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PlayStation 3 owners finally have something they can gloat about: not only do they get a demo for Burnout Paradise, but they also get it a week before any Xbox 360 owners using the free Silver membership. Today's PSN update also includes new Rock Band DLC as well as new bowlers for last week's High Velocity Bowling, costing one Washington apiece.

If you don't want to worry about unlocking Need for Speed Pro Street, you can spare yourself the gameplay for a meager $2.49 to $9.99. Full update list after the break.

Yesterday's PSN original, High Velocity Bowling, includes a long-awaited feature: in-game custom soundtracks. ripten discovered that you can play any music from your hard drive (although streamed music is not compatible). Hopefully, this is a sign that upcoming games will more readily sport this much-wanted feature.

[Thanks, Justin!]

With the long-overdue in-game XMB still a no-show as of last month's 2.00 PS3 firmware update, we were about to resign ourselves to a future that entailed exiting out of games to read messages and getting up to change the channels. Yeah, barbaric. But perhaps we're being a little too fatalistic. Included in yesterday's PSN Thursday update were some special treats: notably a custom soundtrack option in High Velocity Bowling that looks very XMB-ish, along with an in-game friends list for the Timeshift demo, available from the multiplayer screen, which also has that XMB look 'n feel.

So if we've got some of the most requested features being added straight to games, emulating the look and feel of the XMB interface, what do we need an in-game XMB for then? Maybe nothing, but we worry that if developers become responsible for implementing this functionality instead of it being a system constant, that we'll see an inconsistent experience across whichever games decide to add it. While we're not quite bowled over, it's a step in the right direction.

[Thanks, Justin]

This week's PSN Thursday update rolls in with some High Velocity Bowling. The $10 PSN downloadable game is joined by a few Folklore add-ons and the prerequisite Rock Band DLC. Although we shouldn't be that excited, we're a little giddy over the free Ratchet & Clank theme -- and no, it's not a furry thing. (Not that there'd be anything wrong with that if it was.)

For the PSN European update check out sister-site PS3 Fanboy. US folks can hit up the full update list after the break.

"Bowling's like life, don'cha think?" No, frankly, we don't, but it's still an entertaining glimpse at the downloadable title High Velocity Bowling, headed to the PlayStation Store at ... well ... at some point. There are eight different colorful characters to play as (and themed alleys to unlock), and with support for up to four players, it's a pretty sweet concept.

The game is fully controlled by the Sixaxis, with a simulated bowling swing. Not sure how comfy the Sixaxis will fit in that manner, but whatever. There's a trophy room where you can view all your successes, which will probably come from the Challenge Mode where you progress through tournaments, matches, and some interesting trick shot performances. Overall, it's a bowling game. What else did you expect?