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Bricked by firmware 2.40? SCEA will fix your PS3 for free

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 10th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Some unfortunate readers had their systems bricked by firmware 2.40. A PR representative from SCEA has informed us that they will fix your PS3 system for free if you were one of the few unlucky enough to have a bricked system. How's that for customer service?

"Our Consumer Services department is working directly with any impacted PS3 users, and, if it's determined that they were affected solely by the 2.40 issue, then their units will be repaired or exchanged at no cost. SCEA stands behind its products and always works to ensure the best possible consumer experience."

To contact SCEA support, visit this web page. If you go through SCEA support, let us know how your experience is.

[Image Source]

PS3 2.40 bricking caused by 'certain' system admin data

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jul 8th 2008 at 11:53AM }

The good news is, well, you've seen the good news. The bad news is, if you can't see the good news ... there is no good news. Speaking through semi-official community site Three Speech, SCEE has released a statement reiterating that PlayStation 3 update 2.41 (the good news) has been released, fixing the bricking issue associated with update 2.40. The statement attributes affected 2.40 users' inability to load the console's XMB to "certain system administrative data ... contained on the HDD." Spooky.

Unfortunately, if you're the proud parent of one of a "limited number" of bricked PS3s, you're stuck with your brick, a fix, and no way to wed the two. SCEE recommends contacting Customer Service (presumably for a new or repaired unit) -- or you can wipe your PS3 hard drive on your own (losing all data in the process) and try reinstalling. This is, if you haven't guessed already, the bad news.

2.40 bricking caused by 'system administrative data' on hard disk

by Jem Alexander { Jul 8th 2008 at 10:00AM }

In an official statement issued to ThreeSpeech, SCEE explains the problem with firmware 2.40. It seems that there was a problem which "prevented a limited number of PS3s from activating properly after updating to version 2.40, when certain system administrative data were contained on the HDD." This has now been fixed with 2.41, though those who suffer from the problem (which prevents the PS3 from loading up the XMB) will not be able to access the new firmware update.

Instead, those who had problems with 2.40 will need to contact Customer Services and will receive a replacement PS3. 2.41 will prevent this problem happening to anyone else. The statement also reiterates that those who installed 2.40 successfully will not suffer from any issues. Good news all round, really. We're happy those people who were too slow to grab 2.40 will now be able to start earning trophies and enjoying in-game XMB with the rest of us.

PS3 Firmware 2.41 is now live

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 8th 2008 at 3:21AM }

PS3 firmware 2.41 now available

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 8th 2008 at 3:13AM }

Looks like the software engineers at Sony have finished tweaking firmware 2.40. The much-anticipated firmware update included crucial features, like in-game XMB and trophies, but was pulled shortly after its release due to reports of bricked systems. Now, a few days after the controversial removal of firmware 2.40 from Sony's servers, firmware 2.41 is now available to download worldwide.

Hopefully, all goes smoothly with this update. Those lucky enough to have 2.40 working on their systems know that in-game XMB works incredibly well, and trophy support is absolutely addictive. Now, PS3 owners en masse will be able to enjoy these features.

[Thanks, Seth C.!]

Rumor: Sony customer support says 2.41 coming 'midweek'

by Jem Alexander { Jul 7th 2008 at 8:00AM }

CVG has contacted Sony Customer Support to find out exactly what is going on with 2.40. It's all been very quiet since the firmware got pulled off the servers, but apparently a fixed version will be available "midweek." Sony has yet to officially confirm that this is the case but, if true, they should do so within the next day or two. Hopefully 2.41 will fix any of the issues that were present in 2.40. We've had absolutely no problems so far, what about you? Let us know in our latest Poll Police post.

[Thanks, Simon!]

Sony acknowledges firmware 2.40 problems

by Alan Tsang { Jul 2nd 2008 at 8:25PM }

As reported earlier, firmware 2.40 has been taken down. Playstation.Blog has a post acknowledging problems with their latest firmware and assures us that it's only temporary. A commenter concerned about those who have 2.40 installed already was met with a response of "we've received no reports of hardware issues following a successful install," so those of you who have already installed the firmware have nothing to worry about. Stay with us as more information is available.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Firmware 2.40 removed from update servers

by Jem Alexander { Jul 2nd 2008 at 4:40PM }

We're receiving reports that PS3s are no longer updating to firmware 2.40. Consoles currently running 2.36 are stating that there are no available updates when a system update is attempted. It seems that downloading the firmware from the official sites is also impossible. Firefox 404s out on the Japanese, European and American sites. Has the latest firmware been pulled from the net? If so, why? If you're having issues with grabbing the latest update be sure to let us know.

We'll be contacting Sony to find out exactly what's going on, so keep an eye on us for more info. Hopefully soon.

Update: Confirmed. Firmware 2.40 is currently unavailable.

2.40 includes hidden PSN Store upgrade

by Jem Alexander { Jul 2nd 2008 at 6:00AM }

The new look PSN Store is definitely something to behold, even if we've mostly gotten used to what it looks like by now. Unfortunately, it suffered from not caching images properly and, as a result, slow loading of items on the store. If you're someone who's particularly annoyed by this, then you'll be happy to hear that firmware 2.40 seems to have brought with it a little surprise which makes the store run a lot smoother. This is true of both the US and the EU stores.

Not only that, but a new "view mode" has been added to both, so now you can have the store items laid out in more of a list form, rather than just an image. Not only does this make it easier to see what each item is at a glance, but it also shows the price, even if the item is not highlighted. This is definitely our preferred method of viewing the store. If we find any more 2.40 surprises, we'll be sure to let you know.

2.40 is out, go download it now

by Majed Athab { Jul 1st 2008 at 11:48PM }

It's that time again, firmware update time. The huge one is finally here: 2.40. So, without a doubt, we're sure you're all very anxious to go grab it already. Five bucks says most of you didn't even bother to read what is being written here and just saw the headline and ran off on us. We don't blame you. With that, we'll keep it short and enjoy our new firmware features.

[Thanks Tim P., and everyone who sent this in!]

Update: Super Stardust HD patch is live. The 255MB download will add trophies to your game.

Unlocking a trophy will trigger a sound alert after all

by Jem Alexander { Jul 1st 2008 at 5:00AM }

Good grief. We received more tips about this than any other aspect of firmware 2.40, including yesterday's walkthrough videos. We'll take that to mean that many of you guys are as pleased as we are to hear that not only will unlocking a trophy bring up a visual notification in the top right hand corner of the screen, but an aural alert will also play. This has been confirmed by an update to the FAQ on the PlayStation Blog.

This completes the trophy experience and considerably lowers the chances of us missing a trophy notification when we're particularly engrossed in a game. The question is, what does it sound like? We'll find out tomorrow when the firmware goes live.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Eric Lempel answers your frequently asked 2.40 questions

by Jem Alexander { Jun 30th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Funny thing about huge updates: They come with lots of potential niggles and details that need to be clarified. Eric Lempel over at the PlayStation.Blog has done his best to address a number of the most frequently asked questions about firmware 2.40. In particular, there's clarification that the web browser will not work during gameplay. Nor will voice chat, changing display settings and the PlayStation Store.

The FAQ also reveals that Sony is working with publishers to "ensure that trophies are supported across the board in the future," which is a great sign. We have a feeling we're going to want to get our hands on as many trophies as we can once the update hits. Trophy stat info is held server-side, so you will be able to view the trophies of your friends even if they're offline (as Eric did in the second video). Sadly, unlocking a trophy does not "currently" make a noise (we're crossing our fingers for 2.41!) and Eric's favorite cheese is Mozzarella. An interesting choice.

Check out the post over at the PlayStation Blog for the full FAQ. We think that pretty much covers everything, unless you can think of something else that's still uncertain?

Firmware 2.40 fully revealed in second video; available on July 2nd

by Jem Alexander { Jun 30th 2008 at 8:30AM }

You've probably read our Firmware 2.40 post (if not, do!), where we go in depth with the new in-game XMB and Trophies system, but there's nothing quite like seeing it in motion. Thankfully, the second Firmware 2.40 video is up now on the PlayStation.Blog and, this time, Eric Lempel guides you through the wonderful world of Trophies.

In our opinion, Trophies look pretty hot. From the overall premise, to the way the comparing of Trophies with friends is implemented so that you can see what games you and your friends own. Not only that, but the "You got a Trophy" message is exactly how we would want it to be. The only thing we have to wonder is, will there be some satisfying sound effect to accompany the message?

So there you have it. Firmware 2.40 has been fully revealed and will be available to download on July 2nd. Yeah, that's the day after tomorrow. There's no word on when older games will be patched to incorporate Trophies, but believe us when we say we'll be hounding publishers until they tell us. Most future games will support Trophies out of the box, including PSN downloads. So, what do you think?

Everything you need to know about firmware 2.40

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 30th 2008 at 8:00AM }

Click for high-resolution image.

So, we're finally able to talk officially about PS3 firmware 2.40. Available July 2nd, this hotly anticipated firmware update has been the topic of discussion throughout various internet forums and our own site. Many rumors stemmed from supposed leaks, and we can now say that many of these reveals were right on the money. The features to be added in firmware 2.40 represent the biggest jump for PS3 owners, more so than 2.00 released a few months earlier. The key features of the update include the most-wanted things voiced by a majority of PS3 fans. In-game XMB and achievement-like trophies are the two biggest additions to this update.

In-Game XMB
Finally, in-game XMB will be implemented for the very first time. When one presses the PS button, it will bring up with entire XMB. No features are hidden in this menu; you will be able to see all of your Photos, Music and Video. While everything can be seen, not everything can be accessed from the menu. For example, if you want to click on a video, a message will tell you that the game will end if you proceed any further. This will allow players to jump from one activity to another quickly on the PS3. For example, you can jump from a game of PixelJunk Monsters, directly into Resistance 2. Then, you can quick to a video on the hard drive, and then listen to some music. It makes the entire system much easier to use.

Gallery: PS3 firmware 2.40

Continued →

Watch as all your PS3 dreams come true in this 2.40 video

by Jem Alexander { Jun 30th 2008 at 3:06AM }

See the guy in the video above? That's Eric Lempel and he's about to show off the number one requested feature for the PlayStation 3; in-game XMB. This feature is only half of what we can expect in firmware 2.40, which is due out "soon." Watch as Eric effortlessly receives and responds to messages whilst playing a game, swaps immediately from GT5:P to PixelJunk Monsters, switches in some background music from the PS3's HDD and ... searches on google.

There's more to come in another video later today, which will show off the trophy system. Not only that, but keep your eyes peeled right here for more detailed, exclusive info on what's to come.