There's a number of rumours circulating on the interwebs that seem to support the fact that Sony will be releasing the latest instalment of XMB features via a firmware 2.70 update this month.

To start with there were reports earlier on CVG that listed the feature set of the upcoming firmware update. Amongst others including; 30 second friend list voice messaging, updated gamer card layout to be more in-keeping with the PlayStation Store design, faster retrieval time for gamer card and trophy information, reduced loading time for in-game XMB & in-game voice messaging and voice chat.

To add fuel to the fire Playfire have just announced the launch of the new official Sony endorsed layout for your ‘portable ID’ gamer cards.

The final nugget of water-cooler talk comes courtesy of Psyonix - the development team that brought you Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. They were posting about some bugs on their blog when they mentioned that Sony fixed a bug in the next firmware 2.70 update that may fix their SSARPBC problems. Then another Psyonix developer goes on to say “IIRC it will drop later this month. And contain lots of fun new fixes. I’m excited about this one, lots of new stuff. :). ”

All things considered it sounds like these rumours could turn in to reality in the next couple of weeks.

We've heard from many of you that 3D technology is something you're interested in seeing at CES, and Sony has one of the most impressive displays of 3D at their booth... but you won't learn anything about it.

"Don't get caught up with specs," the Sony representative told me. "We're not going to talk about specifications. This is just a look at what 3D could look like if Sony decided to move in this direction." The idea was just to show the technology to people, to see if they would be interested in sitting at home, wearing a dorky set of black glasses, watching content in 3D.

I couldn't pry details about how the 3D affect was achieved, or if the display could turn any source into 3D, but what's clear is that, glasses or no, the 3D affect is amazing. Sony showed off Wipeout HD running in true 3D, and I was ready to whip out my credit card right there. Frank and I both agreed, this was one of the best demos of 3D technology we have ever seen. 

"3D has come a long way, hasn't it?" the representative asked me. Sure it has, but give me some details. We can't get excited if all the press gets is a short tech demo. The crowd around the display was large, and filled with "ooohs" and "aaaahs."

For the full article visit ars technica.

A new PlayStation-exclusive title is to be revealed next month, according to a back-page teaser in the Dutch Official PlayStation Magazine.

The magazine is apparently under a strict embargo, and so refrained from giving away any details whatsoever as to what the game might be. It's probably already said to much to be honest...

According to internet translations, it's a PlayStation-only title, and the team is flying to LA to see it at the studio ahead of its preview in the next issue.

As noted, SCE Santa Monica and Naughty Dog are in that part of the world, so that gives something for speculators to hold onto. We're waiting on word back from Sony, although we're guessing it'll be keeping hush for now.

For the full article visit CVG.

"Spread the word. 3D Gaming on console is coming and we license the tech." - Andrew Oliver, CTO of Blitz Games Studios.

Those of us who grew up with the likes of Intellivision and Atari were downright fascinated when the industry made the leap to three dimensions. Of course, it wasn't true 3D (no need for silly glasses, here), but it was a grand revolutionary step in a new direction, and now, we may have a glimpse of the next significant step.

According to MTBS3D, it has been confirmed that Sony "fully intends" to support stereoscopic 3D gaming and Blu-Ray 3D on the PlayStation 3 in 2009. Blitz Games will assist in this new technology by offering their Blitz Tech Engine for use, and according to the site, the console support "will only need a bios upgrade to work." It's interesting to note that the PS3 may be the only machine capable of such an upgrade, which may or may not have a future impact on the market. Right now, this is clearly in the infancy stages, but considering the announcement includes the 2009 date, is it safe to assume that games using this new 3D technology are already in the works? And what will they be like? We're getting the feeling that this may have to start small; like an EyeToy type gimmick or something, before they can really pick up steam and release 3D blockbuster titles. Anything this new needs time to grow, and it also remains to be seen if the gaming community will embrace this technology. Some say it seems obvious that they should, but we're not so sure...

Either way, it's worth thinking about. Although the industry has taken gigantic strides in 30 years time, there are many more mountains to climb. Perhaps the road to greater immersion is the road to take, and we'll have to jump on board for another revolution. Who knows?

For the full article please visit: PSX Extreme