Sony's latest update for the PS3 landed early this morning and brought with it some much needed features for PlayStation Plus subscribers - as well as a few bonuses for regular PSN users to help streamline the XMB.

The update also brought one small cosmetic change, altering the name of Automatic Download to Automatic Update.

On the PS Plus side of things. players can look forward to one oft-requested feature - auto syncing trophies. If a user has the Automatic Update function turned on then their PS3 will automatically sync their trophies at a pre-determined time. As well, to make the lives of PS Plus users just a tad easier, Sony has implemented the option to automatically upload saved data to the PSN Cloud. Previously players were forced to quit the game they were playing and go to the saved data section in the XMB and manually transfer whichever save(s) they wanted to back up. From now on, PS Plus subscribers will be greeted with a message, the first time they play a game, and asked whether or not they want to upload that title's saved data to the cloud. Players can opt in or out manually through the XMB by selecting the game, pressing the triangle button and selecting "saved data auto upload."

For regular PSN users, the update doesn't offer much in terms of functionality, though there are some changes that should make it easier for gamers unfamiliar with the PS3.

PS3 Update 3.70 Recommendation

Video applications can now be found under the video section of the XMB. Before version 3.70, some (i.e. Netflix) were located under the video section while others had to be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. Now they're conveniently located in one place - and the ones that PS3 owners use the most can be found in the "My Channels" folder. All video content downloaded from the PlayStation Store (i.e trailers) will still be placed under the video section of the XMB.

The update also brings a few features for those who use their PS3 on a 3DTV

  • 3D support will now be available when accessing Java-based special features on Blu-ray.
  • DTS-HD MA, DTS-HD HR decoding/bit stream output (or lossless audio) will be supported while playing Blu-ray 3D movies.
  • 3D digital photos in MPO format can now be viewed in 3D on the XMB and in the Photo Gallery app.

Lastly, the update also brings a recommendation feature to the PSN, allowing gamers to write recommendations for games they purchased from the store - then send the recommendation to friends, via a PSN message, which will also include a link the the store page.

PS3 firmware 3.70 is currently available on PS3's everywhere, and with it Sony has announced that a minor PSP software update will launch soon as well.

Source: PlayStation Blog