PS3 2.50 and PSP 5.00 firmware coming soon, PSP WiFi store included

Sony's firmware elves haven't gotten a break since the last round of console updates -- PS3 2.50 and PSP 5.00 have just been announced on the PlayStation Blog. Nothing terrifically major for the PS3 apart from support for the SOCOM Bluetooth Headset's High Quality mode, as well as some trophy tweaks and power management options, but the PSP gets a WiFi version of the PlayStation Store, with downloadable games, trailers, and demos. No word on when these will actually become available, but we'd guess it'll be relatively soon.

[Andrew @ Oct 13th 2008 12:00PM]

Nothing huge for PSP version 5.0? Really?

They're adding a WiFi store and making all first party titles available for download over the system! That's pretty big news for the majority of PSP owners out there.

[Fiddlesworth @ Oct 13th 2008 12:05PM]

Oh wait.. this is Engadget. Anything PlayStation-related is insignificant here.

[Flashpoint @ Oct 13th 2008 12:19PM]

Playstation 3 and PSP are the most sophisticated, unfocused devices on the market.

If Sony had just taken more time to perfect them...

[Neil @ Oct 13th 2008 12:24PM]

Agreed, this is definitely a very poorly written article. Engadget should leave these types of articles to the boys over at Joystiq or the fanboy sites.

[telepheedian @ Oct 13th 2008 12:24PM]

Exactly. The PSP could be the ultimate entertainment device, but they made some glaring mistakes that just cuts it short. The memory is overpriced, the web browser is only useful on mobile-formatted sites, the music player needs better organization, and the games need to get off of that horrible UMD format, a focal point of failure for the cheaply built hardware. The good news is, Sony seems to be realizing these errors, and has made some fixes with newer hardware and software revisions, but it might be too little, too late.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Oct 13th 2008 12:29PM]

I suggest you read the post before you start criticising engadget because of your own stupidity and inability to read.
It says
"Nothing terrifically major for the PS3 apart from support for the SOCOM Bluetooth Headset's"
Not
"Nothing huge for PSP version 5.0?".

[Fiddlesworth @ Oct 13th 2008 12:34PM]

@ Thi mam(kris120890)

The story and title were stealth updated. Before it didn't acknowledge that it was a big update for PSP. The PS3 updates combined make for a very significant update for me.

[WickedEast @ Oct 13th 2008 1:02PM]

Stealth updating is lowly.

[gabe @ Oct 13th 2008 2:14PM]

nah not big news for me with CFW - demos? why CFW users will just download the entire game.

[utahnkid @ Oct 13th 2008 4:21PM]

@Flashpoint - That's a PERFECT summary... I've never though about it like that. You know that they're both these incredibly powerful systems but you never get the feel that all those resources are being out to use. I bought a PSP about a year ago and have yet to really use the thing. It has awesome graphics, great battery life, a BEAUTIFUL screen and it's the perfect size for a portable gaming system but I've probably spent more time in the last few months playing Tetris on my iPhone then all the time I've spent on it. It just seems like developers don't really care enough about it to make anything really groundbreaking.

And will I be able to put this firmware update on my 1+ year old PSP? I think it's the original device, I got it right before they made the smaller version.

[Jake @ Oct 14th 2008 1:27PM]

"Nothing terrifically major for the PS3"..

LOL, what a bunch of clueless wankers there editors here really are. The feature list is VERY long, including Flash9 support, manual video chapters, turn off after downloading content, controller power management, trophy tweaks, ingame screenshots, notifications when your friends were last online, voucher code redemption directly from the store,

If this isn't major, what do they call the forthcoming Xbox update, which offerings no new features aside from game installation, and a facepaint...

[Fiddlesworth @ Oct 13th 2008 12:03PM]

iPhone store launch, nothing huge in store!

[psfour @ Oct 13th 2008 12:06PM]

not much pooint in the ps3 update then. I care more about the impending PS4.

PSFOUR.INFO

[noyp @ Oct 13th 2008 12:15PM]

Then i'd wait a few years. unless its on your website says otherwise. i tend not to look at plugs.

[psfour @ Oct 13th 2008 12:24PM]

sorrry to offend you but i do not see this as a plug. I simply put a comment in with my website as a footer. Is this allowed or not?

[Anoldcarsnickname @ Oct 13th 2008 12:29PM]

Not when you're a douche.

[Kspraydad @ Oct 13th 2008 12:40PM]

By 'impending' you mean 3 years from now?

You need to find another internet corner to dominate...you'll not make money on this one for quite awhile.

[Kiwi616 @ Oct 13th 2008 12:41PM]

Out of curiosity, I went to your site....too many grammatical and spelling mistakes to be anything remotely close to credible. Nice plug.

[coolbho3000 @ Oct 13th 2008 5:04PM]

Don't go to the site he just spammed, that's like feeding the troll.

[Jake @ Oct 14th 2008 2:28PM]

LOL, you realise you got a 5 year wait for this...

Are all Xbox owers as stupid as this guy? I figure they must be.

[Patriks7 @ Oct 13th 2008 12:13PM]

God PSP is already on 5.0?
Its not so long ago when I was putting homebrew onto my 1.5 and then upgrading/downgrading it..
How fast the time goes :\

[Chris @ Oct 13th 2008 12:44PM]

The PSP is currently at 4.05 firmware. So this is a very big jump.
Its also not a very important jump for those with 'hacked' or custom firmware PSP's like myself.

[jonwil2002 @ Oct 13th 2008 12:21PM]

No doubt the PSP update will contain ever more anti-piracy and anti-homebrew stuff from Sony. And no doubt it will be cracked by the PSP hacker gurus in no time.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 13th 2008 2:16PM]

Well you're a jolly old blob of sunshine now aren't ya?

[Fiddlesworth @ Oct 13th 2008 12:30PM]

Well, the story/title have been updated to better reflect the importance of the PSP update.

[94 taurus owner @ Oct 13th 2008 12:32PM]

v5.00 will be available on the 15th.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 13th 2008 2:15PM]

...in Japan. There's no release date confirmed for the states or Europe.

[Jordan @ Oct 13th 2008 12:38PM]

I really hope that Sony includes the latest Flash player in this PS3 update. I am desperate to watch Hulu on my PS3. Yes I am aware of PlayOn!. No, it is not equilivant to having the native ability to play current rev Flash videos in the PS3 browser.

[Kspraydad @ Oct 13th 2008 12:43PM]

For the billionth time on the intertubes...

FLASH 9 does not work on non Mac/Windows platforms afaik. That is a ADOBE issue...there is NOTHING SONY can update too.

[Jordan @ Oct 13th 2008 12:56PM]

9.0.124.0 appears to be readily available for Linux (specifically YUM, RPM and tar.gz). Would this not allow Hulu playback on Linux?

http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&P2_Platform=Linux

[Kspraydad @ Oct 13th 2008 1:07PM]

@Jordan

That is linux running on Intel chips from what I can see. Adobe has not created a Flash that will work on the chips the PS3 uses since Flash 6.

[Andir3.0 @ Oct 13th 2008 1:08PM]

The problem with the Flash Linux player is that it's a x86 processor (and I think 32 bit only) so putting it on a PowerPC processor (like the PS3 has) requires Adobe to create a Power compiled version of it.

[utahnkid @ Oct 13th 2008 4:27PM]

Damn you Flash.. Always the scourge for anything but computers. I love you for being cross-platform compatible and kind of eliminating the need to use a certain operating system but GET ON THE BALL! Portable devices are the future and have every ability to FAR surpass regular desktop computers in popularity.

I've heard they don't make Flash for the iPhone because it's too processor intensive.. Is it the same case with the PSP? Do we just need to scrap Flash altogether and come up with software that's more efficient?

[Foolish Lad @ Oct 13th 2008 6:26PM]

@utahnkid

Well, there's always Silverlight... :-)

[Fiddlesworth @ Oct 13th 2008 12:41PM]

"To further enhance the game line-up of PlayStation Store for PSP, all UMD titles to be released from SCEJ will become available in downloadable version as well at release"

SCEA/SCEE haven't announced plans for simultaneous UMD/PLAYSTATION Store release.

The PS3 update also enables the use of the Ad-hoc Party beta for Japan. The beta will be downloadable from the Japanese store but the latest system software is needed to function.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 13th 2008 2:14PM]

Yep that's exactly right. SCEJ has confirmed that all first-party UMD titles will also be downloadable, but SCEE and SCEA have not. I'm guessing they will though, seeing as how they're desperate to rip away anyone from pirating.

[Poprerty-Select @ Oct 13th 2008 1:12PM]

DivX and XviD please SONY!!!!!!!!

[Kspraydad @ Oct 13th 2008 1:14PM]

The PS3 is a DivX Certified machine...so I assume you mean for the PSP?

[qtboyzz @ Oct 13th 2008 3:36PM]

PLAY THE DAME .MKV FILES. PLEASE SONY!!! PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEESSSSSSEEEE!!!!!!!

[XIYL @ Oct 13th 2008 4:30PM]

MKVs are annoying I don't need subtitles and that is the only special thing about MKV. IMO we need AVI support and that's it.

[Dave Chappelle @ Oct 14th 2008 1:58AM]

XIYL you do not understand MKV's dude. subtitles? prepare to be LOW RANKED. have you ever downloaded video's off the internet in MKV packets? (format w/e) same quality FAR SMALLER SIZE. meaning you can put a 1080 on a Dual Layer DVD m8.

is avi that good?

[Jake @ Oct 14th 2008 2:30PM]

@Dave Chappelle

Clearly you are the one without a clue.

MKV is a CONTAINER format, just like MP4, just like AVI.

It's what's inside is where the compression happens, it's usually AVC HD, which the PS3 already supports just fine....

[NHAnimator @ Oct 13th 2008 2:50PM]

Boo to Engadget for downplaying what Sony does AGAIN. Didn't your mother ever tell you guys that 'If you can't say something nice..."

Sheesh. Kudos to Sony.

[mrChin @ Oct 13th 2008 3:42PM]

well this is fantastic news! i can't count the number of times i've complained about Sony's negligence to the PSP Browser main site (hasn't been updated since 06-07) so it's about time we were able to buy directly online without owning a PS3!

[sponge bob @ Oct 23rd 2008 11:23AM]

when is this version downloadable in the uk