Firmware Updates: PS3 (v2.50) / PSP (v5.00)

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Hi everyone. We’ve been listening to all of your feedback about the PS3 and PSP, and with these next firmware updates (coming soon), we’ve added a number of new features and improved some existing functionality to make your PS3/PSP experience even better.

PSP (v5.00) update

Let’s start with the v5.00 update for PSP. In this version, you’ll notice the addition of the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB. You can now sign up for PlayStation Network, manage your account and access PlayStation Store directly from your PSP – meaning you can download games directly to your PSP while connected via Wi-Fi. Getting games, demos and trailers while on-the-go has never been easier! Check out the screen below.

The current PlayStation Store on the PC will be down in the interim as we take some time to revamp. Don’t worry, it will re-launch soon after we’ve made some tweaks. Please keep in mind, if you already have a PlayStation Network account, simply sign in on your PSP using your existing information. The same account and wallet can be used on PS3 and PSP. You will be able to check out the PlayStation Store on the PSP soon, as we’ll have a video demo featuring Grace Chen posted soon on the Blog.

PSP3000Black-PSStore

Update v5.00 adds a sleep timer option that can be used while you are playing music on your PSP. In addition, we’ve added a full screen keyboard option for text entry and have redesigned the background of the XMB. You’ll be able to find all of the information on Firmware v5.00 here once it goes live.

PS3 (v2.50) update

Now on to the PS3 v2.50 update. The latest features/enhancements include:

  • Support for the PS3 Official Bluetooth Headset – we’ve told you about the upcoming Bluetooth Headset and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Bundle on the Blog. This latest firmware installment enables High-Quality (HQ) mode, which delivers clear and wide-band online voice chat. On top of that, an added on-screen indicator shows battery status, volume level and use of HQ mode.
  • PlayStation Trophies interface enhancements – I know that many of you are busy collecting trophies and raising your PlayStation Trophy level. This update makes sharing and comparing your trophies with your friends even easier. On 1st part of the profile page you’ll see a symbol under level that represents level and the actual percentage towards the next level along with the existing level meter. The level symbol carries over to the trophy comparison screen where you will now be able to see your level, your friend’s level and the percentage towards the next level for both users along with all of the game by game comparison information you see today.
  • Friend status – Offline friends on your Friends list will have information below their avatars that will indicate how long it has been since they were last online.
  • Video – This update adds the Scene Search feature similar to the feature on the PSP. Activating this feature while viewing a video on the PS3 will break the video up into scenes that you can quickly access by pressing the X button. You can break the videos into one, two or five minute intervals. In addition, you can now choose to have all of the videos under the video section of the XMB play in sequence. Go to Settings then Video Settings to turn this option on.
  • PlayStation Store – We’ve added a redeem codes option right on the store to make it easier to redeem your PlayStation Network Cards and promotion codes. In addition, PlayStation Network Sign Up and Account Management have been redesigned.
  • Power Save Settings – You can now set your PS3 and wireless controllers to turn off automatically after set periods of inactivity. Go to Settings then Power Save Settings to turn on these features.
  • Background Downloading – You now have the option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system from the button under [Users] while content is being downloaded or installed.
  • In-game Screenshots – this tool will allow everyone to capture, share and in other words, immortalize their favorite gameplay moments. This will be supported on a game by game basis. Please check back to find out which games will support this feature.
  • In addition to all of the features above there are some additional features and enhancements included in 2.50. Once the update launches, you can read all of the details here.

The support for the Bluetooth Headset will be of particular interest to all of you SOCOM fans. With the “Proximity Chat” feature, SOCOM: Confrontation gameplay is intensified as it allows you to experience high-quality voice playback in full surround sound. Whether the action is near or far, Proximity Chat clearly matches distance to sound effects and voiceovers within the game, putting you in the heart of the action.

Enjoy and please share your thoughts with us.

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901 Comments

  • These improvements are indeed great esp. the option to turn off the system once download is completed.

    My suggestions of a much needed feature is:

    Private Voice Chat cross/game. Basically, many games do not have a voice chat feature and it would be quite helpful if you could invite someone to a private voice chat session, whether they are playing on the XMB or a game.

    For starters, you could put in a restriction to (unable to accept) vchat request – if the game already has a vchat feature, which you are currently engaged in.

    Thanks again Eric – the PS3 is slowly coming alive now – I haven’t touched my Xbox 360 since I bought it. Keep giving me a reason not to :)

  • N4G The Karate Kid

    OMG I CANT BELIEVE IT (THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE) THE PLAYSTATION BLOG HAS BANNED ME BECAUSE I KEPT ON POSTING THESE FEATURE REQUEST, BUT YET THEY ADDED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE FEATURE I POSTED NICE!!!!!!!

    ALRIGHT ERIC WE ARE ALMOST AT THE FINISH LINE, ADD IN THESE LAST FEW FEATURES AND THE PS3 WILL BE COMPLETED!!!!!!!
    _________________________________________________________

    1) ON THE XMB NEXT TO YOUR FRIENDS ICON SHOULD DISPLAY WHAT LEVEL THEY ARE ON.

    2) PLEASE ADD IN A ALERT SOUND, FOR WHEN SOMEONE SIGNS ON OR SEND YOU A MESSAGE, OR FRIEND REQUEST. JUST A NICE LITTLE SOUND SIMILAR TO THE 360 ALERT SOUND.

    3) A DISPLAY THAT TELLS ME HOW MANY UNREAD MESSAGES OR REQUEST THAT I HAVE PENDING.

    4) PLEASE ADD A CREATE ICON FEATURE FOR MOVIES YOU BUY OFF THE PLAYSTATION STORE. RIGHT NOW YOU CAN ONLY CREATE ICON FOR MOVIES THAT YOU COPY TO THE HARD DRIVE, BUT YOU CANNOT DO THIS FOR MOVIES YOU BUY OFF THE NETWORK. I WONT BUY MOVIES OFF THE STORE BECAUSE THIS FEATURE IS NOT ACTIVATED.

    5) PLEASE ADD AUTOMATIC BACKGROUND MUSIC ON XMB. THIS MEANS WHEN I TURN ON MY PS3, A SELECTED TRACK FROM MY PLAYLIST WILL AUTOMATICALLY START PLAYING. THIS WILL MAKE THE XMB A BIT MORE EXCITING AND NOT ALL QUIET. (PLEASE ADD THIS FEATURE)

    6) *****CROSS GAME INVITES (ACROSS ALL GAMES) I know this is difficult, but please add……

    7) *****CROSS VOICE CHAT (ACROSS ALL GAMES) I know this is difficult, but please add……

  • Oh man, the SCENE SEARCH for PS3 Videos will be AMAZING. Also, looking forward to the enhanced profile pages and re-vamped account management section. I’d imagine this might open up some more avatar pictures in the future.

    I’m so pumped about all this stuff, the engineers really came through big time!

  • Thank you Sony

    For the headset and especially for those download and install options

  • owh can also add to that

    4) the browser can be accessed in “IN-GAME XMB”
    5) we can rate each players
    6) we can user review each games when we purchased it and reviews to be viewable in psn
    7) allow us to use our own avtars

  • too bad i am in school right now knowing that is out i could of started to download before i left for school but good job SCEA

  • Thanks for the heads up

  • lifeRPGs | October 13th, 2008 at 5:45 am

    This is what we are missing:
    (some have just been added in FW 2.5/5, so check out the rest)

    PS3 features:

    – Ingame XMB for PS2/PS1 games
    – Playstation Movie Store
    – Ingame Playstation Store
    – Ingame music [music accessible from XMB anytime with any game]
    – Cross-game invites
    – Appear Offline feature, allowing us to appear offline to friends
    – Ability to change the font color on the XMB [with no background interference]
    – Password protection on PS3 system startup / USER login
    – Send more than 1 picture to a friend
    – Voice messaging / Voice Recognition
    – Skype on PS3
    – Radio on PS3
    – Avatar of our choice
    – Ability to send PS3 messages from PC, PSP or Cellphone (Sony Ericson). Additionally the ability to send video, audio files and themes to PSN friends.
    – Sound notification when receiving a message, friend signed in, chat invitation..etc
    – Multiple internet configurations/connections
    – Audio and video chat in-game
    – Ability to continue a download while watching a bluray movie / playing a game / playing a ps2 game / ps3 is on standby mode
    – PERFORM DOWNLOAD AS BACKGROUND for every single download, from firmwares to game patches
    – Auto-install completed downloaded demos
    – Auto-PS3 shutdown once a download is over / Auto-standby after _ minutes
    – Sleep timer
    – Turn off the controller after a certain time of inactivity
    – Personalize tune at startup/shutdown login/logoff
    – Screen and video capture
    – Additional Video and Audio format support
    – Web browser: Ability to copy-paste
    – PS2 games purchasable via the store and/or installable from our discs to the PS3 HDD
    – Ability to download GAME patches from PC, just like FW updates

    Online Features:
    1) Be able to watch a friend play, from your screen
    To make myself clearer, let’s take an example: JUSTIN.TV
    You play, recording yourself with your webcam and broadcasting your gameplay to the entire world. Anybody coming on your channel will be able to see you play. So basically, what i am saying here is a concept pretty much similar. When online on PSN , it would be great to have a feature that lets you connect to your friend’s game and watch him play….In other terms, i would be a ‘Spectator’.

    2) Take in-game videos screenshots, and being able to host them online directly from the PSN
    The PSN lets you (although still very limited) upload in-game footage directly to YouTube. Well, that’s good for a start isn’t it, but i mean….YouTube? No. Just no. SCE need to set up a private video sharing website, in which all content would not only be in HD, but also uploaded directly from our consoles.

    3) Stuck in a game? Meet the Virtual Walkthrough!
    Let’s admit it folks, we’ve all got stuck in games..and still do. One of the game i most used a walkthrough was Zelda: Twilight Princess. I can vaguely remember the number of pages i printed off the GAMEFAQ walkthrough, but it certainly was above 30. Aren’t you fed up with that? Moving to your PC to look for the solution ; Making sure you always have papers and cartridge ready, cause if you don’t you’d have to constantly come-and-go from console to PC ; Reading the walkthrough while playing..well believe me i am. I believe it is time we have a Virtual Walkthrough. In other terms, an in-game walkthrough that would help us in our ’stuck’ situations, and lead us to the solution.

    4) Not an online feature, but a feature in general..a really important one: Game Cutscenes accessible anytime
    Am i the only one who wishes i could re-watch all cutscenes from the games i play? I’m sure i’m not. I believe this is a game developer decision, and not a console manufacturer’s, but whoever it is they must hear us: We want to watch all cutscenes from the games we’ve completed ANYTIME. Whether it’s on the Disc itself (unlocked after completing the game maybe), or an option to have them all transfered to our HDD, we want it!

    5) Organized Clan Management System
    Clans Clans Clans..Numerous clans exist for nearly every online game available today. A great feature would be the integration of an Organized Clan Management System. The use of such a system would basically let console users to not only group the clan members, but actually manage the entire clan overall: Have a motto, a logo, statistics, …etc
    In other terms, Clan Identification. An mIRC equivalent would also be a critical addition, as it could offer the following features:
    *Finding scrims
    *Communicating with other teams and league officials pre and post match
    *Score bots. Dump live match information from match servers into an irc channel
    *Finding ringers
    *Finding PUGS (Pick Up Games)
    *Recruiting

    6) Eliminate P2P ; Dedicated Servers ONLY
    The majority of console games today use P2P for online play. P2P is not only cheap, but so terrible that it makes the online experience virtually unplayable. Eliminate P2P ; and let the console online experience expand through Dedicated Servers.

    7) PSN Game Reviews
    You know how when you play a game, the titles displays under your PSN username? Well, the game review feature will follow the same concept: you will be able to review only the games that you play. Rate the game out of 10. Then Sony could do an official user rating list, which will basically be an official list made out of all user ratings, and that could be checkable by all ps3 users anytime.

    8) Trophy Ranking
    The title says it all. A worldwide / Regional trophy ranking list.

    9) Official Sony Calendar
    Basically, a calendar created by SCE, available on the PSN and accessible at any time. The calendar will offer numerous features, such as:
    *Video games and BluRay release dates [according the region you live in]
    *Events dates [E3, GC, TGS, CES]

  • For those asking for better flash support…it is NOT going to happen without ADOBE doing it. There is NO existing updated flash that SONY can just ‘plug in’ to the system. Complain to ADOBE.

  • @ Solid_Leaf Firmware 2.50 is Coming Soon!

    Its not out just yet :)

  • Excellent update for both PSP and PS3.

    I only have one request — Please, Please make features like taking in-game screenshots mandatory in all games made past ‘x’ date. The one big drawback with PS3 games is that games that we want to use these features with don’t support them…

    Trophies was a nice step forward — but come on, i know you don’t like forcing developers to add features but its really needed.

  • oh my bad i thought it was out

  • Yust new here,
    I realy like the upcomming features.
    But the thing I don’t like is the submenus within the Playstation store under Games.
    Now you must check every option to see whats new / or interesting to me. Isn’t there a list sorted by date of creation ?

  • WOW!
    Awesome Updates!

    Would love to see In Game Voice chat from the XMB.

    O yeah and the PS3 PSP Ad-Hoc feature I think should be expanded to ALL games not just supported games.

    Nice work keep it up!
    Thank you!

  • Some great updates, but there are still key features missing:

    1: Software emulation PS2 BC!

    2: Web browser that doesn’t suck! I mean come on! A two-year-old browser with no updates doesn’t work with most of the internet anymore!

  • @110 Exactly…this will be another feature that will die if SONY doesn’t force it. How many games have YOUTUBE integration?

    BTW…any word on a trophy/PSN API so our web PSN cards reflect our PSN trophies?

  • The PSP is still missing 2 KEY features:

    #1: Nested folders. The PSP only recognizes one folder depth. I should be able to copy the “Radiohead” folder from my PC and have the PSP recognize the “Kid A” and “OK Computer” folders inside of it.

    #2: On-the-fly playlists. The PSP cannot create playlists from the XMB interface. After 3 years, this is ridiculous. This is a bare minimum, basic feature.

    The PS3 has been looking good lately on the firmware side. I’m in the Home beta, and I think people are going to be happy when they see what it does for online gaming.

    One feature I would like to see is CHAT SESSIONS that persist while in a game. This may be difficult to implement from a RAM perspective, but it would be a cool feature.

  • PLEASE add SCALING to PS3 games! seriously… it sucks having to play in 480p because my hdtv only supports 1080i and not 720p..

  • Ahh i should read the post slower. Soo by soon do you mean within days? a week? Sometime this month? or “when its ready”???

  • so now we know fw 2.5 is coming out around october 16 because if they didnt all the new bluetooth headsets wouldnt be able to do very much

  • – Ingame XMB for PS1/PS2 games
    – Improved B/C for PS1 and PS2 games on 60GB and 80GB systems
    – More avatars online
    – More RAM for the Internet browser
    – Internet Radio like the PSP has
    – Updated Flash Player
    – Faster loading times for showing friends trophies

    Mainly – update the Backwards compatibility – early consumers bough it for Backwards Compatibility and we want it!

  • Quite a good update, I like the trophies to be totally clear immediately, without pressing any buttons, in the friends list.

    Also, I wonder if it would be possible to implement some sort of backwards compatibility into the PS3. Maybe on a Singstar-way: when you put in your disc of say God of War, you can download the game from the Store, if it would be impossible to make it totally backwards compatible disc-wise.

    There has to be some backwards support for PS2-games, I do really miss it.

  • RESISTANCE FOR LIFE

  • @118 it probably wont be that long cause ps3 official mic is suppose to come this tuesday i think so it should’nt be that long

  • Whats the release date for the headset?

  • SOOOOO AWESOME!!! Just need a newer internet browser…

  • No Home or anything? ahwell. I can wait, i think till november 19th or something anyways.

    Btw, keep up the awesome updates!

  • Hi, i’m thrilled with this update for the PS3, particularly the powersave option. My roommate and friends constantly leave controllers on and I have to recharge them.

    Now, I have one major request. I’m one of those guys that owns all three next gen systems; the Wii, PS3, and 360. The PS3 is my absolute favorite and the system I spend the most time playing (by far!). However, there is one thing the 360 does that the PS3 really, desperately needs; unrestricted chat. When i’m on my 360 i can chat with any friend at any time. He can be playing one game and I can be playing another and we can still chat.

    PLEASE ADD THAT FEATURE!!! It is an embarrassment that the most advanced system on the planet (PS3) does not have one of the most appealing features of its most direct competitor. I have literally been playing PS3 and turned on my 360 just so i could chat with friends. That is RIDICULOUS.

    Thanks for listening. Happy gaming. I can’t wait for Resistance 2!!

  • @124…Firmware updates afaik have always been on Tuesdays

  • You know what, I wasn’t really worrying about the addition of any more features to the XMB. That’s not to say that they aren’t welcomed. I was looking forward to all of the massive games coming next week and beyond.

    These details are pretty good and I’m looking forward to the auto-shutdown and controller sleep the most. These are the most useful to me.

    Also, any word on the position of the controller icon overlapping the date and time on the XMB? I find that to be kind of bothersome.

  • w00t! AWESOME! Thanks for the update Jeff!

  • I mean Eric sorry about got to excited lol

  • Can you share the screenshots to Flickr via the PS3? That would be cool.

  • This is an amazing update!!!! I didn’t expect a few of these features at all. Very Nice!

  • thanks cant wait all sounds good. Sony Rocks LBP Rocks

  • Wow this is great news! i have a question if you don’t mind answering, for the PSP-direct store, i have multiple PSN accounts(US,UK,JPN,HK),can i access each of them normally on my PSP?
    Thanks in advance.

  • @T_Tokyo you said it all.
    I think that everything you said should be all fixed!

  • Thanks for listening to us, Sony!

    I would still like to see the major, and I mean MAJOR, updates that need to happen:

    -A standard custom in-game music setting with support for media servers

    -A standard voice chat that goes cross-games

    -The ability to jump into a game your friend is in directly from the Friends page on the XMB.

    Thank you!

  • This is some really great news SCEA, I just love all the new features put into this update. :)

    The friends “how long have they been offline for” update is really handy to find and delete those people who don’t come online on their PS3’s much. :P

  • All that sounds great. The only thing that would make the PSP store better is if you guys added more PSone games to the market.

  • Crestfallen – ya, be a clown and used hacked codes. We’ll see that come back to bite you. Please don’t post that here.

  • Sony please work on cross game invites and voice chat next and then your system will be complete !! ;)

  • not quite a firmware comment, but i think official pc support for the duelshock3 would be pretty sweet.

    otherwise looking forward to using the new features.

  • @139…unbelievable. Hope they ban your ip here AND on PSN.

  • Excellent update – thanks.

    Can I add my name to the list of people asking for the following also:

    1. Widgets, including for weather. Like 55 million other UK subjects I don’t live in London so LWPS is useless.

    2. A “# messages unread” indicator. Why do I constantly have to check my messages Inbox?

    3. Option to choose own avatar. Waaay overdue.

    4. A browser worth using.

  • Hey Killer_Paul,

    I have a question, since I’ve seen people asking a lot for this cross game invite thing? What exactly does that mean?

    Is it the ability to receive an invite from one game while in another? I think many existing games already use the XMB messaging to send invites…I think all they need to do is force it as a standard.

    If that’s not what you’re talking about, please explain. Thanks. :)

  • Huh thats not my site i really got one? Whatsup ?

  • Wow! Amazing update!! Can’t wait for this to go live!

  • NICE in game screenshots will be awesome!

  • Will all PS3 60GB owners please install and give us feedback. Is this firmware SAFE to update?

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