Firming Up More With Firmware

So with the new PS3 Slim and price drop hitting the world, it would make sense that Sony would do something special for all of us who purchased the system a while ago. Some of us, at launch. I'll remain nameless for that one there. Irregardless, a new, pretty awesome update to the whole PS3 experience is what we current owners are getting.

If you check out the list and video below, you can get a good look at what they are dishing out for us. A slimmer, sleeker What's New section. The ability to check friend status and mail with just a glance to the upper corner. But two of the bigger additions would have to be the "dynamic" themes and something not even touched on by the video, a better way to track your trophies for games with add-on trophies and the like.

This new trophy feature will let you look at a break down of overall game progress, add-ons included. But it will also let you sort and separate out the add-on trophies for those of us that don't have the add-ons downloaded. Or if you want to see your progress through the add-on trophies, you can take that section out and see the percentage there. Quite nifty.

Here's that list and video as promised.

  • "What's New" – The "Information Board" will be replaced with a "What's New" section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, "What's New" displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
  • Status Indicator – In the top right corner we've added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
  • Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends' respective profiles.
  • PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We've added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
  • Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
  • Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories—base trophies and add-on trophies—that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection, and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.


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