Innerbits.com dropped this unconfirmed hint that background downloading, which is to come with FW 1.60, is limited to the XMB environment only and will pause during a game. Innerbits.com claims to have obtained this information from anonymous "contacts in the industry" who gave a summary of a "high-level" Sony meeting.

According to Innerbits' unnamed contacts, downloads will be paused and queued once the player starts a game, and will be resumed once a player exists back to the XMB. The stated reason is that the PS3 devotes system resources to the game play and to cut loose some power for background downloading could affect the game. They also mentioned that future firmware updates after 1.60 could incorporate background downloading during less-intensive moments of the game, such as menus.

Ultimately, a lot of this is still claimed (hence, rumor), and Innerbits hasn't disclosed hard proof, but we're sure this will still generate some intense, even heated discussion below. And it's still a few weeks away to the Euro launch (the expected release of FW 1.60). If confirmed, the more patient among us will take what we can get, hope FW 1.6x+ resolves this little quibble ASAP, but then there's a reason why patience is a virtue.