PS3 firmware rumored to sport a slew of new features

Take this with a grain of salt, as it comes from a Playstation message board hawk who claims to have the inside scoop on an upcoming Playstation 3 firmware update. If true, however, the list of fixes and updates is an extensive one. Among the alterations include password protection for user accounts, support for RSS feeds, multiple chat session capability, and the ability to have a user-defined image as your Avatar. All told, there’s nothing revolutionary here, but it’s a healthy collection of mild enhancements that should add up to a more pleasant gaming experience. Click on for the complete rumored feature list.

[Via PSXExtreme]

The PLAYSTATION®3 system software version 2.00 update includes the following:

* Users
o You can now password-protect user accounts.

* Settings
o [Dynamic Normalizer] has been added as an option under [Sound Settings].
o [Energy Saver] has been added as an option.
o [Equalizer] has been added as a feature under [Music Settings].
o [Full] has been added as an option for [DVD Wide Display] under [BD / DVD Settings].
o [Photo Settings] has been added as an option.
o [PS / PS2 Settings] has been added as an option.
o [RSS Channel Settings] has been added as an option.
o [Sample Rate] has been added to [Audio CD Import] under [Music Settings].
o [Screen Saver] has been expanded under [Display Settings].
o The method of selecting an output resolution has been changed in [Video Output Settings] under [Display Settings].
o [Theme Settings] has been added as an option.
o [Zero Unused Disk Space] has been added as an option under [System Settings] > [Format Utility].

* Photo
o Additional slideshows have been added.
o [Photo Effects] have been added as a feature.
o Wallpaper feature has been added.
o [Zoom] has been added as a feature.

* Music
o Additional visualizations have been added.
o CD information can now be entered.
o Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.

* Video
o Files can now be played sequentially.
o Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.
o You can now select [Zoom] under [Screen Mode] when playing video files saved on the hard disk or storage media.*.
*An appropriate USB adapter (not included) is required to use storage media with some models.

* Game
o Support for PLAYSTATION®3 format software titles has been expanded.
o XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) is now accessible during gameplay.

* Network
o [RSS Channel] has been added as a feature.

* Friends
o You can now have multiple chat sessions.
o You can now select an image to use as your Avatar from [Photo].

* Other
o Date & Time is now shown when the PS button is pressed.
o File sorting has been changed.
o [Help] has been added as a feature.
o Playability status with the PS3™ system has changed for some PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 format titles.
To check on the latest status, visit the search site for compatible titles.
o [Secure Delete] has been added as an option.
o Some PLAYSTATION®Network features have been revised

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