PS3 firmware 4.01 and regularity of updates

January 23, 2012 By 16 Comments

Today we have a minor update surrounding PS3 firmware 4.01, which is thanks to someone checking out the login area of Sony’s press website and this leads a few gamers to thinking the next PS3 firmware could be on its way.

First we’d like to point out that it’s possible the debug firmware this article talks about could be for testing only, and might never make it to the public although we know a few gamers feel it’s time for another update soon. If you own a debug unit then feel free to share some insight in the comments, especially if you manage to download a copy of the test firmware.

PS3 firmware 4.01 and regularity of updates

Interestingly the news of another PS3 firmware update (4.01) has reignited some old feelings among gamers, especially with the regularity of updates on PS3 and Xbox 360. We’ve seen a few blogs with readers voicing their concerns over the amount of times an update is needed, and one gamer said “I’m getting tired of always having to update my PS3” and then suggested two updates a year would be enough. This sounds good at first, but then you have to think about security and stability issues that might mean a lot more than two updates a year.

Download speed of firmware updates and regularity an issue for some – It seems every PS3 and Xbox 360 owner has different experiences with updating their chosen console, and some people find it takes ages even with a fast broadband connection. Our two test machines, an Xbox 360 and PS3, are very fast at updating in most cases, although we’d love to hear your experience with updates?

We’ve also tested the benefits of the PS3 Plus service, and especially when it comes to downloading firmware. If you want painless PlayStation 3 updates then this is one option that allows for overnight installs and saving to the cloud automatically, but then this is going to cost you as well. Then there are other gamers that would say this is a more cost-effective solution when compared to Xbox Live. Let us know if you use Plus and if it’s worth the money in your opinion?

How regular do you think the PSN updates should be? Some features are never going to come to the PS3, which includes cross game chat, although we’d love to hear your wishlist for future updates (one small update we want is the ability to delete Avatars).

In our opinion the amount of times we update the PS3 software should not be a big deal when compared to how much time we spend gaming, although weekly would be an overkill but they’re nowhere near that. Updates mostly always benefit the gamer and system, even if some firmware improvements are less obvious.

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  • Anonymous

    Most cretinous article ever?

    ” If you want painless PlayStation 3 firmware updates then this is one option that allows for overnight updates and saving to the cloud automatically, but then this is going to cost you as well.”

    PS-Plus is still less than Xbox Live Gold and offers hundreds of dollars of extra value.  It’s a no-brainer.  Having trophies, games saves uploaded and patches and firmware downloaded and installed overnight is a added bonus.

  • Mkh

    Why does nobody complain about Windows updating Monthly?
    PS3 update intervals on my Slim are fine for me. My only complaint is the lack of added or updated features.
    My Broadband connection is not super fast and has a monthly daytime GB cap, but when the updates do arrive, I used to spend about 10 hassle free minutes updating.
    Now I have PS+ and this is automatically done in the early hours. One feature I would like to see with PS+  is to add things to the basket and have them downloaded automatically in the night too as my GB night time cap is unlimited.
    Also to add friends by email address, rather than username.
    Skype should have been added a long time ago, and the less said about the web browser the better. Slow XMB, no sensible file management etc…
    I read a lot of reports about the new video editing software and I for one would use it. I am not just a gamer, but I do use the Photo and video features too.
    I really hope that a big firmware update will come along soon and repair all these poor features on an otherwise great console.
     

  • Annoyed

    Big deal. My PS3 stopped reading discs entirely after 4.00 came out so this update sure as hell better fix it, had a month of my PS3 being a damn paperweight. If this update doesn’t fix that then I may just be done with Sony :/

  • Anonymous

    Keep’em coming! Why would you want a company to stop improving and investing in their products, especially if you already own it! Granted they could bundle the smaller updates together to cutdown on how often you need to update, but come on complaining about this is stupid. I wish Nintendo would keep updating Their hardware, the Wii hasn’t been updated forever.

  • Mohawkjoe311

    I have ps+ and love it. They constantly throw free games at you. Most are worth playing. As far as updates go, I’d really like to see some updates to the music area of the XMB. New visuals for the music player, the psp has several in comparison. Also a search bar of some type for music/videos would is essential also!

  • Knae5623

    A search bar for the music would be great, I have 72gb of music and it sucks when I have to search for a track. Maybe they could add something to find all the cover art.

  • pissed off ps3 owner! :@

    same as me then eh fuckin my ps3 was fine om 3.73 then update to 4.00 all these issues start happening blah de blah they fuckin rushed the firmware far to quickly on this caise there well aware of this even if they dont admit it no matter what proof and evidence u provide so in there next email response i sent one back saying you lie and software runs hardware because they said i can confirm this has caused no issues and it has nothing to do with the firmware sony are fuckin unreal and not 2 mention stupid! :@ il be amazed if they bring out an update any times soon! 

  • Anonymous

    ahh, the classic firmware broke my PS3 post.

    Keep up the good work shill.

    I don’t know a single PS3 owner that’s ever had any problems (out of about 70), yet almost every single Xbox owner is on at least their 2nd (and usually more) console.

  • Marcusgrant51

    Yup you are rite

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Stann-Beans/1674284519 Stann Beans

    ntfs file support for externals would be nice.

  • Addictor

    I can’t stand Jackasses like you. You sit there and read everyones problems, and if it dosen’t happen to you, it problem dosen’t exist. I used to just skip over and give some people the benefit of the doubt on the FW updates. There have been a few hiccups over the years of the FW updates. This one actually did stop my PS3 in it’s tracks too. People have posted videos showing the exact same symptoms I am having, and their are news articles going back to December 2nd with users complaining of this issue. One of the main symptoms is the system randomly freezing. With graphics pixilate red and blue across the screen when it freezes.

    What makes you so sure that FW updates are infallible? Have you not seen problems arrise across all different manufacturers because of firmware updates, or bugs in the software being corrected to a later date? Even PS3 firmware sometimes contain updates to correct issues from previous updates. It may have been something that affects a small portion of people (pretty common), and sometimes it may affect everyone (even though that is EXTREMELY rare). Sony is not infallible, even though I still prefer Sony of Microsoft any day of the week.

    So before you go ahead and start shooting off your mouth and whining about how other people are whining about their problems, why don’t you try to be a little helpful, scour the internet, and look for those having the same issues and see if anyone has solved their issues. Be a little more helpful, give a little bit more benefit of the doubt, and a little less prissy. And quit rolling your eyes…. I can feel the world spinning as you believe the world revolves around you.

  • Anonymous

    Firmware updates on PS3 are robust, as a manifest containing a checksum is downloaded before the image is flashed. Even then, the bootloader is untouched. This means:

    1) it’s imposible to brick a PS3 from a failed firmware update (i.e. power-off during update)
    2/ it’s impossible to have a corrupted download get flashed.

    If your console is behaving weird, then it’s something that would have happened regardless of you updating or not. Everyone’s consoles are the same, and the firmware is the same.

  • Anonymous

    Firmware updates on PS3 are robust, as a manifest containing a checksum is downloaded before the image is flashed. Even then, the bootloader is untouched. This means:

    1) it’s imposible to brick a PS3 from a failed firmware update (i.e. power-off during update)
    2/ it’s impossible to have a corrupted download get flashed.

    If your console is behaving weird, then it’s something that would have happened regardless of you updating or not. Everyone’s consoles are the same, and the firmware is the same.

  • Annoyed

    Mr_Jelly is just a total doucheclown, ignore this tool. I’ve heard at least half a dozen cases of different types of PS3′s stop working after 4.00 came out, and yes screens freezing and all kinds of other things. Won’t read any discs of any kind ever since I did 4.00 a month ago. If 4.01 doesn’t come out really soon and doesn’t fix it, I’m either going xbox or giving up console gaming.

  • Deucetres4life23

    My PS3 will always be fine..3 Xbox 360s later.

  • Axlrocks666

    Background music while playing games would be a nice little update. How about sending video messages to your friends? 40 or 60 second clips to send. A little notification sound when someone comes online or you receive a message or something. Newly designed XMB or update it for the love of god. And how about when you get a trophy and it pops up and you press the PS button it takes you directly to the trophy, not just to the main dash board