PS3 update to bring Blu-ray Profile 2.0 features

An impending update to the PlayStation 3 will make it one of the first Blu-Ray Profile 2.0 players, Sony said this morning. The version 2.2 firmware update for the game console will add the Internet features inherent to the new profile (known also as BD-LIVE) that are expected to come with newer movies: future titles will allow users to download new content or play games online, Sony says. The update is possible as the PS3 is the only Blu-ray movie player to have included Internet access on its own, with most Profile 2.0 dedicated players shipping only later in the year.

The new update should also let users sync specific music and photo playlists with a PSP, providing a PC-free means of loading the PSP with custom music quickly. Other additions will include an improved web browser with direct streaming of non-Flash video, the ability to use a PSP as a remote control for music on the PS3, and a playback memory feature that will let users resume most Blu-ray or DVD movies from their last pause points even if the discs have been ejected.

Sony does not say when the PS3 update will be available, though it notes that the release comes roughly at the same time as the launch of two of the first Blu-ray Profile 2.0 movies, Walk Hard and The 6th Day, on April 8th.

Filed under: gaming, gadgets
Other story tags: sony, blu-ray, PS3