A new PlayStation 3 firmware update has arrived, bringing the system up to v2.52.

The update improves the "playback quality of some PS3 format software" and resolves "a text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PS3 format software," PlayStation Network operations director Eric Lempel wrote on the official PlayStation.Blog.

As with all previous PlayStation 3 updates, the new firmware, which can be downloaded for free from the system itself, must be installed before users can connect to the PlayStation Network for online multiplayer and shopping.

Firmware updates for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable will both arrive tomorrow, October 15. As an added bonus, the PS3 update gets support for Flash 9.

As reported yesterday, version 2.50 of the PS3 firmware brings screenshot capture, power saving, and a number of smaller tweaks. Version 5.00 of the PSP firmware, on the other hand, offers direct access to the PlayStation Store for the first time.

Semi-official blog Three Speech also picked up word that the PlayStation 3 will support Flash 9 through its built-in Internet Browser, which means owners can now use their $399 console to play the latest Desktop Tower Defense.

Both updates will be released through each system's update utility sometime tomorrow and will be available worldwide. For full descriptions of the updates, check our report featuring the official word from Sony.

Sony has issued details for the PlayStation 3 v.2.50 firmware and PSP v5.00 firmware updates, both of which will arrive as free downloads later this month.

The v2.50 PlayStation 3 update will allow users to capture their own in-game screenshots through "supporting titles in the future," to be announced later.

It also adds support for the official PS3 Bluetooth Headset, a new video scene search, automatic shut-off of the console or controllers after a period of inactivity, the ability to display custom developer-made Trophy icons, and several other tweaks.

The PSP v5.00 firmware brings direct access to the online PlayStation Store, allowing PSP owners to download games, demos and more from any Wi-Fi hotspot. It will also bring a full-size QWERTY on-screen keyboard, a sleep timer for music playback, and the ability to output downloaded PlayStation games at full-screen on a television.

The official details, as provided by Sony, follow below... Read more

After releasing and subsequently pulling last week's v2.40 PlayStation 3 firmware, Sony Computer Entertainment has issued a revised version of the update.

Currently available for download using the system's update option, the new release, v2.41, is said to resolve an issue that rendered some consoles inoperable after installing the last update.

Apart from the fixes, the update sports no new functionality over the v2.40 update, which upped the online friends list limit to 100 and featured the long-awaited addition of an in-game XMB--allowing cross-game text messaging and custom soundtrack capabilities--along with the Xbox 360 achievement-esque Trophies.

Sony Computer Entertainment has pulled today's PlayStation 3 firmware update following word that it immediately rendered some consoles inoperable after installation.

The company is "looking into it right now and will work with those customers directly to address any issues they may be experiencing," SCEA PR director Patrick Seybold told Joystiq.

The v2.40 update featured the long-awaited addition of an in-game XMB--allowing cross-game text messaging and custom soundtrack capabilities--along with the Xbox 360 achievement-esque Trophies. It also upped the online friends list limit to 100.

No information was provided as to when the firmware will be re-released.

Sony has released new details on the anticipated PlayStation 3 firmware 2.40 update, revealing its features to be somewhat more limited than previously assumed.

Going by information posted on the PlayStation.Blog, the new Achievement-like trophies will not be unlocked based on existing save files, and can only be "earned" once the game is updated and the player performs the specified task.

The long-awaited custom soundtrack feature is limited to music stored on the PS3's hard drive, and does not currently support music streamed over a network media server or via USB devices.

Sony stressed that the firmware update only "enables" custom soundtracks, and that it falls to developers to incorporate the feature into upcoming titles or patch... Read more

Update: Sony has issued numerous details on the forthcoming update, revealing the new capabilities, such as custom soundtracks, to be more limited than initially thought.

Original Story: Sony Computer Entertainment has revealed that the PlayStation 3 will gain the oft-requested in-game XMB menu and other community features in a free downloadable firmware update due this Wednesday, July 2.

The in-game integration of the XMB means that PS3 players will finally be able to send and receive messages within all games. Previously, gamers were notified in-game when upon message receipt, but most titles required them to exit out of the game to read and possibly respond to it.

Other aspects of the in-game XMB include the ability to play custom music during a game and the option to manage PlayStation Store downloads in-game.

The 2.40 firmware also introduces the Xbox 360 Achievement-like Trophy system and profiles similar to the Xbox 360's Gamer Cards, as well as doubles the... Read more

An anonymous source told CVG that the upcoming PlayStation 3 version 2.40 firmware update is expected to launch in about three weeks, coinciding with next month's E3 Media and Business Summit.

Regarding the recently revealed Trophy achievement system coming in the firmware update, the source added that the platinum-level trophies would only be awarded when users collect the all other the other trophies—bronze, silver, and gold—in a game.

Unlike the Xbox 360's Achievement system, the new PlayStation 3 format does not assign a flat points score; users will "level up" as they obtain more awards.

The source also detailed many of the functions available to users via the in-game incorporation of the PlayStation 3's XMB operating system interface. While playing a game, users will be able to register friends, send and receive messages... Read more

Images sent to PS3 Fanboy from a pair of anonymous tipsters appear to reveal a first look at the PlayStation 3's Trophy system, an Achievement-like accomplishment tracker set to debut in the upcoming PS3 firmware version 2.40 update.

Sent by a tipster referring to him or herself as "The Patriots," the image showing the PS3's Trophy page (pictured left) indicates that the awards are divvied up into four classes—bronze, silver, gold, and platinum—possibly corresponding to scaling levels of difficulty for a given accomplishment.

Meanwhile, the second image—sent by another tipster who claims to be a software developer—appears to display a corresponding page which details general user profile information, such as a PlayStation Network username and trophy count... Read more

A new firmware update for the PlayStation 3 will include the long-awaited additions of Achievement-like "trophies" and the use of the console's XMB interface while playing games, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on the PlayStation.Blog.

Though Sony did not specify a release date alongside its announcement, the company had previously pinned a summer release window for the update, which will bring the system to version 2.40.

The firmware will grant users access to the system's XMB front-end interface, used to navigate features such as friends lists and music, while playing a game. Meanwhile, the oft-rumored trophies stand as Sony's answer to the Xbox 360's Achievement system, which recognizes players for completing a title's more difficult or unusual... Read more

Following the newly updated PlayStation Store, Sony Computer Entertaiment America marketing VP Peter Dille said that in-game functionality of the PlayStation 3's XMB interface will be available sometime this year.

In an update to SCEA's PlayStation Blog, Dille said that the long-awaited integration of the PlayStation 3's XMB user interface with games would arrive this year, allowing for more streamlined communication for users engaged in play. The XMB is the PlayStation 3's front-end navigation system which players use to navigate features such as downloadable games, friends list, music and video.

The company had previously announced that the PlayStation 3's firmware update 2.4, aimed for a summer release, would improve in-game communication. Dille did not specify a particular firmware update or release window for the in-game XMB functionality.

Moreover, Dille hinted at plans in the works for other community-related services coming to the PlayStation Network and PS3 this year. "[The services] will be designed to allow more community development and collaborative gameplay as well as recognize and reward you for your gameplay accomplishments across a broad portfolio of PS3 games," he wrote.

The executive also announced that PlayStation Cards are now shipping to retailers in $20 and $50 denominations. Already available in several overseas territories, the cards allow customers to purchase items from the PlayStation Store without the need of a conventional credit card.

As promised last week, Sony Computer Entertainment has delivered PlayStation 3 owners with updated firmware. Bringing the system up to 2.30, the downloadable update packs DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution Audio support for Blu-ray playback, as well as the redesigned PlayStation Store.

With the revamp of the online marketplace now complete, its weekly updates will resume this Thursday. Downloadable offerings will include Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the second Warhawk expansion pack, and the past few weeks of Rock Band content, complete with the new Motley Crue single.

To obtain the new firmware, internet-connected system owners can use the PS3's "System Update" option or check out SCEA's sluggishly-updated support page.

Sony has announced that next week's release of the PlayStation 3's 2.30 firmware will allow the console to play the DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution Audio tracks contained on some Blu-ray movies.

Along with the new Blu-ray functionality, the v2.30 firmware will include the PlayStation Store redesign that was revealed in late March.

"These updates further demonstrate how the future-proof PS3 continues to evolve as a gaming and home entertainment system with the flexibility to deliver the newest technology innovations without requiring further investment from consumers," the company claimed today.

Sony detailed the latest update for the PlayStation 3 firmware, set to go live in the next few days, on the PlayStation Blog today.

The update, which brings PS3 firmware to version 2.20, adds support for Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live. Blu-ray discs which support the feature allow users to connect to the internet while playing the discs and obtain additional content and special features.

The first Blu-ray movies to take advantage of BD-Live are The 6th Day and Walk Hard, slated for release on April 8.

The update adds subtitle support for DivX files, as well as the ability to play DivX and WMV format files that are over two gigabytes in size. The new firmware also features a resume play to DVD or Blu-ray playback, allowing users to resume play of a disc from the point it was stopped, even if the disc was ejected.

Finally, v2.20 will allow users to copy PS3 music and photo playlists to a PSP, and adds a "Save Target" option to the PS3 internet browser which enables users to save files from web pages.

An upcoming firmware update for the PlayStation 3 will integrate in-game communication into the console's operating system, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director told MCV.

The PS3's current 2.10 firmware does not allow users to send or receive messages within all games, though certain titles support both voice and text communication.

Speaking on the momentum of the console, Maguire noted that sales of the PlayStation 3 would be bolstered by in-game communication, to be implemented via firmware update 2.4 this summer.

However, Sony refused to clarify whether or not the addition of in-game communication means integration with the XMB interface. "I'm afraid we are not releasing any further information with regards to firmware version 2.4 at this time," a representative informed Next-Gen.