PS+ does most of these things in the background, but having to update games when you buy them is an issue on all platforms but somehow Sony makes it much more painful.

But they have shown how you can get it right with PS+ other than the first update, but they just need to spend the money on the servers. Hopefully PS+ income is spent on that so we actually get a better service

I think you are talking about mandatory installs for games as opposed to updates, because even on 360 you have to download updates if you want to play the game. Most games nowadays get patched after release, so you have to download the updates to play, otherwise you get signed out. What you are referring to on the PS3 is the mandatory install to the hard drive which doesn't happen on the 360. Yes its annoying, but it is said to decrease loading times and stuff. I do prefer the 360's route though where installing to the hard drive is optional. Glad PS4 lets you play the game while its installing and updating.

That said I tend to get most of my games through PS+, so they're mostly digital. Having PS+ helps a lot since I've set my PS3 to turn on automatically during the day when I'm not at home and download all updates for the system and games automatically. That way I don't have to bother with updates when I turn on the game.

The newest PS3 update gave away those PS+ features so now they are standard.

Automatic game updates? Good. I don't think they are necessary since the same updates are so much quicker on 360, but I guess it makes up for the slow speed

Nope...this is a 608MB software "update" for Gran Turismo 5 not an install.  What makes it even more of a problem for me is my download speed is 2.5Mb.

Leaving in 10 minutes to see it (but not in IMAX), I've heard nothing but great things about it.  The trailers I've seen for it always seems pretty weak though.

The other day my WiiU downloaded and installed the update for Pikmin 3 while I was playing Rayman Legends. If it wasn't for the little notification message I got saying the install was complete, I wouldn't have even known it happened. Of course if you don't want you WiiU to be sneaky like that, you can turn the auto-updates off in the settings.

You have the same thing on other consoles as well. I've had to download over 1 GB worth of update on 360 when I bought BFBC2. Updates are commonplace in modern games be it on 360 or PS3 and it varies from game to game. It could be to fix bugs or add in new content.

The mandatory installs are the only things different on PS3. I think the reason why you have a worser experience is because of your download speed. 2.5 Megabits is very low for gaming purposes. You are literally downloading about 300 kilobytes per second. That update is probably going to take you over half an hour to download. I know it is tough, but you should try and see if you can update to a bit higher speed, especially with next gen around the corner, where downloads will be even more prevalent. Trust me, I know your pain since I had 2 Mb way back in the day when I first got 360 before upgrading to fibre optic.

Or just disconnect your console from the internet when you first get a game so that you can play without having to do updates. Then keep your system on overnight to do the update when you are sleeping or something.

Ive never noticed, overnight automatic updates =D

My Wii U once downloaded an update for Call of Duty while I was playing Call of Duty! It just installed the next time I played it. Pretty sneaky, sis!

I'm one of those "Own all consoles" guys, too. PS3 rocks but it has always felt outdated and futuristic at the same time. The way it handles installs and updates is one of those outdated moments.