Sony announces 2.40 PS3 firmware update In-game XMB and trophies coming within days

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30 June 2008 13:55 GMT / By Verity Burns

We've brought you the rumours, the news that it was coming, and can now tell you just when you'll get it - Sony has just revealed that 2.40 is coming on 2 July.

Sony says the new automatic firmware upgrade for the PlayStation 3, which will enhance online gaming functionality, "delivers several features most requested by gamers".

We should cocoa - firstly, the 2.40 enhancement allows XMB (XrossMediaBar) access in-game. This means that you can access the PS3 menu at any time while playing most games, simply by tapping the PlayStation button on your controller.

Also with 2.40, you will be able to check if your friends are online (you'll be able to have up to 100 in your list with the update), read and send messages and change some settings for games, all without having to quit the game you are playing.

While you obviously can’t pause an online multiplayer game involving other people, you can rejoin play at any time when you’ve finished browsing.

As we've reported, 2.40 also delivers trophies to recognise players’ achievements in the online arena. Many online games will have gold, silver and bronze trophies – with platinum available for those who bag all three – all displayed on the XMB for everyone to see.

Super Stardust will be the first game to offer out trophies, with games such as NBA 09, Resistance 2 and Buzz! Quiz TV among others to join in in the the near future.

The 2.40 enhancement will be available from 2 July and will be free to download.



Comments

  • This has effectively settled my decision making. I can for-see no added benefit to purchasing an XBox instead now.

    Even the price difference is excusable given the Blu-Ray drive. When you add it all up, it's still more for less.     Posted by L.Rawlins, UK
  • You're absolutely right about no benefits to buying an XBox. Except for maybe the fact that due to development issues on the PS3, games are generally developed on XBox and ported to PS3, meaning games run smoother, have less issues etc. when running the XBOx version side by side with the PS3.

    But that's a minor point, I'd obviously sooner have a built-in blu-ray player than a machine that can actually run my games well....     Posted by JP, Ireland
  • that may be true to some extent, but most critics agree that the difference in game operation is very small and in almost all cases, negligible. in fact, it will not be an issue in the near future, when developers start to more fully understand how to program for the ps3, and just like it has been for every ps system, the full potential of the system will not be realized until the end of this generation consoles.

    in short, if the quiet play of dvds and blu-rays is not enough for you to cough up an extra 130 bucks, maybe this will: the ps3 has more capabilities than the xbox, and at the end of the generation consoles, ps3 will be running better games more smoothly. 360 will be left feeling like the genesis of old, while ps3 will be remembered as a classic system much like ps1 and ps2.     Posted by albert, usa

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