Sony: PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.00 Questions & Answers

[PS3 News]

Today PS3 Brand Manager Mark Bowles has made available a PS3 Firmware 3.0 Q&A on the European PlayStation Blog, as follows:

Many of you have been asking why we haven't responded to your complaints about last week's 3.0 update until now.

Sorry it's taken us a while to get back to you - this is obviously an emotive subject and there have been a lot of issues raised surrounding the release, so we wanted to make sure we could come back to you with a comprehensive response that answers your most frequently asked questions.

I don't like the "Fizz". How do I turn it off?

To turn the fizz off, go to the Theme Settings under Settings on the XMB, you can choose different themes from here. "Classic" is the default theme without the fizz.

Where's the game start chime gone? Why would you remove it?

One of the reasons we removed the PS3 jingle is that it was created to indicate the start of a game, but now we're offering non-game content such as Vidzone in addition to games. More importantly though, this change makes the loading time a bit quicker than before, which we think will be a noticeable benefit for all game users.

The BBC iPlayer icon hasn't appeared on the XMB. How can I get it?

There are 2 criteria for the presence of the iPlayer icon on the XMB:

(1) A PSN account or guest account as a UK resident

(2) A PS3 console sold in the UK. If you don't have either of them, the icon will not show up. You can access the BBC iPlayer without the icon, by using the PS3 browser. The quickest way to get around it, is to type "iplayer" in the Google search shortcut on the XMB and click "iplayer" from the search result. You will be redirected to the PS3 special site of iPlayer, where you can then press "Select" to add to your bookmark.

For a better experience in the future, we are looking at the possibility of removing point (2). However (1) is required to identify your country of residence.

I don't like the size of the font and the icons. Why can't I change it back to its old size?

Based on your feedback, we are looking at the possibility of making the changes optional.

The US and Japan have a few Dynamic Themes available already. Where are ours?

The Dynamic Themes were supplied to all three regions at the same time, but unfortunately, due to the complexities of the PAL region's PlayStation Store publishing process, they missed our publishing window last week. (Remember, we have 29 stores across 25 countries, which require the use of 13 currencies and 8 languages, so it's more difficult for us to publish last minute content than it is for either the US or Japan).

We can confirm that some Dynamic Themes will be made available on the EU Store this week, and we have a little surprise prepared especially for our PAL readers that we hope you'll agree is worth the wait!

I used to be able to surf the net and listen to music simultaneously. Now I can't. Why?

The PS3 extended the upsampling capability to audio tracks stored on HDD and storage media with v3.00. Some function on the XMB such as the internet browser and photo gallery outputs with 48KHz only so you need to set audio outputs as 48Khz to enjoy music and net surfing.

The first thing I see when I turn my PS3 on is adverts. What does this offer me?

It's not just about adverts - the primary role of the "What's New" screen is to get you into the game more quickly. You'll be able to jump straight into the last three games or applications that you've been using. It's basically acts as a short-cut to the games that are resident on the HDD, so that they can be automatically booted up rather than having to go via the game selection icons on the XMB.

In addition, "What's New" will give you a chance to discover some of the best deals on offer, read about the hottest stories currently making news across the web or even give you a heads up about some exclusive content our own EU Blog. We're planning to improve "What's New" in the future with some exciting content and customisation, so we eagerly await your feedback and ideas.

Uncharted freezes ever since 3.00 was released. Is there a fix coming soon?

We're aware of the problem with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune following the latest system software update and have a team working hard to isolate the issue. We'll update further information here on the blog, as and when we get it. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Well guys, I hope that's helped answer some of your questions. Thanks to all those of you who have provided positive feedback on 3.0.

As a wise person once said, "You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time" - We love hearing everyone's opinion so keep the comments coming!


More PlayStation 3 News...

[JeffJ]

ok so where is the North America FREE THEME? we are getting the shaft here. im not paying for anything i cant at least preview anyways. which the LBP theme you cannot.

another classic example of Sony opening their mouths about features that they cant back up until a few weeks after release date.

[skrapps]

what about the annoying ass ticker in the top right? why didnt they address that?

[JeffJ]

Originally Posted by skrapps what about the annoying ass ticker in the top right? why didnt they address that?

you mean the status indicator? because its useful.

now the background for your friends list is piss poor and they need to address that.

[semitope]

Originally Posted by skrapps what about the annoying ass ticker in the top right? why didnt they address that?

Seriously I think some folks are just irritable. That thing is actually useful and I dont mind that they have it there. The friends list background also i can see the use of even though it was a bit strange at the start. Just try to get used to things, and i hope they dont remove certain new features just because some folks are vocal about their nitpicks. At least make it an option to have it or not to.

[JeffJ]

Originally Posted by semitope Seriously I think some folks are just irritable. That thing is actually useful and I dont mind that they have it there. The friends list background also i can see the use of even though it was a bit strange at the start. Just try to get used to things, and i hope they dont remove certain new features just because some folks are vocal about their nitpicks. At least make it an option to have it or not to.

im sure there is a nicer way that fits the rest of the PS3 theme to categorize online and offline friends... it just looks like balls man u got to admit it sticks out like a soar thumb compared to the rest of the xmb.

[SasoR]

"What is new" not working in my country Slovenia, can you fix that too Sony?

[JesusFMA]

Originally Posted by JeffJ .... another classic example of Sony opening their mouths about features that they cant back up until a few weeks after release date.

LOL .. so true indeed ....

I just read a lot of blah, blah, blah, sorry, sorry. But don't they know that actions worth a lot more than words? hehe

I don't know what to believe right now, for instance, our "mexican" PlayStation Store is so obliterated (it's really old compared to yours). Yet, they keep promising that they will work on that .... next year though

By the way, I really miss the game start chime, don't know why it's gone, it has been there in all PS's

Last edited by JesusFMA; 09-08-2009 at 04:25 PM. Reason: meh

[B4rtj4h]

OOOH! We from PAL region get a surprise !

[victorinox]

you can preview all the themes.... it was just added a bit later -,_-,... also i dont see why you all care about Pal getting a free theme, or even a special one, Japan only have 3 *I believe* 1 of which is free, and US has 4... so if Pal gets something special for free, just go to the store and take it xD... also dynamic themes outside of LBP, havent really wowed me, or a lot of people... so stop looking at the fact they got something different, and just take it if you want it =P