Are you ready for In-Game XMB? How about Trophies? Well, you’re in luck, because V2.40 is coming to us THIS Wednesday, which is July 2nd, 2008. All PS3 owners will rejoice and hate the download time for V2.40 and will most likely be rocking back and forth while patiently watching that bar go from 2% to 3%.
So all those “leaked” pictures and all were real, yes, they were real and showcased some of the profiles with Trophies and In-Game XMB. Well, we’ll start off with In-Game XMB, the most wanted update other than Trophies.
In-Game XMB
With that, In-Game XMB is easily manuevered, you simply hit the PS Button once and the entire XMB will be shown, note that the game will still be going on, so if you’re going to use it for the first time and goggle, pause the game – unless you’re online, it wouldn’t do anything.
You can go from one game to another quite easily. Say you’re playing Warhawk and now you’re no longer in the mood for Warhawk, you hit the PS Button and choose PixelJunk Monsters and it’ll ask you if you want to quit the current game, simply hit “Yes” and you’ll go straight into PixelJunk Monsters.
Finally you can also view messages, respond to them, make your own messages, add buddies – which will now be doubled to 100 buddies with V2.40 – toggle your Bluetooth settings, so you can activate your Bluetooth headset, or change it to your PS Eye when your headset runs out of power.
Trophy Support
Trophy Support, it’s about time Trophies have been added to the PSN, this is the other most wanted feature. They’re *like* Achievements, but in a way different as well. Trophies are the same in the fact that you unlock them by meeting certain criteria.
You would go to the [Game] on the XMB, and you would see “Trophy Collections,” and that would have all games you have that are compatible with Trophies. If you click on the game, you will see all the available Trophies, which ones you’ve unlocked and which ones that are still locked. If you press Triangle for information on them, you will see what you did to unlock the Trophy or what you need to do to get them. Of course, some of them will not tell you what you need to accomplish to obtain them.
There are 4 types of Trophies. There is the Bronze Trophy, the Silver Trophy, Gold Trophy and the Platinum Trophy – only obtainable by collecting all other Trophies in the game. Each Trophy gives you a certain amount of points, or otherwise, Experience Points that add up to your Level. Each Level is gained by obtaining a certain amount of Trophies and their respective points.
There’s one huge – yet understandable – let down. The Firmware Update will not access game saves and award you with Trophies. That being said, let’s dig into why this is. Well, the main reason, and quite possibly the only reason is that anyone can access game saves from the internet and download them and put them into their PS3’s. This would give them all the Trophies for games they don’t own. What cheap gamers!
Super Stardustâ„¢ HD will be the very first title to encorporate Trophies by patch, shortly after those of us that will download and install V2.40 and have the fortune of having SuperStardustHD will be downloading and installing its patch right afterwards.
The following first-party games are also slated to offer Trophy support:
· BUZZ!™ Quiz TV
· LittleBigPlanet™
· MotorStorm™ Pacific Rift
· NBA 09 – PS3
· PAIN**
· PixelJunk™ Eden
· Resistance 2™
· SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
· Warhawk™**
** Requires a game update to be downloaded and installed
I would think Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4 and many other titles will have the oppurtunity to patch in some Trophies. Don’t worry either, because First-Party games aren’t the only ones getting Trophies, Bioshock and NovaStrike will get Trophies as well.
Gamer Profiles
Rather than showing your name, avatar, languages spoken, and your phrase, it has been revamped to accomodate the Trophies. You will now see in a convenient 3-page scroller profile which 8 Trophies you’ve most recently acquired, your Level, a bar showing how close you are to your next Level, how many Trophies you have, how those are divided (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum), and the same old things along with an “About Me” section.
Comparing Trophies
This is a simple feature and all you do is choose the “Compare Trophies” option under one of your friend’s names and you can see which games you both have in common and how many of the Trophies you both have unlocked, shown by a percentage bar.
It’s also a good way to make sure your Gamer Ego Percentage is over 93%. That way you can be the Obnoxious Gamer you’ve always wanted to be after this Firmware Update comes and you can gloat your way through Warhawk while still sucking at the game.
Anything Else?
Why yes, there is, there’s a new Google feature just like with the PSP’s Firmware Update V4.0 that allows you to search directly into Google. I guess that’s handy.
And for those having trouble with getting 100 friends, that’ll be fixed for you.
Oh yeah, and there’s now a clock when you get into the In-Game XMB and the refular XMB, something dandy for those late-night gaming sessions.
Videos
Yes, there are two videos both hosted by Eric Lempel, Director of Playstation Network Operations showcasing both In-Game XMB and Trophy Support in two seperate videos. Both after the jump.
Hit the jump for a Press Release, and more information in each category so you will know all about V2.40!
Are you ready for In-Game XMB? How about Trophies? Well, you’re in luck, because V2.40 is coming to us THIS Wednesday, which is July 2nd, 2008. All PS3 owners will rejoice and hate the download time for V2.40 and will most likely be rocking back and forth while patiently watching that bar go from 2% to 3%.
So all those “leaked” pictures and all were real, yes, they were real and showcased some of the profiles with Trophies and In-Game XMB. Well, we’ll start off with In-Game XMB, the most wanted update other than Trophies.
In-Game XMB
With that, In-Game XMB is easily manuevered, you simply hit the PS Button once and the entire XMB will be shown, note that the game will still be going on, so if you’re going to use it for the first time and goggle, pause the game – unless you’re online, it wouldn’t do anything.
You can go from one game to another quite easily. Say you’re playing Warhawk and now you’re no longer in the mood for Warhawk, you hit the PS Button and choose PixelJunk Monsters and it’ll ask you if you want to quit the current game, simply hit “Yes” and you’ll go straight into PixelJunk Monsters.
You can also have Custom Soundtracks in certain games, let’s take PixelJunk Monsters Encore for example, if you want, you would shut off the soundtrack in said game and then pick a song you want. Of course the other sounds the game makes will still be there.
You can also view the thumbnails for videos, pictures, slideshows and all, but wanting to view them full-screen will force you to leave the game. Only certain games can actually use Custom Soundtracks, PixelJunk Monsters (Encore) will have this support, along with many coming titles.
Finally you can also view messages, respond to them, make your own messages, add buddies – which will now be doubled to 100 buddies with V2.40 – toggle your Bluetooth settings, so you can activate your Bluetooth headset, or change it to your PS Eye when your headset runs out of power.
One thing though, you can’t do chats while in the In-Game XMB, it takes up the whole screen, so for now anyways, don’t expect to talk to your friends playing entirely different games. Maybe in a future update eh?
Trophy Support
Trophy Support, it’s about time Trophies have been added to the PSN, this is the other most wanted feature. They’re *like* Achievements, but in a way different as well. Trophies are the same in the fact that you unlock them by meeting certain criteria.
You would go to the [Game] on the XMB, and you would see “Trophy Collections,” and that would have all games you have that are compatible with Trophies. If you click on the game, you will see all the available Trophies, which ones you’ve unlocked and which ones that are still locked. If you press Triangle for information on them, you will see what you did to unlock the Trophy or what you need to do to get them. Of course, some of them will not tell you what you need to accomplish to obtain them.
There are 4 types of Trophies. There is the Bronze Trophy, the Silver Trophy, Gold Trophy and the Platinum Trophy – only obtainable by collecting all other Trophies in the game. Each Trophy gives you a certain amount of points, or otherwise, Experience Points that add up to your Level. Each Level is gained by obtaining a certain amount of Trophies and their respective points.
The Bronze Trophies should be easier than the Silver Trophies, and so on and so forth. The Platinum Trophies will significantly add to your Level and help you level up. The Levels are shown on your Gamer Profile, along with the most recent Trophies earned, your Level and how many Trophies you have.
So with the different Trophies adding up to different Point Values, there are how many Trophies allowed in each game. Game Developers are allowed to put in as many Trophies as they want depending on if the game is a large scale game or a small scale game. The larger scaled games having more Trophies than smaller scaled games. They can put the Trophies wherever, and depending on which you earn, they help your Level.
Now, the games that will have Trophy Support right off. Well there aren’t as many as you’d like. And there’s one huge – yet understandable – let down. The Firmware Update will not access game saves and award you with Trophies. That being said, let’s dig into why this is. Well, the main reason, and quite possibly the only reason is that anyone can access game saves from the internet and download them and put them into their PS3’s. This would give them all the Trophies for games they don’t own. What cheap gamers!
So in order to get Trophies from games like Warhawk, SuperStardust HD and PAIN, there will be patches for them soon after V2.40 comes out so they can have Trophies. With that, you have to redo every single game to obtain Trophies. Have you already gotten 100% on Uncharted? If that get’s patched, you’ll have to replay the game and get 100% all over again. This is perfect for Replay Value, and perfect to experience those older games all over again.
It’s just that some gamers will hate it because they’ve gotten 100% legitamitely on several games and don’t want to spend their time doing so again. Well, in the long run, it’s the safest route taken and will ensure that only those determined to get a good Level will replay those older titles.
Super Stardustâ„¢ HD will be the very first title to encorporate Trophies by patch, shortly after those of us that will download and install V2.40 and have the fortune of having SuperStardustHD will be downloading and installing its patch right afterwards.
The following first-party games are also slated to offer Trophy support:
· BUZZ!™ Quiz TV
· LittleBigPlanet™
· MotorStorm™ Pacific Rift
· NBA 09 – PS3
· PAIN**
· PixelJunk™ Eden
· Resistance 2™
· SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
· Warhawk™**
** Requires a game update to be downloaded and installed
With that being said, there are only 3 games that will have Trophies that will be patched for now. But I would think Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4 and many other titles will have the oppurtunity to patch in some Trophies. These are just prime examples, I’ve also heard voice that PixelJunk Monster enthusiasts would like some Trophies for that game as well. I am on their band wagon as well. And the others aren’t even out, they’re still being developed, but no worries, here’s to hoping they will be awesome.
Don’t worry either, because First-Party games aren’t the only ones getting Trophies, Bioshock and NovaStrike will get Trophies as well.
Gamer Profiles
Rather than showing your name, avatar, languages spoken, and your phrase, it has been revamped to accomodate the Trophies. You will now see in a convenient 3-page scroller profile which 8 Trophies you’ve most recently acquired, your Level, a bar showing how close you are to your next Level, how many Trophies you have, how those are divided (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum), and the same old things along with an “About Me” section.
Not only that, but you will be able to send them a message from there, Compare Trophies and Start Chats. All quite good, but this can all be done by simply selecting any of these options when you press Triangle on their name.
Comparing Trophies
This is a simple feature and all you do is choose the “Compare Trophies” option under one of your friend’s names and you can see which games you both have in common and how many of the Trophies you both have unlocked, shown by a percentage bar. You would then click on the game and you would see which Trophies you both have. So if your friend has one that you just can’t figure it out, you can message him/her and ask them how they did it.
It’s also a good way to make sure your Gamer Ego Percentage is over 93%. That way you can be the Obnoxious Gamer you’ve always wanted to be after this Firmware Update comes and you can gloat your way through Warhawk while still sucking at the game.
Anything Else?
Why yes, there is, there’s a new Google feature just like with the PSP’s Firmware Update V4.0 that allows you to search directly into Google. I guess that’s handy.
And for those having trouble with getting 100 friends, that’ll be fixed for you.
And remember that PSN Maintenance? Well if you go to Account Settings and choose “Activate System” you will have the option of selecting what your PS3 system will recieve. So in the PS Store you’ll have games, videos and possibly music, or something along those lines.
Oh yeah, and there’s now a clock when you get into the In-Game XMB and the refular XMB, something dandy for those late-night gaming sessions.
Videos
Yes, there are two videos both hosted by Eric Lempel, Director of Playstation Network Operations showcasing both In-Game XMB and Trophy Support in two seperate videos.
Here’s the one with In-Game XMB:
Don’t listen to his “New feature” adding languages, that’s been there for a long time.
Here’s the one showcasing Trophy Support:
I simply cannot wait for this Firmware Update, it will be the biggest Firmware Update to hit the PS3. If you look closely, the names are related to Trophies. Quite clever.
Press Release
Here’s the press release for V2.40:
Get more from online gaming on PLAYSTATION®3 with the free 2.40 firmware enhancement PS3â„¢ to give online gamers the features they’ve been requesting: XMBâ„¢ (XrossMediaBar) access in-game and trophies available in this free, automatic system upgrade
June 30, 2008: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced new online gaming functionality for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3â„¢), which will become available on July 2, 2008 with the 2.40 enhancement, an automatic firmware upgrade that delivers several of the features most requested by gamers. Combined with PLAYSTATION®Network’s unique service of free* online gaming, the enhancement makes PS3 an even more attractive platform of choice for the online gamer.
Firstly, the 2.40 enhancement allows XMBâ„¢ (XrossMediaBar) access in-game. This means that you can access the PS3 menu at any time while playing most games, simply by tapping the PlayStation button on your controller. With 2.40, you can check if any of your friends are online (thanks to their own user profile), read and send messages, change some settings for games, all without having to quit the game you are playing. While you can’t pause an online multiplayer game involving other people, you can rejoin play at any time when you’ve finished browsing. Along with these enhanced communications features, the Friends list capacity will double to 100 Friends.
2.40 also delivers trophies to recognise players’ achievements in the online arena. Other competitive activities recognise winners with trophies – so why not gaming on PS3? Many online games will have gold, silver and bronze trophies – with platinum available for those who snag all three – all displayed on the XMB for everyone to see.
Super Stardustâ„¢ HD, a PLAYSTATION Network-exclusive released last year, will be the first game to leverage the Trophies system and will offer a variety of trophies**. The following first-party games are also slated to offer Trophy support:
· BUZZ!™ Quiz TV
· LittleBigPlanet™
· MotorStorm™ Pacific Rift
· NBA 09 – PS3
· PAIN**
· PixelJunk™ Eden
· Resistance 2™
· SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
· Warhawk™**
The 2.40 enhancement is just one more reason to join PSN, the online network for PS3 users that lets you game online for free*. All you need to do to join is connect your PS3 to broadband and register, or go to the connection guide at www.eu.playstation.com to find out more.
Once in, you’ll find online matches and leagues for all of your favourite games – whether that’s MotorStormâ„¢, Resistanceâ„¢, Warhawkâ„¢ or Gran Turismoâ„¢5 Prologue – absolutely free (although users are responsible for paying their broadband fees) and at any time of the day or night. You’ll also find PLAYSTATION®Store, where you can download entire games as well as extra levels, content for your existing games plus internet browsing, video chat thanks to PLAYSTATION®Eye and much, much more.
There’s never been a better time to join PSN. Sign up now to make the most of the 2.40 firmware enhancement – see www.(website).com to find out more.
* No subscription required, broadband fees apply
** Requires a game update to be downloaded and installed
You’ve just read all you need to know about the upcoming Firmware Update coming this Wednesday to all PS3’s.
