PS3 and PSP firmware updated

Stephen Withers
Friday, 20 April 2007 03:12

Your IT - Entertainment

Version 1.70 of the PlayStation 3 firmware paves the way for Sony to release PAL-PS3-compatible versions of PlayStation 1 games, which may occur as early as next week.

PS1 games that are compatible with the PlayStation Portable can already be downloaded to NTSC PS3s, but they won't work on PAL units.

A secondary aspect of the PS1 compatibility is that saved game states for PS1 games can be transferred to a PSP, although this also requires the PSP to be updated with version 3.40 firmware.

Sony's decision to rely on software emulation for backward compatibility on the PAL PS3 was the source of much controversy. NTSC units sold in the US and Japan have hardware support for old games, but Sony reportedly wanted to reduce the manufacturing cost of the PAL model. The good news is that according to some user reports, the new firmware improves the PS2 emulation. Others say certain PS2 games that were working with the 1.60 firmware have problems with 1.70.

The 1.70 firmware also enables rumble and force feedback on certain combinations of PS2 games and controllers. While Sony's intention was to support selected third party controllers such as Logitech's force feedback wheels, user reports say it also works with Dual Shock PS2 controllers connected via third-party USB adaptors.