Director of PSN Operations, Eric Lempel, was nice enough to drop by the official Playstation blog to give us an update on the current PS3 firmware situation: v2.36 is out with relatively minor stability fixes and v2.40 is on the way.

Being the generous man that he is, Mr. Lempel didn’t hesitate to tell us the content of v2.40. Users will finally have access to the Cross Media Bar while in-game, as well as the implementation of “Trophies.”

Our very own Patrick Steen infamously suggested that PS3 users didn’t need or want an in-game XMB, with the immediate inclusion of in-game messaging being more crucial.  Nonetheless, Sony has gone all out.

Of course, some of you may have read v2.40 rumors last month, strongly suggesting the inclusion of an in-game XMB, along with other features that couldn’t be divulged at that point in time. These were apparently the Trophies, something akin to the Xbox 360’s achievements.

As for v2.36 itself, as previously mentioned, it’s a minor upgrade that you can download now. Sony’s just keeping their home tidy and clean. More official details on v2.40 will be available shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on the situation.

Source: Official Playstation Blog

*Update* 18/12/07 – The 2.10 firmware update is now available, and as well as including the new features below, there have been some other additions.

Video thumbnails will now play when the files have been sorted into folders, BD/DVD Dynamic Range controls have been tweaked for late night gaming, the internet browser background is now the same as the XMB background, and despite some reports the PS3 will support most Xvid files.

However, most notably there is a new Planet Visualizer (press square) for when you’re playing music.  To watch a video of this new visualization, please go and visit Gamersyde.

Thanks goes to Dot50Cal of Neogaf for the images:

Voice Changer:

The Voice Changer feature has been added to voice / video chat. Visit the Voice Changer guide in Help & Support for more details.

Using this feature, you can change the tone of a voice that is input from an audio device such as a microphone. High and low-pitched tones can each be adjusted to five preset levels. You can vary the tone when using voice / video chat under Friends.

Music:

You can now select [Type 3] as an option under Settings > [Music Settings] > [Bitmapping]. This bitmapping process was developed specifically for the PS3 system to enhance audio playback.

Video:

DivX and VC-1 (WMV) have been added to the types of files that can be played. *

Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 is now supported. **

[BD Data Utility] has been added. ***

*
- To play VC-1 (WMV) format files, you must go to Settings > [System Settings] and set [Enable WMA Playback].
- Copyright-protected files or files that were encoded by using DivX 3.11 cannot be played. – Files that are 2GB or more cannot be played.
** You may now be able to use several additional features such as playback of two videos at the same time with Profile 1.1-compatible Blu-ray Discs. The available features vary depending on the disc.
*** The management data that is used by the Blu-ray Disc is saved.

What does this all mean? The voice changer could be amusing and also help stop prejudice in online gaming (making younger people sound older). The DivX support is a God send for streaming videos from your PC – what videos I’ll leave to your imagination. The PS3 will now also support WMV videos, where it only supported music files previously.

In addition, with 1.1 support for Blu-ray, Playstation 3 owners will now be able to enjoy the full capabilities of new Blu-ray titles, including Picture-in-Picture, which is handy for Director commentaries.

Bring on the updates. In-game messaging please?