The Features of Firmware 3.40

The main features of Firmware 3.40 have been detailed on the EU Blog. It’s not just PlayStation Plus you’ll be getting when your PS3 completes the download, you’ll also get your hands on some nifty upgrades to some of the XMB’s features, such as the Photo Gallery and Facebook support.

Aside from the main feature, the ability to download and use PlayStation Plus, the Photo Gallery has had an overhaul with users now being able to upload and comment on photos on Facebook or Picasa. You’ll be able to share these photos with your PSN friends and print them directly from the Photo Gallery, providing you have a printer on your network.

Along with this comes a new application called ‘Video Editor and Uploader’ on the XMB, where you’ll be able to edit, save and upload the video files stored on your PS3 directly to Facebook or YouTube. The PlayStation Store now has a five star rating system for games, so you’ll be able to give feedback on the content you download.

Additional power save features are also in place (hopefully no battery indicators), with the default setting for System Auto-Off being 2 hours.

Some Facebook features were recently added to the PS3, and 3.40 builds on this, with a new standalone application now being available on the XMB. This allows for your PSN profile on Facebook, the sharing of Trophies and purchases from the Store as before and this even allows you to send PSN friend requests to other users.

So, there we have it. Firmware 3.40 will also provide content for those not purchasing PlayStation Plus, and the Video Editor and Facebook applications look to be good.