14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Computer Entertainment America is set to launch new firmware versions for both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable later this month and the PS3 update seems to be a major one.
The PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.50 will introduce on screen indicators related to the Official Bluetooth, showing volume, battery charge and mute functions.
The Official Bluetooth Headset will also get a new High Quality Mode, which Sony says will “enable clear and wide-band wireless voice communication”. If you can't wait to get your hands on the headset, you will have the chance to grab it as part of a bundle with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, which launches this month.
Sony is saying that the gaming console will also get a new in game tool which can be used to capture screenshots and, probably, game videos. There are no games offering support for the feature just yet, but developers are said to be interested in it. The recently released Trophy system has also received a couple of updates, with new in game Trophy icons and options that allow a player to compare his Trophies with those of other gamers.
The 2.50 firmware update also introduces a new search function which is supposed to find video scenes by using thumbnails, an Information Board which has direct links to the PlayStation Store, to make shopping around for videogame and a new Power Save option that is supposed to allow programmed shut downs of the PlayStation 3.
Peter Dille, who is the senior vice president for Network Marketing at SCEA, said that “As we approach our second anniversary with PlayStation 3, it's remarkable to look back at how much the system has evolved and improved, including its critical link to PSP that effectively extends these entertainment capabilities beyond the home”.