Firmware version 1.54 is now available for the lucky owners of a Playstation 3. Two new features regarding webcam functionality have been added to the list and that’s it. On March 23rd, when the PS3 launches in Europe, firmware 2.0 is supposed to come out worldwide (perhaps sooner in Japan and the US) and Sony promised us some ‘big changes’. Website PlayThree received a couple of rumors from ‘a friend close to Sony’ that in firmware 2.0 it would finally be possible to play downloaded Playstation 1 games on the PS3 itself instead of copying them to your PSP. The other rumor is that there’s going to be a relaunch of the Sony Connect service for music and music videos, and video on demand on Sony programmes. The next major update to the Playstation 3 firmware will not be v1.55. The changes to the Playstation firmware are deemed to be so significant that it will in fact be v2.0, and will bring ‘big changes.’ It will be available to the European market at the time of the PS3 launch (23rd March). It may be available to the Japanese and North American PS3 owners a week or two earlier. Apparently Sony regard the PS3 launch to date as being a ’soft’ launch- ie, creating brand awareness, and fixing manufacturing and distribution issues. The launch of firmware 2.0 and assoicated updates of services is being described by Sony as ‘mind blowing’ and is the start of the ‘real launch’ - and a massive push by Sony. http://www.playstatic.com/news/327

Good news. If they keep this up, at the rate they're going, the PS3 might actually be a finished product by early 2008.

Wow I was just thinking about how I would rather play medievil on my PS3 instead of my PSP. If Sony releases the best sellling PS1 games (upscaled) for DL, I will go broke. I would love to See games like FF tactics, brave fencer Musashi, xenogears or legend of dragoon in the store.

Getting proper PSone playback is a biggie. Looks like they're taking both XBLA and the VC head-on. Kinda funny about the "soft launch" though. Blow the launch (they'll only get just over halfway to their 6 million through March goal in actual sell-through), then claim its not the "real launch."

PS1 support is sort-of expected - PS2 consoles have been able to play PS1 games for years. Its not *that* much of a big deal ;) And PS1 games aren't that hard to find out there (compared to NES/SNES titles - in Oz at least). This is where the CD medium becomes a real pain-in-the-butt. All that extra space was lovely for development, but now it could take HOURS to download that extra content (much of which is wasted space anyway). And here is another (more significant one) for you all - if they can simulate PS2 on the PS3 - why not have a downloadable PS2 game service? Surely that would be more significant? Might hurt PS2 console sales though... (and DVD downloads would be 10x less pleasant than CD downloads :P).