PS3 Firmware 3.00 Arrives
Every time a new firmware arrives that alters the layout people are used to, there are complaints, but it seems the latest PS3 firmware update is causing quite a stir. Commenters on the PlayStationBlog are up in arms over some of the changes made to the XMB including an extra PlayStation Store icon in the "Game" area and the look of the Friends List which now has gray bars behind it, presumably to make the list easier to read. Also to that end, the fonts have been made larger across the board. Interestingly, people really seem to be flipping out (good and bad) over sparkles that have been added to the main screen before you sign on. Really? All this fuss over sparkles?
Perusing the update myself this morning I noticed a few other things such as a "What's New" icon that has its own sub menu that appears, showing the newest offerings on PS3, the PS Store and PSP. Dynamic Themes have also been added, but if you want to experience those you'll have to cough up a few dollars. The news ticker in the upper right corner has been redesigned to now include a clock and a status bar showing how many friends you have online, whether or not you have messages and displays your gamer icon. The article on the PlayStation Blog suggests that there is new avatar support as well but as of the writing of this article I couldn't really see where or what those changes actually were. Oh and did I mention the sparkles?
For me the jury is out on this one. I couldn't say I absolutely hate it, but I'm not particularly sold on it either. I will say it rather pales in comparison to the latest Xbox 360 update and I have to agree with many of the PlayStation Blog commenters: The gray bars in the Friend's List is ugly and $3 is a bit much to charge for a theme. What are your thoughts on the new firmware? Love it, hate it, could care less? Let us know in the comments!
Fruit Brute
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 1 September 2009
· Comments (9)
Other stuff like this: firmware, ps3, update
yes these new updates suck. i like the sparkles though. the icons are too large. i don't need to know that girls play games. i can't upconvert music AND pull up the xmb to browse for other tunes. loading music from my media server takes longer. scrolling through my tons of music brings up a little index ticker on the left when scrolling fast. things not highlighted fade out unless constantly scrolling. we don't need more than 1 store bag icon. we get it, they want us to nuy shit. we know how to get in the store. we know how to find NEW STUFF. i can't seem to be able to change fonts for the xmb to mix and match with other background themes. the new startup tune seems castrated, and cheap. dynamic themes are nice, but not $3.00 worth. getting a dynamic theme and a new ps home space would be a nice throw in to support a new game. we are afterall paying to advertise the stuff we like to friends who see it, inquire, and potentially buy the games we like because they saw our themes. i'd like the update more, if we had the option to shut off the crap we don't like, and choose bits we do. or modify them to fit into the old way it looked.
I'll agree with the new backing on the friends list, it makes it look way to bulky and doesn't match anything else on the screen. The extra store button on the Game section is a little unnecessary too. As for the sparkles I like them lol. I didn't notice any avatar support either but if I remember correctly the little demo video a while back said it was going to be a "soon to come".
I played with the Multi-Audio out and didn't like it. It was out of sync but it may have just been my other hardware as well. Has anyone noticed a Volume Level difference after the update? The button noise on mine is really quiet and Music as well, but games are loud.
I confess to absolutely hating the sparkles, which I know ought to be some kind of GayGamer treason. But there's a "Classic" theme setting that makes them go away if you've already got enough flair going on. :-D
I really don't mind the larger font/icons or having my default background turned into a Twilight-esque vampire, but the multiple PS Store icons seems a bit redundant and annoying. Supposedly this update was really all about adding (or was it improving?) cross-game chat, which a lot of people were requesting, apparently.
More importantly (to me, at least), I'm noticing that quite a few things (PSN sign-ins, internet browser loads, and PS1/PS2 games) take a little bit longer to start/load than before - whch sucks. I'll take efficiency over appearance "upgrades" anyday.
Oh yeah, and I don't like the grey boxes on the friends list, either. That particular tab seems out of place now, since all of the other XMB tabs just have icons and text, with no boxes or whatever.
love the new firmwear
The background for the friends list has to go, its more annoying to look at then ever..almost makes me not want to have friends. The new "playstation store" and "whats new" sections are pretty neat. for me, it's nice having more access to those features then to always just slide to the left to get to the store. And I frak'in Love the sparkles...I'll never channge my background again!!!! it's Soo SEXY....makes me feel all 21st century and what not.
Interestingly here in the UK the BBC iPlayer is now nicely intergrated into the TV menu option. Will certainly be using this from now on.
I don't know if anyone else noticed or not, but the sparkles seem to move with the controller sixaxis. So tilt it to the left, and they gently move to the left, move to the right, and they slightly go that way. Haven't tried anything else, but thought it was cool looking myself. For now I will leave the sparkles there. I don't like the new friends blocks though.