Firmware 1.93 this week.

[Fats]

Updated PS3 and PSP Firmware

+ Posted by Eric Lempel // Director, PlayStation Network Operations

Taking into account customer feedback and some internal testing, we will be making available in the next few days a firmware update for the PS3 (1.93) that fixes the network disconnect issue that some of you have experienced as a result of downloading Firmware 1.92. In addition, we are adding a new firmware update for PSP (3.71) as well, which adds many features that readers of this blog have requested.

The main feature we’ve added with the recent updates for PSP is the ability to set themes on your PSP. Over time we will be providing themes on PlayStation.com, our official PSP site and through PLAYSTATION Store. You can download themes based on some of our popular titles. Be sure to download the files into the following location on your memory stick:

psp memory stick

Once you have downloaded a theme, under settings, go to theme settings, select theme and then custom theme to choose the one you want to display.

You can also now play music while viewing photos or a slideshow. First begin playing a track saved on your memory stick, press the HOME or SELECT button, then navigate to your photos under the Photo icon and begin viewing.

We’ve added several other features including scene search for movies, and you’ll be able to read about them in more depth on the usual update page once it goes live. When it does, I’ll update this post with a direct link.

Source (http://www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=97914)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

neat. not much to say really lol.

[LiquidEagle]

"ENOUGH WITH THE CRAP WHERES IN-GAME XMB SONY!?!?!?"

I love seeing 50 billion posts with that crap on the blog like they've been betrayed on the deepest level by Sony.

Anyhoo, PSP definitely got the better update :-p

I wonder when those visualizers are coming...

[VG Aficionado]

The PSP themes rock, there's a WipEout around that looks really cool.

I hope 1.93 adds a minor new feature instead of being just a bug fixing update, but I won't hold my breath on it.

[user friendly]

.01 increment..... I wouldn't hold my breath either. 2.00 will come out early next year, bank on it.

[Jay Gee]

I'll say the 2.0 update comes out in time for the holidays with the features that every PS3 owner has been begging for, and for the fence sitters to sway them.

[user friendly]

I'll say the 2.0 update comes out in time for the holidays with the features that every PS3 owner has been begging for, and for the fence sitters to sway them.

It would be nice but I honestly think they want more than just custom soundtracks to be added. I think they want at the very least:

custom soundtracks
in game messaging
screen caps from videos and games.
home icon (although I think it will come in the next update, 1.95/98)
in game chat
better upscaling for ps1/2 and dvds
xmb themes

I can't think of any more other than more codec support. I don't think it will come this year but I sure as hell hope it does.

[Lost|Identity]

Best idea would be to couple the firmware with the suspected price drop (laymen won't know that there is a difference, but they will definitely have a better experience). How likely that is... I'm not sure.

[VG Aficionado]

1.98? That would be annoying :laugh:

[user friendly]

1.98? That would be annoying :laugh:

lolers,

but unless they release home in the same update as 2.00, I think it will be on a separate update as it comes out in Oct. Unless home gets delayed, I think it won't come with 2.00.

[jaxmkii]

im willing to bet 2.0 IS home. it after all is going to require a major revamp of the os. as far as rerouting the way ps3 loads files.

[Fillibuster]

Thank God for the bug fix...I've been dying to play some Warhawk but I haven't been able to stay on PSN and it has been so frustrating...

[OmniCloud]

Gay for PS3--

Cool for PSP...

but nice fix on the bugs--very quick...

[Sephiroth_VII]

The PSP themes rock, there's a WipEout around that looks really cool.

I hope 1.93 adds a minor new feature instead of being just a bug fixing update, but I won't hold my breath on it.
This is just a quick fix for the network issues, nothing more.

Nice of them to fix it so quickly, really.
It would be nice but I honestly think they want more than just custom soundtracks to be added. I think they want at the very least:

custom soundtracks
in game messaging
screen caps from videos and games.
home icon (although I think it will come in the next update, 1.95/98)
in game chat
better upscaling for ps1/2 and dvds
xmb themes

I can't think of any more other than more codec support. I don't think it will come this year but I sure as hell hope it does.

For the 5*16^10th time, Sony doing that would be completely at odds with their open approach to developers. The devs chose whether or not they want to use these features, Sony is not going to force them to do it.

It would also require re-releases of the older games, I think, since they wouldn't be programmed for it.

[user friendly]

For the 5*16^10th time, Sony doing that would be completely at odds with their open approach to developers. The devs chose whether or not they want to use these features, Sony is not going to force them to do it.

It would also require re-releases of the older games, I think, since they wouldn't be programmed for it.
How do you figure? They could just run it right over all the games audio and make you choose to turn off the games music. Also, why would they need to talk to the devs about in game chat? it'll just be like the XMB is running in the background, nothing to do with the game or it's development. That's how it's handled on the 360 anyway.

[OmniCloud]

This is just a quick fix for the network issues, nothing more.

Nice of them to fix it so quickly, really.


For the 5*16^10th time, Sony doing that would be completely at odds with their open approach to developers. The devs chose whether or not they want to use these features, Sony is not going to force them to do it.

It would also require re-releases of the older games, I think, since they wouldn't be programmed for it.in-game chat, whatever, but It shouldn't matter about In-game soundtrack, its like one of the top requested features to add..

It can't be that hard to press the home button and a limited XMB pops up can it?

[user friendly]

It can't be that hard to press the home button and a limited XMB pops up can it?
That's exactly how it WILL be.

You just won't be able to access pictures (unless sending them via messaging) or videos and certain system settings and the other obvious ones.

[curryking1]

^^It could be, it might take up too many resources and make playing a game unstable because it needs those resources.

It might even be the case where Sony will never do it for the PS3 because it will be too cumbersome on the system as a whole.

Who knows? Even cpi said before, a little RAM use can make a big difference. Maybe a program runs super l33t with 4 more RAM but without it there would be a drastic drop in performance.

I'm probably not really explaining anything too good here right now, but I for one doubt the PS3 will ever adopt in game music for all games. I just don't see a purpose to trouble about it and I think Sony thinks the same as me where in game soundtracks is not a big important thing for them in the grand scheme of it all.

[OmniCloud]

^^It could be, it might take up too many resources and make playing a game unstable because it needs those resources.

It might even be the case where Sony will never do it for the PS3 because it will be too cumbersome on the system as a whole.

Who knows? Even cpi said before, a little RAM use can make a big difference. Maybe a program runs super l33t with 4 more RAM but without it there would be a drastic drop in performance.

I'm probably not really explaining anything too good here right now, but I for one doubt the PS3 will ever adopt in game music for all games. I just don't see a purpose to trouble about it and I think Sony thinks the same as me where in game soundtracks is not a big important thing for them in the grand scheme of it all.True, it may not be that important, but simply ignoring fans is not something a company wants to do.

I think it's like #2 behind in-game messaging on all the boards/blogs/forums so a compromise will have to eventually be made. Maybe it won't be as smooth as X360, maybe that's ALL you'll have access to is simply your music, or even one folder of your music--doesn't matter.

It's just a huge fan request and Sony would be complete dicks not to answer it.

And for certain games like Warhawk, Stardust and Blast Factor just to name a few, having your own music in the background might just bring up the score a point!!

It really makes the experience feel more personal and you enjoy it more...truly one of the best features X360 has over PS3 right now...

[Ironlungz]

Just a thought..there has to be another major firmware update this month/or OCt. for BD-J 1.1 compliance. Maybe 2.0?

[VG Aficionado]

Just a thought..there has to be another major firmware update this month/or OCt. for BD-J 1.1 compliance. Maybe 2.0?If they'll just add that compliance, 1.95 would suffice. Hopefully they'll add it as part of 2.0 in early October or something.

[sprrol]

1.93 is available for download.

[frosty]

damn that update downloaded quick...

[Sephiroth_VII]

^^It could be, it might take up too many resources and make playing a game unstable because it needs those resources.

It might even be the case where Sony will never do it for the PS3 because it will be too cumbersome on the system as a whole.

Who knows? Even cpi said before, a little RAM use can make a big difference. Maybe a program runs super l33t with 4 more RAM but without it there would be a drastic drop in performance.

I'm probably not really explaining anything too good here right now, but I for one doubt the PS3 will ever adopt in game music for all games. I just don't see a purpose to trouble about it and I think Sony thinks the same as me where in game soundtracks is not a big important thing for them in the grand scheme of it all.

Exactly. A little ram can mean a lot, and it's not like they have enough right now. I think it would be a bad move, considering that any dev who wants to use the feature now has to dedicate 12 MB of ram.

If Sony would have to dedicate anywhere near that amount to enable it, I'd rather be without it.

[Smokey]

been betrayed on the deepest level by Sony.
theyve done it to me 1 too many times

j/k

[Leedogg]

I'm having issues getting the update everytime it stops on 4%, and says it cannot connect to the update server. Anybody else having issues getting it?

[VG Aficionado]

Some people are claiming the same problem, too bad. I guess it would be better for them to update it through a USB drive or simply try later. I'll update later today and see what happens, although I never had any issue with firmware upgrades.

[GTAce]

Works for me.
10 minutes downloading and install.

[Leedogg]

ok I called Sony Consumer Services and they said that the problem is on their end, and that they are fixing the system update server. (should be fixed by this afternoon) The guy from Sony told me to download it from the playstation website. But its not on there yet!

Ugh....

[Fats]

So, what exactly should we expect from this update? I mean, I was playing Crash Bandicoot and I was getting Network errors. Is Warhawk more stable?

[Alias]

Downloading now... I appreciate it as it says it fixes the network connection issue (original post in front page). I don't ask for much and I did have problems being randomly disconnected while running 1.92.


Edit - Just got disconnected on 1.93 already.

[Syncere Styles]

Yeah, I heard from other cats I know that they had problems dl-ing this update. However, it's the fastest update I've ever dl-ed. It finished in 1 minute or even less. The installation took all of two minutes.

[VG Aficionado]

I wonder if they've implemented a different upgrade method silently. I mean, instead of having to download a big file, you'd just download the upgraded/fixed modules since the last firmware version installed in your PS3. That would save bandwidth and time, and it would be less risky to upgrade as the shorter the process is, the least likely is to be unlucky and get caught in a blackout.

[Segitz]

I wonder if they've implemented a different upgrade method silently. I mean, instead of having to download a big file, you'd just download the upgraded/fixed modules since the last firmware version installed in your PS3. That would save bandwidth and time, and it would be less risky to upgrade as the shorter the process is, the least likely is to be unlucky and get caught in a blackout.

In PCs hardware (i.e. BIOS) this is not feasible, as those roms NEED to be formatted in order to be reset (a usual flash rom has 2 states, 0 and 1, and formatting settings all to 1, only writing to them sets them 0, and in order to reset it, it nets to reset the whole block) (sorry, bad description :D)

But since it is possible on the PSP, it should be on the PS3. But seeing as Sony has a pretty high security standard, singing etc., there could be problems with incremental updates. And what about those who come from 1.60 or whatever? Do they have to update to 1.9 and then to 1.93 (like in WoW)? I think, this solution is the least problematic imho.

[VG Aficionado]

But since it is possible on the PSP, it should be on the PS3. But seeing as Sony has a pretty high security standard, singing etc., there could be problems with incremental updates. And what about those who come from 1.60 or whatever? Do they have to update to 1.9 and then to 1.93 (like in WoW)? I think, this solution is the least problematic imho.I think full and partial updates can always be made available. Let's assume that there are two possible methods depending on the firmware version you have. For instance, if you happened to have 1.82 or higher, you'd just download upgraded modules because since 1.82 onwards, there are new upgrading methods already implemented in the firmware that would allow lighter and faster updates. However, if you happened to have 1.81 or lower, you'd simply have to get a new firmware update the way you always did: by downloading the full file. Sony would just need to make sure to have at least two versions for each method, and most likely server software that would deliver the upgraded modules when necessary in the second case, or even make your very own PS3 to check what modules have been upgraded and download them.

I'm not trying to give accurate examples, I just want to convey this idea, which I think might be plausible somehow. Some people might be getting updates faster than before simply because Sony migrated this function to much faster servers. Who knows.

[Sephiroth_VII]

It took the same amount of time as usual for me :huh:

[venomv]

Didn't seem any faster then normal for me...

[KRA]

it was slower for me actually :)

[frosty]

Downloading now... I appreciate it as it says it fixes the network connection issue (original post in front page). I don't ask for much and I did have problems being randomly disconnected while running 1.92.


Edit - Just got disconnected on 1.93 already.

Are you using a linksys router? They suck with PS3's.

[Gilly]

I tried downloading the new update today 3 TIMES and it disconnected every time.

[frosty]

it took me 2 times, but it finally went through, and when it did it hauled ass. Whole download was done in under a minute.

[Alias]

Are you using a linksys router? They suck with PS3's.

Yeah. I guess that answers it then.

[Segitz]

Yeah. I guess that answers it then.

Well, mine works just fine.

I must be the original firmware that fuck that up. Using OpenWrt (http://openwrt.org/), I have no problems whatsoever (and it can do much more). But I only suggest trying this FW for people who are either IT literates or are apt linux users

[frosty]

namely the WRT54G router sucks with ps3, sadly. Care to post a guide to your open WRT firmware?

much +rep will follow.

[Segitz]

namely the WRT54G router sucks with ps3, sadly. Care to post a guide to your open WRT firmware?

much +rep will follow.

Well,

you need a specific WRT54G router. The newer revisions don't work anymore. I have the WRT54GL (the L stands specifically for Linux).

Here you can see which router is supported and which is not (http://wiki.openwrt.org/OpenWrtDocs/Hardware/Linksys/WRT54G)

X-Wrt is a GUI version of OpenWrt. (http://x-wrt.org/) I'd suggest method 1 (I did that one too). After that, you log into your router via 192.168.1.1 (maybe different) and create a root password. The rest is pretty similar to the usual firmwares, albeit you can do MUCH more stuff. For the PS3 you have to activate "protect G wireless" and maybe uPnP (if you want NAT2 the simple way, the firewall configuration is pretty complicated).

I hope I could help ya

EDIT:


But keep in mind, you might BRICK YOUR ROUTER, IF YOU DO IT WRONG!

[venomv]

The WRT54G is total crap, period.

[Segitz]

The WRT54G is total crap, period.

No, when OpenWRT is installed, it is THE BEST router there is on the consumermarket (bearing price in mind).

You can install ANY package there is for linux (making it a http, ftp, asterisk etc. etc. etc... server for free, you can even install emule on it), it has an impenetrable firewall etc. etc.

Problem is, the original firmware from linksys sucks donkey balls (but gladly, they broke the GPL so they had to release the sourcecode), but at least there are several alternatives.

[venomv]

Installing some program doesn't count for anything, unless they have it in big letters on the outside of the package to tell you how to do it. It took hours of talking to the tech support for it to do anything at all, and it was forever till I could get the stupid things wireless funtionallity to work, then.....it broke a month later.

I won't buy anything from Lynksys ever again, I don't care how good people say their products are.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Linksys can burn in hell. Their shit stinks so bad god can smell it.

[Segitz]

I won't buy anything from Lynksys ever again, I don't care how good people say their products are.

Good thing the company is no more :D (was recently completely merged into Cisco iirc)

[=NukeBlaze=]

Ok, its duct tape time.

Linksys WRT54G was a very good router for the following versions:

Versions 2,2.2,3, and 4

After hardware revision four, they halved the RAM and ROM, and switched thier firmware from a Linux derivative to VxWorks OS. Any WRT54G after V4 is terrible. The good news, is that the linux version of the router was continued on as the WRT54GL, where the "L" naturally stands for Linux.

While Linksys's job of maintaining the their Linux firmware was so-so, Tomato and DD-WRT have many times succeed it in terms of function and stability. OPEN-WRT is ok, but I like the form and function of DD-WRT and Tomato more. The main issue that linksys failed to address within their own firmware was a "connections" issue. Most of their routers would retain connections for an extended period, torrenting-games-etc, overload the router avlialble memory, then it would start dropping packets like grains of salt from the shaker of a person having an epileptic fit.

http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato
http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/index.php

The antenna and venting on the linksys routers are generally superior to the mass market routers from other companies. When combined with the stability and function of open firmware, now you are cooking with gas.

If you want another company to try, Buffalo technologies makes a nice router that is capable of using the range of open linux firmware available. The antenna is also quite nice.

[venomv]

I use a D-Link now, works pretty good, used to have disconnect issues, but it hasn't done that in maybe 4 months, not sure what changed....

Model WBR-1310

[Smokey]

D-LINK all the way ive had 2 & im starting to think there was nothing wrong with the old one we had for 4 yrs as it turned out our Internet was playing up for ages. i have a wireless one now it has never missed a beat in 10 months it hasnt been rebooted or off since i had it.

[Segitz]

The maker of DD-WRT is a bastard. He basically stole code from several other people, crypted it and now wants to sell it to you (he is already "famous")

Tomatoe doesnt ring a bell. I like Open WRT because I am a Linux user, so I configure most of the inner workings via ssh2 and have complete control over it.

[satriales]

Slightly off-topic but a lot of the posts in this thread have been about in-game XMB and this is not worth it's own thread:


How To Address the Memory Issues on the PS3
Posted by Raoul on September 13th, 2007

A few months ago, in an ace PR move, Sony’s feature list for its 2.0 firmware update happened to leak out. Before it was retracted, the list had been copied and disseminated widely by avid fans and bloggers alike. One item in the list drew the most attention: “XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) is now accessible during gameplay”. We’ve argued in the past that the memory constraints Sony has already placed on itself and PS3 developers could not conceivably allow for such a feature without major restructuring. Instead of taking our a skeptic stance on this issue, we decided to examine how such a feature could be accomplished. Here’s the current theory we’ve come up with.

As of yet, no major restructuring of the memory management has occurred. Our research indicates that XMB takes up too much memory to fit in reserved OS memory while a game is being played. It is theoretically possible for Sony to rework the XMB so that it is much slimmer in terms of memory usage, in order to make it fit in the reserved memory, but we doubt this will happen. All memory improvements have come incrementally so far. The XMB has too much impact on other components to undergo such an upheaval of its fundamental architecture without severely impacting other areas.

The PS3 currently uses a lot of extra memory in order for developers to use fundamental online features. We argue that the Sony online experience won’t match Microsoft’s Xbox Live until it does so in terms of functionality and ease of use. This means primarily not dropping out of the game in order to do simple things such as messaging your friends.

Most mainstream users are either ignorant of the issues surrounding the memory constraints on the PS3 or simply won’t care. As such, the bad press from the past year will not affect them. Only some of them will compare their experiences with those on an Xbox Live (either because they’re loyal to Sony, don’t have 360 owning friends, or are not hardcore gamers).

Still, it is in Sony’s interest to make the experience as user-friendly and functional as possible. Sony understands this now. Regardless of what the competitors do, Sony needs to grab that online pie, which is only going to continue growing for the next 10-15 years. If they fall too far behind, the publishers will bail and look at other delivery platforms for their online content.

Sony knows this, which is why they are hard at work with Home and the spec list for a future software update was “accidentally” leaked. This was a genius move in terms of PR. Leak it, retract it, don’t comment on it, and let the public speculate and get excited over the possibilities.

We fully believe Sony is dedicated to this effort. The central issue remains how to get developer support despite the required extra cost in memory. The only viable solution would be to force developer support, rather than try to entice it. That ought to have been the approach from the start and can still be done..

As for the memory issues, simply swap it out.

Every PS3 SKU released to this day has a hard drive by default. It is fair to assume that over the PS3’s timeline, it has become a core component of the PS3. Every PS3 has one. You can guarantee a hard drive will be present. So, why not just swap the game’s memory out when the PS3 button is pressed and the XMB is brought up. Swapping out 50-60 MBs of memory should not take long at all. Modern PCs do it all the time.

We don’t have any confirmation that Sony is considering this option, so this is purely speculative. However, our analysis and study of the PS3’s architecture, our discussions with other developers, and the stated goals Sony is trying to achieve all point to this solution. We welcome any discussion on its feasibility. Have we overlooked any major stumbling blocks?

This solution doesn’t address all the potential problems. Sony would have to minimize the latency of popping up the XMB menu, and returning back to the game. They would have to test extensively to make sure they don’t break games (we know for a fact that currently released titles have had new bugs introduced solely through the release of a system software update).

It does however allow Sony to address both the developer and memory constraints. Let’s see how this issue plays out in the next few months.

Source (http://www.innerbits.com/blog/)

[=NukeBlaze=]

Segitz:

The maker of DD-WRT is a bastard. He basically stole code from several other people, crypted it and now wants to sell it to you (he is already "famous")

Tomatoe doesnt ring a bell. I like Open WRT because I am a Linux user, so I configure most of the inner workings via ssh2 and have complete control over it.
Reply With Quote

Err...You are thinking of Sveasoft's firmware, NOT DD-wrt. DD-wrt has all its source code for download, its Sveasoft that was playing dirty tricks when people used his original code for their projects. DD-WRT was created BECAUSE Sveasoft closed its source code. You can still console into DD-WRT and Tomato via SSH, nothing really different except the features.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Slightly off-topic but a lot of the posts in this thread have been about in-game XMB and this is not worth it's own thread:



Source (http://www.innerbits.com/blog/)

This makes sense since they want you to be able to pop directly into a game from home, and then return to the spot you left from when you quit the game.

Also, I really think this needs its own thread. Not many people are going to read this otherwise.

[satriales]

This makes sense since they want you to be able to pop directly into a game from home, and then return to the spot you left from when you quit the game.

Also, I really think this needs its own thread. Not many people are going to read this otherwise.

I thought seeing as it was just speculation it's not worth starting a new thread, but you can if you want :)

[Sephiroth_VII]

Nah, you do it if youu want to. Your find.

[Segitz]

About that swapping on HDD...

I always said such stuff "years" ago :D Doing so will alleviate nearly all problems around in-game XMB. PCs have been doing so since the dawn of Windows, when HDDs were as slow as 1x CDROMs. Introducing a second latency for the XMB to show up should be on the "bearable" card (many games also take seconds to load their menu screen, so no prob). The game however has to pause while doing so.

Seeing as many games stutter when accessing the dashboard on the 360, I guess, this poses no problems at all. Expanding the experience should be Sonys first and foremost goal!

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Yeah but it'll totally be problematized because it's the PS3.

[OmniCloud]

I tried downloading the new update today 3 TIMES and it disconnected every time.yeah i got an error once...I just restarted the PS3...

Not just turned it off, but actually flipped the switch in the back and turned the power off completely...

Give that a shot a few times, worked for me...

[Sephiroth_VII]

I forgot to say that this could be the reason why Sony reserved a big amount of HDD space for the OS. I think it's like 5 GB or something.

[satriales]

I forgot to say that this could be the reason why Sony reserved a big amount of HDD space for the OS. I think it's like 5 GB or something.
I think it's only 2GB reserved on my 20GB PS3 and the xbox360 reserves 7GB out of 20GB (why do they need so much?).
The article said it would only be about 60MB, so HDD space is probably not an issue.