14 DAY TRIAL // Sony announced and the quickly released the 6.00 firmware version for the PlayStation Portable handheld. Apparently, it's the second big update that Sony released for its gaming console in the last week and the reaction from the player base is a bit mixed, following the outcry that developed after the 3.00 firmware for the PlayStation 3 proved to have quite a lot of problems.
On the official PlayStation blog, Sony posted the following changelog for the 6.00 firmware for the PSP:
- For those of you looking to customize your XMB (XrossMediaBar), a few new colors will be added under the Theme Settings. These new theme colors can be used on PSP models 2000 or after (PSP-2000, 3000 and N1000). - A security patch has been added. - [Network Update] has been renamed as [System Update].
Frankly, it’s a very limited list for a major update to the firmware and none of the changes seem important. Interestingly, after the patch went live, those who applied it saw that Sony had also introduced a feature allowing videogames to “be grouped and displayed in folders based on their expire date.”
This means that the firmware 6.00 might actually be used on the new PlayStation Portable Go!, which is set to be released shortly. The feature also points out that the UMD less Go! might be getting a videogame rental service on launch, which could be an interesting move on the part of Sony especially if it comes with a reduced price.
The community is pretty disappointed in Sony for having chosen to put out a new firmware for the PSP with so little in the way of new features, especially as the company has not released any hotfix for the problems in 3.00 firmware for the PlayStation 3 and the new Slim.