June 27, 2008 2:14 PM PDT
PS3 2.40 firmware details leaked
Last week we told you about the recent firmware upgrade the PS3 was getting and touched on the arrival of milestone version 2.40. While Sony has confirmed the inclusion of an in-game XMB (cross media bar), the rest of the 2.40 update was a bit cloudy.
But now, CVG claims to have the final list of features that make up the much-anticipated upgrade. In addition to the XMB, version 2.40 will feature a trophy system that will let compatible games track your progress, similar to the Xbox 360 Achievements. Instead of a score, you earn different level trophies as you progress.
According to the site, you'll be able to access the following features via the XMB during gameplay. But be warned: some games may not support this feature.
- Friend category
- View, send, receive messages
- Manage downloads
- Set the vibration feature of the controller
- Sign in to PlayStation Network
- Register friends
- Manage Bluetooth devices
- Terminate the game
- Music category
- Use the system BGM
- Work the system BGM operation panel
- Settings category
- Assign controllers
- View profiles
- Game category
- Set audio devices
- Use the voice changer
Before covering games and gear for CNET Reviews, Jeff Bakalar dabbled in film and video production. An avid writer, reader, and gamer, Jeff is also an obsessive New Jersey Devils hockey fan. Catch him live every day as the co-host of CNET's infamous podcast, The 404. 
- by ahazi July 8, 2008 2:43 PM PDT
- We already know the Wii's flying off shelves like half-price Oreos, but how are things shaping up in the feature-value scrimmaging between Sony and Microsoft? Last October I plugged some numbers into a spreadsheet for kicks and discovered the PS3 was in fact marginally less expensive than the Xbox 360 once you took into account all the stuff you have to buy to make Microsoft's much accessorized system more or less feature-equivalent. Never mind the nickel-and-dime nitpicking over limited-time bundles and special deals, the notion that Sony's $400-$500 system was a relatively decent buy with all the negative press about Sony's pricing was a minor revelation.<br /><br />Is that still the case? Let's take a look.<br /><br /><br /><br />(Bear in mind this comparison doesn't take into account limited-time offers or special deals or "refurbished" pricing or whatever else your local retailer's doing to incentivize you to pick one or the other up.)<br /><br />Thoughts...<br /><br />- Curiously, the Xbox 360 "Arcade" is more expensive than the "Premium" model once you accessorize it. Jump up to the 120GB hard drive and the price leaps all the way up to an incredible $630! (And without the Premium's included component and HDMI cables.) No surprise: As with the discontinued "Core" system the "Arcade" replaced, you pay in the rears (and then some) for the perquisites of investing a smaller amount up front.<br /><br />- The Xbox 360's upgrade pricing -- already laughably high when the system debuted relative to comparable market part pricing -- needs to drop immediately and dramatically. The notion that customers would pay $90 for a paltry 20GB (much less $180 for 120GB) when you can get a 250GB 2.5" SATA hard drive for $130 (and slap it in your PS3) is ludicrous. So is paying a hundred bucks for an 802.11g USB wireless network adapter worth less than half that in the form of a PC USB key.<br /><br />- What's the difference between HDMI 1.3a and 1.2? Everything and nothing. Everything in the sense that I can count over a dozen new features jumping from 1.2 to 1.3a. Nothing in the sense that it's all barely incremental technical mumbly-jumbly even A/V-philes would have difficulty sussing out (if you want to know anyway, AVS Forum has a nice breakdown here).<br /><br />- I've removed Microsoft's external HD-DVD player (closing out for as little as $30 in some places) from the bundle for obvious reasons, with apologies to HD-DVD holdouts. Now: Microsoft owes its customers a dedicated Blu-ray player, and I'm still betting money we'll see an actual part, or at least one announced, by the end of 2008. If it happens, given Microsoft's accessory pricing, don't expect it to be cheap. Bear in mind that a decent standalone Blu-ray player baselines in the $300 range, something I'm not representing in the chart above, and a point that weighs dramatically in Sony's favor if you care at all about HD optical media.<br /><br />- The sooner Sony opts to make PS2-nerfed PS3s backward-compatible, the better. We're still seeing new and significant PS2-only games (like Persona 4) in the queue, for goodness sake, and what self-respecting PS3 owner really wants to clutter up their TV's A/V ports with an eight year old piece of space-hogging hardware?<br /><br />- I opted not to include the 80GB PS3 MGS4 bundle because most stores aren't carrying it at this point, and the ones that are report it being "sold out" and "not available" for store pickup.<br /><br />Summary: <br /><br />What's changed in roughly 10 months? Not much. Sony, which at one point had three versions of the PS3 on the market, is virtually down to one, while Microsoft continues to chip away at the market with an unvarying tiered approach. While I've been harsh on Microsoft for its inflated component pricing, I still think the way the 360 offers customers an "acclimation model" trumps Sony's monolithic "buy the farm" approach. Sure, you get integrated Blu-ray out of the box with the PS3, but why force buyers to swallow the entire buffet in one sitting?<br /><br />What's more, you've probably read the rumors that Microsoft's planning to drop the price of its $350 "Premium" system by $50 ahead of E3 (the blurry ad in circulation suggests the magic date is next Sunday, July 13th). If it happens and we see a sustained summer sales uptick for the 360, expect retaliatory pricing from Sony as early as autumn.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(20 Comments)