Firmware Update 6.20 Launched for the PlayStation Portable

Sony has released the 6.20 firmware update for the PlayStation Portable handheld, introducing quite a few new features to a platform that has been usually beaten in sales by the Nintendo made DS and DSi and could use some unique capabilities.

Users will be able to upgrade as soon as they turn on their consoles and Sony is probably hoping that the usual lock ups and bugs usually linked with firmware updates will only affect a small number of players.

The big new addition to firmware update 6.20 is the Playlists feature, which allows users to access the PC application Media Go 1.3 to build custom playlists using video and music that can then be imported on the PSP. Users have been long saying that the company needs to port Media Go to the Mac platform, but it seems that this move might take some time, with only the PC being used for now. The import feature can also work from the PlayStation 3, using the XMB.

Another addition is the Digital Comics Reader, which will enable fans to keep up with their favorite series without stepping in a physical store. The actual store will only be launched in early December in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and other countries will be getting it throughout 2010 at unspecified dates. The Digital Comics Reader is built so that zooming in and out is easy and can be configured to automatically turn pages.

Sony is also releasing the Video Delivery service on the PlayStation Network, allowing fans to watch hundreds of movies on the PlayStation Portable or on the PS3. The launch comes complete with a special offer as those who buy the new Angels & Demons will also be getting a code to download The Da Vinci Code.