Firmware 3.0 Impressions Page 2

09 Sep 2009 at 10:55:17 by James Chalmers

BBC on a PS3?

BBC iPlayer is without a doubt my favourite feature added to the console. The addition is another feature that promotes the ‘entertainment' system that Sony are trying to advertise with their new slogan "The Game Is Just The Beginning". The iPlayer saves you the need for a laptop or PC to catch up with the latest BBC shows and now allows you to watch what you want, when you want, in your own front lounge. The iPlayer is exclusive to the UK owners (after all, we do pay the TV licence) and with a quick press of the iPlayer shortcut on the TV section on the XMB we are sent to a robust copy of the iPlayer.

The user interface changes depending on which TV set you are using. HDTVs will produce a user interface similar to the PC version, while gamers using the system on an old SDTV (shame on you) are left with a zoomed-in chunky version. Don't feel too down-heartened, though, as no matter which TV you own it's easy to navigate around and you won't have too much of a problem viewing your favourite programme.

Programmes are streamed fluidly and people familiar with the iPlayer on a PC or Mac will see no obvious differences with the option to full screen the programme and turn up the volume. While testing out a variety of programmes (I had to watch them all for research purposes, honestly) I didn't notice any lag or buffering, and before anyone starts remarking about the internet connection, I've tried it on an average household 2MBs connection and it ran fine.

While the iPlayer runs fine, an annoying problem was the PlayStation 3 automatically putting on the screensaver after 20 minutes, dimming the whole screen. However, after looking through numerous threads on different forums I found an option to turn off the screensaver on the PS3 system preferences. This is something that has been overlooked by Sony as the console could have easily turned off the screensaver when it realised the iPlayer was running, but it's not a big mishap and definitely doesn't take away from the sheer quality of this free application for the PS3. For the time being, it looks like Sony has one over on their main rival Microsoft. They have set the standard with the iPlayer and now Microsoft has to deliver when the Sky service arrives on Xbox LIVE later this year.

Tweaks, Additions and Freezes - Oh My!

Along with the two significant and noticeable changes, Sony has tweaked and fixed alot of smaller niggling issues which have plagued the PS3 up to this point. The right bar on the XMB has been re-worked so no longer does the battery status mesh with the clock, and Sony has redesigned the bar adding your selected avatar, your online friend count, and a notifier if you have any unread messages. They are little additions but believe me, you'll wonder how you lived without them in the past - well, excluding the avatar pic which just sits there.

Talking about avatars, with the addition of the dynamic themes Sony has also introduced the premium avatars, which can be purchased through the PlayStation Store... Oh, no, wait a minute, the PAL Store doesn't have these yet either. When you go to your account management there is even a drop down box for premium avatars, but what is the point in having it there if we haven't got any?

Another change around the network/store settings is the ‘What's New' section, along with numerous PlayStation Store shortcuts found on the XMB. These are big advertising panels which fill up the majority of your screen when you move over them. They list the latest games, updates, and add-ons, but if anything they are a little too big. It's not a case of them being unwanted as they provide easy-access shortcuts to the newest content, but if Sony had made them a little bit smaller and not so 'in your face' they would've looked fine. If anything the company has linked it in with the large icons on the XMB and the re-branding of the PS3 logo.

As well as changing the start-up screen, Sony has removed the PS3 logo which used to show every time you loaded a game. The lack of logo shaves off a few seconds of loading and isn't really missed at all, especially if you find yourself restarting the game after it has froze for the 22nd time.

Yes, freezing. Since the 3.0 update a few games have been reported as freezing up, resulting in players having to restart the title. For me - and, by the sounds of it, a lot of the community - the most noticeable game was Uncharted and, this has rendered the game almost unplayable until a patch comes out. Hopefully Sony will look into all of these cases in the next few days and find a fix as soon as possible. I've got enough titles to stay away from Uncharted for the next few weeks but there shouldn't really be a case of having to play a different game due to the update. Other titles which people have experienced freezing since the update are UFC Undisputed, BioShock, Need For Speed: Undercover and Call of Duty 4, and Sony has said to be looking into each of the "isolated" cases.

I may seem a bit conflicted by the latest update, as to me it feels like one big step forward by Sony with things such as BBC iPlayer, but at the same time two steps backwards. For an update which has been hailed as the last major one of 2009 Sony still has a lot to fix and tweak by the end of the year in the minor firmware updates. I'm just hoping they fix the Uncharted freeze pronto - I need to finish the game before Uncharted 2!

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