A supposed Sony employee has leaked new details for the much-anticipated 2.4 firmware update for PS3.
As well as the expected in-game messaging and trophy features, the in-game XMB (Xross Media Bar) access is also said to allow you to play music during gameplay - a much-requested feature already supported by Xbox 360.
The GameFAQS poster, going by the alias Knight613 (claiming to work in R&D at Sony's Foster City branch) also says that, although you'll only have access to a limited number of the XMB's features while a game is running, you will also be able to set up Bluetooth devices, so getting your wireless headset set up won't require you to quit out. In addition, they say that it'll be released some time next week.
A picture of the new trophy screen was also posted, and to prove he isn't just a spotted teenager with a taste for lies, Knight613 also posted a snap of his office pass. That settles it, then. You're fired!
Of course Sony isn't commenting on any of it, leaving us to guess instead.
On a side note, Sony warns that the PSN will be down today from 8am to 2pm pacific time (4pm to 12am GMT) for "scheduled maintenance". That means no access to the PS Store, and no online gaming.
Could this be related to the looming firmware update? Let's hope so.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
if this is out next week then whoo hoo. finally be able to play music whilst playing pro evo. just hope this isn't some wee f***y who's made a mock up and CVG have bought it hook, line and stinker. if he has i say we all hunt him down.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Interesting that the PSN is down for a few hours today. Must be sorting out the servers for the new firmware. I am really intruiged with the trophies and how they work. How will they decide on what is worth a bronze or platinum trophy? Mmmm
I have also realised that, if Sony do allow old games to use the system, then expect an upsurge in sales for older titles. I mean, some 360 owners bought games just for achievements. The same will probably happen here.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Surely it will be though. Considering you'll have an overall scrore as well as how many trophies you own. That's already more than the Xbox gamerscore. Also take into account there will be 3D counterparts in a few months.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with it. I won't truly know how good it is till it's released but from what I can see it looks like Sony are really trying to integrate it into your games instead of just a points system...
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Surely it will be though. Considering you'll have an overall scrore as well as how many trophies you own. That's already more than the Xbox gamerscore. Also take into account there will be 3D counterparts in a few months.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with it. I won't truly know how good it is till it's released but from what I can see it looks like Sony are really trying to integrate it into your games instead of just a points system...
Not really though - for the most part, it's all about how the achievements are available within game. Don't get me wrong - some games have achievements that are ridiculously straight forward and easy to get (Fight Night: Round 3 springs to mind), but some are a little more hidden and spaced out and you then feel the need to persevere a little more to get that last one (well, if you're an achievement whore!). This is, to me anyway, what makes the Achievements so good.
Obviously, I'm only judging it on the picture that we've seen there - but, if it's purely a case of beating a game on easy, medium and hard then it's not as realised a feature as it could be.
I think the earlier poster was right though - Home should expand on this quite a bit.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Surely it will be though. Considering you'll have an overall scrore as well as how many trophies you own. That's already more than the Xbox gamerscore. Also take into account there will be 3D counterparts in a few months.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with it. I won't truly know how good it is till it's released but from what I can see it looks like Sony are really trying to integrate it into your games instead of just a points system...
Not really though - for the most part, it's all about how the achievements are available within game. Don't get me wrong - some games have achievements that are ridiculously straight forward and easy to get (Fight Night: Round 3 springs to mind), but some are a little more hidden and spaced out and you then feel the need to persevere a little more to get that last one (well, if you're an achievement whore!). This is, to me anyway, what makes the Achievements so good.
Obviously, I'm only judging it on the picture that we've seen there - but, if it's purely a case of beating a game on easy, medium and hard then it's not as realised a feature as it could be.
I think the earlier poster was right though - Home should expand on this quite a bit.
Uncharted already has achievements in there, which I assume will be tied to this eventually and they're very much like 360 achievements. Not just 'finish on hard', etc but for doing specific things, killing bad guys with head shots, collecting treasure, blah, blah, blah... I assume it's going to end up the same as 360's where developers make them up. So some will be really creative, and EA's will be boring and easy. Wouldn't surprise me if multi-platform games had the exact same set of achievements on each.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Wait until Home.......
People have been waiting for that for a long long time already...
Uncharted already has achievements in there, which I assume will be tied to this eventually and they're very much like 360 achievements. Not just 'finish on hard', etc but for doing specific things, killing bad guys with head shots, collecting treasure, blah, blah, blah... I assume it's going to end up the same as 360's where developers make them up. So some will be really creative, and EA's will be boring and easy. Wouldn't surprise me if multi-platform games had the exact same set of achievements on each.
Do you know something? - I just got a strange vision of the near-future......Microsoft and Sony paying millions for exclusive achievements! - it seriously wouldn't surprise me
I'll save my excitement until I see it in action. So far with the PS3 Sony have managed to bugger up a few simple things already - PSN, game installs, having to install demos after downloading, constant firmware updates
The beauty of the Achievement system is its simplicity, I hope Sony don't try to over-complicate it for the sake of one-upmanship and supporting home
Don't get me wrong, it's a definate step in the right direction, but lets save the champagne until it's launched.
Uncharted already has achievements in there, which I assume will be tied to this eventually and they're very much like 360 achievements. Not just 'finish on hard', etc but for doing specific things, killing bad guys with head shots, collecting treasure, blah, blah, blah... I assume it's going to end up the same as 360's where developers make them up. So some will be really creative, and EA's will be boring and easy. Wouldn't surprise me if multi-platform games had the exact same set of achievements on each.
pro evo already has the same achievements as the 360 in it as well. score a goal from 35 yards, score a free kick online etc. so it looks like it should be down to programmers what targets are set for each game. as for EA games, they've actually improved the achievements they put into their games now so they don't just require you to complete the game to get full points now. shocking eh?
ps3fanboy seems to have the same images and a second one too with a little more info: make of it what you will.
"Things that make this image seem legit include a lack of blur (seriously, why does every "leaked" image or video have to be super blurry and hard to make out?), Not to mention that this is clearly photographed from a monitor. We 've checked and that Clank avatar is a real PS3 avatar. Not exactly conclusive evidence, but enough to keep us speculating, for now.
And speculating is all we can do, at this point. If the image is real, does it show a PS3 Gamercard? You'll notice that the trophy page is only one of three, so what's on the others? No doubt we'll see and hear more of this over the next few weeks in the run up to 2.40's release. Unless the image is fake, in which case we probably won't be hearing anymore about it for a long time. If ever. And speculating is all we can do, at this point. If the image is real, does it show a PS3 Gamercard? You'll notice that the trophy page is only one of three, so what's on the others? No doubt we'll see and hear more of this over the next few weeks in the run up to 2.40 's release. Unless the image is fake, in which case we probably won't be hearing anymore about it for a long time. If ever.
Take a look after the jump for more images, details on how trophies will work and some information on in-game XMB. Take a look after the jump for more images, details on how trophies will work and some information on in-game XMB.
Another tipster, calling himself "Gassy Snake," claims that he is a game developer who can vouch for The Patriots. He claims that the above image is real and, to prove it, proceeded to send us a picture of one of the other pages. These pages are called "gamer card" and "compare," though these are not the official titles. As you can see below, your gamer card/box/profile (whatever you want to call it) will feature a trophy total and a "level." There also seems to be some room for extra information of some kind. Another tipster, calling himself "Gassy Snake," claims that he is a game developer who can vouch for The Patriots. He claims that the above image is real and, to prove it, proceeded to send us a picture of one of the other pages . These pages are called "gamer card" and "compare," though these are not the official titles. As you can see below, your gamer card / box / profile (whatever you want to call it) will feature a trophy total and a "level." There also seems to be some room for extra information of some kind.
Click for high resolution Click for high resolution
Gassy Snake also tells us that each trophy type will be worth a different number of points, so there are limits to how many of each trophy are in a single game. In order to progress through levels you will need to gain a certain number of trophy points. This number will increase with each level, making it more difficult to reach higher levels. Gassy Snake also tells us that each trophy type will be worth a different number of points, so there are limits to how many of each trophy are in a single game. In order to progress through levels you will need to gain a certain number of trophy points. This number will increase with each level, making it more difficult to reach higher levels.
Also, with regards to in-game XMB, we've been told that "you can do most things" in-game, including comparing trophies. Some things will require you to leave the game, however. Pressing the PS button once will bring up the XMB in-game, and holding the button down will show you the same menu you see pre-2.40. That means that no features are being removed. Tasty. Also, with regards to in-game XMB, we've been told that "you can do most things" in-game, including comparing trophies. Some things will require you to leave the game, however. Pressing the PS button once will bring up the XMB in-game, and holding the button down will show you the same menu you see pre-2.40. That means that no features are being removed."
I wonder how it'll all work, will it just scan our HDD and pick out what we've already done and give us trophies for our successes or will we have to replay them in order to get the trophies, I for one would prefer the former.
I wonder how it'll all work, will it just scan our HDD and pick out what we've already done and give us trophies for our successes or will we have to replay them in order to get the trophies, I for one would prefer the former.
I would prefer for them to make you play again.
It would give me the kick i need to play the games again.
Pretty cool if it does make it out this week - certainly sooner than most were expecting.
I have to say, the trophies look a little disappointing - you'd have to hope that the image shown isn't all that there will be. If it is, it's absolutely nothing on the 360s' achievements.
Wait until Home.......
What, so that we can display one odd platinum, couple of gold, few silver and tons of bronze trophies in cabinets which all look the same? (they might have a plaque describing what you did if we're lucky).
Knight613 also posted a snap of his office pass. That settles it, then. You're fired!
Unless Sony know his online alias or he openly admits to it being him then may I ask how? Unless you haven't noticed the pass doesn't have his name on, or anything else to distinguish it from anyone else's pass who works there (unless he's on his own which I doubt). Didn't you ever learn to realize the obvious?
I wonder how it'll all work, will it just scan our HDD and pick out what we've already done and give us trophies for our successes or will we have to replay them in order to get the trophies, I for one would prefer the former.
I would prefer for them to make you play again.
It would give me the kick i need to play the games again.
Some I would, but I've just recently replayed most of my collection
I wonder how it'll all work, will it just scan our HDD and pick out what we've already done and give us trophies for our successes or will we have to replay them in order to get the trophies, I for one would prefer the former.
I would'nt mind going through by back catalogue (apart from that friggin' Ratchet dump) to unlock achievements. I think that it is shame sometimes when we look forward to big AAA releases only to play them for a week or two before we pop them on the shelf never to be played again. I want to get around to playing Uncharted again and it would be great to hear a little achievement jingle everytime treasure is found.
I wonder how it'll all work, will it just scan our HDD and pick out what we've already done and give us trophies for our successes or will we have to replay them in order to get the trophies, I for one would prefer the former.
I would prefer for them to make you play again.
It would give me the kick i need to play the games again.
Some I would, but I've just recently replayed most of my collection
Did you replay them because of lack of good PS3 games...
"On a side note, Sony warns that the PSN will be down today from 8am to 2pm pacific time (4pm to 12am GMT) for "scheduled maintenance". That means no access to the PS Store, and no online gaming."
Now, I know us Europeans are hard done by on most things gaming, but surely time itself isn't getting in on the act as well?
It'd be really frustrating if you had to play through your games again because that'd mean having to do everything that you've already done and I'd always feel as though I did something last time that i havnt done this time.
Uncharted already has achievements in there, which I assume will be tied to this eventually and they're very much like 360 achievements. Not just 'finish on hard', etc but for doing specific things, killing bad guys with head shots, collecting treasure, blah, blah, blah...
There are several other PS3 games with achievements, most notably Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.
Don't be fooled into thinking Insomniac (or Naughty Dog for that matter) copied the ideas from the 360, though. All the PS2 R&C games also had achievements (called "skill points", and the first game in the series was released three years before the 360 became publically available!
So yeah, achievements really aren't a 360 innovation at all.
Didnt know much about the update till I read the comments, and the 2.4 and the psn network bein down for maintenance last night seems to have got alot of ps3 owners wet in the pants in excitement.
Think the achievement/ trophy system is a good idea and it does work well on the 360.
Forgot to mention, is there any light on backward compatibility for the PS3? think it'll ever happen on an update?
Considering the PS3 used to have backwards compatibility and now doesn't (via hardware in America, and via software emulation elsewhere), it doesn't seem very likely that they're going to add it back in.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
, and the first game in the series was released three years before the 360 became publically available!
