Firmware 1.6 Live

To coincide with the launch of the PlayStation 3 in the European territories, Sony has also released a new version of the firmware for the PS3 worldwide. The firmware updates have been a staple feature for the PS family of systems since the PSP to expand its functionality. The PlayStation 3 is no different and, in reality, could offer more robust firmware updates due to the large hard drives in each and every PS3.

This download will greatly expand some of the PS3’s functions while adding new features sure to please gamers. Just take a gander at the new stuff added:

  • Remote Play – This feature, enabling you to access photos, videos, and music on your PS3 system’s hard drive from a nearby PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) system, will be available for the 20GB configuration, when utilizing an external Wi-Fi router or local wireless access point.
  • Disc Auto-Start – This new option under System Settings allows you to choose whether or not a disc should start automatically upon inserting the disc or turning on your PS3 system.
  • Blu-ray Disc Rewriteable (BD-RE) – PS3 system can now playback BD-RE discs (version 3.0).
  • Enhanced Downloading – Firmware version 1.60 delivers a more convenient process for downloading content to the PS3 from the PLAYSTATION Store. PS3 users will now be able to queue up to six downloads at one time.
  • Folding@home – PS3 users will be able to connect to Stanford University’s Folding@home program, a distributed computing project aimed at understanding protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and many cancers.
  • Not only are these features included but a full sized virtual keyboard has replaced the numeric pad for text entry. Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, SCEA, had this to say about the new firmware, “PS3 is constantly evolving with new features that keep the system at the cutting edge, thus unlocking its full potential. This upcoming firmware update not only delivers capabilities that gamers are asking for, such as enhanced downloading, it also enables us to tap into the PS3 community for the Folding@home project, leveraging the power of PS3’s technology and the ever-expanding reach of our user base to help researchers find cures for diseases.”