Sony patching PSX

TOKYO--Sony Computer Entertainment has announced it will release two patches for the PSX. The PS2-compatible DVD-HDD recorder was released in a rush last December to meet the holiday shopping season, which caused Sony to omit a number of originally planned functions.

The upcoming firmware patch scheduled for distribution early next month will bring back half of the capabilities omitted from the PSX at release, such as MP3 playback and 24x speed HDD-to-DVD dubbing. The patch will also add some extra features and bug fixes.

The PSX firmware update can be either downloaded online or patched with a CD-ROM that will be distributed by Sony. The company will release specific details on updating the PSX on February 5, together with an online form to register for the CD-ROM patch and a toll-free service hotline for support.

Sony will release another firmware patch in March, which will bring back the remainder of the PSX's originally planned functions. Additional patches may be released in the future, if required. The February and March patches will include the following updates:

February Patch:

• HDD-to-DVD dubbing to be upgraded from 12x speed to 24x speed
• MP3 file format support
• TIFF file format support
• Flashing playback support for recorded video (ability to fast-forward or rewind by increments of 15 seconds)
• Ability to sort recorded video files by type, such as title or genre
• Ability to edit video titles by using a USB keyboard
• Fixed a bug where some connected peripherals stopped the machine from dubbing
• Fixed a bug where the channel specified for automatic time synchronization would return to default when selecting automatic channel settings

March Patch:

• DVD+RW recording and playback support
• GIF file format support
• Sony Cybershot movie file format support
• PlayStation BB support