Firmware (v.2.40) video walkthrough

Inazuma said:
Go to Part 1 http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/06/29/firmware-v240-walkthrough-part-1-the-xmb/
Although he doesn't mention it, at 45 seconds into the video you can see 'Start New Chat' with the headset icon. So it looks like the feature's in (Unless it's actually greyed out) :) Now the only thing we need is game invites!
Click to expand...

Watch the 1up video, they state you have to leave the game before your voice chat will start. In game voice chat from the XMB is not implemented.
 
Have to bear in mind that its the first release for in-game XMB, so obviously a lot of stuff still isnt going to be fully implemented. It will probably take a number of updates to bring it within Live level.
 
Needles said:
the reason of for the lack of forced custom soundtracks is the fact that microsoft hold a patent for that.
Click to expand...

Source? I doubt it's even possible to patent the ability to play custom music while playing a game. I can do it on my computer so how is that different on my console?
 
What's this? The PS3 finally doing what the 360 was doing two years ago? :p
(Oh no he didn't...)

Seriously though it's good to see the PS3 rolling out these features, competition is good for all.
 
Finally!

Though it seems they have just done the bare minimum they could do. Just basic functionality and only releasing any real information just a few days before it’s due out. Typical Sony I guess.
 
dbmzk1 said:
Finally!

Though it seems they have just done the bare minimum they could do. Just basic functionality and only releasing any real information just a few days before it’s due out. Typical Sony I guess.
Click to expand...

it is always like that, they always only announce features and release date just before launch.
 
Will voice-messaging/private chat be featured in 2.40 as well? If not, can we expect to see this feature added in the future?

We are evaluating the opportunity to offer voice chat, but for this update, we wanted to focus on text messaging as the key priority for communications that our users have asked for.

Can you use the web browser in game?

No, you must exit the game before browsing the internet.

Will In-Game XMB come up during playback of PS2 games, Blu-Ray discs, and DVDs?

The XMB is an exclusive feature for PS3 game titles. Accessing the XMB during gameplay was the top request from our users, which we focused on for this update. However, we continually engage PS3 owners for feedback and will evaluate the opportunity to offer XMB access during movie playback in the future.

Can we go to the display settings and change anything there in-game (resolution, input, etc)?

No, you must exit the game before changing these settings.


Will we be able to access the PLAYSTATION Store while in-game?

No, but you can view your downloads in progress.

Will we be able to stream music (either via media server or USB drive) for custom soundtracks or is it relegated to music stored on the HDD?

Currently only music stored on the HDD is accessible in games that support this feature. We’d also like to reiterate that Firmware v2.40 merely enables custom soundtracks. It’s up to developers to include this feature in upcoming games (or to patch existing ones).

Does 2.4 enable cross game invites? Will it down the line?

No, cross-game invites are not available in this system software update. We are evaluating opportunities to expand on the new features delivered in 2.40.

Still not as functional as it should be. A step in the right direction though.
 
That FAQ confirms my suspicions. They're releasing the ingame XMB as a starting point, this is indicated by the clear hint that all the features we wanted are 'being evaluated' which basically means they're working on it but can't confirm it yet.

Also note they have AGAIN pointed out that it's the game developers that need to integrate custom soundtracks, this is clearly showing that this is Sonys only way to avoid Microsofts outrageous patent. I don't think we'll see any change with the system, but i imagine software developers will allow for the feature in future releases so all is not lost.
 
Needles said:
Trust me there is a patent, I am not making this up.

source: http://www.ripten.com/2008/03/31/microsoft-owns-patent-for-in-game-custom-soundtracks/
Click to expand...

I have read the article and its all very interesting- but surely they can only patent their method of doing it (ie with the technology of Xbox/X360 )

If A N Other company comes up with a completely different way of doing it using different componant parts how can that break the patent already applied?

The other issue is that neither company are actually giving anything other than "access" to content you already (theoretically at least) own, how can MS possibly patent this access?

ooohh look if I put a link here to "My music" folder you can play music I already have (instead of whats playing from disc) - thats surely patenting a shortcut which is ridiculous surely?
 
Does 2.4 enable cross game invites? Will it down the line?

No, cross-game invites are not available in this system software update. We are evaluating opportunities to expand on the new features delivered in 2.40.
Click to expand...

Suddenly the update doesn't interest me anymore :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom