Now you can be insulted on a whole new platform

Sony has releas?ed the latest firmware update for its princely gaming platform PlayStation 5 (PS5) �The 23.01 update is now available to download to the console, weighing it at a little over?? the 1GB mark.

Perhaps the most notable addition here is the long, long-time coming integration of the Discord service, which will let PS5 users sync their current Discord accounts to the PS5 console, offering up new ways of communication with friends, enemies, and new enemies.?? The PS5 Discord service will also allow for game invites, party chat, and even screen sharing. Thus, it will be a useful tool for anybody who frequently plays with friends, or likes to make meandering, half-interested conversations while gaming.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2sHOK??ZCYkg&t=1s&ab_channel=Pla??yStation

In addition to Discord, the new update offers up a fistful of new technical features. These include a ??1440p Variable Refresh Rate option (provided you have games and displays to support such an option). The DualSense controller can now update wirelessly, and PS5 to PS5 data transfer can now be made over Wi-Fi (ah wouldn't).

In a neat touch, Game Capture can now be activated by voice, allowing players to simply call out "Hey PlayStation, capture that" for an instant recording of recent gameplay, without having to break their flow fiddling through menus. This tool is particularly cool if you're somebody who frequently shares clips online. I still feel weird talking to my console. But then, I feel weird talking to anyone.

This just scratches the surface of the new update, which also includes an improved Screen Reader, revised folder filters, and new library options for PSVR 2 titles. For full details on Version 23.01, check out the official patch notes over on the official PlayStation Blog.

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Everybody Gets a Trophy Day

Sony has released a brand new update for its top-of-the-line gaming platform PlayStation 5 �The PS5 22.02-06.02.00 update adds a number of under-the-hood performance fixes and brings new sorting and categorizing options for the strangely compelling dashboard culture that is "Trophies".

When you now click the Trophy icon on the PS5 dashboard, you can access a full list of all "still to do" achievements, so you can plan your next grinding session in style. Additionally, players can now pin specific challenges to the top of the list, or even snap the list to the screen, thus ensuring that the "Collect 100 hidden items" challenge that has been keeping you awa?ke all night is now hanging overhead like impending danger �constantly prodding you with your abject failure.

Activity Cards have also been tweaked in the new update, and will now be sorted into generic categories such as by game, single-and-multiplayer activities, and online/offline activities. Again, this very minor tweaking of the system hopes to help players more clearly see w??hat tasks need �that's NEED �performing, ensuring that you never leave your couch and ultimately surrender to the television.

PS?5 software update version 22.02-06.00.01 is ??now live on the PS5 platform.

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Backwards Compatibility now an offline affair

Microsoft has? quietly tweaked the infrastructure of its shiny Xbox Series X hardware to now allow the playing of Xbox On??e games without the need for an online DRM check.

The new "feature," which is included in the console's 2206 Update, will allow Xbox Series users to play their Xbox One games in an offline capacity. Previously, the console would always do a brief online handshake to ensure that the Xbox One game in question was an authentic, licensed tit??le and not a copied disc �The Xbox Series S, being discless, obviously had no need to p??erform this additional step.

Speaki??ng on Twitter, Xbox engineer and great-named person Eden Marie confirmed the update.

"Yes, this is true since the 2206 update," wrote Marie. "We examined data since Series X/S launch & determined the online compatibility check isn't needed in the vast majority of cases for Xbo??x One discs. Some games may still need to be updated online after install to ensure the best experience."

While this is a different situation entirely, one cannot help but recall the PR disaster that occurred prior to the Xbox One console's release, where Microsoft stated that an online connection was a mandatory demand for the playing of Xbox One games, to ensure that the player had indeed purchased a license for each and every title. While this would eventually prove not to be the case, there's no denying whatsoever that the initial statement was a Sword of Damocles ov??er the brand, and certainly contributed to sales of Xbox hardware declining at the start of the eighth generation.

The 2206 Update is no?w live on Xbox Series X/S platforms.

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Here's the story:

The firmware version 2.0 for the PlayStation 3 that we told you about earlier is now live. So if you have a PS3?, now might be a good time to ??go update it. To the new firmware. Version 2.0.

It's full of fancy new features, haven't you heard?

[Source: We turned on a PlayStation 3!]

The post Oh, joyous day: PS3 firmware 2.0 is now live appeared first on Destructoid.

It's fancy new firmware time for the Play??Station Portable! Firmware version 3.72 is up and ready for downloading; the installer lists the following features: 

• You can now set custom themes in [Theme Settings] under [Settings].
• Support has been added for assigning buttons in [Remote Play].
• A scene search feature has been added under [Video].
• Sequential playback is now supported under [Video].
• Simultaneous playback of content under [Music] and [Photo] is now supported
• A correction has been made to the settings for some regions.
• Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles has been expanded.

Nothing too fancy here, save for the expanded PlayStation Network title support. Word on the street is that this update will ?also tie in with an upcoming PlayStation 3 firmware update, which will allow us??ers to power on their console remotely using Sony's little portable that could.

No word on when all of this crazy talk will become a reality, but we can't imagine that this PS3 feature will? follow too far behi?nd.

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If you just picked up a copy of Heavenly Sword and plan to get ?your Nariko on, you're going to have one small obstacle -- firmware update time, baby!

The latest PlayStation 3 firmware, 1.93, doesn't do anything that exciting, so don't get your panties in a bunch. We're just looking at some fixes with some network issues, hopefully those of which will make Warhawk playable for those who have been? experiencing trouble.

PS3 owners needn't do anything more than turn on their consol?e and follow the prompts. Oh, and carve out about five to ten minutes of your time. Dear lord, Sony, why does it take so long to inst?all these updates?

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Dust that GameCube off - it looks like you'll have to put i??t back in?to your gaming rig.

Nintendo is now probably twiddling their thumbs and casually whistling while gazing off in the distance, pretending like they didn't know that the latest Wii firmware update would render Datel's Freeloader software unusable.

Freeloader was originally a third-party product for the GameCube, enabling users to defeat the territorial protection of the console to play imported games. Up until now, gamers could use Freeloader to play imported GameCu??be titles on the Wii, but the version 3 firmware update killed that possibility. 

Nintendo told Eurogamer that there was nothing they could do as Freeloader is not an officially licensed product. Nintendo has said?? nothing about fixing compatibility problems with the software.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz - thanks, Justin] 

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In case anyone was still wondering, the Wii firmware was updated last night. Most of the changes are pretty small or cosmetic. Here's a rundown of the improvements from Nintendo: 

Wii Menu
The weather forecast will now be displayed on the Forecast Channel icon in the Wii Menu.
Headline news will now be displayed on the News Channel icon in the Wii Menu.
The current time will now be displayed in the Wii Menu.
The area around the Wii Message Board butt??on will now flash when a message arrives..

Wii Message Board
You're now able to rearrange the order of your Wii Friends in the address book.
You're now able to go into the Wii Friends registration screen by pressing the A Button on a blank spot in the address book.
Envelope message icons will now appear on the calendar only on the dates when a message is received.
Your message sending history will now be displayed in Today's Accomplishments.
You can now scroll the message text by pr??essing the B button on the message screen.

Wii Shop Channel
The search func?tion on Virtual Console has been enhanced.

Oddly enough, this isn't everything that's been updated. Thanks to some Neogafers, ??some more changes were pointed out. It's still nothing big (the blue light ??turning on when visiting the news channel) but still nice to know. Like the "Ability to quickly scroll the different options pages using the +,- keys". There's also a warning that pops up saying you're will will die if your console is modded.

So what do you think of all the improvements?

[Thanks to? lawl for the image of his Wii dashboard and to TheGoldenDonut for the tip!]&n?bsp;

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The PlayStation 3 firmware revision that Sony's Eric Lempel mentioned a few days ago in Sony's official blog is finally live and available for download.&nbs??p;

The update, version 1.82, enables playback of AVC High Profile (H.264/MPEG-4) files,  . If this means absolutely nothing to you, you're not alone. Don't worry your pretty little head over it. If you do know what I'm talking about, ??then there's certainly on reason for me to explain this to you, now is there?

Whether you want it or not, the firmware update will be n??ecessary, so go find your USB cable and set aside five to ten mi??nutes of your time.

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Well, we knew it would happen eventually, but modders are already finding exploits to get themselves around Microsoft's recent banning spree. Utilizing firmware modifications, those sick and corrupt mod fiends are claiming to be able to make their deviant Xbox 360 consol??es undetectable by Microsoft's all-seeing eye of bannihilation.

The workaround uses a firmware upgrade?? for the TS-H943 DVD dri??ves, which you use to play backups of Xbox 360 software and apparently renders your console's less than legal changes invisible ... for now.

The game of Microsoft/modder one-upmanship begins then, almost like a round of Command & Conquer, except not as much fun, having no missile silos, and not being anything like Command & Conquer. 

[Via Project Wonderboy] 

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Word to the wise??: Never prematurely ejacul?ate online, because there's always somebody waiting to catch your jizz in a glass.

Such it was that Sony appeared to accidentally release details of the PS3's firmware 2.0 update. Despite ??swiftly moving to take the information down, t?he online swarm got to it first and made sure that there would be no secrets had this day. We are the internet, Sony, you cannot hide from us!

Members of Sony's official PS3 forums, as well as those on PSU.com nabbed the info quick as you like and shared the exciting spoi??ls with the rest of us. Click the ol' jump for the full list of updates.

Users
- You can now password-protect user accounts.

Settings
- [Dynamic Normalizer] has been added as an option under [Sound Settings].
- [Energy Saver] has been added as an option.
- [Equalizer] has been added as a feature under [Music Settings].
- [Full] has been added as an option for [DVD Wide Display] under [BD / DVD Settings].
- [Photo Settings] has been added as an option.
- [PS / PS2 Settings] has been added as an option.
- [RSS Channel Settings] has been added as an option.
- [Sample Rate] has been added to Audio CD Import under [Music Settings].
- [Screen Saver] has been expanded under [Display Settings].
- The method of selecting an output resolution has been changed in [Video Output Settings] under [Display Settings].
- [Theme Settings] has been added as an option.
- [Zero Unused Disk Space] has been added as an option under [System Settings] > [Format Utility].

Photo
- Additional slideshow effects have been added.
- [Photo Effects] have been added as a feature.
- Wallpaper feature has been added.
- [Zoom] has been added as a feature.

Music
- Additional visualization effects have been added.
- CD information can now be entered.
- Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.

Video
- Files can now be played sequentially.
- Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.
- You can now select [Zoom] under [Screen Mode] when playing video files saved on the hard disk or storage media.*.
*An appropriate USB adapter (not included) is required to use storage media with some models.

Game
- Support for PlayStation 3 format software titles has been expanded.
- XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) is now accessible during gameplay.

Network
- [RSS Channel] has been added as a feature.

Friends
- You can now have multiple chat sessions.
- You can now select an image to use as your Avatar from [Photo].

Other
- Date and Time is now shown when the PS button is pressed.
- File sorting has been changed.
- [Help] has been added as a feature.
- Playability status with the PS3™ system has changed for some PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 format titles.
- [Secure Delete] has been added as an option.
- Some PlayStation Network features have been revised

Now that, in my professional opinion, is what one might call a rather larg?e update. We've yet to get any ETA on when this?? firmware will become fertile; but at least we know what we're getting, if not when.

[Thanks to Chris Pearson]

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