Needless opponents of Sony’s regular, incremental system software updates should look away now – there’s another awaiting your PS3’s next boot. 3.41 went live overnight, its main draw the ability for the PlayStation Store to sell you more stuff via an Amazon-like “you may also like” section next to each item on the Store.
Or, at least there will be when the new recommendations box goes live, firmware 3.41 is just to prep for the new feature which is slated for the “end of July”.
“This feature is a great way to discover new games that you may not know about,” said Sony’s Eric Lempel, “and it’s another step toward making the shopping experience easier and better for you all – similar to the five-star ratings feature we added in the last firmware update.”
Sony promise that the recommends are based on what people are actually buying, rather than any inferred relationship between the goods, like the way Apple do with their ‘Genius’ method. The latter idea makes more sense to me, something that would push Gravity Crash when you’re looking at PixelJunk Shooter, for example (and Vice Versa, of course) but we’re not fussy. Well, we are a little bit.
Firmware 3.41 is out now, the UK download link is here.
spekjemean
cross game chat !?
shakengandulf
Your joking?
gurglesletch
No i was forced to download it and i quickly googled it and was pissed when i saw what new features it added.
hairfreax
I wish i had a penny every time i read that
benny boy
SHUTUP! It will be added when it’s ready. Sony aren’t trying to piss people off by not giving it to you. FFS
DigitalEnemy
Don’t worry spekjemean, your not on your own wanting this feature. The U.S blog has over 300 posts with regards to this announcement of firmware and I’d say over 50% of the replies from forum users is letting out there frustration about lack of cross game chat 4 years into the ps3. I’m going to Beta Rooms event Saturday, and I’m going to let rip into the Sony reps , they need to let us know what’s going on with #1 requested feature !
I’m going
Bodachi
Didin’t expect a new firmware this morning.
hazelam
why does this need a firmware update?
surely this would be done server side, what with it just being a new new option on the store.
why does a new button on the store need a firmware update?
djdustb
Isn’t the store now part of the OS and so will need a firmware update. It used to be separate but they attached it to the system to cut down load times.
fps_d0minat0r
then why dont they add the xmb icons to the update then we wont have to watch spinning arrows for 3 seconds every time we move across the menu.
oh and they should show the time in the corner when somethings installing or when a game is saving.
david
Another 167mb for that crap?
bajere
Yea its hardly worth downloading! And I really don’t think the store has that much content added each week to warrent this!
bunimomike
The feature doesn’t require another 167MB. The whole firmware size is that. I’m guessing the feature itself is around 10KB, tops.
bunimomike
Sorry, I take that back. 10KB for code and maybe 200KB-400KB for the graphics.
beeje13
You have to download the whole firmware again, but with the new additions, otherwise custom firmware would be alot easier.
bunimomike
Same with iPhones. Bugs me to see 300MB downloading when you can’t help feel that a couple of meg here and there would be far better. I guess it’s easier on Sony/Apple to do it absolutely.
Dragons4life
Can’t be more aggreed!
Danza Di Fuoco
It downloaded quick so I don’t why your complaining besides that feature would be handy right? so don’t hate
Divine
They should use the opportunity to remove the extra PS Store & What’s New icons from the XMB
BrendanCalls
More or less pointless. People will very rarely hunt the store without any idea what game they’re looking for. Plus most people who buy from the store will be quite up on what is available there.
Whole load of downloading for something this insignificant. Really Sony?
Raen
True, but I’d say that when I use Amazon I’m searching for something, but the ‘You may also like’ does get me to look at more products.
Uhyve
Sounds like it may also have automatic trophy syncing…
Bodachi
Hopeful thinking.
Uhyve
Yeah, I’ve no idea if it’s true, just some guys are saying that at Kotaku in the comments section.
Also, since when did the updates get so small? It use to take me close to an hour, this update just downloaded in 3 or 4 minutes…
Danza Di Fuoco
It doesn’t take an hour for me? guess its just my broadband…
kevatron400
I’d love for that to be true! Although not the most trustworthy source there!
xdarkmagician
I just unlocked a trophy while signed in to psn and there was no auto sync.
Uhyve
Ah, that’s a shame. Really don’t really see the point in this update then. You’d have thought they could have just waited until they had something more worthwhile to add and included these changes. I mean, you’d think that Sony would have realised that there’s always a big backlash when they make such small updates.
xdarkmagician
there was a tech blog put out by MS from the guy who created the achievement system, and he said that the hardest part was making it so that achievements would show up to your online account when you were playing a game off-line. I imagine that Sony has the same problem, with MS holding the answer in a patent
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/engineeringblog/achievements-unlocked.htm
matty
this has to be one of the most pointless updates ever. Although it has done quite quick so I shall let them off.
xdarkmagician
I find it odd they didn’t include this in the last update, or just waited until the next update… next month, as they seem to be a monthly thing lately. also I wonder if sony knows it’s already the end of july. :)
T-82
So, when is PixelJunk Lifelike released (via firmware or PS Store update)?