Firmware 2.80 arrived this week as an optional update officially consisting of improvements to the “playback quality of some PS3 software”.  Other reports have said it contained some developer-only features of features that are not yet enabled.  Two things it seems to have done are block the use of the Open Remote Play PC application and lock the microphone level at 3 from those with the official Sony headset.

Many complained that there was not much in it even though it took nothing away and was not a compulsory update.

Now VG247 are reporting, presumably via various threads by a certain poster on various forums going by the name of “Super_Secret”,  that they know some of the features that will arrive with Firmware 3.0 which they say is set for a “pre-Christmas” release.  They claim to have been told it represents a “huge overhaul” and has drawn comparison with last year’s 360 NXE update “in some respects”.

Features noted so far are:

• The introduction of a PSN user reputation system.
• A grief reporting system allowing users to send annotated screenshots of offensive players to Sony.
• Game patches will be able to download in the background.
• HDMI audio and digital optical output will be usable at the same time.

They also tease that they have been told more but that we will just have to wait.  Nothing too Earth-shattering in that list, and nothing really unexpected – we’ve known about the grief reporting for some time but the user rating system might be a nice tweak, a la Xbox Live.  We will see what else we can find out from this Super_Secret dude, and let you know.