New PlayStation 3 Firmware Brings Recommendations Feature

Sony has offered information on an upcoming PlayStation 3 firmware update. The company has not said when its flagship console will be getting the update but “soon” those who use the device will be able to use a new “Recommendations” feature, that takes into consideration the purchases that other customers have made in the past in order to show related items in the PlayStation Store.

The official PlayStation blog is saying that “This feature is a great way to discover new games that you may not know about, and it’s another step toward making the shopping experience easier and better for you all — similar to the five-star ratings feature we added in the last firmware update. Please note that while the 3.41 update will be released shortly, the recommendations feature on PlayStation Store is slated to go live by the end of July.”

PlayStation 3 users have been asking for other feature from Sony, like Trophies that are auto synchronizing and cross game chat capabilities but Sony seems content with drip feeding small new features rather than putting together major changes for its home console and launching them as part of one firmware update package. The company is encouraging users to continue to offer feedback on the changes planned for the console.

Sony is also saying that the PlayStation Portable handheld will be getting a small firmware update, numbered 6.31, which will fix some stability problems and that should be out roughly at the same time as the 3.41 package for the PlayStation 3.

Major changes are coming to the PS3 later in the year. The console will be getting Move, its motion tracking system, in September, alongside a number of games that are specifically designed to take advantage of them. Sony is also saying that it will be introducing full three dimensional capabilities to the platform.