Sony's Eric Lempel On PS3 Updates, Firmware Rumors

PC World: "Is Sony's austere PlayStation 3's dashboard due for an extreme makeover, per recent rumormongering? What about universal voice chat? Searchable memory cards? Discrete feature updates? The battery display fluke de-glitched? And what's up with Hulu video service blocking? I tracked down Sony Director of Network Operations Eric Lempel to get answers to those question and others in the following two part interview. This is part one."

[spaceNerd]

Im really not impressed with sony after reading this article. For them to brush off cross game chat like its not priority 1 just shows that they have ignorant and naive management. Im so pissed off right now.

[DrWan]

Eric said they are working on it and it is high priority because its mostly requested on blog but he said its complex. what that means is we are trying, give us sometime to find a solution. I assume they have to keep on optimizing the CPUs, they don't have enough juice left (for that one dedicated cpu that runs ur bckground XMB and all) i assume is the cause of no voice chat yet...a memory bandwith problem, probably..

On the other hand he said memory card search fxn is not high, and for me who ever requested that was stupid anyways. How often do u go inside ur memory card file to look for crap. Once every year?? to delete old stuff??? wtf.

[PirateThom]

The thing he was brushing off was the search feature for memory cards.

[sunil]

Read the article and them comment.

[MriownBOTH]

youd figure it would be their number 1 priority a year ago for cross chat..but whatever live is where its at

[FFXI101]

You know, there could be a legal problem, or a tech problem, or both. They can't just update it and add the feature. They gotta make sure that it works for Sony and us.

Would it be better to have the feature? yeah, but it doesn't change the fact I can still chat with my friends in the game, in the chat room or in the Home. We just have to wait for it.

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

...PLAY 'AAA' GAMES(which i am doing), NOT Chat SH*T all day like they do on 'ChatBox LIVE!' ;-D
I couldn't give a T0SS about any Chat stuff really. Oh well...

[SSCOOLCHEA]

I dont want to talk to you while im playing a fkn game . Im not a fkn little kid that chat away about bullshlt while im playing a game. if your my friend give me a fkn call or text me if its something important . you act like you have so many friends on the ps3 that all 10 of you is going to do cross game chat together . You know what you can do buddy just sell your ps3 an buy a xbox so you can get cross game chat...LMAO

[-EvoAnubis-]

This actually explains a lot.

[tommy-cronin]

Ya Your Right, he actually commented on 2.8 FINALLY, but still he knows what he's doing so normally i just sit back and let Sony do their thing.

[phosphor112]

It's very informative. I still want another big update. Those are always welcome in my book =].

[anh_duong]

"EL: You know, we very much thought about that, and actually with 2.8 we implemented something that we didn't talk a lot about. We actually gave consumers the option to update. What I mean by that is, prior to 2.8 you had to update. So you'd turn on your PS3 and it would say, you know, if you want to go in the store, if you want to play an online game, or go into PlayStation Home, it would say there's an update available, please update before moving any further.

With 2.8 it was an option. Users didn't have to update when we released it, and actually weren't prompted to do so, because there wasn't any consumer-specific functionality. I'd say a majority of consumers out there who just wait to get hit by these updates didn't even know about it. They might still not know about it."

good this will at least shut up the people who complain about having to install updates.

[Lifendz]

Happy to see they're listening to the fans and trying to give us what we want. Can't wait for part 2.

[RememberThe357]

So next time when b*tching about your PS3 not being able to wipe your ass, realize that no one wants that visualization and your getting something more in the long run, which I appreciate from them.

Gotta love the run-on sentences.

[ChozenWoan]

too bad it's so hard to find around here.

Glade to hear from Sony officially about Hulu and 2.80.

[jamesrocks3147]

this is desperate ether this or a in game party system with voice chat.

these features are highly in demand for sony, if it does interfer with microsofts patent to get around it use skype, its a service thats free and can be used for callin landlines too it goes further then just in game voice chat best of all from sonys point of view it would be using skypes servers and not the psn's for the voice chat. come on sony w/e you have to do just give us in game voice chat across all games with mulitple friends.

[Christopher]

And good luck with Sony and cross-game voice chat. Seems they're having trouble creating a method that doesn't impede on Microsoft's IP method for doing just that.

[Xulap]

Agreed.

Finally a good, non-biased article worth reading here.

[mfwahwah]

@1.7

Good call with skype! I don't know why I never thought of that. I mean, SONY is ALREADY using skype on their PSPs. They have partnerships with google, youtube, and the like.

Skype on PS3 sounds like a winner of an idea to me

[siliticx]

Microsoft IP? voice chat? i guess thats why their getting sued over it.

[poopsack]

"Playstation's Dashboard" Eh, award winning interface cant even be named properly.

[MaximusPrime]

my car got a thing called dashboard.

anyway, XMB is a better name

[randomwiz]

I personally like Sony's "award winning interface". Just wish I could make it look cooler.

You know how ctf themes look on psp. It would be awesome if we could get those kind of themes on ps3...

[poopsack]

im just sayin, call it xmb, thats what its called, not dashboard. shouldi start calling my desktop dashboard as well?

[RememberThe357]

Download a theme.

http://www.ps3center.net/la...

I gotta say, this one is a freakin favorite:
http://www.ps3center.net/fi...

[randomwiz]

I know about all those themes (i like your favorite too), but I wish there were themes that not only changed the icons, but the style also.

Like this ctf theme for psp:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

It still keeps the left and right and up and down simplicity of the xmb, but makes it look cooler.

[mfwahwah]

@2.3

Then again, people use words like Kleenex, Xerox, Chapstick, etc. to refer to a generic item, despite those being company / specific product names.

That's why I forgive little things like that

[Stryfeno2]

Well, that was a waste of time. He didn't really say anything new, and I wanted to know about HULU's problem.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Then ask Hulu. Simple.

[koehler83]

I wasn't even aware that 2.8 was optional. That's pretty good. I'm glad they're starting to get a grip on what they shove down our throats and what they hand to us on a platter.

[BSigel81]

It's not like you wouldn't get the update anyway dude. Let's say firmware 3.0 came out, but you didn't download firmware 2.9...well you would get both at the same time. So, there is no point in the comment that you made because if voice chat was in firmware 3.0 you would download it. But, on topic I can't wait to read the second part...I hope he asked Eric about Playstation Cloud (:

[i_am_interested]

its funny, ive always thought of the nxe as a sideways xmb, but M$ fanboys will deny that to the death

its good to hear him talk about cross game chat and to know that theyre actually working on it, it sucks that they wasted a question on memory cards when they could have asked about some kind of operating based party system

[Marquis_de_Sade]

I've also thought that the XMB looked somewhat similar to the Windows Media Centre interface, oh well....

[i_am_interested]

wow, isnt that interesting, nevermind that windows media center only has 5 selections that lead to different windows explorer type menus, you sure youre not reaching for stars on that one?

NXE is definitely a ripoff of the xmb, its the xmb rotated sideways, they should have just stuck with their panels

[I_am_rushin]

Except that the XMB has been around since at least 2003 and Windows Media Center came out in 2005.

[mfwahwah]

And XMB ripped off something that wasn't nearly as popular as the XMB. Guess which one of you cares! If you said "None of us!" then good job you're right.

[onanie]

That is interesting to know about the timelines.

[Britney Spears]

very good read. I knew most of the things they asked,i think this fall we will see a good meaty update similar to last june's one.

[PLAYINB3YOND]

Until I literally get hit in the face by a decent firmware I'm not going to believe hype or rumours about new features, I just keep getting disappointed :(

[Christopher]

You should never believe hype or rumors for that reason alone. It's the gaming 'journalists' that create all the annoying hype with updates and games. People need to learn to ignore the idiocy and only read into the official comments made by Sony and Developers.

[shadow2797]

Literally? Dang, your PS3 is aggressive...

[Megaton]

How about asking him why it's apparently a combination of brain surgery and rocket science to upload a few new avatars?

[TheMART]

"GO: What about universal chat, by which I mean voice chat outside games. You can currently chat with other gamers from within an online game, but not when you drop out.

EL: Yeah, definitely, we realize that a lot of people want that. It's one of the most requested features, and it is something we're looking into. It's a very complex feature, but we are looking into it."

Yeah we know. Its so hard its already taking 2.5 years and it sounds like you won't be able to implement it at least not this year and maybe never up till the PS4 and restructuring of PSN.

Strange. Microsoft is able to do this complex feature already for allmost 4 years now. Whats the problem copying that Sony? I guess cross game invites also won't be implemented any time soon nah?

EDIT

At the moron below: you know you have to write English with a capital 'E', right? As you want to do proper English....

[lokiroo420]

Try english next time retard.

[Stryfeno2]

I remember last year the Droids on this site were saying "When PS3 gets Cross game chats and invites PSN will be better than XBL. Wait and see".

1 year later and nothing yet...XBL is growing every update and when PSN gets to that spot, XBL will always be 3 steps ahead. Sorry, but its goes to show you XBL will always be the better service.

[Baka-akaB]

It's awesomely funny how you can't remember than Microsoft spent a decade trying and perfecting messenging systems , with messenger , netmeeting and live messenger with both softwares and protocols .

All of wich had crappy first versions as well .

So it's not as if , they were such genius they created their consoles and out of the blue implemented , and easily to boot .
They already own the need tech and software , all that remained was fitting it properly in the console's interface .

In comparison , Sony is obviously a newbie at this , and must come up with stuff on their own , or make deals with other companies .

[ChozenWoan]

Anyone here ever hear of a thing called a...

... "PATENT"

MS has one on cross game chatting so Sony has to find the right loophole around it.

[TheMART]

@ Chozen

First time I read about this 'reason' why Sony can't bring cross game chat. Gimme a link please, because I find this pretty much nonsense. You can't patent everything and I certainly expect that this isn't on MS patent. Otherwise its just another excuse made up there.

@ Baka

Sorry, but MSN etc has nothing to do with XBL. Sony also had some online gaming on the PS2 although they had no system like XBL. But then again, XBL at that time wasn't much more then a online service but no cross game chat etc. Thus, XBL started just a year before PSN, in the current form as we know it. Furthermore, Sony said PSN would match PSN at its launch. It didn't. And after allmost 3 years it still doesn't.

Last but not least, it wouldn't even matter if Sony is a newbie in this or not. If you can't do it in 3 years, you can't do it in 5 years. And even worse: it doesn't matter if they're a newbie or not, consumers compare these things here and now. And its obvious PSN gets beaten constantly. PSN isn't a unified service, XBL is. Maybe in the core it isn't possible to do cross game chat and invites etc. Maybe PSN on the PS4 with massive restructuring will be able to do this all.

[Serg]

@Mart: The US have a ridiculous patent system, you can patent an idea, let alone a working service.

Did you know IBM has a legit patent for a Black Hole generator? Their way of telling america their patent system sucks.

MS has around 60 different patents on the cross game voice chat alone to cover every hole Sony might find. Doesn't take a Einstein offspring to figure out Sony has trouble finding that hole.

[Baka-akaB]

AS usual you only read what you want and twist . No one called XBl live messenger .

Again MICROSOFT GOT MORE THAN A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN MESSAGING . So yeah bringing it to games becomes easier .

And i never said Sony did a good job with it for that matter (it's taking far too long) . Just that Microsoft didnt magically have it ready out of the air .
They already had the software , experiences and means to do it as fast as they did . Something obviously Sony (or nintendo for that matter) never had , and maybe still dont .

PS : i also dont think it's a patent thing , But don't pretend neither silly ones dont exist . Didnt MS had a patent for custom music that slowed down an already slow sony ?

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Suddenly 360 Fannies come out of the woodwork and begin
bashing this post thats about the PSN, you guys make
true 360 fans look bad, see there are 2 kinds of fans.

1. Fanny packs(the ones that are blinded by 1 console).
2. Fans(the ones that simply prefer a certain console or
love a certain console but may be fans of more then one).

Fanny packs need to grow up or go back several game
generations because The 360, PS3, PSP, DS, Wii and even
the PS2 are simply to much for your brain to comprehend.

[Johnny Rotten]

Just move the battery icon away from the clock, I could care less about voice chat.

[Pennywise]

Why is this such a big deal? Is it a OCD thing or something?

I admit its horrible placement, but hardly the end all to PS3 firmware.

[Kyur4ThePain]

Because it's the "in thing" to b!tch about.

[Johnny Rotten]

I guess it could be something like OCD never really thought about it like that?

[Pennywise]

LOL Johnny... I wasnt taking a swing at you, but there are plenty of people who scream about the clock before essential upgrades. It does need to be moved though...

[JD_Shadow]

It's a small annoyance to not be able to check it right away, and on a game that doesn't pause when you use the in-game XMB, that extra few seconds you have to wait to see the clock can make all the difference.

Plus, Eric Lempel said he wasn't too happy about that indicator being there, either.

[mfwahwah]

Watch, cell phone, clock, iPod, the display on 10 gajillion other electronics, sun dial.

I never rely on just one source for the time so I don't care about that bug :P

[Knightrid808]

"How about the battery-life-of-controller glitch, where it cuts off the system time when you tap the PS button? I keep seeing that pop up, but it's like this weird fifty-fifty thing, where fifty percent are angry about it, and other fifty percent are angry at the people who're angry about it."

I'm glad they're looking into that. When I press the Home button to look at the time, its always annoying to end up seeing the controller's battery life there hiding it.

[Karum]

That was a pretty good read and explained a few things.

Looking forward to part 2.

[LCF]

Was a good read, tho he compared the NXE alot. I'm just greatful that the XMB will not be radically changed. I dont want the XMB full of ads to slow down the interface. Ads on a console interface is cheap looking. XMB is simple and elegant, 8 high res, 15 sec video tumbnails look high tech on a 46" 1080p screen also. All of my music are grouped by albums and the icons are matched with the album covers, looks very stylish.

I never complain about firmware updates (or the price for that matter) they help with stablity and online game function. It's a shame we turn this into a generation of complain. I know complaining will give consurmers what they want, however I see it has got worse, and people dont appreciate what they got. Only usually after it's gone.

[darthv72]

GO: Your reaction to Hulu [the online video service] apparently blocking PS3 users from watching videos in the browser?

EL: Last week we stared hearing that, and we've tested it out here, and it does seem you can't access Hulu. You can access the site, but when you go to play a video, you get an error message. We're not quite sure why that is. If I speculate I might guess it's because they refined their list of supported browsers and we were a victim, or maybe they're intentionally blocking the PS3, but right now it doesn't work, and you'd really have to talk to Hulu about why that is. We have an open browser, there's a ton of sites that do work, and it's compatible with other video streaming sites like YouTube and music streaming sites, so. But it's true, Hulu's not working right now and I'm not really sure why.

In other words..sony needs to update their browser to support silverlight or just switch out their proprietary browser with one made by Opera or Google. Maybe then I wont get out of memory errors as much.

[ChozenWoan]

To avoid memory errors, don't open so many windows. Two windows max is usually enough to do anything useful. Any more and you increase the risk of memory errors exponentially. Since each window has to have assets loaded and ready to view, not to mention the assets from past pages as well, which added together makes it easy to fill the PS3's ram memory. I usually have no problems by following this simple rule of thumb while browsing.

[mfwahwah]

It's easy to avoid those errors for me. Just exit out of the browser after a bit so it "resets." It's not completely convenient for us, but I'm not one to complain about such tiny, little, irrelevant details in the grand scheme of life.

[Baka-akaB]

I hate when some journalists decide for us that we want a revamp like what happened with the 360 .

i've see to see people really complains abou the XMB , it's quick and efficient .
All we keep asking and needs are the till missing features ... and you dont need a new "dashboard" for that .

"Is Sony's austere PlayStation 3's dashboard due for an extreme makeover, per recent rumormongering?"

Austere ? i can set up any image i want as an actual FULLSCREEN walpaper , i got customizable themes with even sounds , most of wich are free .

When i put my screens as wallpaper on 360 ... i cant even see half of the bloody thing . half of the screen is reserved to the bloody dashboard . And half of said reserved space is for either the markets , or "what's new" features i dont even know yet how to disable , if even possible .

i'm also forced to create an avatar i got no use for , except standing there taking pose weither i'm online or not ...

to each their own style , the only things each needs to copy dshould be actual features

[mastiffchild]

Ha ha. The avatar on the NXE actually stops me turning the 360 on sometimes-even the Wii doesn't force me to constantly get welcomed by my gimpy looking creation(tha I really didn't EVER want to make, see or even think about in the first place-I'm way too old for it(being over ten)if I'm honest).

I'd be mortified if the last bastion of some sanity among the console interfaces(though I guess the Wii windows aren't too bad either-but there's still Mii's lurking in there!)went the same kiddy friendly and ad tastic way that the NXE took MS. It's all about taste and some of us prefer understated and classic. Hell, I'd really prefer actual austere to the NXE(Avatars are a problem for me-if I'm being frank).

[Afreelunch]

The battery/clock is not a glitch! Holy hot nuts.

[koehler83]

That's true, it's just terribly designed.

[Afreelunch]

Thank you! It's the battery meter PLACEMENT that people don't like. It has been PUT THERE, it does not appear there as the result of a glitch. And according to this interview, it will soon be fixed.

[QSPR]

was never a glitch,always was there. even before the time/date they place the time/date in the battery icon way.

[pansenbaer]

::Sigh:: I have to wait 3 seconds to see the time after I press the home button. I wish my life wasn't so hard...

Put me in the angry at people who are angry camp...

[SuperStrokey1123]

Well i guess that kind puts the BC coming down the pipe rumors to an end as well.

[Meus Renaissance]

I personally like the NXE interface more than the XMB. It is more integrated, actually feels more like a game's console than the PS3's XMB which is filled with tons of media functionality and options. Some love that, but I personally don't need it. But it's worrying that they still haven't been able to resolve the Cross-Chat function. If that isn't solidified yet, then you can forget about Cross-Game invites.

I'm not sure exactly why this is but I've heard the RAM being mentioned a few times. Anyone care to comment on that?

[faisdotal]

I see where your coming from with that statement, but to have a consistent XMB menu in-game or at the main XMB menu is a BIG plus that people (like me) like aswell. And cross-game invites isn't exactly impossible seeing as we already have an invite system embedded on to the in-game XMB. Wipeout HD and Resi 5 have this. Wipeout uses it well.

[badkolo]

nice article but basicly he said xmb will not change, there wont be cross voice chat or cross game invites and thier browser is crippled.

[makingdamage]

I don´t understand why Eric didn´t explain that in the blog post. It has almost 650 comments a not a single reply from dear Eric.

[keysy420]

wtf sony you guys havent made universal chat a priority yet. do you guys even care about your fans. They need something sweet to get people off universal chat

[PiTCHBLaCK]

It is a priority.

Read the article again.

[keysy420]

your wrong about somethings sony did have universal chat in home and took it out. so its not like they cant do it they just arent doing it

[TheMART]

Uhm no. Home isn't anything like cross game voicechat. Thats just like ingame voicechat. Home voicechat is within the application.

Your comment makes no sense.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

MART stop trolling, all you ever do
is Troll articles that is not even related to the 360.

Do you have anything better to do? go play
some games man, the 360 has some awesome games so go
play some and stop Trolling.

[caffman]

since he owns a PS3 he has the right to be in this forum.

[keysy420]

i wonder if they can just get around it by calling it something different and M$ is getting sued for chatting in game

[keysy420]

the only feature that is better on xbl is cross game if sony gets this its a wrap. but by the way why are you always on a ps3 site when you are clearly a 360 fanboy

[PiTCHBLaCK]

He is a 360 Fanny pack, the kind that simply just
trolls, allot like one of those loose boogers you
can't quiet get out ya know? :)

[Nathaniel_Drake]

I like that Eric is angry about the battery displaying over the clock when you press the PS button which means it should be corrected very quickly

[the new king 74]

it has been way too long and its still not here. i dont know if its ram constraints or the spu but its a major problem for them. usually when you hear "were working on it "from sony it sounds like doubt.

[drdre74]

so in other words from reading this Sony won't be doing anything worth while. No major updates like voice chat which everybody wants and needs but they wont be doing.

[PirateThom]

Are you people reading the same thing I was?

He said voice chat was priority for them.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Nope.
People only read what they want, Sad but true.

[mastiffchild]

Don't see the need, the attraction or the benefit of cross game voice chat myself and , after my distaste for the NXE design it's the worst thing about Live. It just wrecked TF2 at a fekkin stroke-even if you aren't doing it yourself some other dude always is and it just ruins the experience by confusing, distracting and, eventually also annoying people.

Sadly I realise I'm in the minority but honestly I REALLY preferred life before it arrived at all! Be careful what you wish for-do we HAVE to yammer on ALL the time? Can't we wait five minutes 'til I finish?

[BannedForNineYears]

Calling the XMB a Playstation Dashboard = Noob that only plays the 360...

[NotSoSilentBob]

I also think that this guy is obsessed with the NXE.

[NotSoSilentBob]

Very Good Read and it shows that you shouldn't judge things by what you see.

[nickr3]

what about backwards compatibility and the what are these upcoming new game features? new avatars? what consumer wanted features are being worked on?! I CANT WAIT! TELL US! MAN THIS PLAYSTATION GEN SUCKS EVERYTHING IS COMING OUT LATE: TROPHY SUPPORT,CUSTOM SOUNDTRACK,IN-GAME INVITES,GOOD GAMES -THE FIRST YEAR GAMES SUCKED,LACK OF # OF GAMES,AND THESE LAZY DEVELOPERS DON'T WANT TO UPDATE THE OLD GAMES WITH TROPHIES AND INVITES ETC. THE PS3 IS LIKE A BETA FOR THE PS4.

[Cajun Chicken]

Good read. Sounds like that clock is going to be sorted out sooner than later folks.

[SlaughterMeister]

Finally an explanation.

[Killa_Cobra_ST]

Good to see that Sony actually acknowledges that the consumers want the features!

[saint_john_paul_ii]

I dont want the XMB to go, but the OS in general needs to be flashier, for example, when you unlock a trophy, the pop up telling you that you unlock the trophy needs to look more presentable.

there was a person that made a concept of his version of an XMB overhaul were the person made the XMB and the OS in general look more flashier, when you unlock a trophy, the pop up appears in a very slick way(similar to the 360 achievement unlocking pop up) then it presents a pop up showing how much your Trophy level has increased by.

[andron]

I'm glad they aren't planning any radical alterations of the XMB. It's near perfect as it is.

Can't wait for part 2 of this interview...

[patterson]

As far as exclusive features go, I'll take Blu-ray player and web browser over cross game chat ANYDAY.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Never knew 2.80 update was optional, Was wondering
why my PS3 never told me to update it!, Leave it
to Sony to clear this one up. :)

Good read.

[ticklechamp]

hold the ps button for two seconds and the battery indicator doesn't cover the clock. now that shouldn't be too hard,even for the most impatient person. if it is,wear a watch.

[lonix]

it to index the Mp3's and vid's on my external hdd

so that it shows my songs etc on the xmb without triangle>display all

[lokiroo420]

Put them in the proper folder structure and it does. Sorts by track, artist, year, genre. WHat else you want?

[DigitalEnemy]

Im a huge PS3 fan and dont like to moan about Sony, but if Eric is speaking the truth here I think Sony should clear out their current "network operations" guys (Eric first to go) get some fresh blood in (maybe poach some microsoft employee's) as its taking them forever to impliment basic voice features aswell as other features that the competition had had for years.
Unless i get smacked in the face with a decent feature heavy update im going not building any hopes up, as every month/quater we get let down.

Eric, you can only say "were looking in to it" so many times over so many years.....