Firmware 3.0 loading times contrasted with 2.8

Youtube user "PS3slimComparison" has documented console startup times, Blu-ray launch times and video game loading times on his PS3 Slim, first equipped with Firmware 2.8, and then Firmware 3.0. Waiting times appear to be shorter with 3.0 (and who doesn't want to get into Arkham Asylum as fast as possible?), but we were curious to discover if there would be a notable speed improvement on a 60GB PS3 with the latest software. Based on our informally derived test results (see them after the break), the answer appears to be a curt "no." It's possible that 3.0 is tailored to take advantage of the Slim's newer hardware, excluding longtime owners from any supposed speed gains.
Speculation aside, we were shocked to find just how much quicker 3.0 is when it comes to Uncharted -- on 2.8, the game takes forever to freeze.
[Via PlayStation forums; thanks, Garrett]
Lumines Supernova hitting Euro PSN on Feb. 5
We've queried Q about the add-on's European fate -- and why it's always 4AM when we stop stacking squares.









