PSP firmware 5.50 arrives to fulfill your every subfolder exploration need

There's a new PSP update in town, so hold onto your calloused thumbs. Firmware 5.50 borrows the PS3's XMB "Information Board" (pictured) for getting PlayStation and PlayStation Store news wherever you've got WiFi and a yearning, and there's also a games information search that works straight from the XMB as well. The update also brings the incredibly tardy ability to browse Memory Stick sub-folders for media, and Trend Micro Security and Safety for protecting the browser from malicious sites and protecting kids from adult content. It's not a landmark update, but it's something.

[Via PSP Fanboy; thanks Allan M.]

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:22AM]

No more PSPorn??!!

[CheesusCrust Posted Apr 21st 2009 3:17PM]

Uhh... Why not?

[elBradford Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:21PM]

Once your mom finds out about this update your all night blanket-fests are over.

[XIYL Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:23AM]

PSP 3000 users don't do it. There is an Eloader for firmware 5.02 that uses the tiff exploit so you don't need another game to do it. http://Noobz.eu

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 1:05PM]

I use disc tagging, but Windows doesn't seem to have an option for sorting folder contents based on disc, so when you view files in Explorer for whatever reason they show up as a mashed together mess of track 1 track 1 track 2 track 2 etc. Just seems easier to have the discs stored in separate folders. My Bold handles them just fine dragging and dropping to it with the current nested setup, and the tagging works fine on it and on other devices. The only exception is the damned PSP...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 1:13PM]

Er, misfire!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:25AM]

Does this mean that I can finally nest folders (Beatles > White Album > Disc 1, etc) in the MP3 player, or is that too much to ask for?

[InfinityDevil Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:52AM]

Yes, but only to ONE level further down according to the update notes. So you have your MUSIC folder on your memory stick. In there you could already put Beatles. Within MUSIC/Beatles you can apparently now put WhiteAlbumDisc1, no more.

Better than not having it, but still a tad limiting.

[Galley Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:03PM]

Why would you list the discs separately? That sounds like poor tagging. Does your media player not support the "Disc x of x" tag?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 1:29PM]

That's the first thing I thought about as well. Not seeing other folder is a real letdown with the current FW.

[LiQuiDFuSioN Posted Apr 21st 2009 2:42PM]

I tag my stuff the same way:

The Beatles/White Album/White Album (Disc 1)

But using the PSP, I just throw the main folders with the tracks that I want on it.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:26AM]

Great !!!
Another move to sink Micro$oft....
Oh, BTW, Micro$oft really sucks....

[holycow Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:43AM]

wtf?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:48AM]

yeah! i'm with you, man! the nerve of Micro$oft to BLATANTLY take Microsoft's name and change it ever so slightly to take advantage of unwary customers!

[Branhower Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:14PM]

Microsoft isn't even in the portable gaming market.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:59PM]

its comments like this that confirms my idea that people are being paid to be stupid on blogs or forums. sad days

[Broo Posted Apr 21st 2009 8:15PM]

yea- this is really going to hurt the xBox 360 portable sales...

[mmurfin87 Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:30AM]

Memory Sticks?..... Ha

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:31AM]

FYI Engadget, PSP Fanboy no longer exists, a while back Joystiq redesigned their websites so that articles fall under: Xbox.joystiq.com, Nintendo.joystiq.com. and finally playstation.joystiq.com

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:49AM]

i'm pretty sure the editors at Engadget know about the change at Joystiq. They're all on the same blogging network

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:14PM]

yet, they cited PSP fanboy as the source. Even though it does go to the Joystiq.com site lol. Just wanted to let them know so they will correctly cite their source for future references.

[SOOPERGOOMAN Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:15PM]

Well obviously not if he had to point it out to them, that's simple to realize.

I'm just gonna hold out till DAX makes a new CFW or someone else does it. PSP is for Homebrew now anyway. At least for me. Guitar Star and irShell and the like.

[barry99705 Posted Apr 21st 2009 1:09PM]

So does the damn thing support wpa2 yet?

[THJ Posted Apr 21st 2009 2:30PM]

I'm desperate to find a use for my cfw PSP (besides games) - is there a uPnP client out there for the PSP?

[elBradford Posted Apr 21st 2009 11:25PM]

There was talk some months ago on the internets of a guy porting libupnp to the PSP, not much these days. That would make my PSP the bees knees though, because I could watch all my stories on it! But they're HD h264... hmmm, I'd need a separate library for PSP, but it would be really cool nonetheless.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 22nd 2009 1:09PM]

I'm not positive that it uses uPnP, but there is a solution for streaming video to your PSP. It's called PimpStreamer and I've used it and it works well. http://www.pimpware.org/?page_id=9

[1059 WKYA Radio Mike Lightly Posted Apr 21st 2009 4:56PM]

wow thats useful.

err..

[Broo Posted Apr 21st 2009 8:14PM]

Includes 'Trend Micro Trial'? Do they actually anticipate that someone will want to pay extra (or even better- a yearly maintenance fee) for 'Web Security' software for a portable game console?

Sounds about a useful as Anti-Virus software for a BlackBerry...

Oh wait- I think Norton tried that for PalmOS a few years ago.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 22nd 2009 6:14AM]

I'd love to see the financial agreement Sony sewed up with Trend Micro. These firmware updates (Go!Messenger, Skype, Trend) have been as much about revenue-generating questionable updates as they have been genuinely useful enhancements.

[interested Posted Apr 22nd 2009 10:56AM]

Any chance for a boost to the volume as well? (for cfw)

[smartroad Posted Apr 25th 2009 3:14AM]

Updated, and went to use the information board. Selected an item, goes to the Internet program and then promptly tells me that I need to upgrade to 5.50!!!! How does it think I got there? I had to have 5.50 to be able to view that page.