PSP updated to 3.0, PS ports priced (gamespot)

- gamespot -

New firmware update adds retro-game playback, remote play options, online instruction manuals, and camera peripheral support; games to range from $5.99 to $10.99.

While hitting "the big 3-0" is an event most people dread age-wise, many PlayStation Portable owners are happy their portables are approaching a similar milestone. Today, Sony released system update 3.0 for the system in Japan and North America, with Europe presumably to soon follow. It had originally been slated to go up on November 11, the day the PlayStation 3 went on sale in Japan.

Like all PSP firmware updates, 3.0 contains "revisions to strengthen security"--that is, homebrew-game countermeasures. However, it also adds some major new functionality to the portable, not the least of which is PlayStation Network title support, which will let PSP owners download and play original PlayStation games from the PlayStation 3's online service.

In Japan, the first batch of 10 PlayStation games will go on sale tomorrow and will include classics such as Resident Evil: Director's Cut (called Biohazard: Director's Cut in Japan), Tekken 2, and Arc the Lad. A complete list can be found on the official Japanese PSP Web site.

Things were less clear in North America, as no date or lineup for the first PS-to-PSP ports were mentioned in the announcement of the firmware upgrade. "PSone titles will be available through the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks, and additional first and third-party games will be added on an ongoing basis," was as specific as the announcement got. However, Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison recently told GameSpot the first batch of PS-to-PSP titles is due by year's end, and a Sony rep said today that the company is "shooting to have the PSone titles available by the end of this month."

Though it was tight-lipped on other specifics, Sony did outline the prices and sizes for PS-to-PSP games. The offerings will start at $5.99 and go all the way up to $10.99, and they'll weigh in at anything between 140MB and 550MB. Since said games will be stored on the PSP's Memory Stick Duo, gamers who bought the standard PSP package--which only comes with a 32MB Memory Stick Duo--will have to upgrade their memory cards. However, the games must first be downloaded to a PS3, where they are stored on the console's hard drive.

Another feature added by today's upgrade is Remote Play, which will let owners of the 60GB PS3--which has built-in Wi-Fi--to stream media wirelessly onto a PSP. (The 20GB PS3 does not have built-in Wi-Fi.) Besides playing back content such as music and video, the Remote Play function will also display the PS3's desktop remotely onto the PSP to allow for access to the console's Web browser, friends lists, and other functions. At a later date, Remote Play will also work via external Internet hotspots. For the time being, though, the functionality is limited to the range of the PS3 and PSP's wireless connection (that is, the owner's residence).

To help PSP owners access the handheld's new features, Sony has posted a series of online PSP instruction manuals that can be accessed by any device with a Web browser. They outline all the functionalities of the PSP, including the software for the PSP camera peripheral, which was also added as part of today's update. The camera will soon be available in Japan, but the PSP GPS add-on currently has no North American release date.

Other features included in the Firmware Update 3.0 are a timer for RSS feed updates, multispeed fast-forward/rewind for music playback, music visualizers, and a new option to deactivate game autoloading at start-up. Currently, the only way the update is to download directly to a wireless-internet-connected PSP via the "network update" function under the settings tab of the cross media bar (XMB). A sony rep said that it should be available tomorrow on the official US PSP Web site.