Sony are going to have to take a look at how they are upgrading the firmware on the PS3 as it is just a complete and utter waste of money at the moment.
The latest firmware version (2.53) has been released and included in it is the ability to play flash movies full screen and… that’s it… Nothing more.
Now while I am not disputing the fact that that is cool what does get me is that it’s going to take over 130Mb to download this minor update.
Add that to the amount of times that Sony update the PS3 and you are quickly closing in on the cost of Xbox Live… Okay that’s a big fat lie but let’s gloss over the minor details here and go straight for the jugular.
I see no reason why Sony cannot simply patch the piece of software that is buggy or that is getting a new feature instead of the entire firmware.
Oh if you want to download the patch on company time click here
Last Updated: December 3, 2008
PaasHaas
December 3, 2008 at 15:53
Eh… show me another device that allows you to flash its internal memory/bios/etc with small incremental updates?
It would be a bloody tech support nightmare, consoles are changing but they are not PCs yet.
Bitch about SA expensive bandwidth would make more sense. Quickly updating your PS3 in the rest of the world is basically a non-issue.
RivaZA
December 3, 2008 at 16:01
Why don’t Local FTP servers like the ones Saix and IS mirror the latest PS3 updates?
I would be able to get it quicker too. Whenever there is a PS3 update that basically means for that night playing on my PS3 is out the window. It takes me over 2hrs to get an update on my 384k line. Weird really as NXE which was similar in size only took 35-40mins.
StNick
December 3, 2008 at 16:20
What PaasHaas said.
evilredzombie
December 3, 2008 at 16:24
Jip kinda waiste … however didnt bother me that much…only 130mb… a trailer is more than that
MoZee
December 3, 2008 at 16:53
Again, what paashaas said!
download on company time FTW!
kab123
December 3, 2008 at 18:10
Ja look I’m not going to argue. Though come to think of it, for the US, EU and Japan, 130MB probably = 1kb. That said it is a bitch.
Thing is, with all these updates they also open themselves up to negative press. I.e. fanboy rumour stating that firmware xxxx bricked xxxx consoles. The flash player thing they could have left for the next big update. Quarterly updates ftw.
abe
December 3, 2008 at 19:31
Yup over here in the states I can download 130mb in 4/5minutes and I dont have a cap!
Valante
December 3, 2008 at 19:42
Download them onto a FD at an Internet Cafe 😆 How big are the 360 updates?
jammy
December 3, 2008 at 20:38
I think why this firmware was supposedly rather big?is be4cause for it to work you had to re download it as part of 2.50 otherwise it wouldn’t work as a separate firmware.that’s why many of the early press releases had exactly the same contents as 2.50,but with these two adde extras
For me on a shitty uk connection it took 5-10 minutes max.
“as it is just a complete and utter waste of money at the moment”
It’s free,you wasted no money on a update
Chris
December 3, 2008 at 20:46
Or you could just wait for a game that comes out after the update.
The game will then have the firmware update data on!!
Ps3clan.nl
December 3, 2008 at 21:11
Onder a minute over here! In holland we have a good connection!
crazyspyder213
December 3, 2008 at 21:16
reading this was a waste of my time….after reading your waste of a time article i realized some people have too much time on there hands.
mh
December 3, 2008 at 21:27
srtnsrtnsrtn
Annoyed
December 3, 2008 at 21:27
Replacing the entire firmware every time helps to prevent the firmware getting hacked. Making the PS3 the only piracy free console. Also you’re an idiot and you give South Africans a bad name. (this article was posted on N4G.com).
meh
December 3, 2008 at 21:35
lol @ author
colm
December 3, 2008 at 22:14
What are you talking about?
Valante
December 3, 2008 at 22:30
This article is on N4G btw
#1manfothejob
December 3, 2008 at 22:33
well it all comes down to the way Sony updates their firmware. Its not a modular system. Everytime Sony wants to update something you essentially have to download the WHOLE PS3 SYSTEM OS, which is about 130-150 mb. Microsoft however, is a bit more experienced in software so they know how to make thie system modular, meaning you can change certain aspects of the system and not ruin the whole thing, so on the 360 you only have to download the new features microsoft is offering. Now with the NXE, which is server based, much of the OS is saved on servers, and they can include features on the fly without you having to download anything.
#1manfothejob
December 3, 2008 at 22:34
BTW i have a ps3 but im getting a 360 for christmas because i want to have all 3 by next year (ps3, 360, wii)
Fudzy
December 3, 2008 at 22:45
I would imagine the wide range of features that the PS3 offers is one of the reasons it is constantly needing updates.
LazySAGamer
December 3, 2008 at 23:14
That is what I am talking about, the entire idea is wrong.
You shouldn’t have to update the firmware for a simple Flash video improvement.
to answer other questions, the 360’s updates are very small generally and even if the update is quick over seas the point is that it’s still a bad way to implement functionality improvements.
coffee
December 3, 2008 at 23:50
come on… this is not a problem at all. stop finding fault just because its a PS3 please. trying to get more hits to the site or what? or did you just receive some pay check from M$ to make such a pointless article. majority of the ps3 owners are already on broadband. if you can spend time downloading game demos that only play one very small part and its over 1GB in size. there is no reason why you cant download a few hundred MB for your firmware which is not something that happen like everyday. you are putting as if like you need to update your freaking firmware everyday and yeah if thats the case i would agree with your article. this is a plain stupid and nonsense. or should i say you are plainly a fanboy trying to create another flame war? gosh….
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 00:51
Come on not everyone lives in the USA ;), here in South Africa we have to pay per gig when downloading from the Net and therefore watching our bandwidth has become a national past time.
If you want to see flamebait articles check the most popular articles list on the right…
nate-dog7
December 4, 2008 at 03:20
What a dumb article
CPB
December 4, 2008 at 05:19
Yep, PS3 is going well if the only complaint is about how his pussy hurts after doing an update.
Werner
December 4, 2008 at 06:39
Not in our country… bandwidth in South Africa is very expensive.
Fudzy
December 4, 2008 at 07:39
List of ALL the updates in 2.53
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/SystemUpdates/PS3
Wolfy
December 4, 2008 at 07:48
15 mb or something
Wolfy
December 4, 2008 at 07:53
matter of a he fact stands 130 mb firmware update for a flash update is redicilous if the firmware update is this huge how big will home be then. One would think that the firmware updates will be supplied with the games as what the xbox updates do?
MARNEY
December 4, 2008 at 08:03
@ coffee, you nailed it…
@ author, you take medication? if not, consider it…
0rk0
December 4, 2008 at 08:33
@ Lazy
Only a matter of time when this site dies…still not learning that you actually have quite a large PS3 reader base.(Maybe you should do a poll)
You do know that there’s 17mil PS3 sold don’t you?
And it’s true what they have all said. The only time you will pick up the update issue is when you’re going online, and most of us have at least a 3GIG cap. 150 Meg once a month isn’t going to kill you. With the new sea cables completed next year, this is going to be even less of a problem.
The 150 meg update also has to include all updates for new online users. It will be chaos if some users are also on 2.53 but have missed out on some of the in between updates.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 08:44
Thank You! Good Comment
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 08:52
There is actually a larger PS3 readership than 360 readership here.
Also the story is about how Sony has got it wrong, not whether the 130Mb could be handled or not.
Also how about commenting on some of the good PS3 stories sometimes instead of always trying to find a hidden agenda?
Or even just go gloat in the negative 360 stories?
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 08:53
Yes… exactly.
It doesn’t mean the 360 is better or that Microsoft is better. It just means that they did this little tiny thing better and Sony should learn from this and fix it… with a patch 😉
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 08:59
Wow, look at all the sad comments on this thread. Why are you PS3 fanboys so sensitive? 🙄 Harden the f*ck up!
He has a legitimate issue here, FOR SOUTH AFRICANS (N4G, please note).
It costs me R99 per gig (unshaped). 130mb = R13.
Now, per update it is R13 + an evening of gaming gone. In my eyes that is not nice. For 3G users it’s even more expensive and takes longer.
Microsoft’s updates take me 5 to 10 minutes to update (except NXE), why is that?
I think we all should accept that Sony is the hardware experts while Microsoft is the software experts. The OS of the Xbox also takes less memory than the OS of the PS3.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 09:01
“Only a matter of time when this site dies”
lol, that will never happen as long as you PS3 fans stream in here to do some bitching every time there is a slightly negative PS3 article.
kab123
December 4, 2008 at 09:57
“Now, per update it is R13 + an evening of gaming gone”
Eh? An evening? You on dial-up or drugs? I download it in an hour using a shitty 384k line. Hardly an evening. Telkom ISP only starts capping if you’re going like a Gig over limit. Sony releases a new 130GB firmware ever 1-2 months and now we are all going to go bankrupt? LOLzerskates. You’re R13 comparison is epic fail
Fudzy
December 4, 2008 at 09:59
If you’re so pennypinched that you can’t afford 100mb of bandwidth you shouldn’t be wasting your money on consoles and high-def screens in the first place.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 10:07
Hey, tell that to the PS3 fanboys complaining about the price of XBL gold.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 10:11
For some of us working folk an hour is sometimes all we have in an evening.
You and Fudzy seem to over react(not suprisingly). I didn’t say I can’t afford it, I didn’t say the PS3 is sh!t. I said it’s NOT NICE. It’s an anoyance. Thats all. A ligitimate anoyance since I have heard friends of mine complaining about this. 🙄
StNick
December 4, 2008 at 10:12
If you’re serious about online gaming, you shouldn’t have a 1GB cap.
If you’re not online, you don’t NEED to update. My brother in law has a PS3 and he’s still using the old firmware pre in-game XMB.
And he moans less than you guys.
Fudzy
December 4, 2008 at 10:16
I bet you hear a lot more complaining about RRoD. And btw, just for the record, I’m an Xbox360 owner. I don’t own a PS3 but the attitude of other blinkered Xbox owners has me seriously wanting to jump ship.
V@mp
December 4, 2008 at 10:35
God, you guys bitch like a bunch of Trekkies at a
Star Wars convention 😯
kab123
December 4, 2008 at 10:39
Why is it that everytime someone disagrees with your dribble you think they over react?
Are you only at home 1 hour every night? Spin me a new one mate. I get home at 6-7pm. If there is an update and I want to game online, I switch on the PS3 let it do it’s updating while we make food, walk/feed the dogs, socialize with the fiancé and go take a shower.
Now considering I that I have to switch on the PS3 earlier than usual, once every two months to take an hour to update, I’d seriously avert from calling it an annoyance.
Liiek seriously…
kab123
December 4, 2008 at 10:41
Yeah I remember Slippy saying that he won’t have any trouble exchanging his 360 every 3 months. Though he only has one hour a day. Dun know where he’ll find the time tbh. /shrugs.
PaasHaas
December 4, 2008 at 10:58
I can guarantee you its not just the “flash” that has been added aswell, Sony implements/changes allot of things that they dont list.
And its WAY more secure and tamper proof as a single solid tested and secured entity. They still havent hacked the PS3 and this is one of the reasons.
The Idea is awesome, tried, tested and secure.
Like I said complain about our countries bandwidth and internet cost, because thats the problem… our country and not the PS3.
0rk0
December 4, 2008 at 11:16
I’m begining to think you are an alias…
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 11:44
I can 100% confirm that SlippyMadFrog does not work or is in the least bit affiliated with Lazygamer. Hell if he was I would have fired him months ago for disagreeing with me all the time 😉
On a side note I don’t understand how anyone can defend this firmware practice, it’s a dumb idea and anyone who works in software development would agree with that. it’s nothing against the PS3 though
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 11:45
I never had a RROD. I would be pissed if I did. Who said the Xbox was free of anoyances?
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 11:48
lol. I don’t care what you own or if you jump ship. The funny thing is that this isn’t a PS3 vs Xbox360 thing cause I know both consoles are far from perfect. It’s just funny seeing you PS3 fans denying that this is an anoyance. It’s like no one is allowed to say something bad about the PS3.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 11:53
“Why is it that everytime someone disagrees with your dribble you think they over react?”
‘Cause you do. You and some of these Ps3 fans(note, I said some) are like a bunch of fanatics.
“Are you only at home 1 hour every night? Spin me a new one mate”
Do you game every second you are at home? I have other responsibilities as well, like you explained right after this statement.
If this isn’t an anoyance, why do people complain about it?
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 12:13
Uh Lazy, they are on to us, no use in denying it now. Just send me my pay check as per usual.
kab123
December 4, 2008 at 12:38
Call the PS3’s annoyances on stuff that actually matters. You know what’s annoying about the PS3? It didn’t have a GeOW2 hit this summer. You know what’s annoying about the PS3? If you want to compare trophies on your friends list to someone else it generally takes 5mins to load if at all. That and others is stuff that annoys me.
I’m not being fanboyish at all, though you seem to think so and no, I do no game every minute of the day and I’ve more than enough responsibilities to keep me occupied like I mentioned in my previous post. That’s why I’m telling you having to download a 130MB file every couple of months is_not_a_fucking_annoyance. Especially if I have other stuff to do while it updates!!! You don’t have to hand feed the PS3 to update. Can you see the irony in you post?
Who’s this people that complain about it though? Lazygamer your friend and you? Funny if I head over to the PS3 forum everyone seems generally happy when a new firmware is released. Even if it’s with minor changes. And of the 4 people I know irl with PS3’s no seems to be bother with the firmware downloads, though they are annoyed with other stuff that_actually_matters.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 12:47
Fair enough, it doesn’t annoy you. There are some people it does annoy. What does this mean, it’s an annoyance or not?
JimmyLovesBoyButtocks
December 4, 2008 at 13:01
DarthPenguin
December 4, 2008 at 13:51
Ignore the mindless fanboy comments slippy…. they really not worth the time you take to respond to them.
And to all you PS3 fanboys that were about to rip me for making that comment… I didn’t call all PS3 fanboys mindless.. I was stating that some of the comments made by them in this thread are mindless…
I mean.. come on Fudzy… you saying we shouldn’t save up and spend money on a console if we not willing to constantly throw money away afterwards???
DarthPenguin
December 4, 2008 at 13:57
I don’t know how you can prefer the PS3 controller to the 360 controller… but personal opinion…
My personal opinion.. I don’t like my fingers falling off the back buttons when I’m playing.. and I like my thumbs to be comfortable in a FPS.. so I prefer the 360 controller…
Have I changed this debate from the annoyances of the PS3 to the preferred controller amongs consoles?
Find out in the next few comments.. only on LazyGamer!
coffee
December 4, 2008 at 15:04
i am sorry i dont live in USA. if your country has to pay per gig when downloading from the net its not the Sony’s fault. Sony dont ask you to pay per gig on the downloads from their network. For you case you should reflect back to your country’s ISP and not Sony. You dont shit and expect someone come clean your a55 for you right?. Fix your own problem not getting others to fix for your own problem in short.
coffee
December 4, 2008 at 15:14
then you should be bitching to M$ about paying every mth just to play online and not to mention since you have to pay per gig meaning when playing online at the same time you got to pay more than just to XBL. Sony didnt make you pay for PSN so in short even if you have to pay per gig to your firmware download becuz thats how your country works there is no big deal if you can pay for XBL. Have you realize you just slap your own face with your own balls? This has nothing to do with fanboy of either console for goodness sake. And like one of the reply I made earlier. If you country needs you to pay per gig for downloading off the net. Thats your country’s issue not Sony’s issue neither its M$ issue. Dont take your own issue and expect others to fix that for you. You guys are suppose to be bitching to your ISP and not the console makers. If you talk so much then you shouldnt be playing online in the first place if thats really so costly for you. And if you dont play online. You dont even need to update anything and that will cost you zero $$$ for your internet. nuff said…
David Macphail
December 4, 2008 at 16:39
A waste of money??? What on earth are you talking about, PS3 firmware updates are 100% FREE to download and install!!!
xyber
December 4, 2008 at 17:24
A 130Mb patch
Sjaak
December 4, 2008 at 18:12
1. The new updates have to include all the previous updates, containing things such as themes, so that new PS3 users can update the machine as well without missing all the features.
2. Updating is free, I don’t know where you got the idea that they cost any money at all.
SlippyMadFrog
December 4, 2008 at 18:35
This is an South African blog. In SA, bandwidth is expensive
Ps3_Baws
December 4, 2008 at 19:33
agreed! 😡
coffee
December 4, 2008 at 19:42
like you have said… “In SA, bandwidth is expensive”. thats a SA issue not Sony’s issue. I dont know how many times must I repeat myself on this. Dont take your country’s issue and make it a general issue that everyone should care about. Bitch the bandwidth issue to your ISP. its something that ISPs in SA have to work out on and not for Sony to solve it for you. Sony already done their part providing you with free updates from time to time be it small update or major updates and also not to mention free online gaming service. Stop making your own problem everyone else’s problem. This is exactly why the article shouldnt have been started in the first place. Make an article about SA’s ISP instead of like everything else is fault about others and everything else in SA is perfect.
Fudzy
December 4, 2008 at 21:05
An South African blog run by someone who has emigrated to Australia? Puh’leeze.
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 21:18
1. When the system checks for updates it can send it’s current version and then the PSN can just send back what is required.
2. As has been pointed out I am talking about bandwidth.
LazySAGamer
December 4, 2008 at 21:19
I haven’t emigrated anywhere, I am on contract, these things happen.
On a side note I have no idea why this story is getting people so riled up that I am now being insulted personally. It’s a logical concept and yet quite an unimportant one.