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PSP gets 2.81 patch

  • By Walt Wyman, Tim Surette, GameSpot
  • Posted Sep 7, 2006 2:32 pm PT

New update addresses issues with high-capacity Memory Stick Duo Pro cards, security; World Tour Soccer 06 demo available.

Though the PlayStation Portable saw its last major update just over a month ago, another update to the PSP system software was released today. The latest brings the firmware to version 2.81 and is available in Europe, Japan, and the US.

The announcement on the handheld's System Update site states that the PSP "does not correctly recognize high capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo memory cards with free (recordable) memory space larger than 4GB. Use of such memory cards may result in file corruption."

The patch will prevent issues with writing files and with digital right management in ATRAC format music, as well as problems with reading cards larger than four gigabytes. Since no Memory Stick Duo cards on the market currently exceed four gigabytes, this fix seems to be a proactive measure on Sony's part, geared for future, larger-capacity cards.

The new patch also allows PSPs to download video and pictures from RSS content and play AAC files with the .3gp extension and makes other minor tweaks. For a full list of the additions, head over to the patch's notes.

Sony also announced that a free demo for World Tour Soccer 06 is downloadable from the game's Web site.

159 Comments

  • thunder120

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 11:17 am GMT

    Actually the reason sony upgrades is because if you have1.0 or 1.5 you can download REAL PSP games that would normally cost $50 to buy and use a 2.6-2.8 emulator to load them. Also at 1.5 you can use this thing called a cheat device which can change the savedata of any game to bend to your will. Anyway It's illegal to download psp games and put them on your psp so sony is slowly working towards a safe firmware to stop this.
    I usually enjoy actually buying the games, but I am still going to get the 2.81 downgrader when it comes out so I can get homebrews.

  • mkfan9999

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 6:04 pm GMT

    ds sucks!
    don't upgrade ur firmware!!!!!

  • Andrew0987

    Posted Sep 17, 2006 4:10 pm GMT

    the real reason sony made the patch:
    to close the .tiff exploit.

  • Willini

    Posted Sep 17, 2006 12:49 pm GMT

    its good psp the system software actually improves

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Sep 17, 2006 9:24 am GMT

    actually the ds is far from better, that odd machine cant even connect to a game cube less said a computer, that thing is not worth much that is why the price is so shallow I owned the psp and the ds since they came out I too speak from experience, but I go throught the facts, not just my opinions... the psp does in fact have a whole lot more going for it, I mean besides play games, well it cant even play gb or gbc games, that thing cant do hardly anything, you better have alot of gba games or ds games because you wont be able to do very much with the ds, unless you buy those sold seperatly accessories

  • cayne_phoenix

    Posted Sep 16, 2006 4:17 pm GMT

    so much flaws with the crappy PSP,
    its no wonder that the DS is the best than any other hand-held consoles
    in the world...
    (and i own a PSP & DS and i speak from experience)

  • Tigerman950

    Posted Sep 16, 2006 11:51 am GMT

    PSP kills DS anyway.

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Sep 15, 2006 8:47 pm GMT

    but this news helped, now I just really want a higher capacity memory card, Id say 1GB or larger... cant wait

  • onlineps2player

    Posted Sep 15, 2006 3:06 am GMT

    Sounds great...

  • MadMinstrel

    Posted Sep 14, 2006 11:07 pm GMT

    I will update no sooner than Sony releases a version which runs unsigned code like 1.5. Of course Sony will never do this, because it wants people to play games they bought, not homebrew...

  • Dark_Pheonix01

    Posted Sep 14, 2006 8:14 pm GMT

    Sony is trying to fix every little error detail through multiple little updates, doesnt sound pointless to me. What are you expecting from a .1 update anyway?

  • Amineve

    Posted Sep 13, 2006 8:05 pm GMT

    im not upgrading

    homebrew for the win

  • halo2_4_pc

    Posted Sep 13, 2006 12:46 pm GMT

    STILL NO PS1 GAMES!!!!!

  • naryanrobinson

    Posted Sep 13, 2006 9:04 am GMT

    another one.........

  • YoYo_Bridget

    Posted Sep 13, 2006 4:51 am GMT

    Lol, someone here reported me for "implying" a bad word. And I implied it to no one in particular....but darnit, I did imply it, and I still mean it. >=D

    Anyhoo, meh. Stopped caring. D:

  • evilyoda861

    Posted Sep 12, 2006 6:56 pm GMT

    Hey BobKid I have the latest version and homebrew. There is a sight that emulates it so there mine beats your hahaha! I love playing sonic on this and will soon be playing Silent Hill on it booo ya!!!

  • juanpacheco3012

    Posted Sep 12, 2006 1:43 pm GMT

    Good thing they come up with new versions every month ... just has they come new memory sticks every month (s)

  • BoBKiD

    Posted Sep 12, 2006 9:13 am GMT

    I am lucky to have a 1.5 PSP and nothing will make me upgrade! The reason is simple: homebrew! I can run emulators on PSP so I can play NES, SNES, GB, GBA, MD, SMS, GG, Amiga and many other games, on my PSP! New features are welcomed but the ability to run homebrew is more important than any other update.

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 10:00 pm GMT

    two can play at that game

  • PrinceAdam11

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 8:26 pm GMT

    what the fudge...updates are stupid, the psp shouldn't have to be updated with that price...

  • Credfield81

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 8:06 pm GMT

    New update?! word....tis like christmas again lol j/k. Myself ive grown tired of these console wars between sony and nintendo...i personally like both companies and both of their handhelds. The only company i dont like is microsoft but thats simply cus of my problems with their software as any IT techie would. As with the psp reading the 4 gig card...even using a 2 gig card would be enough for me cept for those people out there that have to have a large card probably for storing their illegal norp...yes i said it norp hehe. What'd be most ideal i think for the psp would be a program such as winamp or the ability to connect to winamp stations (video and audio) and i cant wait for the day that they get all the wifi tunneling software and the html software for the ds done so i can browse the net at mc'd's lol

  • yugimasa9999

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 12:01 pm GMT

    GREAT ARTICLE....BUT firmware AGAIN..MAYBE...SINCE IT CAN ALSO COME OUT IN SOME GAMES AS AN UPDATE.

  • Dualmask

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 7:27 am GMT

    Everyone here bashing DS or bashing PSP are simply off their rockers. The bottom line is no one is going to convince anyone that one is better than the other. I personally grew up in the heyday of video games and got my start with an NES, so I will always appreciate and respect the value and charm of 2D games. There are millions of others like me, too...these are the people who will always love Nintendo's stuff because they believe that games should be fun and innovative before they should be "technologically impressive". Despite being on the "weaker" systems, Mario and Zelda games always seem to win all the awards over other games, most of the time anyway.

    Other companies, like Sony and Microsoft, follow the philosophy that more power = better. That didn't work for Microsoft in the current gen, but it seems to be Sony's driving force with the PSP and PS3. Nothing wrong with that; some folks will judge a game system on its graphics capabilities alone, so there's money to be made that way too. It's like judging a romantic interest purely on his/her looks--if that's your thing go for it, but it's not all you should be looking into.

    Anyway, basically, both the DS and the PSP are going to appeal to certain people. No one can tell you what is better--just because a game gets 9.something in a review doesn't mean YOU'LL like it. And just because a game gets 5.something doesn't mean you'll hate it. I have both systems, I love both systems. I use the PSP more when I'm out because of the music, movies and Monster Hunter Freedom, but otherwise I spend more time with my DS playing Castlevania DoS and Advance Wars DS. The DS came in very handy for me when my PSP battery died during jury duty. But I can't watch a movie at work on my DS, I can only do that with my PSP.

    If you like the PSP, get it, or keep it if you already have it. If you like the DS, get that or keep that. Don't bother trying to convince anyone that their system sucks. It really is a waste of time.

  • X-Robert

    Posted Sep 11, 2006 6:48 am GMT

    They said there will be a hardware update.

  • dj_pritpal

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 10:41 pm GMT

    good on ya sony! the psp will truely be lifted when the 8gb memory stick in released at the end of september 06!

  • HarrisKrishna

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 7:05 pm GMT

    Wow that is good for PSP owners. They sure will like it. SOrry i dont have PSP

  • squirelzcanswim

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 5:33 pm GMT

    the PSP cant read 4gb memmory cards cuz its 'too' big, what kind of crap is that?!

  • GatoFeo

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 3:55 pm GMT

    NIce!Just wat i wanted.

  • dunamistheou

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 12:44 pm GMT

    You can still have a 1.5 PSP and then run things that require 2.7/2.71 firmware. You can also turn a 2.71 PSP or lower PSP into a 1.5 PSP with the proper software as long as you don't have the new motherboard (google is your friend).

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 11:09 am GMT

    Good for PSP owners

  • _Sam_

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 10:31 am GMT

    that's good

  • axle92002

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 10:19 am GMT

    i just got it and it did'nt change much but the demos i like

  • YoYo_Bridget

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 9:22 am GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 11:37 pm GMT

    Im too damn busy to even play games anymore, but I still know what kind of find I have with video games.. so when I get a change I do play a little bit of games, and why would you want to pay for something on a video game website anyways like the gold membership or what ever gamespot has, that is one sign that you spend waay too much time on this site

  • Cole2026

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 9:07 pm GMT

    I'd love to see some of these people who take offense in "console/handheld war" discussions to get out of the house and get a girlfriend. They are consoles, it's not like you work for the company they represent.

  • Cloud14356

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 9:00 pm GMT

    I wonder if i could ever look at comments that people post without there being some fight about the DS and PSP and which one is better. THEY'RE VIDEO GAMES

  • epain

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 5:11 pm GMT

    I hated the demo.... oh well.

  • deadmeat59

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 3:24 pm GMT

    sony has got to add stuff so people won t want to mod there psp over. give us gamers somthing so we can do more with the psp so we dont need 2 keep the old 1.5 to hav e more fun wuth it

  • championken

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 3:21 pm GMT

    I would be inclined to respond to your insult, but your icon if of kerby you little girl.....nuff said *goes back to play tekken:dr*

  • keerazy

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 12:48 pm GMT

    The words HOMEBREW owns the DS PERIOD NO QUESTIONS ASKED SEE YA LATER

  • Lord_Regnier

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 12:27 pm GMT

    LMAO. DS owners jealous of PSP owners!?!?! HA, wow you are full of crap.

  • championken

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 12:00 pm GMT

    Batman629 congragulations your a f'ing retard Your point about GTA loading times is weak, you moron have you even played grand theft autos for ps2..LOADING TIME IS ALWAYS LONG!!!. The system needs to render a a city you moron, why would you expect any differently for psp? As far as studies go I have done research of my own and found that 10 out 10 ds owners are jealous of psp owners and come on boards in a VAIN ATTEMPT to offend them. Wow the thrill of playing butt ugly games on ds, hopefully one day I might experience it.

  • Kurtisadei

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 11:43 am GMT

    why in the world do people hate the ds? its killing the psp in sales, no one buys the psp in japan.(looks at japan charts and sees ds dominate every time) and it has 3 games selling 3 mil plus. who in the world cares about grafics and all these psp feateares when cleary the ds is literally selling twice as much as the psp. and for those who say that wont last, then im sorry theyll both sell at the same rate.lol. so if the psp is so great why isn't it selling as well as ds?

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 11:32 am GMT

    you guys annoy me. come on. first off there are those who own the psp but not the ds. people on the ds but not the psp. you will commonly see those who dont have one will dis the other. ive been a fan of the nintendo since i got mine when i was like five. i have every nintendo system but the gamecube, advance, and ds but i still applaud nintendo's way to innovate the gaming front. i own every sony system, and that means the psp. yes i love the psp but i also love all the nintendo systems. nintendo loves seeing fans tout their love for their systems but they have veered away from the hating and beef of saying one system is better. they leave it to the buyer to choose. the ds is meant to be a pick up and play system and to open up gamers to a new realm. making them look at two screens and playing the game on one to see the outcome on the other is the coolest thing ever. sony took their handheld experience in another direction, they want quality graphics and a quality handheld. this meant having a seemingly widescreen experience on a 2.5(widescreen) inch screen. it also comes down to the color. the ds and nintendo handhelds have always had a warm or inviting color scheme. anyone remember the game boy colors which were dandelion, kiwi, teal, berry? or the ds gray color and now the white? they are meant to make people feel like they can play or hold it without feeling left out or confused. the psp is a large black brick which seems imposing or frightening to a newbie. so i say if people want to constantly down one system to another, keep it to yourself because both are innovative and cool and if i had the money, i would buy a ds also

  • blackbladegr

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 11:28 am GMT

    all i know is that i will get the 2.81 cause i will buy a 4gb so i can put in so much more movie and music and shows that i love so i won't have to worried about space issue ,so the 2.81 is important to me ,and with that Rss feature for movie i will definetly upgrade cause the one for music is hot already..then video must be cooler ..but ...I'm a fan of both system..is funny that i can afford a Psp and not the Ds ..which i kept saying I'm getting since it came out ..but I kept waiting ..cause i guess i had a feeling nintendo will change the design and keep all the feature and make it slighly better..Guess what i was right!!..but ..knowing that i still want a DS me being a lover of game and tech can't seem to get my eyes off of it ...now for the colors ...My psp is pink...and when i get a ds...i will get possibly the black ds or the white.................but first and for most i will buy the 4gb and upgrade

    crazy me!

  • billigloo

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 11:12 am GMT

    you know you can say that the ds has no good games and has nothing but ports but why do i have too i what to read post about people bit*ching about the psp's updates go and walk your nintendog or play the new super mario bro's 15

  • SickMinder

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 10:55 am GMT

    The DS is already outdated. I mean, didn't Nintendo release something called Mini-DS? ^,~ Oh nevermind...

    Nintendo: "-Lets compete with ourselves! Let's create another console with the exakt same functions! The fanboys will buy it, so why not?"
    Fanboy: "-Yay! Go Nintendo! ^__^ I feel loyal now, yet no one cares. Going to whine some more on the internet so I don't look like an idiot!"

    Truth hurts eh? *walks away and starts to play some Me & My Katamari on my PSP while glaring at my 'SONY FANBOY'-tattoo*

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 9:07 am GMT

    Thanks AkiraPT... I had completely forgotten what that update done.. now that I know I will put that to use

  • AkiraPT

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 7:51 am GMT

    For those wondering what features did 2.80 introduce before, it allows the PSP to download video podcasts, and also lets you place iPod-compatible MPEG4 or AVC files under a VIDEO directory in the memory stick. No more stupid directory/filename conventions, just place the video files in there and it's ready to play them. For me, this makes 2.80 the best update since 2.00.

  • strife22

    Posted Sep 9, 2006 6:56 am GMT

    i mock u all for comparing the ds and the psp, they are completely different and nothing to compare. the psp has better graphics, same games as the ps2, u can watch flims, u can look at photos, can also play other games from other consoles which i think is copyright, go on the net and wot ever else u can do. the ds is diferent it cant compare to the graphics and other features but its got one thing and its the way u can play games diiferently, it was made to attract new gamers ( a lot of woman have ds's because its something easy to pick up the psp doesnt have that welcoming feel, its as if u need to know wot its all about b4 u can pick it up ) as well as old gamers which it did and it can be said it has sold much more (a lot more) than the psp has. the ds was brought out to see how people would react to the new ways to play, so that nintendo can get a idea on how people would react to the wii and more people are pumped to see the wii than the other console. im not saying the psp is crap or anything i like itm, but in that prospect u cant compare the ds and psp,
    i hate fanboys who think wot they have is always the best and wot they are used to is going to stay with them thats just ignorence. gaming is about new ways to play games, people pick their console which best suits them and some people pick consoles which best suit the acceptance of their friends. peer pressure lolololololol
    anyways psp is impressive and worth it but so is the ds.

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