New BC Boost for PS3, Firmware Update 1.5

Sony is preparing a version 1.5 firmware update for the US and Japan which is already listed on the PS3 website in Japan where it waits for launching on January 24. It is going to be a USB e-money reader which will come in very handy when you can't use your credit card.

The new update supports the Edy system prepaid smartcards, allowing owners to buy content from the online store thus not needing a credit card anymore. But, Edy is currently used to charging certain mobile phones, and uses Sony's FeliCa technology, being available only in Japan. A suitable card reader attached to the PS3 is necessary to make use of the update.

So, besides making it possible for users to input Korean via keyboard, the version 1.5 can also be used Edy with PlayStation3. The electronic money based technology Sony developed on FeliCa can be stored on many Japanese cell phones, and credit cards can be Edy-enabled too.

In Japan, Edy readers are a common fact and customers use e-money to shop not only at stores but cinemas or theaters as well.

Some wondered if the system is going to be easier to hack in to, now that the credit card is out of the way but it seems that security levels are practically the same and the only differences are that the credit card is being replaced with the phone while yens turn into e-yens (e-money), the only difference being the way they're called.

Others were just fed up hearing this one, as they're not at all impressed with the performance of the PS3 console and think that Sony should focus more on launching better titles, rather than new money sucking firmware updates.

The main idea is that the new update makes it possible for Japan's restless gaming community to buy PlayStation network games ever easier, by simply using the cell phone and paying with e-money.