Gamers currently enjoying their summer vacation may want to take this notice into account. The European PlayStation Network will be undergoing scheduled maintainance this Wednesday (July 9th 2008) between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM BST. During the maintainence period, some gamers will not be able to sign-in to the PlayStation Network and you may experience frequent disconnects from the network. It is therefore best to avoid any online games during this period.

The announcement was made on the European PlayStation Board.

Firmware 2.40 is still unavailable to download following complaints from gamers. It now appears that Firmware 2.41 could be released this week to allow users who are still on Firmware 2.36 (or lower) to upgrade. Any other problems in Firmware 2.40 are also likely to be fixed in this update for users who have already upgraded to 2.40. SCEE has not denied the rumors but didn’t confirm them either.

"I saw them," said a rep to VG247 when asked if Sony was aware of the rumours. "I can’t confirm anything at the moment, though." This report is considered as a rumor until Sony make an official statement on the status of firmware 2.40 or announce the release of firmware 2.41.

Firmware 2.40 brings the PS3 closer to a fully-fledged system, but there are still problems with the system software and features that are missing. In this article, we detail some of the problems faced by the existing system software and what additional features can make it better. While not everyone will agree with the problems and improvements features in this article, it just goes to show how many flaws the system has and how far off it is from perfect.

Don’t get me wrong here. I love my PS3 but there is always the need for criticism.

Current Problems (and possible solutions):

• The friends list takes long to load – if you have over 50 friends, your friends list can take a while to load, in addition, it takes some time for their online status to refresh. One way to solve this problem is to cache the list and reload it as needed. Currently, it seems that the list is loaded fresh every time the console is started.
• Lack of supported video and audio formats – only a limited number of video and music files are supported by the PS3. While the recently introduced DivX compatibility makes it easier for some people, there are still many formats that are missing. Currently, the PS3 cannot be classified as a “media center” without better compatibility.
• In-game XMB is slow – while the in-game XMB is a nice feature to have, it can be slow and clunky. With a whole SPU dedicated to the XMB, it’s the memory that is causing the problem, which is only 256MB for the entire system (thought there is also another 256MB in the GPU). One way to speed up the in-game XMB is to only show the features that can be accessed in-game, and hide the rest.
• In-game music playback – Firmware 2.40 introduces in-game music playback, but is only compatible with titles that support the feature. It’s up to the developers to make the feature available. Sony should allow the feature by default, and simply allow players to mute in the game’s music by changing the game settings. This will allow gamers to play their own music while also leaving the sound effects in place.
• Downloading while on power-save mode – you can only download content while the system is switched on. It would be great if there is a power-save mode (a mode between stand-by and full power) that allows you to download things while saving power.
• Screensavers – if you leave your PS3 idle, the screen simply dims down or runs folding@home if it’s configured to do so. It would be great if there were some actual screensavers or even an auto-off feature, something similar to that of the PSP.
• Better flash player – the PS3 web browser is decent, but the flash player cannot support all flash content. It would be great if the flash player was in the same league as a PC or Mac.
• Limited friends list – Firmware 2.40 upped the friends list limit from 50 to 100, but this is still very restrictive. My friend list is closely reaching this new limit and it could be months before they decide to increase it again. Why not just allow an infinite number of friends?
• Online version of Player Profile – Player’s profile has changed in Firmware 2.40, showing something similar to a “gamers card”. Why not introduce an online version of this or at least offer an API for developers to create their own? People want to share their achievements and “now playing” statuses, so why not let them.
• Better Remote Play – the PSP/PS3 cross-compatibility features are great, but there is still room for improvement. Why not let users edit their account (via Account Manager) from their PSP. Mirror the screen on both the PSP and PS3 rather than showing the “Remote Play in Progress” screen on the PS3.
• Better messaging – the messaging system is good for sending messages to offline friends, but when you want to chat to someone online, IM would be so much easier if you don’t have a mic. Adding IM to the chat room would allow gamers with no mic to still join in.
• Allowing users to change PSN Name – currently, you cannot change your PSN name. Sony should allow users to change their name if they no longer like they current name, but limit it to once every six months to stop abuse.
• Message list – prior to Firmware 2.40, clicking on a friends name would show you the message list between the two of you. It now displays the player’s profile. It should be the way it was. Now you have to press TRIANGLE and then select [Message List] to see your messages.

New features to improve the PS3:

• Cross game chat/in-game chat – for games that don’t support chat, the XMB should provide an alternative, allowing gamers to communicate. Cross-game chat would allow gamers to keep in touch with friends playing different games.
• Email to PSN (and vice versa) – allow users to send a message to your PSN account using a email address and vice versa could help keeping it touch with friends who don’t own a PS3. A personalized email address like [psn_id]@psn.playstation.com would be great.
• Message Notification – get an email sent to your registered email address when you receive a new PSN message.
• Better online Profiles – allow gamers to add more information to their profile page rather than just “About Me”. This would avoid duplicate questions like “how old are you?” and “where are you from?”, as it can all be on the profile page.
• RSS Reader – like the PSP, a RSS reader feature would allow gamers to subscribe to podcasts and photo feeds. Hell, why not also let gamers subscribe to their favorite news websites too.
• Skype – again like the PSP, a Skype client would be great. Not only can you have voice conversations with friends, if you have the PlayStation Eye or Eye Toy, you can also have a video call with friends and from around the world.
• Upscale PS3 titles – if you are playing a 720p game on a TV that supports 1080p, why not upscale games like you can upscale DVDs? Of course, this might make developers lazy.
• Friend Finder – you may not always know your friend’s PSN ID, so why not allow gamers to search for their friends using their email address. Even better is allowing gamers’ to import their address books from Hotmail, GMail and Yahoo and auto-search for people they may know.
• Login to multiple PSN accounts – you can currently only login to one PSN account at a time. Why not let gamers login to two or more accounts when playing multiplayer games. That way, both users can get points for playing games like Warhawk on split-screen.
• Password Protection – anyone can login to your Local User account when they turn on your PS3. Adding password protection would make it much more secure. For example, it would stop jealous friends from deleting your gamesaves.
• Admin User(s) – if you have younger siblings using your console, they can sometimes change settings or delete things without your knowledge. Having an “admin” account can prevent “non-admin” users from tampering with settings and deleting files. This is especially important with the System Update feature.
• “Appear Offline” – signing into the PSN means everyone can see you online. But this is necessary to access the PlayStation Store and playing games. There should be a “appear offline” feature allowing you to appear offline to friends, but giving access to all the PSN features.
• Keyboard Shortcuts – The XMB supports a keyboard, but there are no shortcut keys. Pressing “S” on the friends list should scroll down to the first name beginning with “S”. Pressing “Del” on a video/photo etc. should give you the option to delete it.
• Screenshots and Videos – gamers should be able to take in-game or even XMB screenshots and videos with the press of some key-combination. While video recording might affect system resources, image capture should be a lot easier to implement. This would allow gamers to show off their skills or easter-egg finds more easily. (Don’t you just hate shaky-cam videos and blurry screenshots.)
• Auto-download – if you subscribe to Qore, whenever a new episode is out it should automatically be added to your download list (in addition to appearing on your PlayStation Store download list). Similarly, you should be able to set “download all new demos” and let the PS3 download all new demos automatically.
• Better multi-taking – currently, you cannot do anything else while installing a game. You should at least be allowed to view photos or surf the net while you wait, or do something else that doesn’t use of system resources.
• Better “now playing” status – the PS3 only displays the names of games you are currently playing. Why not expand this to display “Playing Video” when watching a video or display the name of the Blu-Ray title you are watching (and display the appropriate icon). It may stop friends from pestering you.
• Message Attachments – you can only attach photos to PSN message. Why not let gamers attach bookmarks and gamesaves too?
• Force developers to use the PSN ID system – Metal Gear Solid 4 is the one game that doesn’t use the PSN ID system. Sony should force developers to use this system as it makes locating friends easier. The MGS4 Game ID just complicates things. Any add-ons should also be forced to appear on the PlayStation Store. Konami just screwed things up with the Konami ID and Game ID systems.
• Better Back-up/Restore system – backing up your console means all your content is backed up. Allowing user to customize their backup would make it easier for gamers. For example, gamers can select “Games” and “Savedata” to back on those two, and ignoring everything else. This should also work when restoring a system, allowing users to only restore a subset if items.

Let’s leave it there shall we? We could probably go on forever but whether any of the above feature see the light of day is Sony’s decision. It’s taken almost two years to get the PS3 this far and implementing even a few of the above features could take Sony another year.
If you have any comments or suggestions, make yourself heard below.

­

PS3 Firmware was released on July 2nd 2008, but was taken down after reports of the update causing problems. Seeing as not everyone has managed to update their PS3, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to bring you a list of in-game XMB features you are (not) missing out on. As you may already know, you cannot access most parts of the XMB from within a game, so we have compiled a list of features you can access (see below), and included screenshots.

Accessible in-game XMB features:

• [Users]
  • Turn off System
• [Settings]
  • [Accessory Settings]
    • Reassign Controllers
    • Controller Vibration Function
    • Manage Bluetooth devices
    • Audio Device Settings
    • Voice Changer
• [Photos]
  • View Photo Information
  • Delete Photos
• [Music]
  • Play music (if supported by game)
  • Delete Music
  • View Music Information
• [Game]
  • Trophy Collection
  • Quit Game
  • Start another game (quits current game)
  • View Game Information
• [Network]
  • View Active Download
• [Friends]
  • Block List
  • Add a Friend
  • Players Met
  • View/Send/Delete/Protect Messages
  • View Profile
  • Compare Trophies
  • Delete Friends
  • Block Users
  • View Message Information
  • Accept Friend Requests

Screenshots:

Video:

PlayStation Home is still on schedule to release the PlayStation Home Open Beta this fall. In an interview with Next-Gen.biz, Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network Operations, said, "The home open beta is still on schedule for release later this fall". Despite numerous delays, Lempel assures gamers that Home will be worth the wait. In addition, Lempel also mentioned that Home will be a fully robust service and will be representative of what the virtual world will ultimately offer.

Eric Lempel also said,

"I don’t have any more specifics right now, but like Kaz [Hirai] said, it will go live [in the US] this summer and I think it will offer consumers everything they’re looking for from us. It will offer everything they expect from us and probably a little bit more."

When asked about a European and Japanese launch Lempel said that he couldn’t "speak for the other regions at this time".

[Via: Next-Gen.biz]

The first PlayStation Store update for July is in, and what a nice big update it is. Both stores have received a number of new add-on packs, including content for Buzz!, Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band; a selection of videos and trailers and also a number of new wallpapers and XMB themes. Europe has received only one new playable demo this week, and the US has received none. The new episode of Qore is also available to download from the US store. Check out the complete list below.

European Additions:

• Game
  
  • Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (£6.99)
• Game add-on Content
  
  • Guitar Hero 3 – July 4th 2008 Holiday Single
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Gift Pack
  • Buzz! Australian Culture Quiz (£3.49)
  • Buzz! UK Culture Quiz (£3.49)
  • Buzz Rock Legends (£3.49)
  • Buzz Sci Fi (£3.49)
• Video
  
  • Movement – Movement Ep1 ‘Lets hit the road’
  • Movement ep2 ‘Paris Respects to Jim’
  • Movement Minitel Rose Be with you
  • Movement Minitel Rose Continue
  • Movement Minitel Rose Interview
  • Movement Pravda Interview
  • Movement Pravda ‘Je suis french’
  • Movement Pravda ‘Tu es l’Ouest’
  • BIA HH Ubidays Trailer
  • Haze Launch Trailer
• Wallpapers
  
  • Top Spin 3 Wallpaper
  • Elefunk Forest Wallpaper
  • Elefunk Circus Wallpaper
• Themes
  
  • MGS4 OTC Theme
  • Elefunk Theme
  • Echochrome Theme

US Additions:

• Qore Episode 2
• Game add-on content
  
  • Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock July 4th 2008 Holiday Single
  • Rock Band
    
    • "Promised Land" – Vesuvius (free)
    • "Who’s Going Home with You Tonight?" – Trapt ($0.99)
    • "Time Is Running Out" – Papa Roach ($0.99)
    • "Down at the Whisky" – Motley Cr?$0.99)
    • Cr?est Pack 1 ($2.99)
• Game Videos
  
  • Killzone 2 Trailer
  • Valkyria Chronicles Teaser Trailer
  • Battlefield: Bad Company Bad World Trailer
  • Battlefield: Bad Company Rainbow Sprinkles Trailer
  • Battlefield: Bad Company Snake Eyes Trailer
  • Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #2
  • Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #3
  • Tiger Woods ’09 Course Video
  • Vampire Rain Altered Species #1
  • Vampire Rain Altered Species #2
• Movie and Blu-ray Trailers
  
  • Lakeview Terrace
  • John Mayer Live In Los Angeles
  • Vantage Point
  • Persepolis
• PS3 Themes
  
  • Woodward Theme
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Theme
• PS3 Wallpaper
  
  • Top Spin 3 Wallpaper
  • PSN Theme
  • Woodward Theme

Following the release of the highly anticipated PlayStation 3 firmware 2.40 yesterday, many gamers rushed to update their consoles only to find that the installation failed and bricked their consoles. After installing the firmware, gamers will simply presented with the XMB wave with no icons and controller functionality. The problem has been affecting all PS3 models, though we were lucky to update our one successfully. One solution to the problem was removing your hard drive and formatting it. Sony have now released a official statement on the matter.

PlayStation.Blog post by Patrick Seybold,

"As has been reported on many gaming blogs and websites, we have temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline. We’ve received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3. While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, we are committed to providing the PS3 community with XMB access features delivered in the v2.40 update. We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up."

The firmware update was taken offline yesterday to prevent any further problems. If you have successfully installed the firmware update, then there is nothing to worry about. According to Jeff Rubenstein, "We’ve [Sony] received no reports of hardware issues following a successful install."

If you have had any problems, whether it was successfully installed or not, please post a comment below. If you have managed to solve your problem, please share your solution with others.

An official video walkthrough of PS3 Firmware 2.40 has surfaced (included below), showing how the new features work. This video is different to the two walkthroughs we posted earlier this week by Eric Lempel, and is likely to appear in tomorrow’s PlayStation Store update. The video takes you through the in-game XMB feature, trophy support and the new PSN profiles.

Dylan Jobe has posted a message on the Official PlayStation Board regarding Warhawk and it’s upcoming patches. According to the post, the Warhawk v1.5 booster pack will support trophies. There will be 56 trophies in total, 10 of which will be retroactive (providing you have met the requirement to get them). Patch v1.5 won’t be released any time soon as v1.4 hasn’t even been released yet. But Jobe did say, "the v1.4 Patch is very, very, very close to being released".

The 56 trophies are broken down into three categories:

• There are 10 trophies based on the Warhawk’s current stats/rank/awards system. Like getting all your Bronze badges, attaining a specific rank, or earning a number of medals.
• There are 34 trophies that are entirely new rewards based on Warhawks core game and not based on our current stats, ranks or other awards.
• There are then 4 trophies per booster pack that are, of course, completely new awards.

Board Post:

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I’ve been MIA — we have been just cranking on our new updates for all of you; the v1.4 Patch, the v1.5 Patch and yes…our next booster pack.

The team and I have been watching the internets light up with discussions about the trophies in 240 and we thought it was good idea that you got an update straight from the horses mouth…me being the horse I guess 🙂

So…YES, hot trophy action for Warhawk is on the horizon!

Since Warhawk released almost a year ago now, we will be patching-in support for the new trophy system. The reason I mention this is because there has been some talk about Warhawk trophies super-auto-magically going LIVE late tonight when the firmware is released. This is not the case. I know the press release stated that Warhawk trophies were going to be patched-in, but I just wanted to clarify for everyone.

We are right on the cusp of making some big announcements for Warhawk, including our upcoming patches and new booster-pack and while I can’t talk about any of those right now (you will need to wait like a week or so) I can talk a bit about our trophy support in the v1.5 patch.

First off, there are 56 trophies included in the Warhawk v1.5 Patch. These are broken down into a couple of categories:

• There are 10 trophies based on the Warhawk’s current stats/rank/awards system. Like getting all your Bronze badges, attaining a specific rank, or earning a number of medals.
• There are 34 trophies that are entirely *new* rewards based on Warhawks core game and not based on our current stats, ranks or other awards.
• There are then 4 trophies per booster pack that are, of course, completely new awards.

Developing 56 new trophies was a really fun part of the v1.5 production cycle…but 10 of them are based on stats and awards that you, our community may have already earned — so that’s why we made sure that those 10 trophies based on our core stats system would be paid out retroactively. Meaning, that once the v1.5 patch is released, and if you’ve already earned the requirements for those trophies *bling*bling*bling* Warhawk will pay them out to you!

Lastly, cause I know everyone will be asking the obvious question, when is the v1.5 Patch coming out…we haven’t even *officially* announced the v1.4 Patch!!!???

All I am allowed to say is that the v1.4 Patch is very, very, very close to being released and we actually developed the v1.5 Patch in parallel, but staggered, with the v1.4 Patch. The reason we did this is because there are stuffs in the v1.4 Patch that we wanted to get out to everyone ASAP…but the v1.5 patch isn’t that far behind!

Hopefully that clears things up!

[Via: US PlayStation Board]

PlayStation 3 Firmware 2.40 is now available to download. The latest update to the system software includes in-game XMB and trophy support among other additions. The update is available to download in all regions, but due to high demand you may have trouble downloading the update. In addition to the firmware update, a patch for Super Stardust HD is also available to download and includes unlockable trophies.

Screenshots:

Official Changelog:

Overall

• You can now see the system clock on the PS3 Home Menu screen. The date and time that were set under Settings > [Date and Time] are displayed.
• When using a keyboard, you can now clear the entire text entry field at once.
• An icon is now displayed when you press the PS button for an operation that cannot be performed.
• You can now access the PS3 Home Menu screen while playing PLAYSTATION 3 format software.

Users

• You can now turn off the PS3 system from the PS3 Home Menu screen using the [Turn Off System] option.

Settings

• You can now set the PS3 system to turn off automatically after updating the system software.
• [Reassign Controllers] and [Controller Vibration Function] have been added as options under [Accessory Settings].

Photo

• You can now print images from a playlist.
• You can now sort items that are grouped in a folder by month or year using the [Film Date] options.

Music

• You can now use a mini-size control panel while playing music.
• You can now play music content encoded in MP3 Surround format.
  • MP3 Surround can only be played in Linear PCM output.

Video

• You can now use the [Frame Noise Reduction] and [Block Noise Reduction] settings for video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media.
• You can now play upscaled video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media. When the video content is played, it is upscaled automatically to fit the screen size.
• Upscaling of Blu-ray Disc (BDAV) video content is now supported.
• For DTS-HD playback on DVD-Video and Blu-ray Disc media, DTS-ES and DTS 96/24 for DVD-Video and DTS-ES Matrix for Blu-ray Discs are now supported.
  • "DTS" is a trademark of DTS Inc.

Game

• The procedure for quitting PLAYSTATION 3 format software has been changed.
• You can now collect trophies in games that support the trophy feature.

Network

• [Search] has been added as an option in the browse mode menu of the Internet browser.

Friends

• The number of Friends who can be added to a Friends list has been increased from 50 to 100.
• The [Information] screen has been redesigned and renamed as [Profile].