Probably the most requested firmware feature for the PlayStation 3 is access to the XMB (Cross Media Bar) while in a game, specifically access to messaging and friends lists. Well, Sony hear you and are trying to work something out according to a Q&A with Eric Lempel, PlayStation Network Director of Operations on the Shacknews blog.
Here’s what he had to say on the request.
“We are looking at a number of enhancements related to accessing some of the XMB features during gameplay, including messaging your friends. While there’s no timeline to announce at this point, we’ve heard loud and clear from consumers that in-game XMB access is one of the most requested PS3 enhancements.”
Read the full interview here.
Yeah yeah… We’ll get right on that
in 2010 when we release the PS4
Comment by Daveatfernie — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
P.S. First and second
Comment by Daveatfernie — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
it’s not happened yet, Sony would rather spend their time on this ‘voice changer’ feature, which we will all despise. Like they did on 360.
Oh, and other websites reported this AGES ago.
Comment by russ — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
Nothing that i was really fussed about - but it is interesting to hear that it is at least being looked at -
Wonder what the reasons were behind it not being done sooner? Memory constraints.?
Comment by JohnSketch — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Well we hoped you would have done this and not keep telling us youre going to do it.
Still this is old news now
Join #thisisliving @ efnet for real uptodate news and chat.
Comment by komp — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Sounds good to me - and is this really old news??? I haven’t heard about it…
Comment by Loot Ninja — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
@4. yep, think memory restraints have played a major part. It’s going to make a big difference to me when ingame xmb is running
Comment by Sazz — Dec 17, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Just rip the band aid off and tell us it isn’t possible. This slow pull is killing me….
Comment by Caleb — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Yippy. Im hopin this wont slow down my games. And to b honest, arnt there other things peeps would like more. i remember earlier in the year there was news of virgin and sony in plans to make virgin radio avialable o the xmb. even though i wont b interested i think the possibilities to connect with other media are not being exploited. the TRUE power of the playstation is not being used to full effect. maybe it’s somethin sony can work on.
Comment by E-ROLE — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
This is old news. Nothing new to be announced today, so must be Xmas slump and all of Sony’s gone home for the period.
Why not announce it when it’s been achieved and not bring up, as someone above rightly pointed out, news that’s been covered to death and bashed out enough times elsewhere on more exciting blogs/posts/Webs?
“Memory constraints”? I don’t understand what you guys mean! The PS3 has not had a memory upgrade all of a sudden, so I don’t know what you’re on about. It doesn’t make sense.
If you say ‘it was because they couldn’t figure out how to optimise it before and now it takes very little RAM’ then I’d say that is as reasonable an answer as any, but “because of memory constraints”?!
Over & Out.
Comment by Zed Zee — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:06 pm
by memory constraints i think they mean available memory to run the xmb ingame and also run the game you have running.
and to all the people going old news, some of us don’t troll through other game sites looking for news and Three Speech is nice enough to make it easy for me to find PS3 news with out the hassle of looking around when i have more important things to do (climbs off high horse)
Comment by Phil — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
I won’t hold my breath but at least they aren’t just hoping that if they ignore us long enough we will go away, which is was starting to feel like. Oh and Zed Zee, Christmas is no excuse, they don’t celebrate it in Japan anyway
Comment by Tim — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
Quick google and wikipedia later -
Unrelated but interesting tidbits:
Xbox 360 main memory 512mb GDDR3 ram (shared with the GPU due to unified mem. architecture) with the GPU itself having 10mb dedicated eDRAM. Main ram clocked around 500mhz iirc.
PS3 main memory 256mb XDR rambus with GPU memory 256mb GDDR3 clocked at 700mhz iirc - like the 360 the GPU can also make use of the main memory (upto 192mb of the XDR?) if needed
Shows i’m bored!
Comment by JohnSketch — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
@ Zed - Easy. Just tried to email you but it got backed. Send me your email address to blog@threespeech.com. Cheers.
Comment by Three Speech — Dec 17, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
[...] Source: IN-GAME XMB NEWS - at Threespeech [...]
Pingback by GameBlews.com » Blog Archive » IN-GAME XMB NEWS — Dec 17, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Has anyone tried to mount their PS3 into the boot of a car with the appropriate electrics for on the move gaming?
Comment by Savage — Dec 17, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
bloody hell savage…you ‘pimpin sum ride’ or something ; )
Comment by seedaripper1973 — Dec 17, 2007 @ 6:57 pm
@Daveatfernie: Go troll elsewhere, we don’t care about the comments.
This is all good news though.
Comment by Youlikeyams — Dec 17, 2007 @ 7:33 pm
wow. The new firmware is coming…They’ve added limited divx support and…..
…..a voice changing feature.
I guess i can forget about proper online gaming then. I can do mickey mouse voices instead.
Comment by ted — Dec 17, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
What’s the Voice-Changing feature, it’s the first I’ve heard. I really hope it’s not as crap as it sounds. They (SCE) were just seeming to implement some intresting applications, but this…
Comment by Divine — Dec 17, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
Very nice work Sony.
Comment by Carl — Dec 18, 2007 @ 9:46 am
If i had to guess, it may be a Christmas update, or New Years, which either day would be great, cause we would all remember it and celebrate during a celebration, lol.
Comment by Marrex — Dec 18, 2007 @ 7:11 pm
Well done Sony,
Despite the fact that many,many people have requested this from day one it has only taken you the best part of 10 months to reply that you might be working on it.
You instead decided that most people (none of whom I have encountered) needed to switch on their PS3 remotely with a PSP and implemented that first.
This is Public Relations (look it up) at an absolutely astoundingly disrespectful level.
Just make it happen before the time it takes the universe to contract back into a singularity please.
Comment by Ton Capone — Dec 19, 2007 @ 10:30 pm
The reason we still havent got ingame xmb is because of the home gimmick.
Comment by jasp — Dec 20, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
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