is kinda strange...) but at least they've heard of them.
Uncontrol @ Sep 30th 2009 8:53PM
or i could just browse the internet on my phone
or tether it to my laptop
or do anything but try to use the internet on a psp
CaramelZappa @ Sep 30th 2009 11:13PM
The point is so you can buy/download games to your PSP, since it doesn't use UMD's, or play games online, you know, like you do with home consoles. Of course you're gonna use the phone for actual browsing.
HeXeN {KevinConroyDefeatsBatman} @ Sep 30th 2009 8:53PM
looks a lot more neat than before.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 8:54PM
Tethering...nice....now hows about you give me a 32-64GB version of the Go and a $200 price tag and then I'll try out the Tethering...oh yea...I have an iPhone and AT&T haven't flipped on Tethering for the iPhone yet....BLAST...
well...maybe by the time Sony gets that $200 Go AT&T will have Tethering activated...
Uncontrol @ Sep 30th 2009 8:59PM
if you have an iphone why do you want to tether it to your psp so you can browse the internet on it?
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Sep 30th 2009 8:59PM
AT&T has absolutely no incentive to do anything innovative or based around customer convenience. As the only US network with iPhones, the default answer to any and all inquiries in this regard will always be "Why do we care? We got your money already, bitch."
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 9:03PM
unControl....Umm I dunno whether you know this or not....but their are GAMES that you can play ONLINE on the PSP...or were you just trying to be a douche??
Yea Shep I know....and Sadly if I want Tethering bad enough I may just jailbreak my iPhone...
LegendaryRedass @ Sep 30th 2009 9:11PM
I read an article on ZDnet awhile back that iPhone users are killing at&t's 3G network. I think we are all in agreement even their phone service is weak. They need to update their network big time before tethering is possible.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 30th 2009 9:29PM
redass, their network is perfectly fine here in alabama. everyone actually complains about all the other carriers except AT&T here.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 9:38PM
it depends on where you stay...in NYC I hear its pretty shitty....but thats cause its 100's of thousands of people on it at any give moment there...I stay in NC and have driven from Charlotte to Wilmington and have never had a dropped call...have dropped from 3G down to EDGE a few places in between tho...
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 30th 2009 8:54PM
I only have 30 songs on my PSP.... I don't need someone telling me what mood I'm in.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 8:56PM
Just 30?? that blows....I've got like 200 on my 16GB MemStick.....
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 30th 2009 9:01PM
I have a 4gb and 1 gb stick, it's just I don't listen to music on my PSP. I have a Chocolate 3 (and hopefully a new Zune HD soon) for that.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 30th 2009 9:04PM
I gotcha....I only have music on my PSP in case my Zune dies...lol...that way I will have something to listen too til I can charge my Zune
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 30th 2009 9:21PM
Yeah, same for me. I mean, the PSP has a nice screen- which is the point. I think it's WAY too bulky to actually use as a PMP.
Seph @ Sep 30th 2009 8:56PM
Nice update, but where in the hell is the Ad-Hoc Party for the PSP/PS3 ?