Firmware 1.90 is now available in North America

by Colin Torretta { Jul 23rd 2007 at 11:50PM }

Firmware 1.90 has hit North America earlier than expected and is now available to download onto your shiny PS3s. The firmware update brings with it one of the most frequently requested features for the PS3 -- custom backgrounds. Also added is the ability to arrange game titles in the XMB and the ability to change video options without leaving the movie. The wallpaper feature and the ability to access scaling and video options while watching a movie are huge pluses in particular and showcase Sony's continued efforts to increase the usability and feature set of the PS3.

Here is the full list of updates in Firmware 1.90:

A wallpaper feature has been added. You can now select a photo to display as the XMB background.
You can now use emoticons in messages under [Friends]
Support for text entry in simplified Chinese characters has been added.
You can now select traditional Chinese characters as a text entry method.

Also included (but not listed in the install process):

You can now sort games in the XMB via Creation date from the top, from the bottom, and by format.
You can now also modify almost all video options while watching a DVD/Blu-ray.
The ability to eject a disc via the Triangle menu.
You no longer have to plug in your controller to update. Thanks BK! (I knew I wasn't hallucinating!)

Considering Sony's track record, the update probably added even more functionality. Consider it an Easter egg hunt, find all the changes you can!

Tags: 1.90, FirmwareUpdate, wallpapers

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

BK @ Jul 24th 2007 12:20AM

NO LONGER HAVE TO CONNECT THE CONTROLLER TO CONTINUE UPDATE

doug @ Jul 24th 2007 12:00AM

great now I need some PS3 friends so I can use the emoticons, anyone want to add Snoopdoug

pizzanerd @ Jul 24th 2007 12:00AM

Please oh please have an improved browser. All I want is to be able to listen to Pandora while I surf the web.

Justin @ Jul 24th 2007 12:01AM

the emoticons SUCK!!!

overall...a good update. now i gotta get a hi-res shot of Old Snake to put as my background.

BK @ Jul 24th 2007 12:24AM

BKLYNRECCA ADD ME ;-)

Stef Geiger @ Jul 24th 2007 12:21AM

....Why is it that Sony thinks their time is better spent giving us emoticons and wallpapers than giving us xvid decoding, folder hierarchies, upscaling of PS3 games etc?

*sigh*

Maybe 2.0 will give us a feature worth getting excited about.

bruce @ Jul 24th 2007 12:21AM

BKLYNRECCCA ADD ME

Chris @ Jul 24th 2007 12:30AM

can i store more porn my ps3 now?

Stef Geiger @ Jul 24th 2007 12:24AM

Oh cool. After the installation, I got a black screen and an unresponsive PS3 that the controllers can't even sync to.

Wonder if I just bricked my PS3.

humpty @ Jul 24th 2007 12:26AM

There are some cool 1080p wallpapers here:

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/

Darker images work better than the lighter ones.. "rubik" is a very good one .. you can use your PS3 browser to download them right on your ps3 hdd.

Im loving it!

upz @ Jul 24th 2007 12:29AM

This is a total piece of horse ass.

I get the choice to either keep my games in exactly the order they are now, put them in reverse, or put my PS1 downloads at the very end. How exciting. I'm usually able to see through the criticisms and speak to the good about the things the PS3 has to offer, but this is pretty damn underwhelming. The best feature so far is that I no longer have to use my product differentiating touch sensitive power and eject buttons ever again. Wait, how is that a good thing?

Maybe all the good firmware updates are spoiling me...

upz @ Jul 24th 2007 12:33AM

Stef, I'm right there with you. All I wanted was a folder to put my demos in. Instead I get to send sad emoticons to my friends.

Humpty, I pulled a couple off InterfaceLift myself. One hell of a site. Reminds me of my Planet Earth BDs.

Simple Panda @ Jul 24th 2007 12:37AM

Is it just me, or is there not actually any ability to change PS3 video settings in-game for PS3 games?

Rainbow Six, for example, is totally broken on PS3 if you have a 1080p display - you have to suffer through Ubi's horrible upscaling job rather than just get the game in optimal 720p.

I know, i know - i can change my video settings EVERY time I play Rainbow Six to switch into 720p mode.

Because I really want to do that...

Stef Geiger @ Jul 24th 2007 12:37AM

Alright, so my PS3 wasn't bricked.

Another great source for backgrounds is www.digitalblasphemy.com though Ryan Bliss hasn't made any 16:9 1080x1920 images.... yet.

Alex @ Jul 24th 2007 12:43AM

... we want background music.

but i really applaud FINALLY enabling custom backgrounds.
Leah Dizon now makes my PS3s video output as sexy as the machine itself.

but seriously, custom music!!!
and better file organization.

James @ Jul 24th 2007 12:45AM

something is weird. i dont see how i can make emoticons. i tried sending text like :) but they just appear as :). how did u all make ur emoticons in ur messages?

Justin @ Jul 24th 2007 12:45AM

@ simple panda...

i believe i read in the release notes that it only works for PSone and PS2 games.

jfunker @ Jul 24th 2007 12:52AM

that options thing in the lower-right is annoying, but the backgrounds feature rocks!

Simple Panda @ Jul 24th 2007 12:52AM

@16 That really sucks. Hopefully, Ubi will release a patch for Rainbow that fails over to 720p if it's available, no matter what.

1080p in Rainbow Six Vegas is -ugly- as sin. Like a PS2 game.

Of course, the lack of FSAA in Vegas is already ugly, so it's worse on worse.

GRT @ Jul 24th 2007 12:54AM

The 24 fps playback of Blu-Ray disks is in there.

Groove @ Jul 24th 2007 12:55AM

1.9 available in europe too, i am downloading it at this moment.

peer @ Jul 24th 2007 12:58AM

hmmmmmmmmm... text appears in text boxes when you type ... is anyone elses psn store broken?

upz @ Jul 24th 2007 12:59AM

That new options box is as ugly as when they decided that the text input cursor needed to be changed to puke green. At least Heavenly Sword demo comes Thursday...

Kxpuc @ Jul 24th 2007 1:21AM

the only reason the controller doesn't need to be plug'd in for update is that the OS in the controller didn't need changing this time.

T H @ Jul 24th 2007 1:28AM

@ #24: I doubt that's the case.. I have 4 controllers, it's not like I have to plug in all of them each time I download and install a firmware update.

alex @ Jul 24th 2007 1:41AM

how can i change my background?

SoftTankDefender @ Jul 24th 2007 1:46AM

you cannot do ps3 game video settings in game .. that was lies.

SoftTankDefender @ Jul 24th 2007 1:49AM

@26 .. view a photo then go through the options there is a set as wallpaper option in there now

@24 .. its a firmware update .. unless sony has redefined what firmware is there is no way you can update just pieces of the firmware .. besides the download was as big as the last one according to my router logs.

Mishi @ Jul 24th 2007 10:35AM

haha yeah, I agree with some of the posters, that "options" menu on the bottom right looks ugly

stathi @ Jul 24th 2007 1:54AM

NEW INFO...i found a new feature with the new 1.90 patch...while watching a movie trailer or video game trailer you can cut a 15 second mini clip and set it to run while at the XMB screen..pretty cool feature!!

mccomber @ Jul 24th 2007 2:07AM

Actually stathi, that's the been there for a while now, if not right from the start.

Hopefully this was the last little update before the big 2.0; hopefully that brings some of the features (in game XMB access!) that we've all been hoping for. The wallpaper is cool, and having access to the upscaling settings is great too, but other than that it's pretty boring. Guess they can't all be shock and awe though.
Now, to look forward to Thursday; heard a little rumour about R&C having a demo as well... don't believe it will be this week, but hopefully soon. Having that and Heavenly Sword both would definitely make this one hell of a store update though.

Stef Geiger @ Jul 24th 2007 2:07AM

stathi, that's been a function since 1.00.

Please don't ever become a detective.

upz @ Jul 24th 2007 2:39AM

Actually, mccomber, we don't have access to the upscaling settings, just the smoothing and screen ratio settings. Yikes. Can't say I have a right to complain about a free update though.

As for the 2.0 update, I seem to remember that it was a rumor posted on a forum by a somewhat credible member, then immediately taken down. That itself could be interpreted as a sign of a confirmation, but it seems more like a leaked list of features they were aiming to have implemented by 2.0, not a solid change log. If that was, in fact, what was going on and I was an XMB dev, I'd have it pulled too - lest someone accuse me of only shooting for the moon instead of for the sun. Ahh Ken, how we miss you...

AJ @ Jul 24th 2007 2:39AM

im not usually one to say this but ^PWNT!!!1111

BrokenFERN @ Jul 24th 2007 2:50AM

stathi,

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware that was a feature :)

Extinction @ Jul 24th 2007 2:51AM

"Wonder if I just bricked my PS3."

PS3 is unbrickable. If it shuts off during a firmware update, it resumes from that position when it restarts

Laurens Holst @ Jul 24th 2007 4:33AM

@BK: "NO LONGER HAVE TO CONNECT THE CONTROLLER TO CONTINUE UPDATE"

Wow, that is excellent. Might be my no. 1 improvement in this update! ^_^

Laurens Holst @ Jul 24th 2007 4:38AM

Another new ‘feature’: if you stay still over an item in the XMB for a bit, it will show a ‘/\: Options’ icon at the bottom right of the screen, to indicate that there’s an options menu.

It’s nice, I think, figuring out there’s an options screen for those items might’ve been a bit unintuitive before, and I could imagine that there was a fairly large number of users unaware of it.

linton @ Jul 24th 2007 4:53AM

just got a new psp update july 24th 07 9.36am uk time V3.52

Luke @ Jul 24th 2007 5:19AM

just thought u guys guys might wanna know that the 1.90 update is available in Australia as well

p.s. my ps3 network id is "LukeyG" anyone feel free to add

nevelo07 @ Jul 24th 2007 1:55PM

This update was ok should of been 1.83

Consolcwby @ Jul 24th 2007 6:34AM

Eek! I work the night shift and I won't be home for another hour!!! WAAAAHH! =P

I can't wait to see how it works!

steve @ Jul 24th 2007 8:24AM

Okay is it true that you cannot change video settings while playing ps3 games??? What about ps2 games??? is this option only for blue ray movies???

Kyle @ Jul 24th 2007 9:13AM

Now while in the web browser, if you hit the PS Button, the XMB comes up. A hint to XMB in Game access in the next update?

Savory @ Jul 24th 2007 9:49AM

Great! Now I can finally put my Halo 3 wallpaper up on my PS3!

just1gamer @ Jul 24th 2007 10:00AM

Is folding@home autostart feature new? (haven't been paying attention)@42that's not a new feature (have been able to do that in pictures, music, video and web browser)

OrganicShadow @ Jul 24th 2007 1:03PM

Exactly, UBISOFTS horrible upscale job... I'm glad Sony doesn't go through and sweep up developer's mistakes or else we would have a mandatory update every week.

-Backgrounds are cool
-Yay for the sorting....I guess. I was hoping for manual sorting but okay...
-Ejecting from the couch actually has a bit of use, as sometimes my drunk idiot friends don't understand how to just "touch" the eject button
-All the other tweaks are nice I suppose, but could have been done long ago
-Overall im satisfied with this update, but still have a few more things that you guys are all saying anyway

Mak @ Jul 24th 2007 1:49PM

Fixes:

DLNA track order sorting bug fixed
DLNA timeout extended.

Sure there are many others...

mccomber @ Jul 24th 2007 3:06PM

"Actually, mccomber, we don't have access to the upscaling settings, just the smoothing and screen ratio settings. Yikes. Can't say I have a right to complain about a free update though."
What other options were there for ps2 upscaling? I thought that basically covered it... other than no upscaling at all I guess.