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Firmware 2.80 No Longer Optional?

CVG offer the weirdest story we've ever seen.
Published 20/07/2009 at 8:45 by nofi
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Firmware updates are a strange thing, with the recent 2.80 update being entirely optional until this weekend’s VidZone update.  Whilst I can’t personally confirm right now whether Sony have actually pushed the button marked “obligatory” on the PlayStation 3’s Firmware Update 2.80 C&VG are claiming that to play online you’ll now need to download and install the latest software update – it’s no longer optional – with the same “playback quality of some PlayStation 3 format software has been improved” change-log as we’ve had before.  This isn’t the case for all games, and we suspect it’s just a select few as we said with VidZone.

At least now we know which software it has improved.

Comments

Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.

  1. I wish i had Vidzone but im to lazy to make a european account.


    • An EU account is not enough, you also have to be connected from a country where Vidzone is available, countries in Scandinavia is not :(


      • Yeah, don’t bother, I have a euro account, and it doesn’t work, just like Erroneus says. Waiting for a brazilian PSN, LOL, never will happen.


  2. Seeing as I updated my PS3 when I read about it here, I can’t confirm if it’s obligatory or not… I don’t see how it’d be needed for “playback quality” or whatever if all it’s needed for is Vidzone.


  3. can’t help confirm/deny either as i d/led it last month when it was first available. seems a bit strange though as I’m sure i read somewhere that they specifically said this one was optional as it had no real effect on the user. hmmm…


  4. Probably because of one chhange they forgot to mention: screws up open remote play ;)


  5. I remember hearing something about 2.80 bringing support for 21:9 TVs – or at least laying the foundation for it.


    • But that would not explain to make is mandatory after a few weeks.

      There are only a few people owning a 21:9 TV and I think even less that also own the ps3..


      • Maybe SONY wanted to check how many people voluntarily download firmware updates – maybe this was a test case future optional FW updates?


  6. Here’s the link;

    http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3/rumor-ps3-firmware-2-80-included-cinematic-219-tv-support/


  7. I can confirm its now obligatory. The girlfriend phoned me on Saturday as when she turned the PS3 on it was going through the standard update process. Had to talk her through each button press!

    I’d not bothered with it when it was only optional.


    • I played Battlefield and COD4 last night and wasn’t asked to update.


      • Yeah you’re right. Just asked what she did and she turned it on and then went to VidZone. On clicking on that it forced the update.


  8. US will be getting VidZone.

    I wish.

    (it’s 5am, you have no many how many times i tried to spedd vidzone correctly)


    • Yeah, and “spedd”. ;)


      • Hahaha, and “you have no many how many”. :p


  9. …So if the US get vidzone, maybe the UK can have Video downloads/rentals. Think it is about time Sony treated all regions equal!!!


  10. Obviously there is always an element of being a guinea pig if you are an early downloader of firmware, I always wait 24-48 hours for that reason.

    But has Sony just made the protracted 2.80 experience into a longer beta test of the firmware?

    Were we all guinea pigs the whole time it was optional?


    • Scary idea.


    • I like guinea pigs, but they really should stop sounding so frightened all the time. I wonder if there’s a high heart-attack rate in guinea pigs.


  11. Just had a quick burn round paradise city online and I dont have 2.80 so the update appears to still be optional. Unless you wanna boot up vidzone.


  12. Yeah I had to download it after VidZone.
    Would be good to know what it actually does


    • One thing I’ve found is that all none Sony controllers (eg Rock Band controllers and GH controllers) that are switched on are activated as controller 7, 6, 5 onwards!

      Floopin pain in the posterier


      • That is seriously annoying


      • I already read that somewhere (and it would only be on TSA as I am too unbothered to scower the internet for news when TSA has it all anyway!) and I think it’s a good thing isn’t it? That way when you want to connect a second controller it doesn’t end up as something like 5 because of all the peripherals you have connected.


      • Your absolutely correct about Rock Band mate , I came home pissed on Saturday and was tearing my hair out wondering why drum kit wasn’t registering .


    • Go have a look in the PS News Forum – one of the News Snatches has a complete list of everything 2.80 does.


  13. Some of the comments here are saying that they can get online without downloading the new firmware. I can’t even sign in without it. Guess it’s obligatory to me:(


    • Where are you from? Maybe different regions have to download it. If your from UK then I dont know why its different for some people. The only other thing I can think of is that you didnt update to 2.76 when that came out so you have to update now.


  14. PlayStation 3 : Firmware V2.80 Change Log:

    - PlayStation One Titles loading times have decreased.
    - Internet Browser Loads pages smoother and has less issues with corrupted page loading.
    - The Open Remote Play Hack has been scrambled for security reasons.
    - The Bug that allowed Some online friends to be displayed as Offline has been fixed on small level.
    - XMB Moves Much more smoother when used in-game.
    - Microphone volume for Official Sony Headset is frozen at level 3
    - The maximum character in the newish Text Chat has been extended from 32 to 64


    • Also you can jump directly from the text editor in text chat to the game now, before you had to exit the text editor.


      • Cool that actually sounds useful, especially the text chat stuff – it was annoying having to exit the text editor to go back to the game (even when using a keyboard) and the 64 character limit should reduce the number of times text chat gets cut off in the middle of a senten…


  15. maybe they want every one to be at 2.80 before 3.00 is released so the ps3 don’t have to think too much about what it should do at the next update



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