Firmware 2.40, Complete With In-Game XMB And Trophies, Arrives
See Full ImageOkay guys, this is just a reminder: firmware update 2.40 is ready and rarin' to go! What is arguably the most important update since the system's launch includes the fancy new in-game XMB and Trophy support, and that's excellent news for both current and future PlayStation 3 owners.
Check here for the full detailed rundown of what to expect; we've already downloaded it and are currently looking at that Trophy Collection icon right under the Saved Data Utility. Sadly, there aren't any Trophies there just yet, but that's because - as far as we know - they're not retroactive, although some sources are claiming that a few titles may actually hand out Trophies for something you've already done. The in-game XMB is next up to test, and we can't wait to toss a few of our own tracks into certain games. You'll likely want to toy around with the new world of options and customization offered during gameplay, although if you own a Xbox 360, a lot of it will look somewhat familiar. That's right, there's less and less in the way of hardware options the 360 has over the PS3...in fact, we dare say there ain't much left.
You shouldn't have any trouble downloading the update, either. It only took a few minutes for us, and everything seems to be running smoothly. If you notice anything new or have any issues, please let us know about it. We'll be happy to assemble a list of features we may have missed in that release article; Sony might have purposely skipped a few, too. Get to it, PS3 users!
7/2/2008 Ben Dutka
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Comments (Beta)
Cttun
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:15:15 AM
0 up, 1 down
Deleted User
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:18:46 AM
2 up, 0 down
Schmitty
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 12:55:26 AM
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0 up, 1 down
karneli lll
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:02:35 AM
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0 up, 1 down
Daedusian
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:11:27 AM
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0 up, 1 down
Qubex
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:15:35 AM
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Q!
"aLL RoAdS LeAd ToO HoMe"
0 up, 1 down
Roosveltboy
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:44:27 AM
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0 up, 1 down
NYfanatic
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:50:53 AM
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Schmitty
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:53:04 AM
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Zapix
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 2:20:52 AM
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With the addition of the ability to use ingame music with select games, trophies (once they're really there to gain), and eventually HOME...
Nice to see Sony finally stepping up with console GUI options that are little more than bare bones and has features it should have had from the start.
0 up, 1 down
ZubraZap
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 2:41:07 AM
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Another gripe is when you press down on the PS button to bring up the XMB in-game the battery level of your controller blocks out the "PSP-like date and clock" for a second. I know its just a "second" but it comes off clumsy...
0 up, 1 down
Daedusian
Thursday, July 03, 2008 @ 3:25:20 PM
0 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 3:11:49 AM
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0 up, 1 down
Ultimadream
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 3:23:16 AM
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0 up, 1 down
SHADOW [Moderator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 4:03:23 AM
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However I give Sony a low grade for this release. We now have all these really cool trophy functions that just sit there, and I don't understand why they advertised this whole custom soundtrack deal. This feature doesn't work yet. If they wanted to put in the ability for developers to put in custom sountracks in the future I wish they would have made that much clearer. I knew because I have no life and chill on news sites all day but hundreds of thousands don't. At this point the XMB is pretty choppy in game. I think that this is probably a good thing though, to have a perfectly functioning XMB would weigh down the available memory (i assume).
I think that Sony should have gotten more developers on board for trophies for release day. One game (and not a hugely popular one at that) is kind of a joke. I will own SS:HD if Sony ever gets around to doing a mass-release of those PSN cards, but right now I, like most PS3, owners don't own it and can't enjoy this new feature. Also I think Sony could probably remove certain parts of the XMB (Video, Pictures, and any options we can't change ingame) to improve it's frame rate.
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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 4:09:43 AM
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Does this mean that the developers will have control over how it's implemented and used in the game? For example, might we be able to access our HDD music in MGS4 via the in-game iPod?
Last edited by ThePoetRazel on 7/2/2008 4:10:28 AM
1 up, 1 down
Jed
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 4:19:21 AM
1 up, 1 down
Jed
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 4:22:00 AM
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1 up, 1 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 4:52:22 AM
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IN PSX REPORT OF TROPHIES, HE EXPLAINED DEVELOPERS ACTUALLY KNEW OF THIS TROPHY FEATURE BEING IMPLEMENTED VERY EARLY, SO IF THEY WANTED TTHEY WANTED TO ENABLE CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS THEY WOULDVE !!!!!! SCEA GAMES DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THIS FEATURE!!! SONY KEPT PUSHING THIS UPDATE BACK AND FOR WHAT????? THIS UPDATE IS DISGUSTING, STUPID, OVERRATED, OVERHYPED, AND JUST PLAIN GARBAGE!!!!! SONY U CONTINUE TO LET ME DOWN!!!!
0 up, 3 down
ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 5:03:26 AM
They probably couldn't release them before the patch and may have to wait for space on the network to become available to put them out.
However, if those patches don't start coming soon it'll be time for some serious complaining.
1 up, 1 down
aaronisbla
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 5:28:52 AM
If anything, they will make the needed fixes thru patches, im satisfied just for in game messaging, makes it easier to get games going in CoD4 and other games. They do need to trim all the unneeded fat around it and make it a more simple interface.
For instance, they need to lose options like PSN store, since all it says is we need to exit game to access it. Why have that option in there then? Hopefully this will cut down on the bulkiness of the ingame xmb
I say we wait a bit before slicing their throats.
Last edited by aaronisbla on 7/2/2008 5:31:44 AM
1 up, 1 down
Qubex
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 8:18:47 AM
Q!
"aLL RoAdS LeAd ToO HoMe... Maybe"
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kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 5:14:10 AM
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Minishmaru
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 6:06:25 AM
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BUZZ! Quiz TV
LittleBigPlanet
MotorStorm Pacific Rift
NBA 09 - PS3
PAIN
PixelJunk Eden
Resistance 2
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
Warhawk
Burnout Paradise will also get trohpy support but not from a firmware update but a patch from them
Source: Official PS Blog
Pain and Burnout Paradise already have custom soundtracks because of their latest patch (Burnouts coming out July 10th Cagney Patch) thus is the reason they wouldn't need custom soundtracks from the xmb.
::rant::
Well...I'm glad to see that the in-game xmb is finally out that everyone and their siblings have been bitching about and not even a day through...people are bitching about it for no reason. Some things NEVER change.
::end rant::
1 up, 1 down
Minishmaru
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 6:07:19 AM
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1 up, 1 down
LegioN
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 6:14:49 AM
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You're forgetting kj313 that devs have their own timelines, if sony waited to bring this out when all the games had released a patch ready for it, we would've been waiting a whole lot longer. Sony cannot force developers to do anything but only request, so i suggest you go around getting mad at each developer that wasn't ready for it off the bat (every dev)
Last edited by LegioN on 7/2/2008 6:15:54 AM
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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 6:34:36 AM
If patches for a lot of games don't arrive in the next 2 weeks, it'll be obvious that Sony didn't give devs enough full notice on this. However, if some do come and some don't, then we can see which devs have dropped the ball on this.
1 up, 2 down
dillonthebunny
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:01:04 AM
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sorry, I dont mean to flame, but GET A GRIP!!
personally im an old gamer, started out on the BBCM and ZX81 through to what we are playing now and at no point have I taken any of this for granted.
the reason I bring this up is that 20 years ago you couldnt even imagine the PS3 and what it would be like, it would of been hard to imagine the DS let alone the PS3! this update is minor in the scheme of things, its a utility that will get better, end of.
some of you are sitting there and whining away like this is life or death.
just give it time and and chill out, theses things will be fixed and we will have more than you can shake a stick at.
but for now, stop acting like spoilt children, and enjoy the fact that now you wont be spending a fortune txtn your mates saying that that you will meet them in what ever game...
this update hasnt ruined anything, it can only add things, and in time it will. so what if some game you havent played in months wont give you trophy's right now, soon it will.
as for music, did we all hate the system before it gave us the hope of in-game music? personally i dont think being able to change the music in-game is a good thing, just means that developers can become sloppy.. i dont like that.
Its like why give decent content when you can double up what you have got with pointless achievements.. 'walk 5,000 meters trophy' or 'shoot 1,000 soldiers trophy' ..yeh, i mean great.. but from what some of you guys are moaning about, these things are not worth the moan time you are giving.
at the end of the day the MOST important thing is the in-game messaging, and that works! everything else is a bonus, and a bonus that will be improved constantly. Sony has never let us down on the firmware upgrades, so it wont start here.
im sorry to have a go, but after 25 comments on this topic, so many of them are just so negative, that people are getting carried away with it.
all im saying is chill out.
4 up, 2 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:15:27 AM
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U cant be an old school gamer saying what u just said. Please don't compare todays technology to way back in the late 80's. I'm griping cause this is a $600 dollar piece of equipment that can't even multi task, by playing music at the same time as a game. i didint think it would be so difficult. Not only that they have eveyone happy over a year from it's debut for in game messaging???
I'm not spoiled. i waited 2 days for this system at launch, and continue to get dissappointed. If it's not by home, it's this ingame XMB. If it's not that it's because my system has broke down.
I'm just tired of gettin let down by this system is all I'm saying. i have been nothing but loyal to Sony for over a decade. I'm tired of settling!!
0 up, 4 down
Evilincarnate
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:17:50 AM
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2 up, 1 down
karneli lll
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:26:28 AM
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i cant believe people are complaining about the charge icon blocking the clock! "Everyone's a critic"
1 up, 1 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:40:17 AM
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0 up, 2 down
Evilincarnate
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:10:25 AM
Which they will have updates soon I'm sure,but update 2.40 just came out today so relax.
1 up, 0 down
Bugzbunny109
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:13:28 AM
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dillonthebunny
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 9:56:13 AM
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and yes I can compare old Skool with new, because its all relative.
you need to stop ranting and just relax, read your last few posts and try to understand why you need to just step back from this and get a grip, because you are starting to lose it.
1 up, 1 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:22:10 AM
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Minishmaru
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:05:53 AM
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0 up, 1 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:10:18 AM
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0 up, 2 down
dillonthebunny
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:11:59 AM
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I for one am very happy its there, means I dont have to switch off the freeview in order to see what time it is!
also in game when youre playing, its cool to at least see what sort of time it is, especially when its in the very early hours of the morning!
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kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:15:59 AM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:23:54 AM
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The express purpose of firmware 2.40 is to prepare for the future, which isn't far off. No, there aren't any Trophies yet, because they're not retroactive and developers weren't about to make Trophies in their games when the option isn't even available on people's PS3s. No, we don't have the custom soundtrack yet for the same reason. But 2.40 provides the groundwork necessary to allow this to happen. Furthermore, look at the Store, the Network, and Home. For all intents and purposes, the PS3 really IS a computer, and with large programs, it takes time, and more updates and patches, for it to work at 100% capacity.
This is just the first step, but it's a big one. It provides the capability to take more steps, most importantly on the part of the developers. Don't worry; it won't be long before you start to see the fruits of 2.40, even if it's not visible right this very minute. Awfully impatient, some of ya are, huh? ;)
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 7/2/2008 10:24:43 AM
1 up, 1 down
kj313
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:31:14 AM
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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:52:36 AM
But i think the problem here is that Sony hyped this thing up like crazy. 2 videos showing what we'll get then saying July 2nd without making it clear that these features probably won't come for a while. Of course people are gonna be disappointed.
Sony just hype things too much and this is the result.
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LegioN
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:14:15 AM
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Qubex
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 7:14:37 PM
Q!
"aLL RoAds LeAd ToO HoMe"
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aaronisbla
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 7:20:45 PM
Some just need to have some patience. As for the in game music, it was already stated that this will be up to the devs to make patches for games that already exist.
But alas, some will still whine about it, but that's the world of video games i guess. Only thing i cared about was exiting my games to answer a message and now, thats no problem, everything else is a bonus to me.
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dillonthebunny
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:33:13 AM
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..I didnt say you were spoilt, I said you are 'acting' like you were.
the task is indeed simple, if you want me to explain to you then I will, its the very least I will do for you.
we all act silly at times, I know (and Ben, Ak, Ryan.. etc etc) everyone will agree that I have said some stupid things in my time here and have gone off on a complete eppys at times over some stupid thing that was so pointless! ..but I have always reigned myself in.
and im just trying to help you see this.
PsxExtreme isnt your usual fanboy site where people come here and rant and scream the place down acting like spoilt kids, granted we all do that from time to time, but this site isnt one of those sites. PSXE has a good reputation of being a good place for a great discussion, no matter what console you own.
like I say, if you want me to explain further then PM me, otherwise I will drop this because its way way off topic.
-----------------
as for the update, its cool they have finally got this to us, agreed.. issues need to be sorted! but the main thing is in-game messaging, and that works really well.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:37:51 AM
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1 up, 1 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:39:31 AM
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And please do remember that I also own a Xbox 360, and I have reasons for doing that (despite playing the PS3 far more often).
1 up, 1 down
Schmitty
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:45:20 AM
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but what you say is probably true it is one small step for playstation one giant step for PS3 ownerkind
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MirrorSoul
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 10:59:29 AM
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shreevin
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:02:04 AM
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Any new news on that?
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:03:46 AM
1 up, 1 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:03:18 AM
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I would just say that's logical.
1 up, 1 down
ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:11:04 AM
Did Sony really expect people not to get excited thinking that all this stuff was coming on July 2nd?
It's like dangling a burger in front of a starving man and telling him he can't have it til next week.
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LegioN
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:16:23 AM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:16:28 AM
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I do know several PS3 owners who really have no idea about this update, though, nor do they care. This announcement isn't mainstream enough for me to consider it "hype;" I guess that's what I'm trying to say.
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fatchad420
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:42:34 AM
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Lord Alucard
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 11:49:12 AM
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URGENT REPLY!!!
System update> Server connection timed out the same modem for past update's.
Anyone else having problems updating or is just Eu or Northern Ireland.
Can strong winds affect a wi-Fi Connection Which was at 97%
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Schmitty
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 12:41:34 PM
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ArnoldK PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 1:34:54 PM
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2 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 2:54:39 PM
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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 5:35:41 PM
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Oh, and the files on my external HDD seem to load up a lot faster than before. And i mean A LOT faster.
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Qubex
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 7:19:09 PM
Q!
"aLL RoAdS LeAd ToO HoMe"
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Ultimadream
Thursday, July 03, 2008 @ 12:36:07 PM
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Ultimadream
Thursday, July 03, 2008 @ 4:09:52 PM
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caeruleaus
Thursday, July 03, 2008 @ 6:34:25 PM
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To everyone complaining... go program the fix yourself if your that annoyed with it. FYI, programming on schedule can be a bitch. Things are harder than what you might think. They're programming on hardware that they aren't 100% sure how to use (the cell processor). Just wait and you'll eventually get what you want.
1 up, 0 down
karneli lll
Reply
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 @ 12:44:36 AM