2.4 Makes A Splash
IN-GAME XMB IS HERE. REALLY.
Published: July 1, 2008
In what can only be described as the end-all, be-all of Playstation 3 updates, Sony pushed out firmware version 2.40 today, causing Playstation 3's to explode across the world. Explode with joy, that is.
Why the celebration? The addition of in-game XMB, for one, and the ability to insert custom soundtracks (if the developer sends a patch through the pipelines) for all those games in your collection. Now you can jam along to Yani while cruising the Burnout Paradise strip or throw on some Enya while beating hookers in Grand Theft Auto IV.
And did someone say something about trophies? Oh, yes, it adds that as well. Now you can display how cool you are in a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum way. Don't hesitate to spend some time with your PS3, lovingly caressing the controller, and wearing out the Blu-ray laser.
The feature list for the update includes:
In-Game XMB
- In-Game XMB displays everything that's in the XMB, some functions (playing a video, slideshow, voice chat, etc.) require the you to exit the In Game XMB and use the regular XMB
- Custom Soundtracks for supported games (released games must be patched to support the feature)
- Music player controls for Custom Soundtracks
- Full access to the Friend List/Inbox
- Access to the Accessory Settings
- Ability to launch into a different game while playing a game
- Runs as smooth as the regular XMB
- The old PS button menu (Controller Settings, Shut Off System/Controller) can be accessed by holding the PS button for a couple of seconds instead of tapping the button.
Trophies
- 4 Trophy types: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum
- Bronze trophies are the easiest to get, Silver is harder to get, Gold is the hardest, Platinum is only awarded when you have obtained all the other trophies in a game
- Each user will have a PSN "Profile" that keeps track of your trophies
- Each trophy type has a different value that goes towards your Profile's gamer "level" (Bronze adds less points than Silver, Silver adds less points than Gold, Platinum adds a significant amount of points towards reaching the next gamer level)
- All games will have restrictions on how many trophies they can offer (small scale games will offer less trophies than large scale games) and some games will have restrictions on what type of trophies they can offer (no Platinum Trophies in small scale games)
- Trophies can be viewed in the XMB
- Trophies can be locked by the developer just like Secret Achievements
- Trophies can be compared to friends trophies via the XMB
- Games will need to be patched to support Trophies (SSHD will have a patch hours after 2.4 is released)
- Games will not award Trophies retroactively based on saved data
- First party games confirmed to include Trophy support:
- BUZZ! Quiz TV
- LittleBigPlanet
- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
- NBA 09 - PS3
- PAIN
- PixelJunk Eden
- Resistance 2
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
- Warhawk
The Small Stuff
- Google Search added to XMB
- Music player controls added to XMB
- Date & Clock added to XMB
After all of that, I'm tuckered out. In the meantime, you need to be updating your PS3... and if you aren't, what's the MATTER with you?
Why the celebration? The addition of in-game XMB, for one, and the ability to insert custom soundtracks (if the developer sends a patch through the pipelines) for all those games in your collection. Now you can jam along to Yani while cruising the Burnout Paradise strip or throw on some Enya while beating hookers in Grand Theft Auto IV.
And did someone say something about trophies? Oh, yes, it adds that as well. Now you can display how cool you are in a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum way. Don't hesitate to spend some time with your PS3, lovingly caressing the controller, and wearing out the Blu-ray laser.
The feature list for the update includes:
In-Game XMB
- In-Game XMB displays everything that's in the XMB, some functions (playing a video, slideshow, voice chat, etc.) require the you to exit the In Game XMB and use the regular XMB
- Custom Soundtracks for supported games (released games must be patched to support the feature)
- Music player controls for Custom Soundtracks
- Full access to the Friend List/Inbox
- Access to the Accessory Settings
- Ability to launch into a different game while playing a game
- Runs as smooth as the regular XMB
- The old PS button menu (Controller Settings, Shut Off System/Controller) can be accessed by holding the PS button for a couple of seconds instead of tapping the button.
Trophies
- 4 Trophy types: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum
- Bronze trophies are the easiest to get, Silver is harder to get, Gold is the hardest, Platinum is only awarded when you have obtained all the other trophies in a game
- Each user will have a PSN "Profile" that keeps track of your trophies
- Each trophy type has a different value that goes towards your Profile's gamer "level" (Bronze adds less points than Silver, Silver adds less points than Gold, Platinum adds a significant amount of points towards reaching the next gamer level)
- All games will have restrictions on how many trophies they can offer (small scale games will offer less trophies than large scale games) and some games will have restrictions on what type of trophies they can offer (no Platinum Trophies in small scale games)
- Trophies can be viewed in the XMB
- Trophies can be locked by the developer just like Secret Achievements
- Trophies can be compared to friends trophies via the XMB
- Games will need to be patched to support Trophies (SSHD will have a patch hours after 2.4 is released)
- Games will not award Trophies retroactively based on saved data
- First party games confirmed to include Trophy support:
- BUZZ! Quiz TV
- LittleBigPlanet
- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
- NBA 09 - PS3
- PAIN
- PixelJunk Eden
- Resistance 2
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
- Warhawk
The Small Stuff
- Google Search added to XMB
- Music player controls added to XMB
- Date & Clock added to XMB
After all of that, I'm tuckered out. In the meantime, you need to be updating your PS3... and if you aren't, what's the MATTER with you?
