Playstation3 ver3.00 Firmware

The Playstation3 version 3.00 firmware was made available by auto update and downloads around the globe recently, promising XMB (Xross Media Bar) interface changes, nice additions to the menu and also allowing simultaneous multi audio output. Another addition is that the right stick of the analog controller is now able to control the speed of the playback of a movie as well.

Lets have a breakdown on what are the interesting stuff you might notice in the new firmware update

ah yes, 2.80 firmware, we will miss you.

If you are still on the old firmware, you will be prompted to update to the latest version once you are in the main menu. Don’t be shy, give it a try and update your firmware.

The usual terms and conditions, followed by a changelog in 3.00

updating…

A new bootup screen !

Changes to your interface

Dynamic Custom Themes and interface tweaks:

Upon bootup into your new firmware, you’ll be greeted with the new default stardust-filled background and also a new bootup PS3 logo (much for your ego). As of now, there isn’t any other dynamic backgrounds except one which is from Little Big Planet and that costs a fee (American PSN only, Asia not yet).

Another thing you might have notice is that the text labels will fade in and out when you move your cursor. In addition, if you select an item in the XMB, you will get a more obvious bokeh effect of the background. Last but not least, the text fonts appear bigger even in 1080p.

New Upgrade to Indicators (Top right of your XMB):

Right, a more detailed status indicator can be seen in the screen, showing how many friends are online, controller battery indicator, pending messages and many more.

Other tweaks

• Copy-Paste function is now available for web browser and messages
• Audio can be output to multiple connectors from Settings> Sound Settings > Audio Multi Output.
• Web Browser Screenshot can be saved by pressing Triangle button in Internet Browser and go to File> Save a screenshot
• Device such as a PSP can be manually set for Remote Play. (Ready for Sony Ericsson Aino?)
• Right direction analog control can be used for slow playback, fast forward or fast reverse during video playback
• The info board has been replaced with “What’s New”. It will come up as first thing when you start up your PS3, and will be updated regularly.
• The Playstation Store icon has been added in the Games section.
• Video icon that will take you to the video section of the Playstation Store

I like the organisation of the “What’s New” section.

To top it up, the PS3 slim is now available on retail and it is retailing in Singapore. I believe the new PS3 slim should come with 3.00 firmware already although I can’t confirm it. Regardless, a worthy update more or less, it is not a major overhaul but something just nice and enough to give a slightly fresh feeling to your Playstation3.

Have you faced any technical difficulties in updating ?