96w ago - After being included on countless PlayStation 3 fans wishlists and even news that PS Vita will include it, today Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida admitted cross-game chat is not possible on the PS3 due to memory restrictions.

To quote from Eurogamer.net (linked above): "Cross-game voice chat is not possible on the PlayStation 3 because of memory restrictions, Sony has revealed.

The PS3's RAM is gobbled up by the games it runs, which prevents the much-desired feature from being implemented, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida told Eurogamer.

"Once a game gets RAM we never give it back," he said. "It's not possible to retrofit something like that after the fact."

Vita has 512MB of RAM and 128MB of V-RAM, compared to the PS3's 256MB of system RAM and 256MB of video RAM. This enables features such as cross-game voice chat to run in the background while games are being played.

On the PS3, however, things are different. "The game has to use its own memory to do [in-game voice chat].

There's always voice chat in the game. But it's a part of a game feature. It's not a part of an OS feature. That's the reason...

156w ago - With a new PS3 Firmware update arriving soon, JoyStiq (linked above) sat down with Sony's John Koller in an E3 2010 interview where he admits PS3 Cross Game Chat is still a work-in-progress despite recent rumors that it may be coming as part of PlayStation Plus.

During the video interview, John Koller discusses PlayStation Network Plus, PS3 Cross Game Chat and Steamworks along with what fans can expect from Sony's new partnership with Valve.

For those curious, the discussion about PlayStation 3 Cross Game Voice Chat begins at timestamp 7:55. Check out the video below!

157w ago - Update: According to both PSU.com and VG247.com, Sony has confirmed that cross-game voice chat is currently not part of PlayStation Plus.

Today a sleuth from TheGamerAccess.com (linked above) has spotted as part of an E3 2010 press release confirmation by Sony that the rumored PS3 Firmware 3.40 update will arrive on June 22, 2010 and likely will include the long-awaited PS3 cross-game voice chat!

To quote from the Press Release: "PlayStation users can purchase PlayStation Plus membership through PlayStation Store on PS3 only.

Users need to install PS3 system software version 3.40, which will be released on June 22nd, to enjoy PlayStation Plus."

Finally, to further substantiate this news, on Sony's official Portugese Web site it states: "Cross-game Voice Chat: invite your friends to chat online no matter what game you're all playing,...

174w ago - Sony has previously confirmed that PS3 cross-game voice chat is coming, however, the question now is whether it will be offered only to paid PSN subscribers as part of their upcoming service in 2010.

Today GamesThirst.com (linked above) believes that is the case, based on an excerpt from the latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine (PTOM).

To quote: "Aside from the 3D goodness, cross-game party chat is the obvious "next big feature," even though it might be restricted to paid [PSN] subscribers."

Earlier in the same thread speaking about motion controls, the writer said this:

"Sony's current service is one of the PS3's best features, so we'd begrudgingly welcome a revamped PSN with extra subscriber functionality, like cross-game-chat and exclusive PSN downloads."

So what do you make of all this? Would you pay for cross-game chat on Sony's online service?

187w ago - Update: The official PlayStation Site was recently revamped, and now lists in-game chat for online games as a separate feature and states, to quote:

"Talking with friends or other players in the middle of a game is easy. Chat by text or use your headset to voice chat. You can also add new friends or check other player's profiles (including their Trophy collections) to know who you're up against while you're playing."

Although many are a bit disappointed that yesterday's PS3 Firmware 3.10 update announcement didn't include the cross-game voice chat functionality discussed recently by PSN Director Eric Lempel, it is in the works.

The European Blog's James Thorpe has revealed that cross-game voice chat is coming in response to the question "when is there going to be cross-game voice chat?" regarding the firmware update.

To quote his reply: "I wish I could just give...