Geek In Me

via ubergizmo.com

PS3 owners, there is a new firmware for you to download - version 2.42 is now available, but it doesn’t look like anything major was thrown into the fray. Apparently, the official stand on this firmware would be “This update improves the playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation format software.” Sorry, don’t expect any groundbreaking features here, but at least it has not yet burnt as spectacularly as the previous firmware release.

via ps3fanboy.com

Over the weekend, a video of Darth Vader and Yoda fighting each other in Soulcalibur IV was leaked onto the internet (and then it was subsequently pulled). Currently, Darth Vader lives only on the PS3 version, while Yoda lives only on the Xbox 360 version. Could Namco Bandai be planning DLC which unlocks the famed Star Wars characters in both versions? It would make a lot of sense, wouldn’t it?

According to the Korean PlayStation site, Yoda will be available for download from the PSN. That sounds like DLC to us. While Namco Bandai hasn’t confirmed anything yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if Yoda (and who knows what other characters) ended up appearing in Soulcalibur IV.

via ubergizmo.com

Sony has moved back the PlayTV tuner for its PS3 from the end of last month all the way to September 10th, and this time round it will even be able to support recording TV shows in the midst of gaming. The device will also support dual DVB-T tuners and has the capability to capture one over-the-air digital channel while playing another live. Folks living in the UK and mainland Europe will be able to pick this puppy up for approximately 99 Euros, while an Australia and New Zealand is slated for a February 2009 release.

by Richard Lawler via engadget.com

Buried under predictions that 2012 will bring dominance for Blu-ray over DVD and breaking news that the PS3 just may have had a hand in winning the format war the Entertainment Merchant’s Association 2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry holds survey results showing 87% of PS3 owners reported they watch Blu-ray movies on their console. That’s a stark contrast to last year’s NPD survey indicating 60% of owners didn’t even know it played them. We don’t know what’s behind the jump, be it better marketing/consumer education, or something wrong with how one the surveys were conducted. You can mull that one over during the fast money round while also peeping results that say 22% of HDTV owners think they’re watching HD programming, but in fact are not — not like we haven’t heard that before.

via ps3fanboy.com

The new look PSN Store is definitely something to behold, even if we’ve mostly gotten used to what it looks like by now. Unfortunately, it suffered from not caching images properly and, as a result, slow loading of items on the store. If you’re someone who’s particularly annoyed by this, then you’ll be happy to hear that firmware 2.40 seems to have brought with it a little surprise which makes the store run a lot smoother. This is true of both the US and the EU stores.

Not only that, but a new “view mode” has been added to both, so now you can have the store items laid out in more of a list form, rather than just an image. Not only does this make it easier to see what each item is at a glance, but it also shows the price, even if the item is not highlighted. This is definitely our preferred method of viewing the store. If we find any more 2.40 surprises, we’ll be sure to let you know.

by Randy Nelson via joystiq.com

Following months of rumors, speculation, and – most of all – waiting, Sony has officially unveiled version 2.40 of the PlayStation 3’s operating system and XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface. Joystiq got a look at it in action last week and can finally unzip our lips about what we saw.

In a nutshell, the update introduces most of the features we’ve seen floating around as rumors for some time. Here’s the short list of what you can now do without exiting from games:
- In-game XMB (a quick tap of the PS button brings it up)
- View game-specific trophies
- Time / date display
- Send text messages to PSN users on your friends list
- Access accessory settings, such as Bluetooth pairing and voice changer
- View and manage downloads
- Quits game directly from an icon under the “Game” section of the XMB
- Search the web using the Google Search option under “Network” (similar to the latest PSP firmware)
- Launch directly into another game from the one you’re currently playing
- Play music tracks stored on the HDD in games that support this feature
- Access a new on-screen music player interface (when listening to your own tracks in supported titles)