Update: Folks have noted that the hideous platinum crown of old is now a true bonafied trophy. Some report slight performance increases with the in-game XMB as well.
After putting up and then taking down firmware 2.40 due to a few “bricking” issues, Sony has put up version 2.41 for the masses. Guess what? It works fine. I didn’t notice any other changes yet, but I’ll keep this post updated with anything worthwhile.
Update: It looks like firmware 2.4 was taken offline after several unfortunate users had their PS3’s “bricked”. Thank goodness mine updated without a hitch. Even if mine was bricked, apparently it’s a simple matter of removing, re-inserting and reformatting the hard drive.
It’s just after midnight and my PS3 was given the prompt to update firmware 2.4. The much anticipated 2.4.
To celebrate, PSN’s flagship game, Super Stardust HD was given the update with Trophy support and a new add-on for $5.99 CAD. The team pack add-on consists of:
Since I’m a sucker for anything SSHD, I’ll be picking this one up later on. It’s worth it for the soundtrack and ship editor alone!
As for the update itself? Aside from Trophy support, I believe it came with a slightly remixed soundtrack if I’m not mistakened. I haven’t noticed any other major changes.
Update: An FAQ was posted earlier answering some questions. Looking over those questions and answers shows how much Sony needs to implement before they’re truly on par.
It’s been a long time coming. Firmware 2.40, which brings in-game XMB and Trophy support, is finally coming on July 2nd! For the lazy, Sony’s Eric Lempel broke down both features through these two videos:
It sounds all nice and dandy and brings the PS3’s communication and community feature sets a lot closer to the Xbox 360’s. In a few ways areas, firmware 2.4 actually edges out Microsoft’s implementation, but then there are some basics which have yet to be fully realized.
Here’s what I mean:
The new PSN Store was released via firmware 2.30 today. Aside from the slow loading of thumbnail images: it’s awesome. It easily trumps its web-based predecessor and it is arguably better than the Xbox Live Marketplace. Bravo, Sony. You got an important piece of the online experience right.
As for DTS HD Master Audio support: cannot test it without the hardware.
In addition, the rumored Super Stardust HD DLC was released along with an update to Super Stardust HD itself. The addon added three new modes, a remix of the original retro soundtrack and a “new planet”. The update, on the otherhand, added “easy” difficulty and subtle improvements to the visuals.
The addon pack was $6.75 and it was more than worth it. I’ve only tried two of the three new modes, but the “Endless” mode validates the purchase price alone. It turns Super Stardust HD into Geometry Wars on a sphere. Enemies storm in from different random locations, difficulty ramps up a lot quicker and the screen is filled with multicolored explosions of pure bliss.
Love it.
So while the PlayStation Store is being revamped, Sony decided to show us how the whole store is going to work via a friendly video. It looks simple enough and definitely an improvement over the web based offering. Unfortunately, they did not demonstrate the actual purchasing of content. I want to know if they cut down on the number of prompts.
In addition, Sony confirmed that the PS3 will decode DTS-HD Master Audio after firmware 2.30 is released next week. New PSN Store and additional audio support? Good stuff. More reason to buy my Samsung HT-AS720 which is now available in BestBuy Canada.
Well, they said firmware 2.20 and its BD-Live! compatibility was coming and now it’s here. Now the PS3 is one of the first, if not the first, Blu-ray Profile 2.0 players out there.
Fun!
Update #1:
Dude! DivX compatibility was increased! My Bleach episodes and a bunch of other AVIs, which weren’t working before, are now working fine! This is all through DLNA streaming as well.
Update #2:
For the lazy, there’s a video demonstrating the new firmware’s abilities.
Oh, and if you’re wondering if the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player, it may not be anymore. However, look at it this way, it could always be improved in the upcoming firmwares.
