Sony’s late-June announcement that it would imminently be releasing PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.40, which would introduce the much sought after in-game access to the system’s XrossMediaBar (XMB) and a Trophies achievement system, immediately delighted some gamers, while prompting questions from others – would all their desires be met by the new feature-set and how greatly would the update help narrow the gap that many feel exists between the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live?

“We’ve delivered a lot of firmware updates to date, but this latest one is really significant in that it plays to a lot of the features that consumers have been asking for and really enhances the overall gaming experience,” says Lempel. “We definitely consider this a big deal and a big leap forward for the service.”

So what’s this significant update all about then? Preceding its Wednesday launch, Lempel released a firmware FAQ via the PlayStation Blog which detailed some of the features, as well as non-features, of version 2.40, and in the process dealt gamers some good news as well as spelling out a few home truths: Sony delivers features only when they are good and ready to go and not before. But is this a big leap forward, or baby steps?

Post-update (and we’re skipping some of the new features here), the new in-game XMB will support text chat (but won’t enable voice chat), users will be able to adjust sound settings in-game (but will be unable to make changes to visual settings), the in-game XMB will be accessible while playing PS3 titles (but not while playing PS2 games or while watching Blu-ray/DVD movies), and users will be able to view downloads in progress while playing a game (but won’t be able to browse the Internet or access the PlayStation Store in-game). Perhaps the biggest gripe users have expressed at this stage is that the update won’t enable cross-game invites.

The area in which the update could provide the greatest freshness and prove to be most successful is perhaps the Trophies department. Even some of those without a predilection for score-whoring have experienced the warm sense of achievement upon being awarded for their gaming efforts. For the meantime, Trophies will have to sit snugly on the XMB, but when Home is finally released they will no doubt adorn countless mantelpieces.

Older Patches

Lempel said that while Sony will be wholeheartedly promoting the system going forward, it will also be patching a number of older titles to include Trophy support. The feature won’t be retroactive though, so the firmware update and subsequent patches won’t automatically allocate unlocked Trophies according to saved files, meaning gamers will have to go back to older titles for another run through in order to earn some of their silverware.

“Right off the bat when the firmware update goes live we’ll be patching Super Stardust HD, so that game will include Trophies from Wednesday. We’re also patching Warhawk and PAIN, while Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, a completely offline title, will also be patched over the network, so it’s definitely an option for developers and we’re fully supporting first and third parties that want to patch, and of course those that want to implement this system going forward with new titles.”

Undeniably there are some significant improvements on offer and 2.40 is a great update for PS3, but there’s also a definite sense that some gamers were hoping for more. It’s disheartening to constantly be comparing the PlayStation Network with Xbox Live because Microsoft has undeniably set the benchmark extremely high in many respects, but Lempel himself acknowledges that there’s work still to be done after 2.40.