Sony earlier released a minor system update for the PS3. According to the official announcement by Eric Lempel, the PS3 update 2.80  will improve the playback quality of some PS3 format software. But it looks like the firmware update is not just to improve the quality of games as dashhacker have discovered. Apparently the new update blocks Open Remote Play, a homebrew program created by dashhacker that allows you to access the PS3's Remote Play feature from any laptop, desktop or mobile phone.

Yep, Sony has released a new firmware update for the PlayStation 3. Apparently, this update "improves the playback quality of some PS3 format software".

The PlayStation 3  2.70 Firmware Update is definitely coming! Not today, though, at least not now. Maybe in a couple of hours it'll land - you know how Sony is about dropping their FWs: announced, but always surprising. Anyhow, Eric Lempel took to the PS Blog to reveal to us a few nifty details about this latest firmware edition for the power console. First up: the new Text Chat feature. Sounds cool, eh? Looks cool, too. Preview video and other details after the jump. *UPDATE* Now live!

Thanks, eaferrari24, VISE for the tip!

After releasing the latest PSP official firmware 5.03 yesterday, Sony is rolling in with the punches. They've just announced that the PS3 will be getting its very own FW update (v2.60) soon. No specific date yet, but we do have a changelog! Check the full article for a guided tour of FW 2.60's features.

Okay, so their "tomorrow" actually meant a full week later, but at least the firmware update's here now. That's right, the PS3 Firmware v2.53 Update has landed, and ever so stealthily, as usual. What's more, it brings more than just the previously announced Adobe Flash Player support.

Firmware Update v2.52 is now live on your PlayStation 3, guys! Better check it out if you wanna know what's in store for you in this one. Better yet, why don't you head first to our full article to see what's included in this release?

Thanks to  our tipsters joebuttons1, ModestOne, PolishPride 212!

New information about the upcoming firmwares for the PS3 and PSP have surfaced. Well, when Eric Lempel revealed the list of features for PS3 FW 2.50 and PSP FW 5.00 yesterday, he did say it wasn't the entire changelog.

UPDATE: PS3 Firmware 2.50 is now available for downloading, folks. The changelog is shown once you start the download. Nice.

This just in! A PSN EU community leader has confirmed that the PlayStation Network will experience a downtime tomorrow due to system maintenance. Ok. Fair enough. It sounds pretty tame as PSN updates go (it's not the first time we've heard of a downtime), so... what makes this announcement exciting, really? How did we get from "downtime tomorrow" to "FW updates going live"? Let's review the facts, shall we...

We just got word from PSN director Eric Lempel via the PlayStation Blogs, and he's listed the features we can all expect in the upcoming system firmware updates for the PSP and PS3. Some of the previously rumored or speculated features are now confirmed: direct access to PSP Store, PS3 bluetooth headset support, in-game screenshots, and my oh my, some homebrew functions made "official".

Sony has finally announced the arrival of the much awaited firmware 2.41 for the PlayStation 3. The new update aims to address the various freezing problems encountered when FW 2.40 was first released. Find out more about this update after the jump.