PS3 Gains 3D Playback This Week

We've already had the first part of Sony's 3D assault on the PS3, when 3D game support was added in the last major firmware update, and now we have the date for the second and probably most anticipated part - 3D Blu-ray move playback.  Sony themselves have confirmed that v3.50 of the PS3 firmware will be ready for download on the 21st September 2010.

The new firmware will also feature the ability to report messages received in your XMB mail box to Sony, hopefully slowing down the increasing amount of spam that is coming through, plus the introduction of Facebook connectivity.

However, it's clear that 3D Blu-ray support is going to be the major feature of 3.50, but will it serve to sell more 3D TVs?  There can't be many people who have purchased a 3D TV but didn't bother with a 3D Blu-ray player at the same time, but the PS3 having the function would mean those on the fence about 3D at home could be tempted due to saving the cost of another player.  Will you be one of them?

PS3 3D Update in October?

We added a question mark after the title because although this is an official announcement made by Sony CEO Howard Stringer, this was previously slated for a September release, so we'll remain only quietly confident at this stage.  On stage for Sony's keynote at the IFA show in Berlin, Mr. Stringer didn't give any reason for the delay, nor did he provide an exact date for the firmware.

This is the second part of the 3D firmware, with version 3.30 already providing 3D game support, whereas the next version will add the full 3D movie experience too.  Of course, you'll still need a 3D TV to see the movies.

Will this make any difference to 3D adoption?  Probably not, as the player itself isn't the bulk of the investment, and having yet another machine to play 3D movies doesn't help the fact that there are very few 3D movies to play.  Add in the fact that Avatar is now scheduled for exclusivity with Panasonic, and you've got very few reasons to be excited about this news.

PS3 Owners Halfway to 3D Viewing Experience - But Do We Really Want it?

The 3D movement has really gathered steam this year, particularly during December with the theatrical release of James Cameron's Avatar, but it's going to be 2010 when - in theory at least - 3D will become a viable home entertainment medium.  Major manufacturers at the forthcoming CES show in Las Vegas will be exhibiting their take on the 3D revolution, however Sony seem to have a head start in actually getting 3D technology into homes.

They have confirmed that the Playstation 3 will be perfectly capable of handling 3D Blu-ray discs, thanks to the powerful processor inside the console, without modification.  This won't be the case for the majority of standalone Blu-ray machines on the market however, currently giving fans of new tech another reason to choose the PS3 over any other player.

While this sounds great, the fact you'll have to buy a new HDTV to display 3D takes some of the sheen off, but at least you won't have to pick up a new Blu-ray player while you're at the store too.  According to AMD, who will be one of the big names demonstrating 3D Blu-ray at CES, we won't be seeing any actual available-to-buy 3D content - be it movies, games or the World Cup - until the second half of next year anyway, so we've still got plenty of time to save up.

However, while the hype surrounding 3D portrays it as anything but the gimmick it really is, it also does its best to avoid talking about the obvious elephant in the room - the question of which type of glasses are going to be adopted for home use.  Will it be the active shutter specs? Anaglyph glasses?  Polarized ones like we have in the cinema now or even one of the other lesser known types?  Who knows for sure, but not only is the need to wear glasses to view 3D one of the biggest drawbacks of the system, there is the strong chance that different companies could adopt different viewing technologies, thereby creating another format war.  As it already feels like we are being told that 3D is what we all want rather than the other way around, the chance that another high-tech new purchase could again become very quickly obsolete, may cause 3D to disappear altogether.  If we really must have home 3D, this time everyone needs to sort themselves out before it goes on sale, as surely the buying public won't be fooled again.

Latest Playstation 3 Firmware Breaks Blu-ray?

A relatively minor PS3 update has sparked a considerable furor online regarding the possible 'bricking' of the console's Blu-ray drive, where games refuse to play and movies freeze after approximately 10 minutes play.  The firmware version in question is 3.01, an optional update released on the 15th September, which was listed as improving system stability, specifically software related ones. 

It's on the US Playstation blog where the majority of the complaints have been raised, with users suggesting their issues started after updating to the latest firmware.  It's interesting to note that when the machine is stated in the posts, it seems to be the older models experience problems.  Sony have responded by informing Eurogamer that a firmware update cannot break the blu-ray player, therefore it's a hardware issue and to fix any faults, a chargeable repair will be needed if your PS3 is out of warranty.

So, do any of our readers experienced problems after updating to 3.01?  My 80GB PS3 is still at 3.00 and I have been having no problems with games, DVDs or Blu-ray, so will not be hurriedly updating it!  Any thoughts on whether the firmware could have done this, or is it an unfortunate coincidence?  Whichever it is, by the amount of people out there who do have these mysterious faults, we don't expect the noise to die down just yet.

Sony PS3 Firmware 3.0 Update Goes Live

Sony confirmed they would be spreading their version 3.0 firmware in the near future during Gamescon earlier this month, but this did get a little overlooked thanks to the attention on the new PS3 Slim.  But for those who were paying attention, heading over to System Update on your PS3 will start the download of Sony's final major firmware update of the year.

By labeling it as such, anticipation for plenty of exciting new features was high, however this seems to have been rather premature, as although there are some handy tweaks, there's nothing here which really stands out.  We're most interested in how the new firmware affects our Blu-ray experience, so here's what we can expect.

• Audio can now be output over HDMI, Optical and Multi-AV all at the same time, so there won't be any need to change the settings every time you don't want to use your receiver.  The default setting will get the full multi-channel feed, while the others will be fed a stereo signal.
• Next we have a tweak which will assist those who haven't invested in a PS3 Remote, as the analogue sticks on your controller now control video playback.  A nudge to pause and a forward or reverse circular motion will see the video advance or rewind.  Handy.  
• Any North American Blu-ray importers may have experienced an issue with PAL playback where the disc would inexplicably stop playing.  This problem, to do with refresh rates, has now been fixed.
• UK PS3 users will be getting a BBC iPlayer application, so they can use the excellent catch-up service directly from the PS3's menu rather than the web.

A What's New scroller will also point users towards other new 3.0 features, while you can check out the PlayStation blog for more games focused changes.  Let us know if you find anything else!

Sony Announce PS3 Slim and Price Cut, Blu to Benefit?

Yesterday, following much speculation, Sony unveiled their slim version of the PlayStation 3 console at GamesCon.  The new unit is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, has less power consumption resulting in less fan noise, gains a 120GB hard drive and BRAVIA TV Sync, but does lose the ability to run PS2 games and the option to install a Linux OS.  The PS3 Slim will be on sale in the US for $299, Europe for €299 and the UK for £249, from the 1st of September in the US/Europe and the 4th in the UK.

Sony have also officially lowered the price of the original PS3 to $299, obviously with the intention of clearing the remaining models, however we don't see this happening unless it's discounted further instore or there are enough people out there who want Linux or PS2 compatibility. 

The PlayStation 3 is already the most popular Blu-ray player in the world in terms of numbers sold, and this price drop brings it into line with most other premium-branded players again.  As is usual with a price cut, sales will increase, meaning more Blu-ray players in homes, but will this have an effect on the prices of discs, which are still considerably more expensive than their DVD counterparts, especially in the rental market?

So, who's going to take the plunge now the price has come down and the unit has become more petite?  At this price point, is there any other viable alternative, value-for-money wise?  Let us know in the comments!

"Blu-ray Will Always be a Part of PS3"

This is a quote from Kim Nguyen, Sony's Marketing Manager, in response to the recent rumours the PlayStation 3 was about to loose its Blu-ray drive.  Kim was speaking to the Business Insider concerning this and the possibility of a PS3 price cut, however both were shot down both as pure speculation and he re-affirmed what many pointed out; that PS3 games are on Blu-ray and to be without it would destroy the brand.

Seeing as a PS3 without the Blu-ray drive would pretty much make it a PS2, this seems sensible, however the lack of any price cut for the console will continue to hurt sales.  Sony have also denied they will release a console without online capabilities, or to introduce a fee-based system for online play, in a similar vein to Microsoft's Xbox business model.  This is considerable dedication to the PS3 and we love the fact Sony say online gaming is a 'first amendment right'!

With this denial coming directly from Sony, it should mark the end of such rumours, however as with everything consumer electronics related these days, nothing would surprise us!

Blu-ray Movie and PS3 Game Combo Discs Possible This Year

One of the key selling points of the PlayStation 3 is it's upgradeable Blu-ray player, which up until now has kept its game and movie playing duties separate, however John Koller, Sony's Director of Hardware has kindly given us a sneak preview of the company's plans to bring these two areas closer together in an unexpected, but highly logical way.

The idea is this - the PS3 can play Blu-ray discs with a capacity of 50GB and an average game fills between 30 and 40GB, leaving a considerable amount of space unused.  New hybrid discs would incorporate the game as usual but also provide access to a feature length Blu-ray movie on the disc too, plus the opportunity to transfer that movie across to a PlayStation Portable. 

Obviously, this would work best with a licensed game being paired with its movie partner - think Wall-E and the Dark Knight along with their respective games.   However it needn't stop there, as this could be used with other licenses too, such as sporting titles including season reviews or in the case of motorsport games, race replays - how about GT5 coming with classic Nurburgring, Monte Carlo and Laguna Seca races?

The Videobusiness article says Koller wouldn't comment on who they were working with in order to bring us these combo discs, but he was confident we would see several releases by the end of 2009 and added 'Movies help sell hardware'.

PS3 Blu-Ray Remote: Should you get one?

Have you been using your SixAxis control for your Blu-Ray experience? Let’s just say you’re not been getting the ULTIMATE Blu-Ray experience.

Like most other PS3 counterparts, the remote is Bluetooth enabled. This works great as you don’t need a direct line of sight to get reception. It also features almost every single option you need on a remote for disc eject, playback, scanning, menu options and scene selection.

For a modest price of $24.99 the remote pays for itself. Until someone like Logitech comes out with a complete solution for all components (including PS3) this is the most cost-effective and friendly investment.

Playstation 3 Gets Blu-ray Profile 2.1

 

Ready for a Playstation Christmas update? Well, according to Gizmodo, a UK-Playstation website reported that the PS3 firmware 2.1 could hit tomorrow. What's in it for you, dear PS3 fans? First off, the PS3 Blu-ray player gets an upgrade and will now be Blu-ray Profile 1.1 certified. This means that picture-in-picture will now work on the PS3.

Support for DivX is also added but with some limitations. File size is limited to 2GB and files made with DivX 3.11 or earlier won't be compatible with the PS3 as well as copyrighted files.

The Playsation-UK link published by Gizmodo does not seem to work at the moment. An unwanted leak rapidly removed by Sony? Let's see tomorrow!

UPDATE: Update 2.1 was finally released with all the aforementioned features. Enjoy!