PS3 firmware update on Friday News

background downloading - what a joke

"Also bundled is the Folding@home application, which aims to clue you in on protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cystic fibrosis and various cancers."

Is this a joke that I just don't get?

It's actually not a joke. Sony aims to let the console try to solve cancer while you're not playing.. Kind of neat, actually.

"background downloading - what a joke "

Why?

Remote Play over wifi is so awesome that I can't even contemplate it.

I believe the background downloading is not active while you are playing a game, but if you're in the XMB it is.

"Sony aims to let the console try to solve cancer while you're not playing.. Kind of neat, actually."

I suppose so. But it had better look cool while doing it!

@Beano
The XMB isn't layered, meaning that when the XMB isn't running (in a game) your download stops... Not quite "background downloading" in my book...

Seriously, why folding @home?

Yay, I can increase my electricity bill while creating hypothetical models which are still pretty useless without experimental data.

Folding@home has been available on PCs for many years, you can download the client to your PC right now if you want:

http://folding.stanford.edu/

I don't understand why they're trying to tie this in with the PS3, the PC side of this is far more significant. Even if the PS3 sold 100 million units in its lifetime it would still only be a fraction of the number of PCs sold in the same time period.

I'm feeling bad because I don't have the money to buy PS3 and a HD TV. Why can't I be rich or at least wealthy?

Seriously, why folding @home?

Yay, I can increase my electricity bill while creating hypothetical models which are still pretty useless without experimental data.

its about choice ;)

I don't understand why they're trying to tie this in with the PS3, the PC side of this is far more significant. Even if the PS3 sold 100 million units in its lifetime it would still only be a fraction of the number of PCs sold in the same time period.

Each connected PS3 will calculate over 10 times faster, do the maths.

>Each connected PS3 will calculate over 10 times faster, do the maths.

Pleaaaassseeee.

>its about choice ;)

The ultimate excuse of capitalism. Eat a nice fat uberburger and die a fat pig. It is about choice!!!!

@ Dizzy:

Let me guess, "It's a lie!!!1!!!!1!!! More $ony Lies!!!11!!!!!!one!!"

"If you're lucky enough to survive roaming gangs of PS3-hungry thugs, that is."

I've read this a lot about the PS3, but not about the 360 or Wii, which makes me laugh because it's mainly pikey 'cos-it's-playstation-innit' tards that would actually go and buy one at launch. Getting it out the XR3i and into the council house before an ASBO'd 14-yr old stabs you for it is probably par for the course.

>Let me guess, "It's a lie!!!1!!!!1!!! More $ony Lies!!!11!!!!!!one!!"

Dude....

PCs are "on" most of the time and have a lot of free cycles. Claiming that PS3 does it 10 times faster is insignificant. chupachups is right.

"Increased backwards compatibility" - er, are you sure about this? Compared to what? The firmware on PAL PS3s or the US/Japanese PS3s?

@chupachups
"I don't understand why they're trying to tie this in with the PS3, the PC side of this is far more significant. Even if the PS3 sold 100 million units in its lifetime it would still only be a fraction of the number of PCs sold in the same time period."

Unfortunately people who own PCs don't know about it. It only has 190k users. 100 million ps3 users seeing folding@home on the XMB would at the least give the project a lot of publicity...

"Unfortunately people who own PCs don't know about it. It only has 190k users. 100 million ps3 users seeing folding@home on the XMB would at the least give the project a lot of publicity... "

That makes more sense...

"I believe the background downloading is not active while you are playing a game, but if you're in the XMB it is. "

True - but it's still a big improvement IMO.

And you will still be able to watch movies, listening to music, etc. (AFAIK)

The free cycles on the PC are even going to make it slower from the PCs side. Supposing I run folding@home from a pretty decently fast PC (Core Duo and the like), in the background, the PS3 (which can only run folding@home dedicated) can easily match the amount of calculations the PC does in about a week, in half a day.

I wouldn't exactly call this pointless.

""Increased backwards compatibility" - er, are you sure about this? Compared to what? The firmware on PAL PS3s or the US/Japanese PS3s?"

Compared to the firmware which is on the EU PS3 out-of-the-box... I guess ;)

I thought the UK machines were shipping with the v1.6 firmware already installed so I wasn't expecting to have to download an update as soon as I take my PS3 online. Still I'd rather have these regular updates than have to wait months for issues to be fixed and Sony are doing their utmost to address key issues. Won't be long before the PS3 is on a par with the Xbox 360! ;)

P.S. Does anyone know if Sony have added DVD upscaling yet as they said they would or whether Blu-ray movies will now play at 720p as well as 1080i and 1080p? My HDTV supports 1080i but not 1080p and I want to play games at 720p without having to keep switching resolutions!

@SeesThroughAll

I do. How many people are going to select the option, let alone leave it on, full pelt, for more than a few minutes?

Darren: No they have not added the DVD upscaling yet.

I think the folding@home thing is a cool idea if helps to ultimate find a cure for cancer and save people's lives. I don't see how anyone could say otherwise really.

Just a thought but does this mean if you don't have broadband, unlikely but possible, and buy a PS3 you will have really limited BC, I think I read somewhere out of ten of the top PS2 games only one worked with the current firmware.

Folding@home can be set to run when the PS3 is idle, so when you run out the room for a beer/phone call/whatever, it can kick in then, once you return, you just continue from where you were.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Question!

For those who don't want to go online with the PS3 (assume they have a PC), how the hell do you get the firmware updates?

On the Bluray discs or download to a memory stick and plug it into the console.

(Very very similar to the PSP.)

Maybe Sony will have some sort of option to have the firmware sent to you on a DVD or something? I guess we'll see when it launches. I don't really believe they'll just leave everyone without Internet connection hanging.

"The XMB isn't layered, meaning that when the XMB isn't running (in a game) your download stops... Not quite "background downloading" in my book... "


Eh.......don't forget that any online enabled game started on the 360 ( and even some that aren't) pause any background downloading in progress..

Not quite background downloading either really....regardless of MS's excuse of not wanting to affect possible online play..

This PSP-PS3 remote thing SOUNDS good, but what exactly will you be able to do with it? Adjust the backgrounds on your PS3 from the comfort of the bus? Re-shuffle your pictures and music? If that's all it is, well, wate of time IMHO.

Anyone care to explain this concept in more detail?

"Maybe Sony will have some sort of option to have the firmware sent to you on a DVD or something?"

You should be able to download the new PS3 firmware from Sony yourself just like PSP firmwares.

"Anyone care to explain this concept in more detail? "

Listen to music on your PSP which is stored on the PS3.

"For those who don't want to go online with the PS3 (assume they have a PC), how the hell do you get the firmware updates?"

New game discs. They've mentioned this before.

"Eh.......don't forget that any online enabled game started on the 360 ( and even some that aren't) pause any background downloading in progress..

Not quite background downloading either really....regardless of MS's excuse of not wanting to affect possible online play.."

It only stops your download when you play online, if you're playing single player it continues to download. Or would you rather have laggy games because everyone's background downloading?

@McDermotX
"Eh.......don't forget that any online enabled game started on the 360 ( and even some that aren't) pause any background downloading in progress.."

Notice I actually made no reference to XBox360... :)
But point taken, neither is perfect, although I do think the PS3 version of background downloading is very limited. But yes, better than nothing I suppose.

@ Beano:

Listen to music on your PSP via the remote play option.

"Maybe Sony will have some sort of option to have the firmware sent to you on a DVD or something?"

You should be able to download the new PS3 firmware from Sony yourself just like PSP firmwares.

and watch any video content that's stored on it... and eventually access 'home' and certain games.

Disc: No they have not added the DVD upscaling yet.

you never know if it'll be in this update though, Sony tends to "not fix" problems which they never admitted where there in the first place.

Like the B/C issue on the US and JPN PS3's.

"It only stops your download when you play online, if you're playing single player it continues to download. Or would you rather have laggy games because everyone's background downloading?"

No necessarily......like I said, some online "enabled" (not playing online) games pause the download..
Only playing Tiger Woods (single-player) the other day while downloading with a pause in the background..
This was discussed a long while back on other forums..

"This PSP-PS3 remote thing SOUNDS good, but what exactly will you be able to do with it? Adjust the backgrounds on your PS3 from the comfort of the bus? Re-shuffle your pictures and music? If that's all it is, well, wate of time IMHO.

Anyone care to explain this concept in more detail? "

With remote play I can watch movies within range of my PS3, i.e. in bed. I don't know if this would work over wifi, but if it does, I should be able to watch any movie stored on my PS3 as long as I can find a wifi spot.

"The free cycles on the PC are even going to make it slower from the PCs side. Supposing I run folding@home from a pretty decently fast PC (Core Duo and the like), in the background, the PS3 (which can only run folding@home dedicated) can easily match the amount of calculations the PC does in about a week, in half a day. "

That is the whole point. PC are on and being used for surfing, word process, etc.... all around the world. they have plenty of free wasted cycles so running this on PCs doesn't use (a lot) more energy so it is in fact free processing power (this was the whole idea behind this kind of distributed computing). On PS3 (or any other console) it is mostly a waste of energy and a nice way to increase global warming or at the very least increase your electricity bill.

Anyway.. nuff said. This has already gone totally off topic.

This should mean you can watch any movie, listen to any music, or access files on your PS3 at home, from any hotspot with your PSP. Sounds great.

With remote play can you watch a DVD that's in the PS3? That would be pretty awesome...

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/...

The Cell/B.E. processor inside each PS3 is roughly 10 times faster than a standard
mainstream chip inside a personal computer (PC), so researchers are able to perform the
simulations much faster, speeding up the research process.

To run the application automatically in idle state, PS3 must be connected to the network with both main power switch and power button turned on. Option setting must also be changed as this automatic feature is off at default.

http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_...

"It's a big deal," said Pande. "Even starting small, the PS3 means a dramatic increase."

Here's one scenario: Sony says there are about 1 million PS3 owners in the United States and Canada. If just 10,000 of them (1 percent) download the simulations and run them to completion, the project estimates it will double the computing help it already gets from personal computers around the globe.

In other words the PS3's Cell is more efficient in the type of calculations the university needs not how many CPU cycles are left over from PC chips.

When PS3 owners are running the folding simulations, they'll be able to see displays that update them on how close the work unit is to completion. One of the planned displays will depict a view of the world that shows a glowing light everywhere a PS3 is running the Folding@Home software.

One of the planned displays will depict a view of the world that shows a glowing light everywhere a PS3 is running the Folding@Home software.

That would be nice, could track the spread of the PS3.

@Disc

Yes that should help us stop the spread of the vile machines and rid the world of them before they really do become an epidemic! Nicely spotted there. I think we may yet save the future.