Did Sony Give PS3 Users The Shaft Again With Firmware 2.70?

Candid Anthony of STFUandPLAY.com writes:

"PS3 users are left scratching their heads again after another disappointing firmware release.

With GDC 2009 in the rear view users have been speculating what features Sony would have in store for us with firmware release 2.70. Many people speculated at GDC that we might finally see some of the voice chat or party chat like options that Xbox 360 users have been enjoying for some time now.

But with todays official announcement and feature list from Sony, PS3 fans can continue to wait..."

[CrippleH]

What shaft?

getting new features are shaft now a days?
This is borderline retarded.

[ZuperAmazingCooKie]

By reading the headline you'd think users actually pay an annual %50 fee to get these additional features and to play online. Good thing we don't have to pay anything to play online or to get updates and new features. Does anyone even pay a monthly fee to play online? Thank goodness no such service exists. Oh wait.

[morganfell]

Websites love to blow things out of proportion and then pin the hype on Sony.

[SprSynJn]

To you three for having actual sense about you. I am glad some people appreciate what Sony does for its customers.

[dragunrising]

I'm not complaining. I love firmware updates. Still remember updating my PS3 and having access to trophies. Home was another good update although I got into the beta earlier.

@ Zuper

You don't have to bring Xbox Live into the equation. Since you did though I'll say: 'you get what you pay for'. I'm not saying one service is better than another mind you. I appreciate the service.

I pay $65 for Comcast a month and I recently purchased a $30 13 month subscription to Xbox Live from Amazon.. All together I pay $2.50 for Xbox Live per month and $67.50 total for Internet (approximately). I also pay my own bills and buy 1-2 games a month plus additional downloadable games from Xbox Live, PSN and WiiWare. The price debate is old people. The misinformed will also say that XBL lags but I'd like you to prove it. Gears of War 2 was the only bad example of this (in a popular game) and for the most part is patched. I'm tired of the same old fanboy arguments around here! :-p

[WildArmed]

what?
People hate when they get things for free?
If i was paying for it, then i'd expect something. But its free and awesome.

My Xbox Live is great coz i pay 4 it.. and sometiems when i dont use my 360 for awhile.. i feel like i paid for nothing..
Now i have to play online TO make sure i get my money's worth.. wtf is going on.

(no im not saying Xbox live sux. Its amazing, and so is PSN so stfu)

[anh_duong]

ironic comments from a website that says Shut the Fuk Up and Play..

maybe this website should do what it says..

the thing i hate about xbox live is if i want two account to go online on the same xbox i have to pay for both which costs a hundred bucks a year.

[ReservoirDog316]

I just found out the best thing about fw 2.70,
you can finally log into n4g through the PS3's browser

[ravinash]

Yep! Sony HATES you and plans to kill your mother!

[allnighthero]

Why the hell would you need more than 1 xbox live account? Sounds like your just making excuses now.

[Dont BE mAdd]

this is funny..its like just because psn disappointed ps3 users once again with a lame update they have to justify by talking about it being free, at the same time indirectly bag on the service that is paid for..well that isn't going to change the fact the the paid service still outshines a free service update after update(chat rooms?)..seam like its just to promote the keypad..

who cares if psn is for FREE if it doesn't prove xbl isn't worth the price...

def could private chat since launch (which ps3 still doesn't do)lol

Sony get on the ball

[anh_duong]

allnighthero - why would i need more than 1 xbox live account?? because i have more than one person in my house and also i have friends who come round that don't have an xbox . we each have our own xbox live account. none of them are gold because i can't justify paying for both (or more) to play online.

check my profile anhduong if you don't believe me.

[SL1M DADDY]

/sarcasm

Candid Anthony needs to just STFU.

How anybody can take offense when something is given to you for free is beyond me.

[DragonWarrior_4]

Just STFUandPlay. What a douche bag.

[Tempist]

DAMN THEE SONY! How dare they shaft us on free / unexpected things. I am sick and tired of getting the shaft on my free updates with out any cost to my self. This is selfish and ubsurd. How dare a company think that they can constantly provide support without cost to the user and enhance their experience with every update. They started with giving the XMB a new and better PSN store, video chat... when will this shafting madness end?

[HateFanboys]

Today i got a free food sample at the mall, and it didnt have the sauce i wanted on it. So, yeah, i felt shafted, LOL! Gotta love the haters and the fiends.

[Lifendz]

Allow me to check my bank statements and see how much I paid for PSN since I got my PS3 in 2007....ummm....no...I'd said I've actually got a pretty good deal from Sony.

It's not like they said they were releasing all the features that had all of us so hyped for 2.7. It was the rumor and speculation sites, forum posts from "Sony employees," amongst other things that got things rolling. You guys can't let that crap get you going.

[TheDude2dot0]

PS3 users are totally getting the shaft from this update. What ever happened to amazing huge features coming out daily? Sony owes it to us to give us amazing updates, every single time they update.

Just look at Microsoft. That one update they had gave about 3 amazing features! Why can't Sony be more like that?

[sonarus]

Yup i agree 100%. I was shafted by this completely free update. I was shafted by the new features added to PS3 for free. Man oh man. I wish sony would just leave me alone and let my PS3 run like it did back on the original firmware. New features for free = Bad

New features for fee = good :D

[7thNightvolley]

i would gladly pay if they would add something that i would more use or comparable to xbl service more voicing less chatting ... its a game machine not a freaking website. when my hands are busy with kicking ass on kz2 do u think i would be bothered going into stupid talk with 15 ppl.... SERIOUSLY! have u seen the carnage in kz2 multiplayer how can u go into chat rooms in that situation?... they cant be serious..

nice update and all.. but come on...it just makes the fee on xbl not look bad at all.

[sonarus]

if you played MGO, it works the same way you can trash talk in between re spawns. Like i said the most important feature in game xmb has been added. The other features will come. I have my friends on Xbox live but we never chat cross game. If we want to chat cross game we pick up cell phone but even that never happens. We only chat when we are playing the same game.

That being said i am not saying the update was great. But i don't understand why people feel so betrayed over a feature like voice chat. IMO thats just silly but then i don't care about the feature

[GameScrubs]

The thing is though that I paid 600+ dollars for a machine that is giving me subpar experience. Ok it has a bunch of stuff that Xbox doesn't have right off the box.

But with that said I mean, it just seems like they rushed their product and are having a very difficult time implementing their online infrastructure.

And even though great games are coming out you can't help but wonder why is such important features that their competitors have proven good not implemented completely or at all.

Meh whatevers I'll just keep playing some Calzone and throw random spawn grenades in front of the opponents spawn grenades. \(^_^)/

[Ashton]

getting free awesome features for free every month is not called getting shafted.

on the other hand,buying a console that breaks very easily is getting shafted :P

[Lookbehind]

It's called "stfu and play" ,something he otta practice.

[Ashton]

the irony,eh?

[Sarcasm]

I believe this is the same guy from TheBitBag

Any minute now you'll see Tordavis in here defending and holding hands for him like he does with HHG.

It's the usual "You guys are fanboys and morons" speech.

[SixTwoTwo]

LOL so true. Bubbles for you all =)

[morganfell]

Well he won't be in the Gamerzone for a few more days.

[tordavis]

What Morganfail? A few days? Huh?

I don't agree with the article. PSN should be up to Xbox Live standards by next year. Give it time.

[thxkbye]

Well if you have been waiting for voice chat then I can see how you could be disappointed. But Shafted?

Sony does need to get on the ball and start adding features. All last week at GDC people seemed to think this update would be big, a lot bigger than this...

[unrealgamer58]

I will never understand why people blame sony for things they did'nt say

[kwicksandz]

But is it ok to blame them for things they did like 120fps, dual HDMI and backward compatiblity?

[varan619]

have adverse effects

It all seems silly really.

[news4noobs]

you guys could get hit right in the face by the rip off hammer and still wouldnt notice. or what else is it, when the most expensive product on the market comes out with half of the features that the competition got? No rumble at first, no voice messages, no cross game invites, etc etc etc. Those are all VERY BASIC things that have to be in there without getting PATCHED all the time. but i guess if you're playing on a console with such a small (if not to say pathetic) games library, then you are even happy about PATCHES (the real name for firmware).

[butterfinger]

how many accounts do you have?

[Narutone66]

your beloved 360 is still competing with the PS2 and getting whipped. What's your excuse?

[redsquad]

Oh dear, NEWSFORGOONS embarassed himself totally with his shameful comments recently so scurried away to find yet another account.

Idiotic comments are as unique as fingerprints it seems. How you have the time to talk with your foot in your mouth all the time I'll never know.

@Butterfinger

I don't know why a peson would have so many e-mail address's to create a new account in the first place. He'll have 7 or 8 Bubbles by days' end.

[news4noobs]

really, thanks!

Did I mention the 360? i dont think i did. Fony fanboys seem to be really afraid of it, LOL!

1.2: if the 360 is competing with the ps2, what does that say about the pos3? LOL!

1.3: really dont know what you are on about, NEWSFORGOONS? i wouldnt call the noobs coming to site goons, i call'em what you are, NOOBS!

[The gaming GOD]

Once again, the MEDIA talks about "this and that" being in the firmware updated, then people moan and cry when the stuff they wanted isn't in the firmware update.

People, Sony NEVER said what features would be in the update. The "journalist" and "media" ASSUMED what would be in the update. Don't blame Sony for stuff they never said would be in the update to begin with. Blame the media and journalists you seem to trust in time and time again.

How people can be "disappointed" and "shafted" over FREE stuff is beyond me

[JD_Shadow]

It would be nice, but it wouldn't cripple my experience if it wasn't avaliable.

Oh, and Candid Anthony, are you still with The Bitbag or did you leave that site to go do your own site? Just curious because I hardly see any of Bitbag's articles on here anymore, and I remember you were a contributor to the site.

[SprSynJn]

Most websites and forum visitors do not realize that the majority of those 21 million people that have the PS3 are CASUAL gamers that actually use less than half of the features the PS3 offers. I have no need for voice chat, I rarely even touch my mic. Hell, I do not see myself even using the text chat they just added. I use the PS3 for gaming, sometimes online; I use it for watching DVDs and Blu-rays; I use it for listening to music when my computer is occupied. When I play games online, I do so to have fun with the game, not to sit and chat with whom I am playing with. Most people can care less about this feature, and that statement I am willing to stake a good amount on.

[Jdoki]

I don't use cross game chat on my 360, and I wouldn't use it on my PS3. So it's really not on my wishlist of features to be added.

But if people want it, then I hope Sony adds it one day. Just can't see the point of it...

[TheColbertinator]

I love the smell of fanboys whining in the morning.Smells like victory...

[morganfell]

Yeah but there is nothing like snacking on bubbles in the morning.

[commodore64]

I love the smell of giving snacked bubbles BACK to Steven Colbert in the morning.

bubbles up, Steven! Smells gooood

[FPShooter]

I love how you can back up movies now I just cleared a lot of space on my HDD.

[varan619]

I heard the bitbag was bought by a media conglomerate. Like when AOL bought WCW.

[tordavis]

Ohhhhh...Nooooo!

[Sci0n]

I must admit I was disappointed but that's not Sony's fault I am disappointed in myself for believing the media/internet hype =(. Sony always takes the blame from hype fanboys create and that's not fair to the company. They are slowly but surly making things happened and I commend them for that. PSN is not XBL and never will be but its still definitely a steal and a fun network to be apart of that's "Free"

[morganfell]

Did Microsoft give gamers the shaft with a broken console, last gen storage features, an over priced proprietary HDD, and over priced wireless, broken D pad, proprietary headset, built in disc scratcher, early models with no HDMI, selling the loser in the next gen format wars doorstop, and unnecessarily charging for online?

[Tru_Blu]

I have yet to pay a penny to play games online and get all the functionality I need. Ya I got shafted...

[the worst]

STFUandPLAY
And take your Gold Live membership card right now and stick it up your a$$ for 13 months for 35.00

[OrganicMachine]

articles like these are ment to fuel the fanboy wars.. if there aren't any war, then these guys won't have anything to do down in their basement..

[GamerPS360]

site name is stfuandplay.com hehe but he found better things to do than play, i guess.

[San Frandisco]

like the site says "STFUandPLAY"-he should learn that.

[neogeo]

i can now sigh into n4g on my PS3. i feel very shafted.

I can now copy/paste directly from the ps3 browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

The web browser is 5 times faster now.

My friends list loads 10 times faster.

yeah this sux.....

Im posting this now directly from my ps3 browser.

[timmyrulz]

"your beloved 360 is still competing with the PS2 and getting whipped. What's your excuse?"

But its outselling the ps3 so whats your excuse?

@Morganfell

Did sony shaft gamers with an overpriced console, over rated games, a scart lead as standard, last gen online, early models with bc then no bc and a six axis with no rumble still the same shape as ps1, a one foot wireless charger, 5 gig install with every game

[digger18]

Overpriced console?
Nope, HD game player, HD movie player, built in Wifi, free Multiplayer. What more could I ask for?

Over rated games?
Nope, the 360 is the king of those. Halo3 ring any bells?

Last Gen online?
XBL has been around since 2002, thats 7 years and PSN has only been around for 2.5 years and almost caught up. I'd say PSN is doing very well.

A one foot charger?
Nope, Its around 5/6 foot long, plus hows those batteries working out for you?

5 gig install with every game?
Nope, not every game. Plus when it stops poppins like the 360 gets, then I'm very happy.

So, STFU until you get your facts right!!!

[morganfell]

The graphics kings - Killzone 2 and Uncharted have no installs. Most PS3 titles do not have an install. If something isn't broken then why fix it. And 360 owners that have a controller with a documented and admitted broken Dpad have nothing to say about the 360 controller. The Sixaxis controls aren't always great but when they are well done - Heavenly Sword, SOCOM, Killzone 2 sniping - that have not equal to what they add.

Over priced? How is that 4-5 years of Live working out? Add that to your precious super death machine with almost no advanced video and audio tweaks. It's the real world dummy. You get what you pay for and you are backing a toaster. You are jealous PS3 owners understand value, not cheapness. Something with their elementary minds 360 owners often confuse.

[nefertis]

I don't get some gamers sometimes, its been said many of times by Sony if it ain't announced on the official ps blog chances are its not official. Some gamers need to listen to sony more and not always listen to rumors. 2.God knows wat the media might come up with next, just like the ps3 price cut rumor sony shot down many times, sony right now can't afford a ps3 price cut until they make enough profits. 3.Only an uneducated gamer will say sony needs to do wat M$ is doing lower the ps3 and they will make more money, well M$ charge so much for accessories its ridiculous . 4.I bet some gamers forgot that statement a few weeks back when Sony said M$ is trying to make there market shareholders happy while sony is focusing on profits. M$ throw money around instead of fixing there hardware and get rid of that error in the 360. 5.I know M$ can fix that issue but that will mean M$ won't make more money off of second and third purchase of there console I guess M$ need to cover there losses somehow.

[allnighthero]

Come back and type when you get some school under your belt. If your out of school take some private grammar classes.

Jesus...

[The gaming GOD]

Get over yourself. You act like your grammar is 100% perfect. Personally, I could care less how a person types. This isn't school. This isn't a job. This is the internet.

When your grammar is at a perfectionist level, THEN you can talk about the grammar of others.

Bottom line, as long as the message got through (which it seems like it did) then who cares? Oh wait, obviously YOU care since you're trying to call people out right :)

[aaron5829]

Since your English is so perfect...

It's "You're"

[The gaming GOD]

Yup, I wasn't gonna call him out on that. But oh well, guess someone did it anyway (meaning you) lol

[treereet]

It's only a matter of time before both are the same and free.

I'll never understand why after every update people whine and write articles about the inconsequential features Live has that PSN doesn't. Both consoles have a lot of features the others don't, but I rarely hear people whining about no browser, no remote play, no ability to copy and manage media off external hard drives, no ff or rewind off music interface(wtf?), not region free, ect.

Honestly I'm waiting for the day when one of them adds MKV container support, thats my #1 want. I can do without cross game party chat and all the other crap I mentioned (although remote play is pretty awesome).

[aaron5829]

You have to be stupid to pay for using the headset to chat...

I mean go ahead and pay $35 to chat with a headset for 13 months.

Since he's only whining about headset chat.

:)

Oh yeah, friends in alphabetical order is already available for god knows how long.

Status list ? my friends who are online is on top of my list, those who are not online, is at the bottom of my list..

Not only firmware 2.70 has this feature.

GOD !

Just STFU and PLAY ...

Unless, you have nothing to play, and have all the time in the world to whine..

That's cool

[solidsnakus]

its pretty messed up though, i know technically the ps3 is suppost to be a superior console. the cell, the bluray drive i mean come on , a cutting edge console cant even keep up with the features that the 360 had AT LAUNCH! it had 2 player cross game chat, in game music on ALL games, voice messages. i mean shiit even the xbox 1 had voice messages! it may be free to play online but come on, the ps3 PSN is as free as a half eaten snickers bar you find in a dumpster. even with this new text chat feature (nobody gives a shiit about) MS did it better cause you can use MSN messanger on the 360 and chat with people using it on pc. this new chat feature on ps3 is as half assed as their trophys and in game music features. just a handfull of games even support any of the new features. on top of that most of them are patched in months after release.

[aaron5829]

Do you really pay just to have the crossgame chatting, voice messages and all that ?

I dont know about you guys, but, i just wanna play games.

And oh, it's "Trophies"

[solidsnakus]

well i dont know about you but if my friends arent online playing a game then i dont feel like playing any games. i dont play online by myself its just lonely and not fun. the PS3 XMB feels really lonely and you dont have that feeling of being connected with your friends at any time. the most you can do on ps3 is send text messages. which is pretty much the reason why i sold it, not really anyone i know has one anyways and the ones that did didnt have mics. ps3 just feels so disconnected its really no diffrent from any of the last gen consoles. the XMB is just not up to next gen standards.

[boc]

I don't pay for X-box Live, and I certainly wouldn't welcome any pay for play on PSN, no matter what the features. It needs to be kept free as promised. End of story............

[felidae]

Still no reason to buy one.

[timmyrulz]

"Overpriced console?
Nope, HD game player, HD movie player, built in Wifi, free Multiplayer. What more could I ask for?"

All of those are luxuries that your everage person would have no interest in

"Over rated games?
Nope, the 360 is the king of those. Halo3 ring any bells?"

Halo 3, two years old and still the king of multiplayer, everyone always goes back because its that damn fun

Last Gen online?
XBL has been around since 2002, thats 7 years and PSN has only been around for 2.5 years and almost caught up. I'd say PSN is doing very well.

PSN is boring, quiet, without content, no chat function, its way behind anything on offer

"A one foot charger?
Nope, Its around 5/6 foot long, plus hows those batteries working out for you?"

Well i bought a I am legend blu ray 80 gig ps3 and i got a one foot charger, i cant play whilst i charge.

"5 gig install with every game?
Nope, not every game. Plus when it stops poppins like the 360 gets, then I'm very happy."

Its 2009, there should be no installs at all on multiplatform games, 90% of them run and look better on the x360 without any forced installs

So you STFU until you get your facts right

[redsquad]

Well, Sony didn't 'hype' it as anything other than another FREE update, so what's the problem?
Oh yeah, internet buzz being taken as 'fact' by idiots yet again and Sony getting the blame.

[thxkbye]

The problem is its been 3 years and PS3 doesn't have features 360 had at launch and is showing off chatrooms and friend list sorting as some type of groundbreaking update.

But Sony has a Internet Browser! Blue Ray! Most advanced console ever! But But... Well i still cant chat in a group with my friends and the messaging system sucks and chatrooms while in game are useless.

[Blakzhuk]

Home is dung and fail, and so is chatrooms.

If i want chatrooms ill go on my computer, same if i want to browse the net.

[patterson]

Quit talking so damned much and play the games! jeezus

[ChrisTiffer]

... is the gaming and blogging community who whip themselves into a frenzy of anticipation over unconfirmed news to increase site traffic. Sony promised none of the rumoured updates, and ill-informed speculation can only lead to hyperbole and inevitable disappointment.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to ogle at those amazing details in Killzone 2 and have blast with the multiplayer.

[Firstkn1ghT]

it's a good thing you guys are used to waiting.

[DJ]

Firmware released on time.

[MrJack]

But your a day late for April Fools, sorry.

When is an update to a FREE service a shaft? I am happy with the update, I always wanted a copy + paste function.

[be_wrong]

atleast the update doesn't cause any e-74 or rrod :P

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

...SONY didn't say anything about what will be on this update before??? It was just some NOBODY on the internet who said all that other stuff was on it??? Use your Brains people and don't believe everything you read on the internet!!! ;-D

[Droid Control]

And it is free. So WHATEVER we get we should be happy with.

[DJ]

If he hates the firmware so much, he should go and ask Sony for a refund. Then again, his check will say "$0.00".

2.70 is awesome, and my friend profiles, friends list, and trophy list all load instantaneously now. Even web pages seem to load faster. The added in-game 16 player chat rooms rock, so no complaints there.

[Shortstop]

If you have the 360, how much have you paid so far to play online? $150? That's a shame. I've paid $0. So your console has now cost more than mine, and mine's only getting better.

Ahhhh... and no I've got nothing against 360 fans, I just don't like Microsoft, that's all it is.

[allnighthero]

Your just a kid, your reasons for hating Microsoft are prolly really really stupid.

[Shortstop]

Well I prefer open source, not paying. I prefer not being nickel and dimed for everything and anything that can be nickel and dimed. And I prefer quality over "bigger and louder."

[Kyur4ThePain]

That website should take a hint from its own name.

[mcgrawgamer]

how dare them give us something we are not paying for!!! How dare them support psn by adding features gamers ask for. How dare they insult me updates that I and many gamers will use.

Dammit Sony I give you my hard earned nothing for psn and this is how you repay me????

[allnighthero]

PS3 users are pretty much jealous of the 360s features. They won't admit it but its true.

[JD_Shadow]

Why should I care about any of the features of any online service. Each has its own pros and cons. Get over it.

This whole PSN vs. XBL BS is stupid, IMO.

[redsquad]

I don't even know what 360 'features' there are as I don't own one. How I can be "jealous" of something about which I have no knowledge is beyond me.

All I need to know is if I can play great games and, despite desperate anti-Sony propaganda to the contrary, I CAN!!

[360_Rules]

Hahahahah you Droids must love the Internets to have a lot of Text Chats! Hahahahhaa at this rate it's going to take 10 years before PSN catches up to XBL. Hahahahhahhahaahhhahahhahahaa, Hahahhahahhahaa!

[MysticStrummer]

It should read : Another 360 Fan With Nothing Better To Do Wrote Something

[cliffbo]

people will you stop speculating that you're going to get the world on a stick with every firmware update!!! for Gods sake!!! even if the firmware only had a new way of sorting your friends list, it still would be good. get a grip people

[sGIBMBR]

if PSN had half of what XBL had to offer then it wouldn't be free would it?!

You get what you pay for when it comes ONLINE SERVICES... ! Everybody knows that!

[thxkbye]

The update was fine, but they need to put up bigger better stuff and catch up to xbox. Voice chat FTW!

[peeps]

whats hilarous is it's these sites that write the rumor articles haha the thing is how can a fm update dissapoint because it didn't meet the rumors. It's not like sony were there going 'the next fm update will be amazing!!!'

then again this is the media, hyping at 1 end and bashing at the other

[Phantom_T]

I mean.
It's not as if Sony is constantly bringing out FW to make things easier is it.
It's not as if we get free online.
It's not as if they allowed game sharing between your friends.
It's not as if there actually listening to the consumer and trying to better there console.
God,we so got bent over this time round.

[thxkbye]

Yeah its free thats great. but what about these advanced features that we are missing still?

[Phantom_T]

You're a prime example of everything that is wrong with the world at this precise moment in time.

[allnighthero]

I dont Sony understand that chat features are really useless while in game. Who the hell would use that feature?

[PS360PCROCKS]

Lol it is kinda lame. It's lame to complain about new free features. But ya text chat is lame, I hate when people send me messages on xbl like that. I would rather have a conversation

[bviperz]

Some people just ain't satisfied.

[CandidAnthony]

Basically I wanted to talk about how I felt about the update.

Why is it that I cannot have my own thoughts and opinions on this topic? I welcome any criticism but most of you do not welcome any negative outlook whatsoever.

I have both consoles, I love the hell out of the games I got on PS3. Go ahead and bash but I expected lots more conversation instead of straight hate. People should relax, I'm a gamer like all of you and I want the best for everyone. I want nobody to fail.