PS3 Update 2.4 Out Now! - Tutorial videos Inside

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

games can play fine for a period without the discs in on both ps1 / ps2, not my problem if you can't take it that sony did something before the xbox even came out, even PCs allowed playing custom soundtracks before the xbox :p

Decided to see if it works and the game continues as expected because it's loaded to the ram, but there is no custom sound track when I swap in an audio cd and the performance of the PS1 game (GTA) suffers.

Case closed (Y)

FYI, PC isn't a console :)

[popisdead uk]

Oh my gosh people, I think we can all agree XBL have been on the top with regard to online gaming for many years. I think we all can also agree Sony has been improving PSN with firmware updates that's quickly closing the gap between the two.

Obviously, Sony thought other features needed more attention than in-game XMB/custom soundtracks, etc hence why it took this long to arrive. But, those once exclusive features to XBL are finally coming to PSN, for free.

QFT

Decided to see if it works and the game continues as expected because it's loaded to the ram, but there is no custom sound track when I swap in an audio cd and the performance of the PS1 game (GTA) suffers.

Case closed (Y)

FYI, PC isn't a console :)

Not all games allowed it, he said? I never knew about it though.

Edited June 30, 2008 by gigapixels

[Ricardo Gil]

I thought it would quote all of the post, that was aimed at all, not just Ricardo Gil - my apologies Ricardo for singling you out there, wasn't intentional.

I don't even know why I was aimed at all :blink: . I was just making an observation about those services being free for Live users too...

[.KICK]

Obviously, Sony thought other features needed more attention than in-game XMB/custom soundtracks, etc hence why it took this long to arrive. But, those once exclusive features to XBL are finally coming to PSN, for free.

But the thing is, if you have Silver Xbox Live, you have all the same features! You don't even need Xbox Live for the achievements and custom sound tracks etc. Offline profile still does the job also. Your point is invalid.

[Mike]

Decided to see if it works and the game continues as expected because it's loaded to the ram, but there is no custom sound track when I swap in an audio cd and the performance of the PS1 game (GTA) suffers.

Case closed (Y)

FYI, PC isn't a console :)

not all games supported it

case reopened then closed, it does work ;)

[popisdead uk]

I don't even know why I was aimed at all :blink: . I was just making an observation about those services being free for Live users too...

I wasn't really aiming it at anybody in particular, just a general sweeping statement. XBL is miles ahead in terms of functionality, we know that and therefore don't need the constant comparisons.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

not all games supported it

case reopened then closed, it does work ;)

Ok so even if a game supports it, you said a game will only work for a limited time. How long is that? 5 minutes, 10, an hour? What use is it to have a custom soundtrack if my game is gonna crash?

Half assed at its best (Y)

ps. name me a game please which you remember supporting it, I wanna try for myself.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I wasn't really aiming it at anybody in particular, just a general sweeping statement. XBL is miles ahead in terms of functionality, we know that and therefore don't need the constant comparisons.

This.

That is my biggest beef with how people behave in this section at times.

I applaud how open DL clearly is after the comment he made, in trying not to turn this into a concentration camp. However for the sake of this forum at times, I do think some people need to calm it down with the jokes/comments and constant waves of negativity. As I said, members who seem to have a 90:10 ratio of complaints/jokes (nice signatures guys, real mature, and we know exactly what you're trying to do with them) in this section.

The 360 section had one topic the other week, with comments on Live and it's costs/comparisons. ONE TOPIC. Yes it still receives comments in other topics in relation to comparisons, but not in the volumes of this section.

Maybe this section needs a dedicated topic, however sadly, I think it would be ignored and people would continue to turn nearly every PSN/PS3 firmware topic into a comparison fest where they tell us MS did it first, Sony still isn't up to par, and we've waited years.

The FUNNY thing is, ALL OF THAT IS TRUE. AND I AGREE WITH IT! 100% agree with ALL those comments.

But I do not need to be told in the volumes I see. Why not? Because every single one of you know what a comparison topic leads to - Many many pages of discussion, 9 times out of 10 in a topic that doesn't need it.

[Ricardo Gil]

I wasn't really aiming it at anybody in particular, just a general sweeping statement. XBL is miles ahead in terms of functionality, we know that and therefore don't need the constant comparisons.

Yeah whatever, just tell that to him next time, not me.

--

So, any big things besides in-game XMB that people here were hoping for and didn't make the cut? Stuff like private voice chat during games?

[popisdead uk]

Yeah whatever, just tell that to him next time, not me.

--

So, any big things besides in-game XMB that people here were hoping for and didn't make the cut? Stuff like private voice chat during games?

Have you not read my other posts? I didn't mean for it to just quote you. I wasn't telling him, or you, I was making an overall general comment.

I've never used private chat within games, for me it's completely pointless. I'm happy with what they have shown so far.

[Corris Veteran]

Nice to see its finally being dished out and that we can get our hands on it.

Though I hope they get some patches out for some of the newer games soon.

If they patch such games as MGS4, I hope I don't have to start from a new save file altogether to get some things.

But on a different point.

Your all just as annoying as each other, someone moans, then someone moans about someone moaning, then they moan that they moaned about them.

Its a never ending circle with you guys.

If you get really annoyed at what someone says all the time, put them on ignore, don't give them your time if they do nothing but moan, its not worth it.

If people are like they are in this forum with certain things I wouldn't give them the time of day if I knew them.

And I do love some of the Sigs around here, just asking for people to rant at them, nice way of attention seeking.

[popisdead uk]

And I do love some of the Sigs around here, just asking for people to rant at them, nice way of attention seeking.

We know, yet they are not breaking any rules (apparently)

[Starchild]

I can't wait :jump:

[Michael1406]

Nice to see its finally being dished out and that we can get our hands on it.

Though I hope they get some patches out for some of the newer games soon.

If they patch such games as MGS4, I hope I don't have to start from a new save file altogether to get some things.

I doubt you'd have to start a new save file, rather just fulfill requirements. Although doing another Big Boss Emblem run could be traumatic for some. :)

[sn00pie]

Regarding the constant bickering and bull**** the Sony forum constantly receives, enough is enough. This thread is a perfect example of whats wrong with our the gaming aspect of our community. Sony forum has a thread regarding a few features Xbox Live has had from the start and slap, here starts WW3. The guys with signature pics that display anti-X360, anti-Sony subjects are usually the ones who are caught up in the fights.

From what I see, we need a few warnings sent out to members who continue to re-offend.

Yeah whatever, just tell that to him next time, not me.

--

So, any big things besides in-game XMB that people here were hoping for and didn't make the cut? Stuff like private voice chat during games?

I'd like an ability to have your own chat-room with friends while you play; would be great for setting up matches online between a couple of friends.

Additionally, the firmware 2.40 update includes Google-powered Internet

search functionality on the XMB, allowing users to input search terms and

be directed to a search results page without having to first open the PS3

Internet browser. PSP?(PlayStation?Portable) system recently added

similar Internet search functionality through a firmware update.

Is it me or has everyone overlooked that... does that mean we're gonna have a big search bar in a corner? Never mind its under the Internet Browser button.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/06/29/...part-1-the-xmb/In that video, can you guys see a clock in the top right hand side? When he pauses it at 00:47.b>

Edited June 30, 2008 by Game

[Guest]

wow... This update had really upset some people on the board. :huh:

[Ricardo Gil]

wow... This update had really upset some people on the board. :huh:

Yeah, that's just the power of the Cell. <lotr>My precious</lotr> :laugh:

People get riled up over a little piece of silicone/software (and sigs).

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

In that video, can you guys see a clock in the top right hand side? When he pauses it at 00:47.

Yeah the clock is a confirmed addition :)

[Sethos]

Yeah the clock is a confirmed addition :)

Nice.

[maeby]

ya gotta give them credit, it may have taken awhile (maybe a bit too long) but they added everything everyone wanted.

hell for the most i was expecting a pretty slimmed down xmb, they certaintly exceeded my expectations!

[Huleboeren]

Not gonna read 11 pages of bullcrap - what did I miss? :p

Nice update so far, cant wait to try it..

Are there anything more besides google search, in-game xmb and trophies?

[morficus]

I've been in and out of meetings all day at work.. but I've been trying to read this topic as much as possible (currently on page 5 :p).

here are some comments I have about past posts

No new features I'm interested in :s

WTF? really? what features are you looking for?

"push button for prize" feature or something?

ps. I wish I had enough money to afford the Bravias shown in the demonstrations... OMG they look lovely :drool:

indeed they do <3 But I'm happy with my 42" Olevia until OLED TV's go on sale/I can afford one - haha

what TV/monitor are you using?

What time does FW usually come out in the UK? Hope it comes wed morning!

idk about the UK... but in the past, US FW was usually pushed a little bit after midnight. Many of times I've been kicked off the PSN around 12:10am... then asked to update

[morficus]

on page 10 now... almost up to speed ;)

nice to see that some people are really making friends around here

looks great. as an rpg fan, i'm feeling excited about the whole leveling up system. i'm hoping MGS4 will be patched with trophy support as well. i beat the game last week and haven't started my second playthrough yet, so it'll be another reason for me to go through it again. :)

same.. I like the idea of being competitive :D

also.. I'm not done with MGS4 yet.. but I'm gonna wait to do the 2nd round once it gets patched with tropies

I guess the XMB makes the system a little more than a single task processor. :hmmm:

do you really think that running a game is a "single task" ?

multiple AI's, multiple physics engines, rendering 3D graphics and textures, 5.1 audio processing... that actually seems like a lot of work if you ask me. ;)

To the people who complain, would you complain if you went to a party and they weren't serving your particular brand of beer? The point is, you don't complain when something is FREE and handed to you. Thank you Sony for not charging.

Assuming in-game XMB/acheivements/custom sound tracks have finally arrived, what other features does a pay service (XBL) have that a free service (PSN) is still missing? Anyone?

I'll drink to that! free! FREE! F-R-E-E!!!

oh.. and also... the PS3 has no voice messaging. that's all I can think of.

Then how on earth did you continue to play whatever game you took out. From what I remember the game would crash as soon as you remove the disk :blink:

hhmm... not true.

I in remember 'Brave Fencer: Mushachi' you could remove the disk at any point in the game with no problems. The issue would be when it had to load the next screen... THEN it would crash :p

AFAIK, the 'loading' screen on the PS1 was when the console moved a chunk of data from the disk to the consoles memory. that's why you could remove some the disk w/o any issues at time

Edited June 30, 2008 by gigapixels

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

IGN Firmware 2.40 Impressions

US, June 30, 2008 - The moment that everyone has been waiting for is finally upon us. With the release of firmware update 2.40, Sony will finally add features like in-game XrossMediaBar access, custom soundtracks and Trophies to the PlayStation 3. Greg and I had a chance to see the update in action a few days ago, and based on what we saw, you should be excited. Read on for details, and look for our personal impressions at the end.

Perhaps the biggest part of the update for some folks is the ability to access the XrossMediaBar while playing a game. We're not talking about a scaled-down version of the XMB here - the whole thing pops up when you hit the PS button. A fair number of features will ask you to quit the game to use them, like hitting up the PlayStation Store, starting a movie or changing your display settings, but everything is accessible. For stuff that does ask you to quit, the PS3 will take you right to the option when you choose to leave the game. So, if you choose to head into the PlayStation Store and do opt to quit the game you're playing, you won't have to scroll back over to the PS Store icon a second time; it'll take you there automatically after quitting.

While that's cool, it's the stuff that does work in-game that's awesome. Your Friends list is fully accessible, be it for seeing who's online, checking or sending messages, adding friends or whatever else. You're also able to change accessory settings while in-game, so if you choose to hop online and want to turn on a headset, you no longer have to quit out of the game to do so.

Note that the in-game XMB access only works for PlayStation 3 titles (both downloadable and disc-based games). You can't do this stuff while playing a PSone or PS2 game, nor while watching a movie. It sounds like you may eventually be able to access the XMB while watching a movie at some point in the future, but this is still pending at this point, and will likely be based on user demand (so start sending letters to your local senator).

Accessing the XMB while in-game is done by tapping the PS button. Holding the button for a couple seconds will bring up the old menu, where you can change controllers or shut down the system. The 2.40 update will add a new option to the Game menu that lets you quit a game, so you'll be able to hop out of a title from either menu once the update hits, which is cool. One thing to note is that tapping the PS button to bring up the XMB doesn't always automatically pause whatever game you're playing. It's technically not a major issue and just requires that you hit Start before the PS button, but it's certainly worth noting as you can't use it to essentially pause cutscenes that otherwise wouldn't allow it.

Along with being able to manipulate your Friends list, possibly the coolest ability with the in-game XMB access is the ability to play your own music. Yes, we're talking custom soundtracks here. Note that this ability has to be added to a game to enable it, so it won't work with existing stuff unless the games are patched, but it's an option that will likely hit many upcoming titles.

You can go in and play any track on your system, obviously. The cool part though is that Sony has added a compact control panel at the top of the Music category that gives you quick access to oft-used functions, like play, pause, skip and whatnot. You can also change the volume with the panel, so you can turn down your music a bit if it overpowers the game's audio effects. While there won't be any games to support this at 2.40's launch, we did see a demo of it working with PixelJunk Monsters Encore, so it's obviously a candidate for a patch down the line.

While all of the in-game XMB stuff is awesome, Trophies are what take the update's cake. Much like Achievements on the Xbox 360, you'll earn Trophies for completing specific tasks in a game (a notification will pop up in the corner of the screen to tell you when you've earned one). The difference though is that instead of being worth a rather arbitrary point total, you'll earn either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Trophy for each accomplishment. Each Trophy has a behind-the-scenes point value (that you probably won't ever see), with developers allotted a total number of points they can use per game. So devs could pop in only a handful of Gold Trophies, a ton of Bronze Trophies, or mix and match with a few Silver tossed in, up to the point limit for the game. There will be "large scale" and "small scale" Trophy amounts, likely split between downloadable and retail games. So, like on the 360, full-fledged titles should offer more Trophies than smaller downloadable games.

Each game will also have a single Platinum Trophy assigned to it, which is only unlocked once you've earned all of the other Trophies. This Platinum Trophy plays nicely into the new Level system that will be introduced in 2.40. Instead of simply having a total number of Trophies (which is also viewable), each PSN profile will also have a Level. Each Trophy takes you closer to the next Level, though like an RPG, you'll be required to gain more Trophies to advance to each successive Level (it'll take longer to get to Level 3 than Level 2, in other words). Platinum Trophies will give you a ton of "experience" towards your next Level, so if you have a game where you're missing just one Bronze Trophy, nabbing that last one will give you a huge Level boost as it'll also automatically earn you the Platinum Trophy. Though there's technically a Level cap on the server end, Sony will continue to up the cap so that gamers should never be able to hit the maximum. Level 1 billion, here we come.

To view your Trophies, you'll head under a new Trophy listing under the Game category in the XMB. Clicking on this will list all of the Trophy-supported games you've played in a descending list to the side, much like the saved games listing appears. Next to the icon and name for each game, you'll see the percentage of Trophies that you've earned for the game, and hovering over the title will also show you a visual percentage meter. Clicking on the game will then give you a list of all available Trophies, and tell you the time and date that you earned any of them.

It's important to note that while games can be patched to offer support for Trophies, the rewards can't be given out retroactively -- you'd have to go back and play through each game again. This makes sense given that someone could copy a completed save for a game that they've never played from a friend and automatically unlock all of the Trophies.

Super Stardust HD will be the first game to be patched and offer Trophy support. Sony is planning on releasing the patch within hours of 2.40 hitting the wire, so it won't take long for players to be able to start filling up their collection. Warhawk and Pain will also get updates at some point in the future, with numerous other titles on the TBD list. As far as upcoming titles go, Sony promises that every major first-party game slated for release later this summer and onward will have built-in Trophy support. SOCOM: Confrontation and Resistance 2 were called out as examples during our meeting, while the press release also mentions BUZZ! Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, NBA 09 and PixelJunk Eden. PixelJunk Eden will be the first game to have Trophy support upon its initial release.

For third-parties, Sony promises that many developers are working to add Trophies into their games for this fall and onward. For the near future, Sony will not require that developers feature Trophy support in their games as some titles may be too far along to easily add them. However, at an undisclosed point in the future, all PlayStation 3 releases will indeed be required to make use of Trophies. We're hoping that's sooner than later.

With regards to Home, we're told that Trophies will in fact have some sort of tie-in to the online universe, though perhaps not on a one-to-one basis. From the way it was put during the meeting, my guess is that not all Trophies will have Home representations, but that many of the bigger ones will. So, while you might not get a Home version of a "Complete Stage 1" Trophy, I'm guessing that you will get stuff for things like finishing a game or completing other major tasks. Again though, this bit is all educated guesswork on my end.

While viewing your own Trophy collection is fun, the whole thing would be moot if others couldn't see your rewards and vice-versa. This is where the new profiles come into play. Clicking on someone's name in either your Friends or recently played list, you'll be presented with one of the new profiles. Each profile has three pages that you can flip through with the L1 and R1 buttons. The first page displays their name, icon, visual representations of their eight most recently collected Trophies, their total number of Trophies earned and their current Level (along with a progress meter to show how close they are to their next Level).

The second page shows you a tiered list of how many Trophies they've earned, so you can see if they've stocked up solely on Bronze rewards or if they're also picking up Silver and Golds along the way. The third and last page is a personal information sheet, with their PSN ID, an information blurb where players can write whatever they want about themselves, and a list of the languages that they happen to speak.

At the bottom of someone's profile page, you'll find icons for performing one of three tasks -- you can send them a message, start a voice chat, or, best of all, compare your Trophies. When you pick this last option, the system will display all of the games you've played in a descending list with your Trophy percentages shown side-by-side. Clicking on any game will then change from showing all of your games to showing all of the specific Trophies for said game. If you've used the Achievement comparison system on Xbox Live, you'll have a good idea of how this works.

Sony promises that the 2.40 release serves only as the introduction of Trophies, and that more features will work their way out in the future. For instance, a web-based interface for viewing your Trophies is in the works, and Sony is also working on giving you a quick-glimpse at someone's progress by incorporating a Trophy count or something similar for inclusion next to their name on your Friends list, so that you don't need to click on everyone's profile to have an idea of how everyone stacks up to one another.

While in-game XMB support, custom soundtracks and Trophies are certainly 2.40's biggest features, there are a handful of other nice additions on their way in the update. A clock has been added to the upper-right corner of the screen, for instance, while a quick Google search option has been added to the XMB, just like the one that recently hit the PSP. And, perhaps best of all, the Friends list cap has been doubled from 50 to 100.

Perhaps the best news is that you'll have access to all of this on July 2nd, a mere two days from now.

Chris Roper's Take

What Sony showed us of 2.40 looks awesome. I never really missed custom soundtracks, but the Trophy stuff is fantastic. I'm a big fan of the 360's Achievement system, not for overall points, but rather to show how much I've done in a single game. Sony's version looks to cater to my tastes better than a somewhat random number scheme, which is great.

Also, the Level system is brilliant. My Xbox 360 GamerScore is somewhere close to 17,000 right now. If I get an Achievement worth 10 points, that doesn't mean a whole lot at this point. But on the PS3, if I'm at Level 12, I know that every Bronze Trophy brings me one step closer to Level 13. In the scheme of things, it still doesn't mean anything in the overall betterment of my life (getting to Level 50 won't earn me a pay raise at work or a free dinner), but it is one more little thing for me to obsess over and will start getting me to prefer playing the PS3 version of a game rather than its all-things-equal 360 counterpart.

Greg Miller's Take

Once this Trophy thing gets going, I'm done with Achievements.

With one morning meeting, Sony has made me ready to buy every cross-platform title on the PlayStation 3 instead of its Microsoft-bred competitor. Sure, points are nice, but now I'm Leveling up? You mean to tell me that Sony's turned my gaming into an RPG of its own? You mean that everyone's going to be starting from square one and have an equal chance at being king of Trophies?

Sign me up.

Seriously, everything I saw during our eyes-on with 2.40 impressed me. The ability to play custom music looks like it'll be fun, the in-game XMB works just like you think it should, and Sony honestly seems like it's ready to improve the feature as it goes. Sure, it's weird that calling the XMB up doesn't automatically pause the game and I'd like to see the Levels of my friends when I glance at the who's online section, but during our session, Sony was already talking about Phase Two and Phase Three additions and plans.

It's nice to know that it's committed.

Sadly, it's going to suck waiting for developers to get Trophies in their games, but the promise of Stardust and every major first-party, 2008 release being ready to roll with the system is a nice silver lining. Plus, they're working on a Warhawk Trophy patch, so I'll be set once that hits.

I'm excited. Really, really excited. Since the PS3 launched, I've been waiting for Sony to say "This is why you should play games on our system." The independent, original award system 2.40 is implementing is a great first step towards an answer to that question.

The PSN is about to become a community.

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/885/885177p1.html

[Ricardo Gil]

Also, the Level system is brilliant. My Xbox 360 GamerScore is somewhere close to 17,000 right now. If I get an Achievement worth 10 points, that doesn't mean a whole lot at this point. But on the PS3, if I'm at Level 12, I know that every Bronze Trophy brings me one step closer to Level 13.

I honestly can't see the difference. They're just numbers in the end, so getting level 16 is the same as getting over 9000 or 12000 on Live... they both give you an idea of how much you've played (or whored yourself) but still they're just numbers, only different magnitudes (And yes, I know it sounds cooler to say you're level 60 or something :)).