I smell some pure BS..

1) they kept this under wraps all this time because they are so good with secrets? cough*PsP-Go/Slim*cough

b) with all the updates the PS3 use to get (seemed like weekly) Sony said themselves they were going into larger one time updates rather then more frequent updates.. now Sony says "didn't want to do a big update" it's as if they can not make up their minds..

7) when you have updates like this, you don't hold back, you roll out new and impressive features (not the PSN Store ICON under every section) every now and then to keep the buzz going on and on about PSN.

way to keep up with the "na-uh we made it first" PR...

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PS3 Firmware 3.00 features in development pre-NXE

by Andrew Yoon

"What's New" isn't really that new at all. In a conversation with Joystiq, SCEA network director Eric Lempel revealed that the feature has been in development for quite a long time, before Microsoft first revealed the NXE last year. According to Lempel, Sony "didn't want to do a big update," akin to Microsoft's total makeover. Why? "People like the XMB."

The Information Board, introduced in firmware 2.00, was always meant to serve as a placeholder for the "What's New" feature, Lempel admitted. This evolution of the PS3 operating system will make it clear to PS3 owners "what the latest and greatest is" on the PlayStation Store -- and yes, the system will continue to evolve over future iterations. One missing feature that might appear later on? The ability to see all DLC for a specific title, something NXE currently provides.

Firmware 3.00 will be available to download on September 1st and, while the PS3 Slim will debut shortly afterwords, it will not come preloaded on the hardware. Instead, new PS3 Slim owners will download a day-one upgrade to 3.00.

Did you even see the video? Those windows have nothing to do wtih anything the NXE has.. they are completely different

Maybe they were trying for the PS2 B/C and didn't make it.. oh well.

Why are your points numbered 1), b) and 7) o_O?

Firmware 3.0 wasn't really that major, so far. I think later on, bigger updates will come. For example, cross-party chat. Sony has said they are working on this. So where is it? I expected to see it in Firmware 3.0. To be honest I am disappointed with firmware 3.0, this looks more like... 2.90 to me. PSN redesign is perfectly fine with me, but my PS3 system won't get many added features with this update.

I don't really care to be honest. I just watched the video and was impressed at how they're simplifying the XMB even more.