AfterDawn: News

PS3 firmware update to add avatars, achievements?

According to several rumors circulating online ahead of the Game Developers' Conference, Sony is set to make some significant announcements about the PlayStation 3 console. GDC Director Jamil Moledina said that Sony will reveal news that will make PS3 owners very happy. Gaming blog Kotaku has reported that Sony may announce "PlayStation Home" features.

According to the report, PS3 could soon be getting its own version of "Mii avatars" and "Xbox 360 achievements", with future PS3 titles featuring virtual rooms, where users "will receive items with which to adorn the room that are specific to the game," as part of the achievements system. Social networking features are also rumored, including text chat, voice chat and video features.



Another source said that Phil Harrison will reveal a more refined PlayStation Store, Connect Store support for movie and music downloads and wallpaper options as part of a firmware update coming on March 8th. As for the name "PlayStation Home", Sony recently registered the trademark for it. It is defined as "electronic games services provided by means of the Internet," for the "creation and development of virtual and interactive images and environments," and "introduction and social networking services, namely introducing electronic game players to others."

Source:
DailyTech

Written by: James Delahunty @ 4 Mar 2007 17:51

• Previous article

• Cops using YouTube to catch criminals

• Next article

• US Copyright Royalty Board rubber stamps recording industry proposed rates

• 13 comments

• deesy32

  come on sony you wont admitt that the 360 is better than you system but you are trying to make your system just like theirs.whats wrong sony out of fresh ideas

  4.3.2007 18:00 #1

• hade

  well so many claim sony could never make anything that can compare to live, so what the hell they might as well level out the playing field a bit which means offering similar features. personally i think this is all a plus for owners and something im looking forward to. the more they want to offer us the better especially when their online is FRRREEEEE! don't be jealous...

  4.3.2007 18:33 #2

• kaosX

  i wont adopt a ps3 until they have an experience that can compete with xbox live as far as ease of use and content. oh yeah, and a 200 buck price drop and soem games worth playing :)

  4.3.2007 18:38 #3

• hade

  the system has been out for less than 4 months and face it live wasn't what it is today when it first came to the public. this is still new to sony and considering what they have done so far and what is expected in the near future, i think they are well on their way to offering us something great. the online content and games are coming.

  4.3.2007 18:46 #4

• deesy32

  that is true xbox live has come a long way over the years.but sony should be up to speed by now after all they claim to be the best.

  4.3.2007 19:23 #5

• Edgewise

  who knows, it could be very different from achievements and Miis, it could even be better, since its combining the two. I'm very much looking forward to it.

  4.3.2007 19:27 #6

• BobbyBlu

  If there online is any where near XBOX live then it will be better because its going to be free.How is it that XBOX live get a free pass due to the fact that it launch before PSN but people think in 4 months Sony online should be better.XBOX live was just like PSN when it launched lack of content for months it didnt get good until last summer but lets not forget Live was chargeing you also i think that if i was paying & Live was taking my money i would be upset because it took them half a year to get going but they got my money first.

  4.3.2007 23:54 #7

• pstamer

  I have to agree with kaosX. I love all systems but 600.00 plus tax is just plain ridiculous.

  5.3.2007 17:35 #8

• nismoguy

  Originally posted by deesy32:come on sony you wont admitt that the 360 is better than you system but you are trying to make your system just like theirs.whats wrong sony out of fresh ideasahem. correct me if i'm wrong, but who is it that came out with these first:
  
  -big 60gb hard drive, not no puny 12gb (usable space)
  -HMDI, yes MisSy is releasing the black box with this.
  -"arcade" demos/games with no puny 50mb cap. hmm, why did
  MisSy raise their cap up to 150mb. i wonder...
  -and why is MisSy slipping on a BLACK dress? oh, cuz she realized that SaNdY is sexier looking, and she wants to fool the uninformed into thinking she's as good.
  
  those "upgrades" will put it right up there with SaNdY in price. But, MisSy is missing a built in HD-DVD :O
  nice try, but SaNdY is a high class girl, out of you little boy's league. :)
  
  also, achievements are ONLY a way for lazy Developers to make you think that their games have replay value. How so? Well, you want to get those achievements right? You better get back and play that game again, but you won't have anything new to experience :( What ever happened to REAL replay value?
  
  btw, i have plenty more to dish out. try me.

  6.3.2007 05:30 #9

• sgtp3pp3r

  I think this sounds like a great idea all these 360 owners who have spent all their money on the x box not having enough left for a ps3 are just jealous. I own a 360 and live is not all that at all at first it seems cool until you realise their ripping you off with their content downloads that cost microsoft points ie: you spend 40 to 50 quid on a game that is only half finished then they bring out the rest in downloads for more money its a con. Playstation has always been the better console but the x box fanboys have just over inflated their egos as the 360 has had no real competition enjoy it while you can boys and girls cause a couple more weeks and your be second best again

  8.3.2007 09:22 #10

• sgtp3pp3r

  Another thing I almost forgot is the 40 pound fee just to go online ok this might be for a year but it should be free overall the 360 is costing more than the ps3 cause it hides all its extra payments away where you dont see them till you have bought the console

  8.3.2007 09:27 #11

• luiggy77

  Hi...i have a ps3 and a xbox 360...and let me tell you something,ps3 is better,not only because the graphics(1080) it's the free online gaming,Blue Ray player,60Gb hard drive...come on people,it's only $200 of difference and you get more..
  How much cost a Blue ray disc player..in fact how much it cost the HD drive for the xbox...$200.....that's right $200.
  If you want to have a wireless connection in the xbox 360 you need to buy the accessory for it and it cost $100, with the ps3 is incluided.
  And what about paying extra money for xbox live,think about that,and xbox has too many years already with xbox live and the ps3 is going to fast for it....at the end of this year the ps3 is going to kill the xbox 360 with the new features.
  Think about it,with the xbox 360 you are going to spend more than the ps3.

  8.3.2007 13:30 #12

• djeazyg

  Originally posted by kaosX:i wont adopt a ps3 until they have an experience that can compete with xbox live as far as ease of use and content. oh yeah, and a 200 buck price drop and soem games worth playing :)...and what will you be saying after you spend another $400 or more for the rumored updated 360. You know the one with the extra memory, updated (not new) processer, HD DVD drive and 120 gig hard drive. Let's see.....You spent $400 for the first 360 and now they want another $400 or more for the next 360. At least $800 to just make a system that equals the PS3. It seems to me that I saved some money buying the PS3. Sony gives you a new console every 7 years and Microsoft gives you a new console every 2 or 4 years. Who is spending more money? And don't give me that crap about the games being garbage. The 360's games were junk at system launch. Sony botched the launch of the PS3 so badly they may never live it down and it will haunt them forever. Sony also made promises they couldn't keep. Pisses me off but I can forgive them. Why are people seem more likely to forgive Microsoft for making the same mistakes over and over again but Sony screwed up once and they are the devil for it. I don't understand the Xbox clan.

  8.3.2007 17:17 #13