Hi again! It’s great to see the positive reaction to the unveiling of system software update v2.40. We can’t wait for you to finally go hands-on with XMB access in-game and the Trophy system – and it’s less than 2 days away. Not surprisingly, a number of you have posed questions both here and on other forums. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.
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Will voice-messaging/private chat be featured in 2.40 as well? If not, can we expect to see this feature added in the future?
We are evaluating the opportunity to offer voice chat, but for this update, we wanted to focus on text messaging as the key priority for communications that our users have asked for.
Can you use the web browser in game?
No, you must exit the game before browsing the internet.
Will In-Game XMB come up during playback of PS2 games, Blu-Ray discs, and DVDs?
The XMB is an exclusive feature for PS3 game titles. Accessing the XMB during gameplay was the top request from our users, which we focused on for this update. However, we continually engage PS3 owners for feedback and will evaluate the opportunity to offer XMB access during movie playback in the future.
Can we go to the display settings and change anything there in-game (resolution, input, etc)?
No, you must exit the game before changing these settings.
Will it be possible to change in-game the sound output?
Yes, sound output changes are supported.
Will we be able to access the PLAYSTATION Store while in-game?
No, but you can view your downloads in progress.
Will we be able to stream music (either via media server or USB drive) for custom soundtracks or is it relegated to music stored on the HDD?
Currently only music stored on the HDD is accessible in games that support this feature. We’d also like to reiterate that Firmware v2.40 merely enables custom soundtracks. It’s up to developers to include this feature in upcoming games (or to patch existing ones).
Does 2.4 enable cross game invites? Will it down the line?
No, cross-game invites are not available in this system software update. We are evaluating opportunities to expand on the new features delivered in 2.40.
Will trophies be mandatory for all games release here on out?
We are working with developers to ensure that Trophies are supported across the board in the future.
Where is each player’s trophy stat info held? I am going to upgrade my hard drive and I don’t know if the trophies will still be on my account if I earn some and then get a new hard drive.
Trophies will be attached to users’ PSN ID. Trophy data needs to be synchronized to the online account on PSN to be transferred to the new PS3 system.
Will the patch automatically allocate unlocked trophies according to your saved files or would you have to do it again?
No, Trophies aren’t retroactive.
Can we view PSN profiles/Trophies from a PC using a Web browser? Will there be an API for web developers to access the PSN data, so online profiles can be created?
We’re evaluating these opportunities to expand where Trophies can be experienced.
Can you only compare trophies with friends that are online?
As long as a friend has a PSN account, you can compare trophies with them regardless of their online status.
Is there a limit to how many trophies the devs can put set by Sony?
There’s not a limit on number of trophies, but there’s a value assigned to each trophy. Developers must balance out the trophies that are available to stay within an overall value based on whether the game is considered large-scope or small-scope. Essentially, a user that has unlocked every trophy in one game would have the same level as a user that unlocked every trophy in another title, all titles (depending on scope) have the same overall impact on a users’ level.
Will new games have a cool little icon on the back saying “trophy compatible?”
We’re currently working on how Trophy support will be messaged to the consumer on our software packaging.
When you get a trophy, does it make a noise?
Currently, no.How quickly things can change – there *will* be a sound effect when you unlock a Trophy.
What is Eric’s favorite cheese?
Mozzarella
Once again, we will continue to evaluate opportunities to enhance the PLAYSTATION 3’s system software throughout the console’s life cycle. Consumer feedback has contributed greatly to the contents of Firmware v2.40, and continues to be appreciated. Don’t forget, this Firmware will be available for download on July 2nd.
To 1653
Joystiq contacted SCEA for comment on the situation as was told by PR director Patrick Seybold that they are aware of the message thread and that they are “looking into it right now and will work with those customers directly to address any issues they may be experiencing.” This comment came before the update was removed from Sony’s servers. We’re seeking further comment and will update as we receive it.
this is the latest word from Sony
Works fine for me , thanks sony ;)
HELLOW
@1654. Thanks. I can’t find news on it anywhere, ign hasn’t got anything neither has the sony website.
Thank god it is working perfectly with me though.
Jeff,
Here in NJ on 7/2/08 about 7 pm. My system 2.36 FW says I have the latest release. What gives? 60 GB, BTW.
I could have done this last night… but i opted not to…. no I have to wait again. How could you guys mess this up? Not only was it delayed how many months… they delayed it so long for it not to work… ridiculous. You would think that they did an extensive testing process in order to have this work correctly, it seems they spent the extra time making us wait to not only not include some of the features we thought would come(custom soundtracks like they’re supposed to work) but it’s also broken. Good job guys.
I have a 60gb and played the show for a couple of hours without a problem. I was able to send messages in game, it paused the game when i did do that. And i was able to do the game to game jump without a problem.
psnid: The1stMJC
Well i got 2.40 this morning, all worked fine, but noticed that streaming videos from media server now is very laggy and stops and also when playing burnout paradise it kinda halts for a second and comes back now and again, like the game is stuttering, also internet browser now doesnt work and network connection dies every 5 mins. none of this happened before 2.40 :(.. got a 40gb uk ps3.
Back to brick city and tech support for me. My PS3 is giving me the wave again after trying to restore my backup data from an external drive.
Looks like it’s Wii Fit for me until this garbage gets sorted out. :(
@ 1658
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/02/sony-responds-to-adverse-firmware-2-40-effects
this is the website I got it from
@ 1659 and all of those confused.
Here’s the latest, I may be late but some people may find it useful.
Sony have taken down 2.40 and replaced it with 2.36. Meaning if you have not downloaded it yet then you will not be promted to download it when you switch on your PS3. 2.36 is the latest update for those who have not got 2.40.
Sony have confirmed that those of us, the lucky ones, who have managed to get 2.40 no problem are OK meaning we should have no problems as we have managed to get it successfully. The main problem is that downloads have been failing and systems have not be restarted after the download is complete.
Hope this has helped.
haha i got 2.4 =) And for an official statement other than Joystiq, goto playstation knowledge center *ITS UPDATED* OFFICIAL STATEMENT
I bet none of this would have ever happened if they just gave us in game music. this whole disaster, the famine, the death toll, the tears… All of it could have been avoided!!!
Eric, Jeff, Noel, Grace please… do what is right and heal our wounds and sorry with the gift of music… And I’m not talking about Esteban’s plastic guitar either.
On a side note to those without 2.40, I’m loving this trophy system and in game xmb!!!!!!
Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
@1667, Glad to hear you like it as much as i do. Looks like someone warmed up to 2.4 =)
I say Sonys messed up agian ……i downloaded this crap and not even the In-game IM is working ….they cant get anything right …
they toking out in-game soundtrack and the in-game IM is not working .
to 1665
cheers for the heads up on the playstation knowledge centre. We don’t have that on the UK website.
Gamesblow – your comment 1650 – your going overboard now.. the decision was made. It not might be the perfect choice for gaming right now but its definitely the best choice for the long term.
If anything Sony should make it mandatory for games studios to add custom music support in future titles.
Creating an api for developers to add custom music and manipulate the playback has allot more benefits than having the music play separately from the game.
I understand how you might be disappointed that it will take awhile to see the benefits of the 2.40 update and I support constructive criticism on this blog but your just giving people the impression you are a jerk.
You have criticized insomniac in the other post and when you received a response you clearly regretted what you said.
Jeff and Eric work hard to make sure that things are done with the best interests of gamers. Unfortunately sometimes gamers don’t realize its the better choice because they have to wait a bit longer.
You are now targeting Eric and Jeff in your posts which is just mean. They are not evil people. They do not get a mysterious better updates than us consumers….
They do not think of us as nobodies nor do they treat us dis-respectively.
As they said before 2.40 was a big step, it was laying the groundwork for developers, there are some new Api’s for them to use.
You are annoyed that we have an update we cannot actually use with a larger amount of games but at the same time there were hundreds of people rushing Sony to get it out the door.
Give it a rest, I hope they just ignore you and continue laying down the foundation. [DELETED] and moaning and persuading them that your development roadmap would be allot better would be a huge mistake.
You are a gamer, you are not a developer. In order for Sony to give the gamers what they want they must first lay down the foundation for developers.
Lastly, for awhile I thought people were being too harsh on you but I see now you deserve all you get. You get treated with no respect from a large majority of posters because you don’t treat anyone else with respect. Eric and Jeff are not nazi’s.
Features that need to be improved since v2.40.
-Under “time and date” settings there should be a display or not display for the clock.
-Profiles need to be viewable while in chat rooms.
-All settings should be accessable.
-Improve the stability of the XMB, it lags in some games.
A few features that we want
-In-game chatting
-Improve messaging system
-View all of your trophies off of your profile instead of comparing them, and vise versa for your friends.
-Having the ability to look at the last 8 trophy details. Sort of like clickables, view details, what game, when achieved, ect.
Thanks
i got the 60Gig from launch and not one problem for me , i DLed it the second it poped up last night at midnight for me and installed that baby. kinda mad bout the music and lack of trophies for games, i would like to get started on warhawk since we have to PLAY ALL OUR GAMES OVER AGAIN !
PSN : T41NT
This might be against sony’s wishes but I have the update file on my ipod and I’ve uploaded it onto Bigupload.com I named it ps3 2.4 update or something of that sort. I’ll send it to anyone who wants it, just hit me up my psnid is DavidJuaquin.
im so sick of this just put in game music on the update and i will buy every accessorie and game for the ps3
PLEASE SONY !
@ tretle well Jell and the others did made a sucky update that only good then that came out of it is the clock …..
they even toke it down b/c its messing up other peoples PS3s .
@ Tretle
If you go back and read that 1650 post you might get stuck knee deep in the sarcasm, man.
& I firmly believe Eric and Jeff are evil. In fact, so evil they don’t have ps3’s at their houses. Nope, when they wanna game and game hard… They break out the Ouija boards, cloaks, candles, Daggers and goat blood…
That’s how evil these two are. Sony is unaware, I believe, that the DNA of Eric and Jeff combined total 666 red blood cells and 666 white blood cells and that Damien from the original Omen “not the new piece of junk” is in fact their biological father!!
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ATTN: Eric Lempel
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RE: GAME DATA UTILITY
Hi Eric (and anyone else reading ths),
First off, thanks for providing us with the continued firmware updates and informational postings here on the PlayStation.Blog — please know it’s very much appreciated!
If you have a spare moment, I was hoping you could address one specific aspect of XMB functionality — the “Game Date Utility” found under the “Games” section. I have tried to inquire about this “utility” for many months, but have been unable to obtain any response(s). I was hoping that I’d have a bit more luck this time around…
The “Game Data Utility” has much potential, but it is essentially useless in its current form. While this utility provides us with a listing of games for which Add-On data exists (via downloads), it is impossible to examine the folder contents to see which Add-Ons we have obtained. Currently, the only option we are given is the ability to see how much hard drive space an Add-On folder is using.
For example, my “Game Date Utility” shows that I have a FOLKLORE folder. But I have no way of listing — or otherwise finding out — what specific Add-On Data exists within this folder. Do I have the Holiday Add-On? Which individual mission Add-On Packs/Bundles do I have… or still need to purchase?
Further, there is currently no easy method of deleting individual Add-Ons from these folders. For example, if I wanted to remove an unwanted RIDGE RACER 7 Decal, I would have to first delete my entire RIDGE RACER 7 “Game Data Utility” folder — and then re-download all the other Add-Ons I wanted to keep. Very confusing, and time-consuming, to say the least.
In addition, there is no other way or listing, examining or deleting Add-On Data via other sections of the current XMB / PS3 firmware. As I’m sure most gamers are aware, a certain other competing “X” console has had these functions integrated into their firmware since day one… back in 2002 when their first console iteration was released.
Since this new v2.40 firnware update was specifically addressing various XMB functionality issues, I was hoping that the “Game Data Utility” would finally have its functions expanded upon accordingly… but alas that was not to be.
In this regard, I would like to once again request that the deficiencies with the “Game Data Utility” be addressed… or to kindly provide us with an alternative method of listing, examing and deleting such downloaded Add-On game data.
Once again, many thanks in advance for your consideration of this upgrade.
Best regards to all,
Jeff Krispow
Doesn’t “in-game” music mean the music that comes with the game? Thus, it is in game? Isn’t what many people desire actually music from an out of game source such as their personal playlists or an external source?
As for the update: I got it this morning and is working fine for me. After experimenting with the new options, I can say that I am very pleased with what we have received. Everything works as we were told that they would. No surprises other than it is a lot easier to sort through everything than I thought it would be. Great job!
Yes, the clock is great, too.
“Here in NJ on 7/2/08 about 7 pm. My system 2.36 FW says I have the latest release. What gives? 60 GB, BTW.”
How are we 1600+ posts into this thread and people are still asking what’s going on?
RTFT
@1681
whats going on is that sony is neglecting us they havnt replyed to us in like 30 pages now :(
@ Conrad Max the update sucks …..the In-game Im dont work try it your self and you will see what im talking about .
they F__Ked up badly and need to test it it before they put it out there .
like Home …they said it was going to be out this spring and look its already summer and they said its going to this fall …i say its going to be delyed yet agian .
Someone should have told them what some of us really wanted?
instead of custom soundtracks enable our XMB music section for in game use PLEASE.
-Music content cant not be play during the use of this game- Eric lampell needs to be smacked
“@ Conrad Max the update sucks …..the In-game Im dont work try it your self and you will see what im talking about.”
Actually, I have been using it. It is working as advertised, thank you.
As for more update news, see the new blog.
all im Hearing is about this Trophies B/S what about the music during game play? i want to lisen to some Led Zepplin while im Killing some PMCs in MGS 4 and runing over people in GTA 4 and also listen to some Kiss while im snipeing out some player in COD 4
I’m a lucky dog. No troubles for my 80G.
I just wont the function so that I can go to the XMB in game and send game requests there. also I would like the function to join other peoples game from the XMB in game. Because its so much easier to jump online and join one of your friends games. those features shouldn’t be that hard to implicate. get on it sony !
will be a private voice chat that 2 users playing diferent games can chat like xbox 360
Awesome! Although as someone said, you got more No, than Yes.
It means you got room to add more features to the PS3.
One thing I don’t know WHY it’s not present in the PS3 since the PSP has it from while ago, it’s the ability to make thumbnails of your videos between 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc.
Thats a cool feature.
And, would it be so hard to allow people to be able to run the MP3 player in the background? You don”t need devs to support this. We just mute the game music in the setup of the game and voila! In-Game music.
Come one, 7-8 cores should enough to handle a simple music player in the back.
Just a thought.
is it me or …
Will it be possible to change in-game the sound output?
Yes, sound output changes are supported.
NOPE it isn’t… :-(
@1665. Thanks for the info. At the time I wrote it, I didn’t see anything on the web, and saw it later that night.
Again, thanks for responding.
since i installed update 2.4 yesterday i have been having a problem with the party invite and private match invite in call of duty 4, is this due to the update or with call of duty 4 game(several other people i know are having the same problem)
I’d like to get this out there since I never see it mentioned:
We should really be allowed to stay connected to the PSN while playing PS2 games. Also, the XMB should be available at all times…no matter what media is being played.
At some point in the future, it’d be great to be able to voice chat with a friend while I’m playing Final Fantasy VII and he’s playing Final Fantasy XIII.
we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!we want in game music!
PLEASE? is that sooooo much to ask? i would rather have in game music than messaging, come to think about it, why not instead of the whole xmb being veiwed why not just the “friends” section?
DISAPPOINTED
SONY LET US DOWN AGAIN ):
Jeff / Eric,
Gamer cards have been mentioned many times. There’s now a site at http://www.playfire.com which is (unofficially) supporting PS3 trophies. It is pretty good! Sony should buy these guys out and get them working on integrating gamer cards with PSN public profile data. Its a quick win and will save time playing catch up as more titles are patched for / released with trophy support.
Thanks.
i dont usually leave comments but this update sucks.
1.)You cant even listen to music while you play (which was the main thing i was looking forward too.)
2.)That trophy crap doesnt even work with most games i currently own.
3.)What is the point of having an in game XMB when most of the important stuff requires you to quit the game.
This update means nothing to me. i hope you see this Eric.
1697…..
I agree w/you Yungcgetz…
I don’t own majority of the games that support trophies. I own most of the big games that are out, but none except Uncharted will support them.
And yes, I agree, what is the pt. of having ingame XMB if yes, you have to quit to access majority of the features? The things I want to access in game are pretty basic. I want ingame web browser(the one I want/ed the most), in game settings adjustments, and that is really it. In game music would be real nice, but i have a stereo that I can use.
I appreciate the work and all sony, but you talked about this update as if it was the end all, be all of updates. Pretty much alot of work for something like messaging, and slapping some paint on to make a friends system look more visually pleasing. Please, please, just stop worrying about how pretty something looks, and give us something w/Umph. This stuff you are adding, really is kids stuff. Microsoft has had these features for a while. If people really wanted these features only, they would get the other system. Don’t try to be equals w/the competition. Be better, give us things it isn’t capable of. In game web browser, in game settings change. In game PS Store access.
Reading all of your answers is like talking to an Insurance Company. The only answer you give is “No”. And you sound like the in game XMB access was taken “very literally”. As in, we asked for ingame XMB, but didn’t specify what we really wanted w/it. So you(Sony) said “alright, well they just want to look at the XMB, they don’t want to access it’s features, so go ahead and add it”. Cause that is all we can really do, is press a button and look at the XMB. We cannot access anything in it w/out first quitting the game.
{{{The XMB is an exclusive feature for PS3 game titles. Accessing the XMB during gameplay was the top request from our users, which we focused on for this update. However, we continually engage PS3 owners for feedback and will evaluate the opportunity to offer XMB access during movie playback in the future. }}}
That is the quote from sony, read it. I will read the important part….
Accessing the XMB during gameplay was the top request from our users,
Well literally, now we can access it, but do nothing w/it. Was this a literal joke? Is it our fault for not being more clear w/what we wanted? I don’t ever like to assume, but I assumed when we said we wanted in game xmb, you knew we meant we wanted to be able to access the features as well, not just view the xmb. I will continue to support Sony, but seriously, I feel like they just threw this in our face.
Jeff –
2.4 issues – yes – I was one of the “lucky ones” that it doesn’t work for properly. Granted, it installed and I have accesss to it online, but as I login to COD4 (fr example) it will not allow me to actually PLAY the game. It starts fine, but when it goes to sync with the room itself, I get knocked offline. I have reset this 20+ times, from my PS3 to my router with NO LUCK whatsoever. Am I happy>? In a word, absolutely not (well 2 words).
Is this an issue with the update itself or with IW not being part of the update or something>? I have no clue what to do and need to know if I am the only one experiencing this issue.
~Maj.R. Mayhem
i WANT IN GAME US OF MY MUSIC CONTENT DUMB SONY
Can we get a list of games that currently support trophies or will be patched to support trophies?
how can the people that didnt get the update get it?
Yeah. How about some info? We haven’t heard anything since you yanked it. Will we see it this weekend or are you all taking the weekend off? How long are you going to keep us in the dark about this?