Game/video recommendations for PS3

By Robert Purchese Published 27 July, 2010

In firmware slated for "end of July".

Sony has let the world know that game and video recommendations are coming to the PlayStation Store with the next PS3 firmware update.

Version 3.41 "is slated to go live by the end of July", wrote Sony's Eric Lempel on the US PlayStation blog.

Video and game recommendations are offered in a "You May Like" menu on the right hand side of the PlayStation Store menu. The captured images makes this appear intrusive, but that menu has been zoomed in on by a deft click of the pad.

Lempel added that the next PSP firmware update (6.31) is also on the way. This is a "minor" addition and smooths some game stability issues.

'Game/video recommendations for PS3' Screenshot 1

You May Like this.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • alroste #1 2 years ago

    It hit this morning

  • TaniumZX #2 2 years ago

    Another marketing update from sony zzzzzz

  • zisssou #3 2 years ago

    Updating is a pain.

  • Retro_ #4 2 years ago

    I don't mind FW updates but this is not a useful update as I'm an impulse buyer anyway !

  • Arwin #5 2 years ago

    Hmm, not a bad addition to the Store, but I expected they would have waited until the big new firmware that hits this September along with the Move, and which is rumored to have a big browser overhaul as well. I'm guessing this secretly also fixes a few bugs, security issues or other stuff, or provides some developer hooks or something.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 09:36

  • jonbwfc #6 2 years ago

    could. not. give. a. toss.

    I'm not interested in what people I don't know like. Where the [string of rude words] is cross game chat?



    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 09:37

  • Octoroc #7 2 years ago

    This means they're storing data on us everytime we play a game or make a purchase.

  • BAM! #8 2 years ago

    Firmware came out last night, how hard can it be to paraphrase an article from another site without fucking it up?

  • Jim_Lahey #9 2 years ago

    Will the PS1 back catalogue ever get updated with decent games? Looking at the American store makes me want to cry. Maybe suggest updating that before more useless or insignificant firmware for the PSP is handed our way.

  • BAM! #10 2 years ago

    "This means they're storing data on us everytime we play a game or make a purchase."

    You only just realised? it's no secret, go to account management on your PS3 and you can see every transaction you've ever made. I don't think this recommendation feature uses the Trophy lists but if it did they would also have a record of everything you've played and a good guess at how much you liked it.

    All companies do this now, welcome to the modern world.

  • 3william56 #11 2 years ago

    Please god make this optional. Nagware is not welcome.

    @Octoroc: ya think? Like every other website/search engine/social site under the sun (including here, I don't doubt)? Welcome to the 21st Century, mate. You wait until you sign up for the horror that is FourSquare. Then it's Minority Report adnagging every time you walk past a shop. *_*

  • Mkwone #12 2 years ago

    @Octoroc They also know our real name, adress, password and credit card information.

    Sounds like a decent enough feature.

    Oh and Pswii60, even by playing the previous 3 games you might not know wtf is going in in the 4th game :p

  • Bigglesworth #13 2 years ago

    @pswii6o
    The MGS Database does almost exactly what you want, unless you do actually want to play through them.
    I don't know if its still on the Store though.

  • Darren #14 2 years ago

    Yet another firmware update to add something so trivial as to be pretty much pointless? Gee, thanks Sony, that's just what I always wanted!

    I wouldn't mind if these minor updates were incremental and took mere seconds to install like on the 360 but on the PS3 it takes at least five minutes, two to download and three to install. During that increased install time there's far more chance of something going wrong. I really wish Sony would limit these updates to just one per year personally like Microsoft do.

  • uknortherner2000 #15 2 years ago

    So, nothing useful like an "appear offline" mode then? Just another pointless download to push crap in my face I do not want.

  • chibber23 #16 2 years ago

    Octoroc: "This means they're storing data on us everytime we play a game or make a purchase"

    Haven't they always done this through your download history allowing you to redownload games... and the Trophy system?

  • Zombie-Hamster #17 2 years ago

    Maybe it's just me, but as an avid gamer, I already know perfectly well what I want to buy without my Playstation telling me! I appreciate for people who don't tend to browse websites and buy magazines etc. that this may point out stuff they've missed but surely for the most part this is a waste of time and a bit on the intrusive side too.

    Seems Sony are ignoring what people actually want (still!! How much longer are they going to ignore requests for cross game chat?!!) to push something I imagine nobody has ever requested.

  • Rodster #18 2 years ago

    I agree that most of these updates are ether meaningless or really add nothing of real value, just fluff. Some of these updates have even caused issues with certain hardware. I suffered and others on the Sony forums developed controller sync problems with the DS3 whith FW 3.10, which Sony denied. They quickly released FW 3.15 which fixed the issue.

    My suggestion is either to make it optional and allow access to the Playstation Store and your content or structure releases like MS, maybe once or twice a year max. The problem is Sony penalizes you if you don't update.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #19 2 years ago

    ooo i won PSN+ subscription on the playstation blog a few weeks back so tonight when i get home i should expect to be already on the new firmware thanks to the PSN+ auto updater.

  • vizzini #20 2 years ago

    I personally love getting updates; even ones that don't add features and just fix bugs, even in Windows, Linux or Macos.

    The opportunity of something being better today than yesterday, and aiming to be better tomorrow than today is something I've always liked about computing.

    Once a month, or once every two months is a good update frequency for me. 10 minutes inconvenience for 30 - 60 days of smooth operation seems reasonable in my book.

    This update was probably required so the highly anticipated Modnation Racers patch can get a rollout, which I'm hoping is going to be a biggy.

  • callum9999 #21 2 years ago

    It's a shame they rarely update the PSP with anything decent nowadays - I remember when there were big new releases all the time. I guess there is only so much you can easily add on though.

  • Gromit #22 2 years ago

    It's not intrusive, and if it points out something I have missed it's all the better for me.

    Presumably this will work on your games history and just suggest similar games in the way that Spotify suggests new music for you to listen to. I have found some great stuff through that system, so hopefully this will be as good.

    As far as any other major changes to PSN - we are nearing the next generation now. Sony will probably be charging next time and as such holding back things like cross game chat and the like will make them selling points.

  • FuzzyDuck #23 2 years ago

    It's just a wee tab down the bottom of the Store front end, there's no stress about it.

  • vizzini #24 2 years ago

    Gromit:Sony will probably be charging next time and as such holding back things like cross game chat and the like will make them selling points.

    Charging for uni/multi-cast P2P network gaming is completely out of order, considering the platform holder is essentially doing nothing. Cynical accountants running a company make those decisions; passionate game playing CEOs decide to keep it free.

    Sega already showed that model doesn't work and doesn't ever reach mass market. Just like all online email account services had to be free services to get everyone involved(mums/dads & gran & granfathers).

    It is more likely that Microsoft will have no choice but to follow suit and go the free route next-gen. That is, if their shareholders decide to green-light another console rather than sure-up their declining market share in the O/S and Business Productivity Application market.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/10 @ 14:59

  • Whatsfor #25 2 years ago

    I want 4OD and Demand Five to be added to the XMB alongside BBC iPlayer! Do it Sony...

  • FlipC #26 2 years ago

    If it's out they've not updated their site yet, still lists 3.40 as the latest.

  • Mnia786 #27 2 years ago

    Dunno but since that change a few firmwares ago, the update process is much quicker.
    Can't remember what is was but they said only updated modules would be updated so we got faster updates.

  • aphexstwin #28 2 years ago

    im sorry, how does an unintrusive feature claw back money? does it reach in your pocket and pull out the loose change? fondling your balls on the way past? and why keep something redundant?

    imho, sony'll never bring voice chat, not if ms hold a console run voip patent.

  • BritishBlue1 #29 2 years ago

    Just sell your PS3 and spare us your whining, Bob.

  • Gromit #30 2 years ago

    vizzini :

    Live is something that makes a lot of money for MS. Even though I am in no way a fan of them I know that their system works.

    Sony will follow them, and I think it will be better for their customers. If the servers are all dealt with by them, and due to the fact people are paying, standards are kept high, and uniformily so, it is a good thing.

    True we'd rather not pay £40 per year, but if it means you know you can join up with friends on any game & will not get suddenly disconnected plus experience minimal lag, surely its a good thing?

  • callum9999 #31 2 years ago

    Gromit - no its not a good thing because it works perfectly well now for free. I don't play online that often so introducing a charge will just result in me never being able to play online - one of the things that attracted me to the PS3.

    Maybe heavy users experience lots of disconnections and lag, but I never do.

  • vizzini #32 2 years ago

    Gromit: Sony will follow them, and I think it will be better for their customers. If the servers are all dealt with by them, and due to the fact people are paying, standards are kept high, and uniformily so, it is a good thing.

    True we'd rather not pay £40 per year, but if it means you know you can join up with friends on any game & will not get suddenly disconnected plus experience minimal lag, surely its a good thing?

    As someone with a formal education in telecoms & computer networking, I think what you are describing is a placebo effect; as many games are P2P (unicast or multicast), and Microsoft are literally providing nothing in those situations. It is all running client-side, using your broadband bandwidth and lag is dictated by your ISP bandwidth/QoS and your opponents. Each person might also need a different MTU value so minimize data-packet fragmentation, which is a lesser issue with groups of similar broadband customers(e.g upto 8mb BT local loop users).

    Network switching; both speed and number of switches in a route is the real bottleneck and is made considerably worse by fragmentation (e.g A virgin 50mb customer joining a largely BT local loop group needs to be hosting).

    My varied experience with lag has been the same on both systems, and when connections have not been dropped say on Virtua Fighter 5c(360) when conditions were +45ms bad; they should have been.

    Too big a tolerance window for QoS can actually reduce games to unplayable. Disconnections are sometimes the lesser of two evils and PSN doesn't try to hide when network users are incorrectly matched or configured; who's hosting is a big part of it in P2P.

    For some time we have been seeing an improved QoS on PSN as a direct result of ISPs optimising their broadband platforms for PS3; this is in response to the number of customers that are connecting with PS3 and nothing more.

    There's no magic in Live or PSN, just good use of well understood networking technologies that all have an IEEE, RFC numbers and are at the mercy of cheap user network devices and broadband providers.