Sony strengthens firmware portfolio – PSP hits v5.00, PS3 now goes up to v2.50

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Sony’s rigorous firmware updating schedule is marching further forward, with the company today announcing new updates to PSP and PS3 – making them both marginally better than before.

The 2.50 update for PS3 will add in support for more voice chat features via the official PS3 bluetooth headset, better integration of Sony’s 100% original “Trophies” feature, plus the quite superb ability to capture screenshots while playing certain games. This will help the internet compare Xbox 360 and PS3 games in more detail than ever before…

ATTENTION TWEAKERS: Rockbox version 3.0 is out, adding OGG support to iPods and more

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If your ideal evening is installing something, realising it doesn’t work very well, trying to reinstall it again then taking it all off and putting the original version back on before eventually getting to bed with very sore eyes at 3.47am, you’re well within the target demographic of Rockbox and its custom MP3 player firmware.

Upgrading older iPods (up to fifth-gen, but not the Touch) and numerous models by Creative, Sandisk and the likes of Archos and iRiver, Rockbox 3.0’s main boast is adding OGG and FLAC playback support to these common players, also opening up locked devices for easy use as an external HD…

Sony adding in-game XMB access and Trophies to PS3 "soon" thanks to 2.40 firmware update

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Finally, a year and a half after PlayStation3 launched in some bits of the world, Sony is adding the in-game messaging features its fans have been gagging and pleading for every single day since PS3 first flopped into big, unwanted piles on shop shelves.

Confirmation was given on the Official PlayStation Blog, where Sony Network top-cheese Eric Lempel said “We’re happy to officially report that the 2.40 system software update for PS3 will include XMB access in-game.”

Lempel then went on to confirm another addition – the arrival of Sony’s clone of the much-loved Xbox 360 point-scoring Achievements system…

Google search bar coming to PSP in 4.00 firmware upgrade

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While Sony might be messing things up a little elsewhere in its gaming portfolio, it’s charming PSP goes from strength to strength with each software update – and the changes coming in version 4.00 are every bit as innovative as we’ve come to expect from the portable media-playing power machine.

Well, fairly innovative – there’ll be a little Google search bar on the front end of the machine’s XMB dashboard menu screen thing when you update to firmware v4.00, allowing wi-fi-connected PSPs…

PS3 firmware upgrade 2.3 will give DTS-HD Master Audio support, hurrah!

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It’s official – the PS3 is now the best Blu-ray player you could throw your money at, and one of the cheapest too, at £299.99.

Sony has just announced the PS3 now has DTS-HD Master Audio support, which is one of the highest resolution audio formats for films, with Dolby TrueHD being the only other contender. Support for that format, and DTS-HD High Resolution, will become available in the latest firmware upgrade, version 2.3, due out on April the 15th.

Most new Blu-ray players can output DTS-HD MA, however only a small amount of AV receivers can actually decode it. The popular (amongst audiophiles) format gives the user a 7.1 audio channel, which is as close as you’ll get to the original studio master. The update will output all 7.1 channels via HDMI,…

Internet radio upgraded in PSP's latest firmware update

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Are you one of those odd people who thinks Japanese pop music is a cool thing to listen to? Or perhaps you’re more of a 80s man, seeing as it is a bit hard keeping up with all the cool new bands nowadays and you can never really go wrong with Duran Duran’s Greatest hits?

Or, and this really is s long shot, perhaps you’re developing a love of classical music thank to Halo’s use of choirs and instruments made out of wood? Whatever your ear poison, chances are PSP’s latest 3.93 firmware…