PSP gets 2.81 patch

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.