In preparation of the PSP 6.20 update, a new Media Go update is available. For those that don’t know, Media Go is an iTunes like application that you can use to manage your music, games, and photos for the PSP. You can also access the PlayStation Store within the application.

Media Go Version 1.3

• Bonus digital copy from purchased DVD or Blu-ray Discs can be transferred to PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) systems.
• Comics purchased through the PlayStation® Store can be transferred to PSP™ systems (requires PSP™ Update version 6.20).
• Video and photo playlists can be transferred to PSP™ systems (requires PSP™ Update version 6.20).
• Media Go can check for PSP™ Updates and copy them to PSP™ systems.
• The new Downloads view can be used to monitor the status and manage the progress of downloadable content.
• An Advanced Transfer option provides customized encoding options for transferring media to a device.
• Control playback and see transfer progress of Media Go in the Windows® 7 taskbar.
• A new reel has been added to the large-screen view to make it easier to quickly navigate your media.

Most interesting is the ability to check for and download PSP system updates once it is connected to Media Go. Another feature that did get me excited was the Downloads view. I was hoping with this update that I would be able to queue downloads but was sad to find that the PSP must still be connected to Media Go for a download to take place. The system also restricts you to one download at a time which is painful for users looking to purchase and download multiple items to their PSP or PC.

Download 1.3 here.

Rumors are true. Here is what to expect in the next update!

What do you think?

Negative

Friends List – The gray background they use for the friends list is horrible. Should be either transparent gray, transparent black, or none at all.

“What’s New” – Change “What’s New” section to display background while accessed. The other store icons throughout the XMB show the current background but the “What’s New” section displays blue wallpaper. I would like to see my theme if I am to have this as my default boot screen.

Font – HDTV + Large font doesn’t go well together. At least make an optional small, medium or large selections possible.

Status Indicator – Remove border for upper right status/notification area. Doesn’t work well on screen. Also give option to disable news ticker.

Positive

Speed – The download took 2 minutes, and installed in the same time. Navigating the XMB is much faster than it was before. Navigating the Store is much faster as well.

Friends List – Seeing the last time a user was on, or what they are doing before I scroll to their name is very welcome.

XMB List Indicator – Ever scrolled a very long list in the XMB to get to something that was at the bottom but you never knew how far you had to go? Now as you speed scroll through and little ruler pops up to show you how far you are from the bottom or top.

Dynamic Theme – I LOVE my new LBP dynamic theme. Even if it is $2.99.

Mobile Remote Play – I can’t do it from my phone but all those future Sony Ericsson phones with Remote Play can by registering their phone on the newly added mobile device registration list.

There is lots of little things I love in this update. I am sure I will be finding all those hidden treasures soon.

Recently the PS3 received a firmware update that included backing up PSN purchased movies to an external hard-drive (thank you) and 16 concurrent player text-chat. Yes, text-chat.

This features allows you to create a text-chat room and invite people from your friends list. People on your friends list can invite others as well into the chat room so not everyone in the chat room will be on your personal friends list. With this, users are able to text each-other in-game and can have up to 3 chat rooms going with a total of 16 people in each.

Isn’t this 2009? Why the hell do I have text-chat on my console? Yes, it is 2009 and why the hell do you have text messaging on your phone? Text-chat is another means of communication and it is one I like and prefer for the following reasons:

• I don’t like talking on the phone or through a mic period. I prefer written communication in everything I do.
• It’s easier to understand written communication with those whose first language may not be English.
• I can track a conversation better. If I am in a voice-chat party and playing a game I am not really listening to what any of you are saying. My concentration is on the game. With text-chat, I can ignore the messages and when I feel like it, I can catch up on the entire conversation and respond whenever I like.
• No awkward silence during voice-chat. You feel as if you are required to talk constantly.

So why are people dissing it? Don’t know. Any feature they don’t deem useful to them is apparently a useless feature overall. Would I like to see voice chat? Of course. I would love to see cross-game voice chat as it can be a really useful feature but would I use it….nope. While I have certainly enjoyed chatting it up with the different communities I am apart of and even adding people from the text-chat to my friends list, I can still see there are needed improvements:

• Cutback on the filtering please! You can’t even type the word “submit” without it being blocked.
• If you have an active chat session open, pressing the PS button should take you to that session automatically.
• When you log into PSN, you should automatically be logged into your chat rooms or at least have an optional setting to do so.
• Along with the persistent home status screen (constant display showing friends online, unread messages), add participant count for each chat room.

As it stands now, I think text-chat is a very welcome feature for myself. I also hope that this sets up their framework to introduce cross game voice-chat as well. Until then, I will continue to use 1980′s tech on my console, phone, and computer. IM and Text are the wave of the future and there’s nothing you can do can stop it!

Every time a firmware update is released for the PS3 I get to read the complaints about it being slow to update and why do they have to update and blah, blah, blah. I felt I wanted to point some key things about why it does what it does.

Why is it slow to download?

If you are comparing the PS3 firmware downloads against another system the obvious thing to say here is that you are downloading a 130+mb file on the PS3 every firmware update. Microsoft for example are very strict on file sizes. Game updates can only be a max of 4mb over its lifetime so we can safely say their firmware updates are small.

Why do I have to download 130+mb file for my PS3 firmware?

Memory. I can’t give you cold hard factual proof but I will act as if I have it by telling you that the PS3 uses EEPROM. What this means is that in order to update the firmware that resides on this memory, it must be completely wiped clean and all of it must be re-installed. This memory is unlike other memory types, flash, that are able to update/patch the parts you need and does not require a clean wipe and full install. While there may be some technical reasons this memory was chosen, the end result is painful to us.

Each PS3 has a special 512KB EEPROM chip on the motherboard using a SPI Serial Interface Renasas chip.

So what! It’s still slow to download!

I don’t know what to tell you. Updates take roughly 5-8 minutes for myself, start to finish. Maybe you should switch from wireless to a wired connection, check your router setup and open up some ports, or just download it to a usb drive from here.

Well, there is nothing in it I care for anyway!

So what. Every update includes some new feature someone has been asking for. Every update includes some fix to a bug that someone has been complaining about. You are not the center of the universe therefore, you will not determine when they release firmware updates. The last time people complained about receiving updates too often, they complained about not getting enough of them. Also, if you complain that there is an update every time you turn your system on…PLAY IT MORE! Our last update was 1/21/09. I say it’s time for another…