Hello Firmware 2.40, Goodbye Xbox Live?

Rejoice PS3 gamers — Sony has finally released official videos detailing the long awaited Firmware 2.40, and boy was it worth the wait.” The new firmware update will include the infamous in-game XMB and a new trophy system. Feature highlights and videos available after the jump.

The in-game XMB allows the player to access their friends list in-game as well as send and receive messages without having to quit the game like before. It also allows the player to play any stored music they have on the PS3 console while playing their games.

The new trophy system gives players the chance to unlock bronze, silver, gold, and platinum trophies by completing their games. Some will argue that this is a blatant copy of the Xbox 360′s achievements, but since many gamers enjoy racking up achievements, this will likely be a very welcomed feature. The PlayStation blog states it will be available to download on July 2nd — yes people that’s this Wednesday!!

The release of 2.40 and the movie download feature set to hit this summer in the US will have the PSN free service neck and neck with the XBL pay service. The question then is, how long before XBL members start to seriously question the need for their monthly subscription fee?


Firmware (v.2.40) Walkthrough Part 1: the XMB


Firmware (v.2.40) Walkthrough Part 2: Trophies

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  • HyruleGangsta

    So glad I own a PS3 as well as a 360. I don’t pay for the live service though. Too much money for something we should be getting for free.

  • madpuppy

    yeah, I got both systems also, I like the ps3 a little more. XBL will be hard to beat though, It works really well, on line with the ps3 for gaming worked pretty good also but, chat was unimpressive. and I like to blab away and make people laugh while I’m getting killed in halo 3 :P

  • Kojima Suit Larry

    PS3 FTW!!!

  • Krispy Demon

    I’m glad the PSN deal is free, and I’m not surprised so many people that have both systems don’t pay for XBL… after spending that much they have to be pretty broke. Credit card payments must be murder!

    To me though, PSN is like budget bin online gaming. You could buy a game now and pay sixty bucks for it, or you could wait a few months and pay forty. Yeah, you saved twenty bucks there, but you waited to play it. To some people, that’s worth it. Me, if I want to play a game, I want to play it now. Maybe if it’s something I overlooked or only had half an interest in, sure, I’ll wait a while. So, yeah, PSN is getting better and better (as in more and more like XBL) and it’s free… but seriously, XBL does it all and just does it better. I mean, when PSN gets in game XMB and in game texts, XBL will have four person video and voice chat in the not too distant future.

    The trophies thing does look kind of cool though. I kind of like the idea of levels and stuff, but it doesn’t seem any different than just looking at your gamerscore on XBL, except that trophies are more cryptic than flat out gamerscore. It’s like, hey, I’m level twelve and three quarters? Well, I’m twelve and a half and catching up soon. Huh? Why not just have numbers like XBL’s achievements? I have 24,678 points and you have 24,578… how hard is that? I guess they can’t be too blatant when copying XBL’s successes.

  • SeasonedSalt

    PSN is garbage will remain garbage even when home comes out and they start offering pay-for content that is also garbage.

  • Ian Ennis

    @ seasoned salt,
    have you ever played on PSN? if you have you would know that it offers more dedicated servers than XBL. Its also funny you can predict the future by saying Home will be garbage…maybe your just annoyed PS3 users get content for free that you pay for??

  • madpuppy

    don’t bother, from the previous posts seasoned salt only owns a PS2 and probably a 360 seeing her/his distain for the PS3.

  • SeasonedSalt

    Wow, you are both so wrong. I bought a PS3 because I fell into the hype train after loving my PS2 and PS1 for so long and I feel like an idiot for doing it. The PS3 so far has just been a bitter disappointment and a waste of money. I spend more time and have more fun still on my PS2. If you look at PS2′s continued sales than it would seem a lot of people feel the same way. I thought about getting a 360 but since I waited a whole extra year and wasted so much money on the PS3 I just decided to hold off.

    Yeah, so I have played quite a lot on PSN and I DON’T own a 360. I played xbox live and I think it is cool but I don’t know if I’d really be willing to pay for it. Sorry to disappoint you guys with your obvious lack of knowledge of the facts of my life, and excuse the fuck out of me for having an opinion.

    In closing, Ian is a fanboy. Good day.

  • madpuppy

    Look to me I was pretty accurate, you own a PS2, you don’t like the PS3. You Like the 360 BUT! you don’t own one and from your statement, you want one or will get one eventually.

    so to sum up, the only thing I got wrong was that you own a PS3. hmm, funny, I own both machines and Love the PS3 and am not really impressed with the 360. the previous generation I loved the Xbox and really did not like the PS2 (to many lousy sports games and no in game surround sound)

  • SeasonedSalt

    I didn’t say I liked the 360, that I wanted one, or that I would get one eventually. I said I played xbox live and liked it meaning in comparison to PSN, but I said I didn’t know if I would be willing to pay for it. I also said I thought about getting a 360 but that doesn’t mean I decided I wanted one. If I really really wanted one, I would just go buy one instead of still thinking about it.

    Last gen I only had a PS2 because it came out first. I played the Xbox and it was cool but the controller was too big. If I could do it over again though, I probably would have waited to buy an Xbox. I wanted to avoid that whole “buying the first one” thing this time and didn’t get a 360 and waited for the ps2 since I could trade up. When I finally got one it was one of the ones with limited ps2 playback, so I had to keep my ps2 anyways and I haven’t played any PS3 games yet that have been worth the price and bullshit. I would love to be happy with my purchasing decision but I’m just not.

  • madpuppy

    being married for over 7 years I should have known better. :P

  • Dan Landis

    She told you!