Firmware 2.80 now available via Network Update [update 1]

by Chris Powell { Jul 27th 2006 at 3:08AM }

Sony has released its new PSP firmware 2.80 update today. You can download it using the Network Update feature in your PSP.

When updating, the firmware reads it contains the following features:

You can now download video and image content under [RSS Channel];
You can now register devices via a wireless LAN access point under [LocationFree Player];
You can now play AAC files with file extension .3gp under [Music]; and
You can now play content saved in "Music," "Picture" and "Video" folders on a Memory Stick. (Apparently, this means you don't have to rename video files, and you can play them without using special folders.)

Sony recently announced its plans for the new upgrade at Comic-Con. It will be interesting to see in the coming days whether Sony has addressed any of the recent breakthroughs in the homebrew scene.

[update 1: Fixed a misspelled word and hopefully clarified the post a bit.]

[Thanks Chris]

Tags: 2.80, firmware, PSP firmware, PspFirmware, updates

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 4:01AM

That's what I've been waiting for the whole morning :-)
Can someone put up a download somewhere?
I don't have WiFi at the moment.

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 4:08AM

Has anyone information about what the "You can now play content saved in "Music," "Picture" and "Video" folders on a Memory Stick." is supposed to mean?
And what RSS-Video-feeds are supported? If they only support one format (like .MP4, which is likely), Sony has done, again, an absolutely miserable job. If other streams are supported as well, it's likely that you can play other files besides .MP4-video from the memory stick. It'd rock to play .avi/divx files.

David @ Jul 27th 2006 4:22AM

Is anyone having problems with the Internet Browser right after updating? When I try to open it it freezes and I have to reset the PSP. Please let me know if this is a reocurring problem.

-Thanks

Chris @ Jul 27th 2006 5:01AM

David,

I haven't had any problems with my browser freezing.

Dan @ Jul 27th 2006 6:31AM

Just updated. My RSS music feeds now contain no items as does the flickr feed I added. Anyone else seeing this?

PodMonkeys @ Jul 27th 2006 7:30AM

If playing content in video folders means not having to rename them with that M4V#####.MP4 naming convention, I will be a happy, happy man... Although I think I'll hold off upgrading till I hear if theres more problem reports.

Derek @ Jul 27th 2006 7:44AM

#2 >

I tried to open an .avi/divx podcast feed after updating, and the rss tool skipped though all of the available podcasts and then labeled them all as "Corrupted Data." So, I'm assuming that all of the standard PSP video restrictions apply still.

#3&4 >

I haven't experienced any similar problems since my own update. As far as the browser freezing, it did happen to me after a different update, and restoring the default settings in the System Settings resolved the issue for me.

Danny @ Jul 27th 2006 8:05AM

Wow thats awesome....i can actually have a REGULAR VIDEO FILE?!?!?! SWEET! i hated doing all that reformating bullshit...too bad my PSP got water damage after Ver 2.6 came out.....anybody wanna buy a water damaged PSP that still turns on with a couple games including MLB 06 the show and grand theft auto liberty city stories and a 1 gig memory stick??? all for 150 bucks??? my email is wizkid243@hotmail.com ....yes i know hotmail sucks.

izzy @ Jul 27th 2006 8:10AM

where can you download RSS video and do you still have to put the videos in the mp root?

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 8:16AM

Hey Derek, thanks for the report. I FUCKING KNEW IT, that Sony is still incompetent, ignorant and a fucking dork. Jesus. That's so ridiculous... they release new features that no one ever could use, even if he wanted to, because it's so incompatible to everything else. Sony is more incompatible to the rest of the world than Micrsoft. And what it makes even WORSE is that they're not even thinking of providing original, first-party content for their features. They don't have audio podcasts, they will not have video podcasts and if they will, it'll cost you money. The kind of money you don't want to spend unless you're growing it in your garden.
There's not even a great internet-site accessible with your PSP for germans. The site they provide updates on a yearly basis and has virtually no usable content.
They finally piss me off to no extent.
I would cry from happiness if I FINALLY was able to stream my anime collection from my PC to my PSP. I would be so happy! Sony is absurd. Grrr

:D @ Jul 27th 2006 9:33AM

Wow so you can play regular .mpeg, .wmv files now?!

Derek @ Jul 27th 2006 10:14AM

Daniel-kun,

I totally share your frustrations at asome of Sony's decisions- especially in regard to various limitations of the PSP. I'm not a big fan of havign to convert my anime episodes to .mp4 to play them, but it doesn't take too long. We should totally make a website that had RSS feeds of anime fansubs for the PSP. That would be hot shit!

Has anyone had any luck with the new /video folder thing? I created a video folder on my memory stick and threw some .mp4 files in there, but the PSP doesn't recognize them.

Derek @ Jul 27th 2006 10:26AM

By the way, if anyone hasn't had the chance to get the Soccer demo yet, here's a link:

http://rapidshare.de/files/27199595/UCES00206.zip.html

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 10:48AM

There's a second demo to be found for 2.80 in Japanese here:
http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/tama-run/dl/trial_dl.html

Haha @ Jul 27th 2006 11:48AM

All you boneheads whining about Sony adding new features, that's amusing. Even more amusing is the fact that you people actually purchased a PSP thinking that Sony would give it PC like functionality!

SuicideNinja @ Jul 27th 2006 12:00PM

Sometimes I think they use these "new features" as an excuse just to get their next futile attempt at stopping homebrewers out there.

The PSP isn't really a device I'd care to use for all of this. It's too much of a hassle. Better video support is nice, but it's not that important.

pixelator @ Jul 27th 2006 12:57PM

"The PSP isn't really a device I'd care to use for all of this."

Let's be honest, SN - you could drop the 'for all of this' part of that sentence. Any and every PSP newbyte is fodder for your PSP bashing.

This seems to me like a viable update from 2.7 that actually offers some new features - not just a thinly disguised homebrew killer. I don't homebrew much these days, anyway (I can emu on my PPC-6700).

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 1:24PM

"Haha" dude, think about it. The PSP *could* have awesome functionality! It could be like a thousand times more powerful. The only thing that's lacking is software. And Sony can't get Software right. They've proven it DOZENS of times that their software development branches are plain stupid. The solution to this issue would be to let the community provide the software. But uh, that bad-ass Sony fella up there thinks that's a no-no and prevents this, with all means. And actually with good means. If they would put HALF the effort they put in DRM and making things work awkward into making good, reliable, compatible and feature-rich software, they could have satisfied many customers by now.

Josh @ Jul 27th 2006 2:01PM

Make (stuff):
http://makezine.com/blog/archive/make_podcast/index.xml

Mediarights (Media with a message):
http://www.mediarights.org/bm/rss.php?i=1

Telemusicvision (90% amazing music and music videos - 10% not so good ;):
http://www.telemusicvision.com/videos/rss.php?i=1

Josh @ Jul 27th 2006 2:21PM

Some of the comments here are shocking;

daniel-kun #2:
Playing standard divx files; if you have a homebrew-compatable firmware, you can use PSPlayerMT.
Sony will never make avi files official: too much expectation (you would have to resize 80% of them anyways)

daniel-kun #10:
I stream from the pc to the psp constantly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2T6df7Lxn4

Generally: If you have a 1.5 psp - you can use PMPMOD AVC to play converted files: the quality is amazing; much more so than video podcasts or mp4 files, and it doubles the battery life.

Now, to the real reason I'm posting; Great video podcasts:

Frederator (Cartoons):
http://www.channelfrederator.com/rss

(the three I already posted)

There are tonnes of others; refer to the channel guide (not all of them are compatable, but most are):
https://channelguide.participatoryculture.org/

tehcoolest1 @ Jul 27th 2006 2:26PM

Lol pixelator. TEACH THAT PSP BASHER.
KEEP ON FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT, SON!

pixelator @ Jul 27th 2006 2:32PM

Dan-Kun is right on the money. Sony's proprietary division, be it UI or OS integrated software, DRM development or prop. format MemSticks/UMD is pure EVIL. They even lock down the APIs for their own hardware so only THEY can develop for it, like their old PDA, the CLIE... Nobody could do anything for it using their audio hardware, and they even stonewalled the integrated CF slot drivers for the longest time. By the time they relented, the device was antiquated.

Sony = greed. As much as I love the PSP design, the astonishing shortsightedness of Sony's restrictive and anti-consumer hardware/software policies would be downright comical if they weren't so infuriating.

daniel-kun @ Jul 27th 2006 3:43PM

Josh, thanks for the hints. I already know about them, though, but I *don't* have a homebrewable PSP. That's what I was talking about anyways...

haxor5163 @ Jul 27th 2006 4:01PM

dude, i just found this site to use aim from psp - aimonpsp.com

Matthew Shirey @ Jul 27th 2006 4:35PM

I have to agree with some of the posts here on the potential for the PSP. This is a very powerful device in a very small form factor. They seriously need to consider opening up the access to the hardware. I am a professional software developer and I would love the chance to develop toward the PSP but I don't want to play the homebrew game. If Sony wants to see the PSP sell at a volume that would keep the store shelves clear, they need to cut all of this protection crap, release and open source development kit for the PSP, and release the hardware and media for burning our own UMDs. As another person here said, they just are not good at the software. If they'd let the public get into the PSP software development scene, they'd sell more PSP hardware than they could imagine. Grr.

-- Matthew

pixelator @ Jul 27th 2006 8:53PM

Well, to make the platform totally open would be rather unprecedented for any console or handheld, except for niche market devices like the Gizmondo. Nintendo certainly doesn't unlock their software and hardware to open development (see their historic pursuit of legal action against flash linker sellers), so I see it very unlikely Sony will.

They don't even really need to unlock everything, just provide video out and a UMD burner. Then they could release a basic (read: cheap) dev kit for amateurs ala the PDA dev scene. Sell it, sell licenses, all like PDAs. The PSP has already sold more than any PDA or smartphone, so the market should be good. Imagine downloading new PSP games, apps and other content on your PC or direct from your PSP? It'd be HUGE - that alone could drive up sales.

BeDammit @ Jul 27th 2006 9:15PM

They probably dont make enought money on the PSP. So Games and at one point UMD movies were a revenue stream.
Now all you hear is people wanting to play movies.
So they are satifying that.

I anticipate that Movies will be release onf memory sticks and you will be able to download movies to your PSP from their copy of iTunes.

Not that this isnt OBVIOUS.. but..
They are headed in this direction.

As far as proprietary...
Of course..
It is there product they can do whatever they want.
If choosing specific formats make people angry they should look into other devices. Particularly the tiny handheld computers like oqo has.
They run XP and you can do all the things you guys complain about for the low low price of 1600 bucks.

-BeDammit

Travis @ Jul 28th 2006 11:57PM

I haven't seen any replies on these things... but I have a question.
I updated to 2.80 and it says that You can now play content saved in "Music," "Picture" and "Video" folders on a Memory Stick. I thought that this is already the case... Thats how I do it now. Except for videos. I have to put the vids in those stupid funky folders. But after updating I created a VIDEO folder... and put the MP4 and THM files into it but the PSP didn't read them. Wut does this update really do?

tony @ Jul 29th 2006 1:23PM

2.8 no thanks i think i'll stick with 1.5 and all the free games i can download. maybe when sony bring out a keyboard so you can actually use the internet i think about upgrading.

Jesus @ Jul 29th 2006 4:56PM

Umm i dont know if i should try to upgrade again cuz this bricked my psp but im getting another one off sony :) i wonder what fw it will have i hope it has 1.50 wich i doubt becuz their trying to prevent homebrew

TDawq @ Jul 30th 2006 2:00AM

The new update is great. No more MV2323 folder for video. Just put your video files in the Video folder. When you update to 2.8, the PSP automatically create the VIDEO MUSIC PHOTO folder. You can name the .mp4 anything you want. And you can dl video podcast from most channels. a great way to add Podcast channel is to use iTune to suscribe to the podcast on PC, then use that link to put it in you PSP browser.. It is great. PSP is the best thing I bought.

PeterCreamy @ Aug 7th 2006 12:47AM

Can anyone tell me why it takes about 10 seconds longer to load my video folder up, that 2.80 update sux donkey balls man.

PS hey sony cockheads if you want psp to be saved and not get backrupted, what you should do is put the friggin price down cause its not worth it one bit, bring out awesome games which is not hard cause you are the gaming masters most of the time and make some software that is friggin good and useful for a change, stop trying to profit money to make your bloddy company richer OK!

pixelator @ Aug 7th 2006 11:53AM

"stop trying to profit money"

Yeah, who the hell do they think they are, anyway? This basically represents most internet sentiment about Sony these days. As I've said, criticism of their restrictive end-user rights policies and proprietary formats is deserved, but now the anti-Sony hysteria has evolved to the theory that they somehow should stop trying to turn a profit (they've actually lost money - and lots of it - in recent years). People are even seizing on the possibility that you may not be able to just plug your old PS2 memory cards into the PS3, even though that's been true of other platforms in the past and at least they'll have an adapter.

We have the PSP at $199 now, it's a good price for the system given the hardware, maturing library and flexibility. In fact, the PSP is the only thing saving Sony Electronics' ass right now in terms of revenue. How people can continue to bitch when we have a great Q4 2006 and Q1-2 2007 game lineup is beyond me.

shogen @ Aug 7th 2006 6:02PM

Can you tell me if you can watch google video or youtube with the new update

Vaclav Kabat @ Aug 9th 2006 6:35AM

Has anybody experienced music playback issue? After upgrading to 2.80 sometimes playback fails garbage as if using incorrect bitrate...

Vaclav Kabat @ Aug 9th 2006 8:48AM

to complement myself, WMA playback is fine even when MP3 files are played as garbage

Royce Laine @ Oct 10th 2006 10:31PM

I am having trouble converting AVI movies to psp format. I download them from ;limewire onto my mac 10.3.9. I have firmware vesion 2.81. I am converting them with visual hub.. If I convert directly to the psp, they won't play. But if I download them to my harddrive, quick time player will play them. Then when I transfer to the memory on the psp they will not play. I havebeen tring for days to get an answer from the visual hub forum,but I am not hsving any succ3ess. Help