14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Computer Entertainment America has finally announced the release date for its much awaited firmware update 2.40 for the PlayStation 3. The update will be available tomorrow, July 2, and will offer all the users of the Sony made gaming console support for Trophies and the ability to access the XrossMediaBar in the games they play.
The in-game XMB will include additional features and accessibility options for players, allowing them to sign up to the PlayStation Network, manage PlayStation Store downloads, quit their games, view their media and access other options related to the settings of the console.
Trophy support will also be introduced with Super Stardust HD, which can be downloaded from the PlayStation Network, the first game to offer the feature. Sony is saying that a host of its own games are getting Trophy support, including Buzz! Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, NBA 09, Pain, PixelJunk Eden, Resistance 2, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation and Warhawk.
Developers are also getting full support from Sony to integrate Trophies in their upcoming games. The most high profile title seen benefiting from the new Sony feature is the upcoming PlayStation 3 port of BioShock. SCEA is reportedly "actively working" with developers to add Trophies to new first and third-party titles in the future.
Peter Dille, vice president of marketing and the PlayStation Network, declared that "Today's PlayStation 3 experience has evolved significantly from what we debuted at launch, and the 2.40 firmware update will drive the PS3 community experience forward at a time when the platform's momentum is stronger than ever, with the launches of several recent blockbuster titles and other exclusive content on the way".
Through the update, Sony replicates the achievement system which is one of the staples of the Xbox 360 games and creates a comparable experience on its own console. It remains to be seen how game designers will introduce different Trophies in their games and how the players will react to the new feature. Sony promises that PlayStation Home, which after several delays is expected sometime during fall, will expand the importance of Trophies and make them an integral and important part of the social experience of any PlayStation 3 user.