PSP updated to 3.0, PS ports priced

New firmware update adds retro-game playback, remote play options, online instruction manuals, and camera peripheral support; games to range from $5.99 to $10.99.

While hitting "the big 3-0" is an event most people dread age-wise, many PlayStation Portable owners are happy their portables are approaching a similar milestone. Today, Sony released system update 3.0 for the system in Japan and North America, with Europe presumably to soon follow. It had originally been slated to go up on November 11, the day the PlayStation 3 went on sale in Japan.

Like all PSP firmware updates, 3.0 contains "revisions to strengthen security"--that is, homebrew-game countermeasures. However, it also adds some major new functionality to the portable, not the least of which is PlayStation Network title support, which will let PSP owners download and play original PlayStation games from the PlayStation 3's online service.

In Japan, the first batch of 10 PlayStation games will go on sale tomorrow and will include classics such as Resident Evil: Director's Cut (called Biohazard: Director's Cut in Japan), Tekken 2, and Arc the Lad. A complete list can be found on the official Japanese PSP Web site.

Things were less clear in North America, as no date or lineup for the first PS-to-PSP ports were mentioned in the announcement of the firmware upgrade. "PSone titles will be available through the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks, and additional first and third-party games will be added on an ongoing basis," was as specific as the announcement got. However, Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison recently told GameSpot the first batch of PS-to-PSP titles is due by year's end, and a Sony rep said today that the company is "shooting to have the PSone titles available by the end of this month."

Harrison talks PS3, PSP

Sony development chief talks about the PlayStation Network and more

Though it was tight-lipped on other specifics, Sony did outline the prices and sizes for PS-to-PSP games. The offerings will start at $5.99 and go all the way up to $10.99, and they'll weigh in at anything between 140MB and 550MB. Since said games will be stored on the PSP's Memory Stick Duo, gamers who bought the standard PSP package--which only comes with a 32MB Memory Stick Duo--will have to upgrade their memory cards. However, the games must first be downloaded to a PS3, where they are stored on the console's hard drive.

Another feature added by today's upgrade is Remote Play, which will let owners of the 60GB PS3--which has built-in Wi-Fi--to stream media wirelessly onto a PSP. (The 20GB PS3 does not have built-in Wi-Fi.) Besides playing back content such as music and video, the Remote Play function will also display the PS3's desktop remotely onto the PSP to allow for access to the console's Web browser, friends lists, and other functions. At a later date, Remote Play will also work via external Internet hotspots. For the time being, though, the functionality is limited to the range of the PS3 and PSP's wireless connection (that is, the owner's residence).

To help PSP owners access the handheld's new features, Sony has posted a series of online PSP instruction manuals that can be accessed by any device with a Web browser. They outline all the functionalities of the PSP, including the software for the PSP camera peripheral, which was also added as part of today's update. The camera will soon be available in Japan, but the PSP GPS add-on currently has no North American release date.

Other features included in the Firmware Update 3.0 are a timer for RSS feed updates, multispeed fast-forward/rewind for music playback, music visualizers, and a new option to deactivate game autoloading at start-up. Currently, the only way the update is to download directly to a wireless-internet-connected PSP via the "network update" function under the settings tab of the cross media bar (XMB). A sony rep said that it should be available tomorrow on the official US PSP Web site.

296 Comments

  • Crimson-_-Tears

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 7:45 pm PT

    Pretty cool I guess.

  • Titanfan2083

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 5:47 pm PT

    haha darendt69 thinks sony had a hard-drive in the their ps2 before microsoft had it in the xbox haha thats funny cuz it was the exactly the other way around.........go do your research before plz.......although yes you were right on a select things in your statements. And didnt that hard-drive only work with a few select games? im not sure though.......

  • darendt69

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:43 am PT

    MASTERCHIEFUSMA

    Wow...so M$ never copied or stole anything right? Bill Gates came up with DOS all on his own right? Windows was his idea as well right? The ZUNE? The game Console? Internet browsers, Word processors etc. M$ is probably the biggest at copying from other companies. Some stuff they improve upon, others they clearly do not.

  • darendt69

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:29 am PT

    jivemaster

    So I think we can both agree that the PS2 came before the Xbox correct? If so ( and I hope so ) then M$ copied Sony by putting a HDD in a console. The PS2 supports a HDD. Now granted M$ made better use of it, but Sony was first. Also, by your logic Nintendo copied the sidewinder controller with there motion sensing. Sony also had a fishing game out with the PS1 that had a Fishing pole paddle you had to actually cast and pull back to set your hook. Nintendo never had anything with this type of "motion sensing" until the Wii, so Sony is first again. Nintento improved upon that premise with the Wii, as did Sony with the PS3.

    As fir the HDMI spec, Sony is one of the founders, along with Toshiba, Phillips, Hitachi, Panasonic, Silicon Image, and Thomson. So Sony did bring HDMI to the market place, and is the first to put it in a console. I would suggest reading up a little on what HDMI 1.3 actually does, and you will see that it is much better than Analog Component cables. Oh, and 1080i vs 1080P in video games....you will notice a huge difference in image quality. Its all good though, You will be able to buy your HDMI 360 next year.-

    Oh and M$ has adopted the HDMI standard. Just check there web site.

    http://www.hdmi.org/about/adopters_founders.asp

  • wheeloftime24

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:25 am PT

    Thats it sony you can burn in hell for all I care. I bought my psp, you said the psp would emulate ps1 games through emulation, now you are saying I have to shell out 600 for your over priced piece of plastic to download ps1 titles to then copy over to my psp. It would have been nice if you would have been upfront and honest about this before. I am done with psp, and I am done with you sony. What a rip off half truth

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:00 am PT

    time to throw in the towel sony....

  • Fat_pidgeon

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 10:19 am PT

    whats with sayin sony copy everyone? it aint like they're gonna think "hey that console supports HD, better not copy them! could be bad for buisness!" could say microsoft copied sony by making a console? or am i just bein reeeeeally crazy?

  • lhardwick692

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 9:24 am PT

    all i can say is this--if nintendo can release rehashed games for the gameboy -gameboy advance/sp--and now the ds---one of the first games on the ds was mario 64--it may have been modified a little but come on --it was still mario64-- so if nintendo can do that..then why is it that sony is going to do it..and the world **** about it...at least they will fix it where you can download them to memory stick..unlike the ds where you have to pay 30 bucks..sony could release these games for 30 bucks a piece on umd..but they decided to do it as downloadable for cheaper reasons..a 1 gig memory stick is 60 bucks at walmart..and that will hold an average of 1 to 5 games..unlike one game on umd or a ds card.. someone said nothing is original..and that sony rips off everyone else..it was sony that brought us into the 3-d world when they released the ps1--not sega not microsoft(they werent into game consoles yet) and not even nintendo..they came oy with 2.5-d games which games seemed 3-d but werent..so if anyone is ripping offf anyone..its the other consoles ripping off sony.. i dont create the facts..i just read them..

  • bigdlan

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 9:11 am PT

    ok i hate people like you "MASTERCHIEFUSMA" its all personal preferance just because you dont like something doesnt make it suck. i think playstation is awesome and is better than all, but im not saying the others suck! all three of the next gen systems are awesome in there own ways.

  • MASTERCHIEFUSMA

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 7:33 am PT

    lol if anyone if copying its Sony, they have done nothing but copy since the consoles came out, Sony took the "Six Axis" as they call it from Sony, and they took the HD idea from MS, But as we all know to succeed u gotta use what works. And as for the 1080p. Who the hell cares? its not like everyone in the US has a TV that can do 1080p, and if u got 1080i are u really gonna see the difference when ur playing the game? no ur not. The only thing sony has done is taken a harddrive with some PC parts and slaped the PS label onto it. no innovation at all. its pathetic and it makes me sick. Sony is horrible and always will be.

    ~Flame over

  • YoYo_Bridget

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 4:25 am PT

    Hey jiveturkey...could've sworn harddrives were used in something before the xbox...oh yeah, it's called the computer.

    God, you people need to learn. In the business world, there is no original idea. Especially in the videogame world. I remember learning in my Survey of the Game Industry class, that plagiarism is one of the keys to sucess. See an idea that works, and incorporate it into your own game/console. That's business. You all need to get over yourselves.

  • hsdd

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 1:19 am PT

    flanners6 - right and on top of that we gettin fu£$%n ps3 in March.

  • Nightmare-JD

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 1:07 am PT

    Don't forget that back in the Nintendo 64 vs Sony PS days, the 64 came out with an analog controller and rumble pack, the PS did not, but stole the idea later. It does not matter anyway as it is all about competition and that everyone steals.

  • jivemaster

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 12:53 am PT

    You need to get your facts straight darendt69. Sony is the thief here. Sony has stolen the most from rival consoles, and that continues this generation. They stole the 360's achievement system, Microsoft's online service implementation, Nintendo's motion sensitive controller (which was derived from Microsoft’s original idea anyway - remember the Sidewinder Freestyle PC gamepad?), Microsoft's idea to make home consoles support HD TV formats. HDMI is not a PS3 specific format - its been part of electronics for a long time, they're just the first to physically add it into a home console system. Whoopty doo. If you're going to say that is Sony's original idea, then you could say Sony stole the whole hard disk in a console thing from MS.

  • Kaintae1134

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 10:12 pm PT

    i just wish they would embrace the homebrewers instead of keeping them out.

  • patriotsgene

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 7:47 pm PT

    this sucks i dont want a ps3 so i cant get any Playstation games on my PSP. What! Why cant they just have them downloadable online. .. i hate sony

  • darendt69

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 6:45 pm PT

    mariokart64fan

    Nintendo just announced first. That doesnt mean sony stole anything. Sonys implementation is different from Nintendos as well. If anyone is copying anyone it is M$. Sony launches with 1080P, HDMI and Blu-ray, now M$ is adding a software patch to allow 1080P, adding an HD-DVD drive with HDMI, and will probably re-launch there console with a HD-DVD drive built in. Mark my words, M$ will launch a new console revision with a built in HD-DVD drive, HDMI out and will release a software patch for the older consoles to allow newer HD-DVD games to be played on the external drives. Yes you heard right, HD-DVD games. They will be made. I dont care how much compression they use, if they want the detail in there games, and the large levels that the PS3 will have, they need more space. Why else would M$ come out with an HD-DVD add-on? For movies? yeah right.

  • bobbysbits

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 5:57 pm PT

    this was actually a pretty good update. i really like the fast forwarding thing.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 2:19 pm PT

    I'm glad that they are taking the time to update it

  • suddke

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 1:43 pm PT

    Great. Can't wait till I can use the Playstation Store directly from my PSP.

  • gagan21

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 1:40 pm PT

    This is gr8

  • rastaboi618

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 12:06 pm PT

    sony never delivers their stuff on time...... i want tekken on my psp tho, finally something worthwhile on psp

  • flanners6

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 10:31 am PT

    You cheap arsed f*****s 6 bucks for a game and your complaining over here in the UK we'll get screwed again no doubt cos i bet the cheapest will be 5 quid instead.??????????? thats nearly 10 bucks to you. We get screwed with everything $60 for a game for you, £50 a game for us thats $96 a game and your complaing about 6 bucks thats less than my morning coffee. Just wish sony would hurry the hell up and sort there act out so i can play MGS while drinking my morning coffee

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 10:11 am PT

    to the fanboy who said lets see nintendo steal this like all the other stuff they stole, nintendo did not steal nothing , they were the ones who started 3d gaming , and gaming in new ways sony took nintendos motion sensing idea only days after nintendo revealed the wimote , so and sony did copy nintendo they are offering classic ps1 games this is only after nintendo revealed this at e3 2005 when they named it the revolution and 5 8 and 10 for nintendo classics is not that much ive seen hard copys of snes games priced at 10$ oh and goldeneye007 for 15,00$ any one , wat about marioparty 3 which was 39.99 even years after its release of marioparty 4 and 5 i didnt think so , all n64 games are 10 not any higher or lower now if you can find goldeneye for less then 10 let me know or marioparty 3 , let me know when you can even find a majority of n64 games,

  • NWA_31

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 8:54 am PT

    I really hope we'll be able to do it from our computer soon because im getting my PS3 in a few months

  • casmar82

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 7:28 pm PT

    This is so cool.... I sure hope that they release a ripping software to use the games that I have so I don't have to buy them again.

  • CHAOSBLADER

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm PT

    L00pey:
    "ok i dont think you guys are egtting this...maybe some of you are...but you dont need a ps3 got it you'll be able to JUST USE YOUR COMPUTER!"

    We understand that but there is no set date on when you will be able to do it from your computer. It could be tomorrow, it could be 2008. As of right now it's PS3 only.

  • L00pey

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 6:11 pm PT

    ok i dont think you guys are egtting this...maybe some of you are...but you dont need a ps3 got it you'll be able to JUST USE YOUR COMPUTER!

  • chickmagnet_1

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 5:27 pm PT

    "masterXCYN
    whatever you say, you cant stop Sony. whine all day and be happy. If you cant afford a PS3 then youre sorry, go play Wii kiddy games instead, It'll make you feel better. peace."

    I've been a gamer for about 25 years and it's not that I can't AFFORD a PS3, it's that I am smart enough to realize that $600 for a videogame system is ludicrous. Especially for a system that does not really bring anything new to the table, other than a major graphical overhaul. And as for the Wii "kiddy" games, from what I have seen, Nintendo is the only one making strides forward in gaming. They will be the company who will bring us mainstream Virtual Reality. And as for "kiddy", I don't see anyone complaining about a new Zelda, Mario, or Donkey Kong. As a matter of fact, those people who do, secretly are playing those games anyway. They just dont want to look "uncool" on these bulletin boards, by admitting that they still like Nintendo games. To set the record straight, I have my PS2 on pause right now, so bug off.

  • thor107

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 4:48 pm PT

    Sony is doing this because people in the are abusing the gifts that the homebrew community have to given us. I bought Smackdown vs Raw 2006 in July and I thought it sucked because of the horrendous load times. About 2 weeks ago I ripped it and put it on my memory stick and I got a very playable fighting game. I love psp BECAUSE OF my homebrew. Playing the nes contra with a buddy brings back lots of memories.

  • krnchicken753

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 4:31 pm PT

    this would be cool if i didn't have to spend money to get a ps3 first

  • atticusg47

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 2:48 pm PT

    yeah those prices arent that ridiculous considering those scammin bastards at nintendo are selling sonic 1 on the wii for 8 dollars!!!!! wtf.

  • FstBrk342

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 11:11 am PT

    OH SNAP haha they just announced that they updated it again to 3.01, apparently there is a hole in the homebrew block, check it out on the PSP section here on GS

  • FstBrk342

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 11:05 am PT

    nice this is actually an update worth getting, ill be sure to get it tomorrow

  • masterXCYN

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 5:49 am PT

    whatever you say, you cant stop Sony. whine all day and be happy. If you cant afford a PS3 then youre sorry, go play Wii kiddy games instead, It'll make you feel better. peace.

  • L00pey

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 4:48 am PT

    ok sony said that you wont neeb a ps3 they will let you download it from your computer...

  • chickmagnet_1

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 2:16 pm PT

    "PSdual_wielder:
    piracy issues, obviously. If you're allowed to download ps1 games directly onto psp, wouldn't people put those games everywhere on the web to download? instead of making you pay for the software before download? obviously piracy issues."

    1. Why should someone have to buy a PS3 just to be able to get portable PS1 games? That sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. And plus if you have the cash to spend that much for the PS3, you are probably no longer interested in PS1 games, portable or not. Most likely, you would be out buying 1. PS3 games 2. regular PSP games. And if you don't have the money, since you just blew it all on your nice new PS3, you would be loading your PSP up with music, video, and roms.

    2. With the price that Sony is charging for their PS3 and their PSP, I think that people should be able to put PS1 games on their PSP for nothing. I mean, seriously. Who wants to spend $6 on a game that is old as the hills? Wouldn't that $6 be better spent putting it towards a new game. Sony is a bunch of con artists. The only thing that makes the PSP semi-worth getting is the fact that you can buy it, load it up with music, video, and roms, and never have to BUY another game again. If you really want to sock it to Sony, that's what you should do. Just download some PS1 roms and put them on. Along with every other system.

    3. There is an overflooding of systems, it is ridiculous. And now with the Wii costing the same amount as the PSP, why get the PSP? Just get a Wii instead. As for portability, I have a DS and an mp3 player, and so far it has suited me just fine. I have considered getting the PSP, but now that other systems are out, it has lost some of its appeal. 4. Wait until prices drop. Do you really want to spend more money supporting this monolith that will soon become a monopoly? Sony seems to have this holier than thou attitude, and it's really starting to get to me. "Next gen begins when we say it does" "People should have to work longer and harder to afford our systems" (yes, this was actually said by Sony) Oh please, give me a break.

  • shamarke

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 1:44 pm PT

    cool dowload PS1 games to youre PSP (FFVII,Crono)

  • Alucard7321

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 1:17 pm PT

    Nice scam

  • pb1285n

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 1:07 pm PT

    1. Sony did NOT steal this idea from Nintendo.

    2. The price is not outrageous since Nintendo is charging $5 for NES games and $10 for N64 games. This is actually generous and the fact that you can port them to your PSP is a dream come true. Lets see Nintendo steal this from Sony like they do to so many of Sony's great features. You won't hear one Nintendo fanboy complain.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 12:50 pm PT

    It's like not like there's enough of a base installed for them to get going anyways.

  • CHAOSBLADER

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 11:05 am PT

    dberuvides, $600 is a lot to most people. The people who have the money to buy a PS3 more than likely have rent/mortgage, car notes, and other types of bills to pay. If they went out and spent $600 on some shiny plastic that the only good thing it really has going for it is graphics, then they could be kicked out of their homes and unable to play the PS3

  • L00pey

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 9:12 am PT

    like omfg i said that you dont need a ps3 no one listens to me....

  • ShadowClaw48

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 1:48 am PT

    Ok, i get the feeling us UK PSP owners arent gonna see the 3.0 upgrade till next year then. Great... left out till last again. And why the **** should i pay a ridiculous amount of money on a big black hunk of next-gen junk to play my favourite ps1 games on the move? I mean, I dont mind payin for the games, that seems fair enough. But having to have a PS3 to be allowed to downlod them? Seems slightly unfair to me, and I dont think I can be bothered with putting up with Sony anymore.

  • dberuvides

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 12:43 am PT

    Oh stop **** and just buy a PS3. Christ, $600.00 is not the end of the world. I mean its a console not a new car. Now if you had to buy a car to make the PSP work with PSone games then that would be pretty **** up. But a $600.00 purchase once every 5-6 years (till PS4 comes out) is not going to kill anyone. i mean how many 600 dollars times over are you going to make over the next 5-6 years? When you look at it that way a $600 console every five to six years is just a drop in the bucket!!!!!

  • PSdual_wielder

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 10:27 pm PT

    piracy issues, obviously. If you're allowed to download ps1 games directly onto psp, wouldn't people put those games everywhere on the web to download? instead of making you pay for the software before download? obviously piracy issues.

  • phatdoggy

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 6:36 pm PT

    They copied off the wii. First the wii had downloadable games then they stole the idea Posers

  • rl_41

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 6:32 pm PT

    What? They have to be downloaded to a PS3 first? Kind of lame...

  • neoand12

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 5:04 pm PT

    Nice.

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!

Recent News

See All News »

Site Blogs