AfterDawn: News

Sony confirms updates to PS3 including new video service

Confirmed by the official Sony blog, the company will be bringing several prominent new updates to the PlayStation 3 console including a new video service and in-game XMB.

Peter Dille, the senior VP for marketing with the PlayStation Network, confirmed that "some form of a new video service is definitely in the works", different from "others you've seen or used." The PSN currently only allows users to download demos and video trailers. In comparison, Microsoft's XBL allows users to rent and purchase full movies and TV episodes.



The other main update will be the addition of in-game XMB access. XMB is simply the main menu interface on the PSP and PS3. Dille states "that by the end of the year, some form of in-game XMB will be launched, complete with an Xbox-like achievements system."

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Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Apr 2008 18:51

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• 9 comments

• i1der

  Can i say dream coming true?
  Is nothing a psp can do, i Hope in the future PS3 will be the thing that do everything... BJ adapter coming by 2010! lol
  
  
  
  *̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ *̡͌l̡

  16.4.2008 19:02 #1

• PantherM

  Nice!
  But I don't like the "by the end of the year" part.
  
  I thought 2.40 was going to have in game XMB, and that was supposed to be this spring/summer? Maybe that is still in the works for that time frame, and 2.50 will have the online stuff?

  16.4.2008 20:01 #2

• canuckerz

  WTH is with the by the end of the year crap, they've had more than sufficient time to get the ingame xmb going and out there but to make it sound like they're going to take as long as December pisses me off.

  16.4.2008 20:41 #3

• ZippyDSM

  I only care about 2 things,making the player menu system better for DVD/BR movies and backwards compatibility, the rest can go take a flying fck.
  :P

  16.4.2008 22:09 #4

• snowlock

  okay, maybe the video service will be pretty cool; although i probably won't use it.
  i was fairly satisfied to see the video offerings they already had up on psn.
  it's really only about the games for me, so anything else is a secondary bonus sort of thing.
  
  the in-game xmb thing i don't get.
  i know people want it because you can use the 360's menu in a game,
  but i have no idea what you can do with it nor what the system would be capable of.
  i probably never will know about that system's features.
  it's a shame, too; i thought 360 would be my first xbox, but forget that.

  16.4.2008 23:11 #5

• emugamer

  So in-game XMB and a video service. What are the other several updates? I hope there is the ability to play custom music during games. I've always liked that about the 360. Maybe there will be more support for locally streaming video. I'm getting tired of converting my mkv's. And it's a bit laggy because my wireless conneciton isn't great. Even playing them off my USB HDD is a pain, because I have to split them if over 4GB. Maybe the ability to create video playlists will be included.

  17.4.2008 08:22 #6

• Hunt720

  I agree that a video playlist should be included.. I'm sure its not really that hard to code considering the audio playist has been around for while.
  
  The in-game XMB will be greatly appreciated... but I can say that I'm not really missing this right now anyway. I wonder if HOME will allow you to read your emails anyhow from the "Virtual PSP" that you use?
  
  I would also like to see more audio codecs supported.. but now we play the waiting game....
  
  I DO like the new store though! a HUGE improvement.

  17.4.2008 12:47 #7

• tin23uk

  all i want is an updated flash player, if sony give me that ill be a happy man then i will be able to use wbsites like hulu to watch tv shows on my tv instead of sitting at a computer desk. im sure they wont update the flash player now if they are planning on selling tv episodes.

  17.4.2008 18:53 #8

• SGSeries2

  I admit that the ingame menu system is a bit lacking, but then again, if all I wan to do is shutdown the machine/controller or exit the game, it doesn't bother me.
  
  I specifically don't like the fact that they have two different types of progress systems - one that has a fancy interface with a fancy progress bar, and one that flashes a fairly blank, black screen every once in a while to show you the percentage of completion. I wish the latter one would disappear. It makes me feel like it might break or freeze up, and I would never know until half an hour later.

  18.4.2008 10:17 #9