Playstation 3 Firmware 4.50 Released October 2, 2013

For those of you who may be trying to log into the Playstation Network today, I just want to inform you that Sony released a new firmware for the PS3 some time last night.  The newest firmware for the PS3, version 4.50, adds a lot of new features to the PS3 along with the usual bug fixes and optimizations.

You will be able to disable the visibility of trophies on your PSN account.  You will still be able to unlock trophies during gameplay, but you will now be able to remove the visibility of certain trophies you have collected.  This will prevent other players from seeing your trophies when looking up your Playstation Network account.  The new firmware will also bring automatic background updates to all PS3 users.  Previously this was a Playstation Plus only feature, but now it can be used by any PS3 owner.  Finally PS Vita owners with a PS3 will now be able to transfer data and games wirelessly between their PS Vita and PS3.  Previously, in order to transfer games between the two platforms you were required to use a USB cable.

A lot of these updates can be really useful to a lot of players.  When Sony announced the PS4, one of its selling points was that it would stream automatic firmware updates and game patches while in standby, saving players from having to delay their gameplay to download firmware updates or the latest game patch before they can play.  I know many in the gaming media have complained about having to perform PS3 system updates before gameplay sessions, but you would think people who write about games for a living would know when the most recent PS3 updates were out, and update their PS3s in advance.

The WiFi transfer process between the PS3 and PS Vita certainly sounds a lot more convenient than USB game transfers, but depending on your home network, this could be a slower process than USB is.  However, if you’ve lost your Vita’s USB transfer cable, this must be great news.

You can read all the official details about the new update here.  Firmware 4.50 is required for Playstation Network access.