News

PS3 3.10 Update Adds Facebook Features, Fixes Up Friends List

1:40PM November 17, 2009 | Michael McWhertor

The PlayStation 3 is due for a firmware refresh “soon”, with version 3.10 of the console’s software adding Facebook integration, improved photo browsing and an updated look for the system’s Friends list.

Sony’s Facebook integration is the coolest aspect of the forthcoming firmware. It lets users bind their PlayStation Network account to their Facebook account, automatically feeding their status updates with Trophy information, PlayStation Store purchases and specific in-game events that developers can include in PS3 games.

Fortunately, all of these Facebook features are optional. It also appears the software will prompt users if they’d like to post these types of updates to their Facebook news feed at each occurrence.

The new photo browser makes better use of screen real estates, offering a grid of photo thumbnails for quick viewing instead of a long vertical list.

Finally, due to popular request…

A less visually offensive version of the PlayStation 3′s Friends list — perhaps the most reviled change in firmware 3.00 — is coming. Sony has listened to fan feedback, offering a more toned down look at who’s online in the XMB.

PlayStation 3 Firmware (v3.10) Update Preview [PlayStation.blog]

Comments

  • ChaoZ

    November 17, 2009 at 2:10 PM

    Is this 3.10 going to fix the blu-ray and games freeze problem?

    For my case was, everything was doing fine, till the 3.00 update, and further 3.01 did not help either. I only have freezing in games, but not blu-ray movies.

    Anyone have the same issues?

  • Scott Vandonkelaar

    November 17, 2009 at 2:38 PM

    I can’t say I have the same issue Chaoz, all smiles for me. Hopefully this update includes more behind the scenes changes that will fix it up for you.

    This update looks great. I’ve always been a bit put off by the current photo browser to the point where I ignored that feature.

    And thank god they are fixing that friends list. It makes my eyebrow twitch every time I look at it.

    Facebook tie-ins isn’t really doing much for me, but as long as it’s optional I think it’s a ‘nice to have’.

    • ChaoZ

      November 17, 2009 at 3:26 PM

      Hi Scott.

      Now I feel kinda “glad” to know there are others who has the same issue, having the console sit there for months.

      Truly hope they patch it up this time.

  • James

    November 17, 2009 at 2:58 PM

    Hopefully they’ll also remove the disappearing-text-on-xmb feature they added in 3.00.

    While the friends list changes might have been ugly, they didn’t really reduce the usability of the console in the way hiding unselected menu item text did.

    • Qumulys

      November 17, 2009 at 4:58 PM

      ARGHHH Rage!! At the disapering xmb list! I cant stand it when I have over 500 movies to go through, you pause to read, and BAM, it blinks off the screen. Soo annoying, who thought of that, seriously?? What the hell are they thinking??? Sure, ok, somebody might like it, but at least let us turn it off!

      *Hope they add more codec support in there, and force all FPS games to use a mouse.

      • James

        November 17, 2009 at 5:10 PM

        In the video from the blog post, it seems that the disappearing menu item feature is still there. There is always a possibility they’ll fix it before releasing, but I’m not that hopeful.

        As for why they’d introduce such a feature, I’d guess it was to make it easier to see your background image. I guess that might be useful if you’d spent money on a premium animated theme, but I’m more interested in what is being displayed in the foreground than the background …

  • jin

    November 17, 2009 at 3:16 PM

    so does that mean if hackers get into facebook they could trace back into our ps3 as well?

  • TheMoth

    November 18, 2009 at 12:52 AM

    If they added mouse support to online fps it will be unfair clusterfuck. And I didn’t mind having the text go away. What I want is voice chat like the 360, cross game private chat. That’s the best, instead of everyone hearing ur convo. If they had that then it would be nearly on par with xbox live… Nearly

  • robert

    November 20, 2009 at 3:32 AM

    Just tested does not seem they fixed the blu-ray drive problem :(

    • ChaoZ

      November 20, 2009 at 10:33 AM

      So what is going to happen to us?
      Those with the blu-ray/game freeze issues after the 3.xx updates?

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