PS3 Firmware Updates:BDLive

Firmware 2.20 for the Sony PlayStation 3 brought us a load of goodies when it arrived a few days back - among them support for BD-Live and even opening the door for Hello World. By now, you should have realized that the firmware updates won't be stopping anytime soon. Thanks to an AV Watch interview of Sony engineers, we can be one step ahead of these developments.

Product Planning director Naoya Matsui headlined a group of Sony engineers who gave us insights on upcoming plans for BD-Live and the PS3 firmware. Topping the list would be the future of Blu-ray movie playback.

If today, we need the latest PS3 firmware in order to access the PlayStation Network or play the newest games, then in the near future, we may need a firmware update first in order to watch the latest Blu-ray movie because of new encryption keys. Case in point, Resident Evil: Extinction.

Although firmware 1.8 had the key, the movie had a firmware 2.10 updater because it renders image quality better.

As for other firmware plans, we should expect these PS3 firmware updates to continue being free of charge. Moreover, these updates will come on a quarterly basis. The April revision of the PlayStation Store is its only exception.

Here are more insights from Matsui and the Sony Engineering team:

• In-game XMB is now being discussed. But there are no updates as of yet
• We may expect the integration of 1080 de-interlacing, mosquito noise reduction and the DTS-HD Master Audio (a lossless audio codec). Those are hardcore features for the hardcore home theater aficionado.
• Firmware 2.20 is stil (sic) without Managed Copy and Portable Copy features
• Memory resource usage can be reduced a lot with 2.20
• The web browser runs faster, but more improvements will be made
• Optical discs and media files goes through 2 different paths during PS3 playback
• Mosquito noise reduction was created for digital TV recordings
• Mosquito noise reduction has a lower processing load
• LTH support took a long time because of tests

That's a slew of information from the Sony engineers. Now that the PlayStation 3 is still rated higher than any stand-alone Blu-ray player, we can confidently say the frontier is just opening up.

[Via AV Watch]

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PlayStation 3 firmware 2.17

Listen up, PlayStation 3 owners! The latest ps3 firmware update for the ps3 console is now available for download from the PlayStation Network. We still don't have any info on the changes, but some claim that firmware 2.17 fixes several exploits and other bug fixes in certain ps3 video games such as MotorStorm.

You should be able to find the ps3 update when you log into PlayStation Network, as many others have reported that they have downloaded PS3 firmware 2.17. As noted by the early adopters, there's no in-game XMB or anything that significant.

After checking around various sites we discovered that there appear to be two main changes included in PS3 firmware 2.17. The first is that the update improves the operating stability on some psn downloads.

The second, which we found on the the Japanese PS3 website, appears to be related to the PS2, as the Google translation reads: "That can be installed to hard disk PlayStation 2 has been added to the standard software."

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In-game XMB arrival, PSN accomplishments?

Digital photographs of what appears to be how the in-game XMB will probably work, as well as gamer accomplishments on Incognito Entertainment's Warhawk surfaced over the PlayStation Network @ Home forums yesterday. And though the anonymous tipster did say that the photos were edited, he did point out that the changes were done to conceal the reflection on the screen which undoubtedly revealed his face.

He also made sure to capture several angles and zoom levels of the shot, perhaps in an effort to boost the photographs' authenticity. The photos show that gamer accomplishments will roll into a player's message box on the Xross Media Bar. It will be completely accessible while playing a game.

The tipper, calling himself sonyguy32, explains that the white cottony artifacts you see on some pictures are actually the clouds in Warhawk, so the XMB will be partially translucent when the in-game mode is activated.

However, speculations as to when the new features will arrive were effectively shot down by long-time media vets. Though people expect the gaming giant to release it this week, media personalities explain that if Sony will make an announcement, it won't be at GDC. They say its because it's a "developer conference" and will have nothing to do about "hardware or firmware."

But because Sony can make the announcement outside of GDC - though coincidentally within the same time GDC is going on - we'll be keeping tabs on this rumor. Head on over to the via link below to view more shots taken and do so while they're still available.

[Via PSN@H Forums]

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Over 2.8 Million PSN gamers in North America

Over at the ongoing Game Developers Conference, Chris Eden, Senior Developer Relations Account Manager at SCEA presented a detailed report on how far the PlayStation 3 console has come since its initial launch last year.

In his presentation, Eden pointed out that 2.8 million people in North America have a playstation network account. Along with this, 46 million psn downloads have been reached worldwide since its launch in November of 2006.

He added that these numbers will continue to grow in the coming future since the company has a feeling that 2008 is going to be the best year yet for its playstation 3 console. It looks like Microsoft's Xbox Live Network has its work cut out for itself with this little development.

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Metal Gear Solid 4 demo coming to PSN?

UK Playstation magazine PSW recently had some play time (Issue 103) with the Konami's upcoming ps3 game Metal Gear Solid 4. A posting at the GameTrailers.com Forums reveals that the same level they demoed will be available on the PlayStation Network in February.

From PSW: "Want more MGS4? Well you'll get it very soon. The stage played here will be out on the PSN Store in the next month."

Although Ryan Payton, Assistant Producer for Metal Gear Solid 4, explained last month that a demo for the video game wasn't likely to appear, this latest playstation 3 news suggests Konami may have had a change of heart.Before we totally get our hopes up though, we have to note that they never actually said the word "demo." Not even the word "playable." There is a chance they may be talking about a video, similar to the full video walkthrough they showed at the E for All Expo.At any rate, at least we know that something is coming. We'll have to wait until next month to see what's really up with the announcement. Check back for updates.

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Playstation Store Update

Here are the latest additions to the PlayStation Store and they are plentiful this week,including an update to downloadable ps3 games favorite Super Stardust HD and Motorstorm downloadable content.

The update adds rumble support for the DualShock 3 and adds custom soundtrack support for Super Stardust HD.If you already own the ps3 video game, redownload it from your download list to install the patch. The weekly Rock Band track updates and Need For Speed ProStreet cheats round out the list. The good news for foreigners who prefer content on the US playstation store, is that US playstation network cards are starting to hit the scene, meaning you can get access to the content you want more easily, which means you can buy this content without having a credit card.
Here is the full list of updates:

Games

• Super Stardust HD Demo and Update*(free)
• Crash Bandicoot 2 (PS1) - $5.99
• Kane and Lynch Demo(free)

Expansions and Add-Ons

Rock Band - $1.99 each

• Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
• Die, All Right! - The Hives
• Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

NFS: Prostreet

• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - $2.99
• McLaren F1 - $2.99

Folklore

• "The Alchemist Pack" ($3.99)
• "The Origin of Belgae" ($3.99)
• Folklore Add-on Bundle 2 ($5.99)

Trailers

• Burnout Paradise “Guns N’Roses” Trailer
  
• First Sunday
• Spiderwick Chronicles (Trailer 2)

Wallpapers and Themes

• PAIN Jarvis Theme
• PAIN The Dude Theme
  

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GamerZines: Free Emagazines for Gamers

Gamerzines is an electronically distributed emagazine about videogames and PC games. The free game magazines themselves are completely free to download. They don’t require any registration or special software to read the emagazine. Inside each Gamerzine, you'll find previews and reviews which you can read online, or download the free game magazines and read it from your PC. You can print each issue at high quality, and best of all, each issue is enhanced with video, animation and interactive competitions. Each GamerZines is written by a team of professional games journalists who have all worked on some of the UK’s biggest games and technology magazines.

What will I find in a GamerZine?

• The same quality of editorial that you would find in a magazine you buy off the shelves - they have over 15 years experience in creating magazines
• Design that matches the highest standards in a printed magazine - the free game magazines look great, which makes reading them a lot more enjoyable
• Ease of use - navigating your way around the magazine and using its advanced features is incredibly simple.
• Immersive multimedia - games are an immersive medium, which is why, alongside static screenshots, you'll find animation, interactivity and video throughout the emagazines.

What do I need?

• Adobe Reader version 6 or above (free). If you have installed Internet Explorer 7 (whether you use it or not), we recommend you upgrade to version 8, from this link. It ensures all features work correctly. Because Adobe Reader is a plugin for Internet Explorer, you need to upgrade to the latest version that has been written to work with Internet Explorer 7, or the multimedia elements may not work correctly.
• Adobe Flash (should be pre-installed on Windows)
• Windows Media Player version 10 or above (version 9 should be pre-installed on Windows and should work, but we recommend version 10. Try installing the latest version if you experience video playback difficulties.)

You can start dowmloading Gamerzine now just follow the link below. We will have updated issues every month.

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