PSP firmware updated to 2.71

Sony has released a new firmware update to the PlayStation Portable that moves the system from the 2.70 version released in April to 2.71. As the incremental advancement in the version number suggests, it doesn't seem to be a very large update--it notifies users of only two changes upon installation.

The bigger of the two changes included in the update is the ability to download game demos directly from the PSP Internet browser to the system's memory stick. The other change is a fix for the LocationFree Player so that video output is displayed properly when an external tuner is selected.

According to Sony's Japanese PlayStation site, that country's PSP owners are getting a little bit extra with the 2.71 update. The page mentions new integration with Sony's Portable TV download rental service and access to downloadable demos for Loco Roco and Kazuo, a Sudoku game from Sony released here as Go! Sodoku. A downloadable Loco Roco demo was released alongside the 2.70 PSP update in Japan, but the PSP's Internet browser could not display the site from which it could be retrieved.

In January, Sony announced that US PSPs would get the Portable TV-like ability to download movies and short clips from Sony's iTunes-rival Connect site. The company set a March deadline for that update, but it was unable to meet that date. This morning, a Sony representative told GameSpot that there were no new details or time frame announced for when that functionality would be added.