As PlayStation 3 owners lament yet another recent, apparently pointless firmware update, perhaps it’s time to look beyond minor bug fixes and ‘security updates’ and – somewhat whimsically and hopefully – look ahead to what Sony are working on for the next major point release: firmware 4.0.
Four’s a weighty number. It seems to warrant a fanciful command, a sense of purpose – but let’s be honest, the PlayStation 3 has been caught in a kind of cat and mouse cycle with hackers and insignificant patches for a while now, the developers seemingly unable to really push forward with the kind of innovation that brought us DTS over Dolby, or proper upscaling, or – yes – the rather backwards removal of OtherOS.
Hey, at least people were talking about 3.21 (the infamous Geohot response that saw Sony strip out Linux, raising a middle finger to those that wanted to keep their alternative operating system and play online) – who really knows what’s happened with the last three or four? Well, apart from you.
[drop2]The first one is obvious – Vita. Sony’s big black hope isn’t that far away in Japan (releasing at the beginning of December) and it wouldn’t take a massive leap of faith to assume that Sony have something planned to coincide with the new portable.What that might be is anyone’s guess, but we’d wager that a shift in the way the XMB (the PS3’s user interface) is laid out to more closely match that of Vita is a given. Naturally there’s no touch screen controls, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see enhanced launch pages for PS3 first party stuff like the Vita has, for starters.
And then there’s the cross platform play, and the ability for the Vita to act as a remote play device. Sure, it’s embryonic just now, but it’s coming – whether or not this feature requires a firmware update on the PS3 side is anyone’s guess.
We’ve heard rumours that there might be an option to skin the Vita’s UI the other way though, to make it more closely resemble that of the PS3’s floaty curves and simple plus-shaped approach. I’ll be honest, I don’t really care much for the bubbles currently messing up the Vita’s fancy touch screen, so if I can change them then all the better.
Some things are a given, though – at some point at least. PlayStation Suite compatibility must be in the pipeline – why would a service that looks set to really ignite Android and Vita skip over the PS3? It won’t, not in my opinion anyway. Cross platform functionality seems key just now in Sony’s plan, so don’t be surprised to see PS Suite games and applications making their way over to the PlayStation 3.
Look out for a new browser, too – well overdue and surely not that big an issue for Sony to finally ditch the tired old Netfront web application and head for something a little more modern and standards compliant. We’d be hoping for something running Webkit but – really – anything will do.
Other things are probably just wishful thinking – we’d love for Trophies to automatically sync like they do on the 360 (which is probably never going to happen) and we’d kill for proper, full game installs rather than the slightly piecemeal and unpredictable amounts we normally endure everytime we throw in a new PS3 game.
But what are you hoping for? PlayStation 2 games on the Store? Dreamcast games?
david
Id like a clean up of the XMB – make it snappier. Any mentioning XGC below this post should be whipped!
Origami Killer
Steven below is 4mins late to it
Lewis Murray
You have to actually wonder if some of these idiotic writers actually have a PS3. I mean my trophies sync automatically just fine…
And what’s with the pro GeoHot stuff? It’s not 2010 now.. Almost everyone has woken up to the fact that OtherOS was only removed AS A RESULT of GeoHot.. So he’s the one raising the middle finger.. However the reality is, nobody cared about OtherOS when it was there, they only cared when idiots like this writer told everyone they should care…
Ben
Shush!
AG2297
Oh hello again! Nothing has changed I see, still on an anti TSA and pro Sony crusade.
By all means, have a different opinion, but whenever you start calling the people who have a different opinion to yours idiots you just shoot yourself in the foot.
dave87fez
Time of the month, Lewis?
The Lone Steven
*facepalms* seeing as most of the staff do own a PS3, i think they know what they are talking about. ;) Please don’t come on here and insult the staff. :)
Not everyone’s trophies sync automatically, just because yours do, doesn’t mean that the writers are wrong. And you do realise that you have just insulted Nofi right? The guy who created this site. ;)
nofi
If you mean me, I own 3. None of them auto sync Trophies.
Sorry
david24
perhaps he means by PS plus?
and anyway i thought Sony said that it wasn’t possible to get auto trophy sync like on the xbox
The Lone Steven
Cross game chat. HA, beat everyone to it! I’ll grab my coat. :p
I would like a clean up of the xmb as it is filled with some things that i never use. Switch back to the old friends list as the current one is a pain to navigate. And a redesigned store.
phantom5813
Redesign on the store is a good one. the recent changes makeit hard to find anything really. PS2 games on there would be fantastic especially for ppl without bc systems
Ben
I thought the recent changes to the store were improvements.
Sympozium
Switch back to the old friends list
Eh??
kjkg
It used to be by alphabetical I’m sure. Now its just a mess.
Bodachi
It can be sorted alphabetical.
Origami Killer
it is alphabetically ordered, wouldn’t wan’t that to change at all. Also on the subject of redesigned store, I don’t like the new this week changes which have been brought in in the last month. Change it back to how it was earlier this year.
Awayze
It is by Alphabet, it wasn’t at one point but after one of the previous releases, the FL is back to normal.
david
No I beat you to it lol (XGC = Xross game chat) – get your coat!
The Lone Steven
*builds a time machine and kills David in the past so that i can beat everyone to it* :p
The last time i paid any attention to my friends list was when Sony implented the Aa setup which made it a pain to navigate.
They need to make the store simple to navigate as it can be a pain sometimes. I like it if they sorted out the downloads list so that it either falls under games + DLC or in alphbetical order as it is a pain trying to find a certain thing if you have over 120 downloads. :-/
td_rules
-A web browser that isn’t horseshit.
-Remove all the redundant parts of the XMB
-A BLACK DEFAULT THEME (been waiting for 4 years, a black console and it doesn’t have it as a colour option!)
-A quick launch game/DVD/Bluray mini menu activated using PS button usable anywhere in the XMB
MayContainEvil
Agreed, especially with the need for a black option on the default theme. Why Sony didn’t just chuck a colour wheel in there I have no idea.
billsmugs
The PSP has tons of colours to choose from (including about three or four levels of black/grey) so why they went for so few colours for PS3 has always been a mystery for me. Particularly as the background does actually change to any colour if you set it to match month/time of day!
Ben
Is there not a colour brightness option for the background? Perhaps I’m thinking of the PSP.
ron_mcphatty
Surely the XMB is doing a great job and doesn’t need a massive rehash? I’d be upset if it changes to something else, but I wouldn’t be upset if Sony added features to let us better organise music, pictures and games, something like custom categories and ‘edit multiple’, know what I mean?
KeRaSh
I agree. No need to overhault the XMB. It’s very organized and minimalistic. That’s what I love about it. If people want less things on the XMB then Sony should offer a way to disable certain features but by all means, don’t bring the ugly Vita OS to the PS3.
Kaminari
o Google Chrome
o Cross-game chat
o OS optimization
o Return of Linux
o and a Chinese jet pilot
TROPtastic
Google Chrome! \o/
Bodachi
Still remain logged in to the PSN when watching BD/DVD.
Bodachi
The option to pause a game in the middle of playing it like the PSP go.
Rocket_345
Yes both of these especially the Bluray one.
Liam
The reason you are signed out when watching a film is to stop unwanted popups from friends ruining the film experience. Although I did submit a similar idea to Sony last year where you stay signed in, and people on your friends list can see the Bluray you’re watching. Also mini-popups for when you recieve a message during a film, and just completely disable friends online/offline popups.
YOURMUMANDME
*A faster interface would be nice, the XMB takes quite a nonchalant approach to loading what appears in the vertical drop-down menu and the text chat is awful.
*Speaking of text chat, maybe partial access to xmb/home screen (not ‘Home’ screen) in-game. A pop up box in the corner of your screen so you don’t have to leave the battlefield or match while you check who’s online or read the message you’ve been sent.
*Something fun…..I can’t really think of what but I’m tired of the cold look/feel to the XMB. Maybe an On-Live-esque Bragging clip next to your friends list. Something easy to view like the 15 sec clip on Video icons.
InternationalGamer
People always want Cross Game Chat even though Sony THEMSELVES said Cross Game Chat isn’t possible. The PS3 is not a good multitasker, it can barely run the in-game XMB.
I don’t get why people want a cleaner XMB, it’s the simplest menu and one of the best menu I’ve ever seen. Everything is where you expect it to be.
One of the things I want is a good internet browser, just good and usable, the current one is down right horrible.
PoorPaddy89
Sony themselves said rumble and sixaxis wouldn’t work. Look how that panned out.
iAvernus
Zing!
Awayze
There are many pointless icons that are not need in the In Game XMB, Sony could rewrite the whole in game XMB so it takes less memory and so XGC can be added.
Let’s face it, the only reason the Xbox Dashboard has XGC is because the in game Dashboard is sooooo simple, white and green, no sent messages, messages auto delete after 30 days, no loading icons other than the small square pictures.
If this was Apple, no doubt Apple would have gotten XGC into the ingame XMB, first by removing all the unnecessary stuff.
ghost5
A quick launch using the ps button would good, its handy on the xbox.
Unfortunately I don’t think there will be a major ui change ever for the ps3. if I remember correctly they re coded it around the time uncharted 2 was released to free up more ram for games. It is already a basic (but functional) ui and compared to the xbox its slow when loading things like friends and trophies, so there can’t be many resources left to improve things.
A new Web browser would be good but that’s been rumored before.
What happened to the app store that was mentioned in a Sony power point slide? Now would be a good time to release that and to Get developers writing apps for both the part and vita
Jakster123x
Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think the PS3 is going to see any major additions to it’s UI, ever. It’s way to late in the game now, heck Sony had issues implementing the current in-game XMB which is functional (I guess) but it’s not exactly practical.
A list of things I want but probably won’t get are:
A drastically cut down in-game XMB
A new browser
Auto syncing trophies.
They along with party chat are the big additions that I feel PlayStation needs (well, the Vita’s addresses a few of them) but we’ll probably have to wait for PS4 before we see anything this major happen, unfortunately.
gazzagb
I want the XMB cleaned up, and a slimmed down one for when playing in game. The friends list and other network features could do with an overhaul.
A new web browser that is actually usable is also a must, it constantly crashes when trying to save anything, or if you have multiple tabs open.