Sony ushers in change, hope with upcoming PS3 2.60 firmware update

Sony just dropped some details on its upcoming 2.60 firmware update for the PS3. The big thrust of the update is a new Photo Gallery app, which can sort by various EXIF data, but also the actual content of the image itself, including colors used, number of people in the photo, how old they are, and facial expressions they used when you pulled out your powdered-blue Kodak to take a few historical snapshots. Naturally you can build slideshows with music and the like. Sony's also adding with this update guest access to the PlayStation Store and DivX 3.11 support. If that's not enough magic to get you riled up, Sony's also pushing out a PSP update, firmware 5.03 that addresses "security vulnerabilities" (we wonder what that could be?) and some stability issues. There's a video walkthrough of the PS3 update after the break.

Read - PS3 v2.60
Read - PSP v5.03

[potatoes Posted Jan 20th 2009 6:36PM]

Also a revamped interface, .m4a support, and faster updates.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 10:18PM]

Yes im a photographer so I will surely use this.

[41f0n50hd3z Posted Jan 20th 2009 7:06PM]

How about remembering those guys who still use their PSPs, Sony? perhaps a nice update to allow seeing flash content (ahem youtube anyone?) without having to homebrew? that's the main reason I got a 360 instead of the PS3, lack of worthy updates. I'm mexican and we couldn't even access the PSN until update 5.0 here! I know it's not that huge of a market but geez!! At least with the 360 I'm enjoying my gold Live account since day 1.

[youfacethetick Posted Jan 20th 2009 8:05PM]

On a list of worthless things for the PS3 - picture viewing ranks near the absolute top. There's not much that's less interesting than photos...

[Freeballer Posted Jan 20th 2009 8:11PM]

ok? divx 3.11 support!? where the heck is divx 7, I mean maybee I don't understand "divx certified" but doesn't it basically mean sony and divx are sharing enough info to make it work properly with the hardware? Wouldn't a) it make sense they share latest tech b) want to say it's working 100% with divx tech c) make better sense? mkv is more than just a download/pirate format. Some of the 1080p content from sites is now being shown on mvk, which is nice cause of chapters/multiple streams/subtitles..

This also makes me wonder if the contents from my camera saved on divx 6 will work at all, or if some tv shows/movies I've ripped will ever work without forcing lower divx profile? *shrugs* ok, I've bitched enough, fustrating that we cannot get something newer in codecs

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 20th 2009 9:19PM]

It's already available! I am already downloading it! Go get it, people!

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 20th 2009 9:55PM]

So I was online look @ my Girlfriend and then I got logoff because of the update and then when i got back online to see my girlfriend she said that "that theeres no way"

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 20th 2009 10:58PM]

This update is pretty so so for me, but this year is shaping up great for the PS3. I'm looking forward to some decent PS3 exclusives for once: Killzone 2 and street fighter 4. Even if it still turns out to be a lot of eye-candy with little substance (which I doubt) I still wouldn't mind picking them up. Sure beats playing RB2 over and over and over again.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 12:27AM]

No one got/cared about the camera reference? Obama's daughter pulled out a blue Kodak at the inauguration. Please tell me in not the only one who noticed this :-/

[pika2000 Posted Jan 21st 2009 12:50AM]

Photo gallery? This is after Sony removed the memory card reader? So Sony thinks people won't use the PS3 to view photos by removing the memory card reader, and now they develop a photo organizing app? Do the hardware and software teams even talk to each other? The photo gallery demo looks pretty cool though. Question is, do user have to tag all the photos, or does the PS3 can analyze photos to group them into ages and smiles? If they have to be tagged manually, then this app would be just a gimmick. They should do the face recognition thing like Picasa webalbum/facebook/iPhoto09.

Divx support is great, but have they fixed the overscan issue? Currently it's very annoying watching a subbed video on the PS3 since it cut off a significant amount of the video. The same issue plaque the 360 too. Also, I still find the PS3 to not being able to recognize videos from a network drive.

[adambrower Posted Jan 21st 2009 1:04AM]

EXIF, oh groovy. slideshows! except we still can't stream mp4 video without stutters, since they broke it in 2.3.something. they are sound asleep.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 4:55AM]

With my slow internet connection of 0.5mb, a 140MB update is SERIOUSLY annoying for me. I mean, imagine if I wanted to just play games for just half an hour, and I wanted to play online, but I couldn't because my PS3 required an update? That would be hella annoying.

None of the Xbox updates i've had to install so far have taken much longer than a minute, well the NXE did but that's understandable, and even that didn't take as long as this new PS3 update will.

So yeah, PS3 is clearly for people with 8mb internet connections, not me.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 6:45AM]

I agree with the "Netflix" comment.

Movie on demand like the Wii would be for me a Killer App.

Gordon

[Nishas3 Posted Jan 21st 2009 9:21AM]

Oh thanks guys! I didn't know.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 11:53AM]

THE NEXT FIRMWARE SHOULD SUPPORT MATROSKA. NOW HD MOVIES ARE ALL MKV'S AND PS3 DOESN'T SUPPORT IT AND STREAMING HD MKV IS HARD TO TRANSCORD USING TVERSITY.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 21st 2009 1:00PM]

try Playon ... I have loved it since installing a couple of weeks ago. It adds Hulu, and Netflix Watch Instantly to the XMB.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 22nd 2009 5:15AM]

They need to put out a F$#King media server so we can stream our media to the ps3 (and not use some third party software). SONY SUPPORT YOUR SHIT!!!