Wanna know the real reason why Cross-Game chat won't be coming in FW 3.0? Yeah, it's been in the works for a while now, and people are actually expecting it to arrive with this update. Then again, that's not gonna happen, and there are some wild (and disappointing) conspiratorial theories going around as to why this is the case.

Thanks to Naroon for this tip!

Ohhhh, Sony's making it personal. In an official press release, Sony claws at both Microsoft and Nintendo, saying that they "peddle add-ons" in an effort to keep up with the PS3's out-of-the-box features.

Oooh, this one's a keeper: hushed words are floating on the web, saying that Sony was almost about to incorporate some PS2 backwards compatibility function with one of the more recent PS3 firmware updates. Due to some last minute directives though, they decided to pull the plug on it. There's even talk that PS2 games might land on the PlayStation Store. Now either some people are just wishful thinking or this rumor just might break surface in the future. Dig in!

One of the biggest news that hit yesterday was that SCEE announced a new rule - all PS3 games to be released starting next year will have to have Trophy support. Today, we got some additional details and some minor clarifications about this new mandatory rule for developers and publishers.

It hasn't been a month since 2.50 came and now we have 2.51. Hold on, usually we get firmware updates for those after the official retail console update. What's more, this one's only for demo units. Learn more in the full article.

PS3 and PSP connectivity has always been a priority to Sony, and it looks like they have some pretty exciting plans for the two platforms in future firmware updates. One of those plans include having the PSP use some of the PS3's processing power. More details after the link.

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".

As we make our way into the core of TGS - as well as all the insanity that goes with it - some sources are reporting that we'll be getting quite a big bunch of system updates from Sony next week: PSP FW 5.0 and PS3 FW 2.5. Which is plausible, to a degree. After all, huge changes are coming (PSP Store, PlayStation Home, PS3 bluetooth headset... etc. etc. etc.), and if all these changes are already around the corner, you're bound to hit new firmware updates eventually.

This is the third edition of QJ.NET's PS3 Weekend Warrior and we're rounding up some of the most notable stuff that dropped in the week prior to E3 2008. Sony has been pretty busy cleaning up its act in the aftermath of its firmware 2.40 fiasco, while big publishers have started announcing their E3 line-ups. We also have a few interesting stories, particularly that of Fallout 3's fate in Australia and an announcement of a big Final Fantasy VII announcement. More after the jump.