Sony has said that PlayStation Portable owners who plan to use the handheld as a remote media player for PlayStation 3, or to use it to play games downloaded from the PS3's online network, will need to download the version 3.0 firmware due out later this month.

In theory that means that Japanese and US gamers won't be able to use this element of the PS3's functionality at launch, but Sony aims to tidy things up pretty quickly judging by reports from the US.

PS3 owners who want to access the PlayStation Network will also be expected to download the version 1.10 firmware for the console as soon as they get it home and plug it in for the first time, with the patch available by visiting the "System Update" area of the system menu in the cross media bar.

Based on our experience with the debug console, that won't be hard to figure out, and reflects Sony's longer term strategy of - much like the PSP - treating the operating system as a work in progress, with a greater range of functionality likely to be introduced in the weeks and months beyond launch.

And before anybody in the other camp starts fitting all over the comments thread, it's worth adding that Microsoft adopts a similar approach with its Xbox 360 spring and autumn dashboard updates, which have seen the introduction of things like 1080p resolution support in recent months.

Source

Who didn't see that coming?

Yeah, same pretty much. But its still good news.

i saw it coming right away...3.0...ps3...i see two 3s there.

guess i'm buying a second psp for my ps3 so i can keep my 1.5!

why pay $600 for a console that's been delayed? buy the Wii, it's only $250 and hasn't been delayed.

I'm not a big nintendo fan tho, even with the motion sensored stuff...

Same here, but I don't want to spend $600 for a 60gb PS3 right away. I think i'll wait until the price goes down and get a 360 to hold me over because i'm starting to see a lot of good games for 360.

obvious they were gonna do that. hopefully, some homebrew will come out allowing you to emulate 3.0 and above.

but, if sony counters with upgrading the requirement for firmware on the ps3 and psp simutaniously, then i could be at a loss. im not getting another psp.

By the time we get PS3 in europe firmware 4.0 will probably be out...!

no more homebrew and iso's for me i'm going straight from now on and all for the ps3.*off to upgrade

ya i knew that would happen