What's The Deal?: PS3 Firmware 3.00 With Video Demo

During the Sony Press Conference at GamesCom in Germany’s Cologne, they confirmed that the next firmware (3.00) update for the PS3 will be released around September 1st this year.

You may have seen the features list floating around the web, if not then take a look at Joystiq’s list below before reading further.

• “What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, “What’s New” displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
• Status Indicator – In the top right corner we’ve added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
• Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.
• PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We’ve added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
• Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
• Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories-base trophies and add-on trophies-that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection, and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.

The truth is that in actual fact the changes apparently aren’t all that major or even quite so new. Eric Lempel (Network Director of SCEA) mentioned in an interview with Joystiq that the ‘What’s New’ feature has been in development since before Microsoft originally revealed the NXE a year ago. Lempel mentioned that Sony hadn’t wanted to go the route of Microsoft and “do a big update” since the XMB is already quite popular.

Lempel also added that the Information Board had always been seen as the What’s New feature’s predecessor. The new version will allow players to keep a tab on “what the latest and greatest is” on the PS Store. He also promised that the system will continue to see upgrades and changes in the future and that the ability to see all DLC for a title may be lost later on.

Apparently the PS3 Slim won’t have this firmware pre-installed but owners will be able to download a day-one upgrade to 3.00. So hold out till the 1st of September to see what its all about otherwise check out the demo video below.

Source: blog.gamer20 & n4g & Joystiq

Last Updated: August 19, 2009