As one would expect, Sony has not taken kindly to the recent announcement of the PS Jailbreak, filing a temporary injunction to prevent any sale of the device across Australian retailers. more »

Update: Time to head on over to Network Update once again folks. PSP firmware 6.30 has gone live.

It’s a firmware bonanza: as Sony promised, PS3 firmware 3.40 is now live. The availability of 6.30 for PSP will follow shortly.

Both introduce PlayStation Plus, a premium tier of offerings geared towards PSN’s most loyal. You’ll pay $50 annual for the privledge of accessing “exclusive” content such as early demos and betas. Worth your green? Well, you be the judge.

To further emphasize Sony’s commitment and focus on community, PS3 firmware 3.40 brings about a myraid of social networking features, including the ability to share photos and videos straight from built-in XMB widgets over sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Grab both firmwares via Network Update on their respective platform or hit up our download links below if you wish to go the manual route.

Download PS3 Firmware 3.40

Download PSP Firmware 6.30 / PSP Firmware 6.30 for PSPgo

Update: The (short) wait is over.

Sony just announced that PS3 firmware 3.40 will hit Network Update tonight, bringing with it PlayStation Plus support, in addition to social networking enhancements that strengthen integration between PSN services and Facebook. more »

Update: Well, that was quick. True to its word, Sony has made firmware 3.30 available. Grab it through Network Update or our download section.

PS3 firmware 3.30 is due out “shortly,” Sony announced today. In addition to bringing preliminary stereo 3D support to the table, it features several enhancements that streamline accessibility when browsing through your collection of Trophies. These additions mark the inclusion of a trio of all-new sorting options, as detailed below: more »

Meet 3.21 OO — true to his word, famed hacker George “GeoHot” Hotz has delivered on his promise to devise a “custom firmware” based on the PS3 3.21 update that retains access to OtherOS. See video proof above. Jokingly, he adds “I would have added something showing off the new features of 3.21, but oh wait, there aren’t any.”

According to Hotz himself, the feat can be pulled off without having to crack open your PS3 — that means no need for hardware modification, folks. Of course, running firmware 3.15 or prior is a prerequisite for taking advantage of this. Additionally, the same workaround may bring OtherOS support to Slim units, however this belief has yet to be tested.

Update: George Hotz responds.

Sony has announced that the next PS3 system software update — firmware 3.21 — is  slated to hit the PlayStation Network on April 1 and will remove the OtherOS feature present on units prior to the slimline revision, due to “security concerns.”

While Sony neglected to delve into further detail, these “security concerns” likely stem from the discovery of an exploit credited to famed iPhone hacker George “geohot” Hotz. Nothing usable to the average end-user has materialized yet, however, it’s clear that the looming threat of piracy has led Sony to take precautionary measures.

While the update itself is an optional one, by opting out you will no longer be able to sign into PSN nor play PS3 titles that require firmware 3.21 or later.

According to a report from Japanese hardware site AV Watch, support for 3D gaming with select titles will hit the PS3 on June 6. As revealed last month, this newfangled capability will be added seamlessly through a firmware update, one that is reportedly in the hands of developers as we speak. A 3D rendition of Super Stardust HD was confirmed at CES earlier this year.

We’re filing this under rumor for now, as quite frankly, it is rare to see dates for firmware stem from a source other than Sony itself.

Given that 3D-capable TV sets are just beginning to sweep into the market and that Sony has repeatedly voiced its intent to support 3D gaming on PS3, however, we couldn’t imagine the release of this update being far off. Introducing this feature in June certainly sounds probable.

ソニー、“本物の3Dへ”。3D BRAVIA 3シリーズを発売 －2D-3D変換も。メガネ×2「LX900」、最高画質「HX900」 [AV Watch]

While the PS3′s defenses against unauthorized code have remained impenetrable up until now, hacker Geohot of iPhone fame claims he is the first to discover an exploit, a feat that will no doubt garner the attention of Sony. In a post on his personal blog, Geohot touts that he has managed to outsmart the PS3′s privileged-based hypervisor security system and gain “read/write access to the entire system memory” in addition to “HV level access to the processor.” more »

Detailed yesterday morning, PS3 firmware 3.15 is now live, available for download from Network Update. It brings two major additions to the table, granting the ability to play PSP Minis on PS3 and also introducing a one-click data transfer solution that beams PSN content across a pair of PS3s connected via LAN. Due to certain regulations, we’re told that copy protected save game files will not transfer over, so keep that in mind.

The full changelog is after the jump. more »

PSN director Eric Lempel has offered up a plethora of details on PS3′s next firmware update — 3.15. While sporting only a minor bump in version number, this update actually packs a couple of noteworthy changes. First out of the gate is the data transfer utility, which allows existing PS3 owners to transfer all network content and media over to a new system via LAN connectivity. It’s essentially a one click solution that will get you up and running on the new unit in no time. Useful for those who may be upgrading to a PS3 slim in the future.

Another addition is the ability to play PSN bought Minis on the PS3, confirming recent rumors. Going forward, all Minis will be cross-compatible with both PSP and PS3, providing an ample amount of value. The best part? You won’t be paying extra for the privilege. more »