PS3 Updated With Photo Gallery, DivX 3.11

Sony's PlayStation 3 console will see a few new features in the next firmware update, including a new Photo Gallery application and support for DivX 3.11.

According to SCEA, the new firmware (v2.60) now available for PlayStation 3. However, the biggest feature will be the new Photo Gallery application, offering PlayStation 3 owners a better way to organize and view photos stored on the console's hard drive (video demonstration). Consumers can now organize digital photos by groups according to various criteria. The company said that the new Photo Gallery application will be able to categorize pictures by event and time, the number of people within a picture (including their ages and facial expressions), and even by the type of camera used to take the photo.

"Once their photos are grouped, consumers can then search and view them using the grouping categories and create slideshows set to music, displaying specific photo playlists or photos pulled from grouped categories," said the company.

Sony also stated that firmware v2.60 will also grant guests free admission to the PlayStation Store, allowing non-PlayStation Network members access to the storefront's downloadable content. This allows the "guest" user to download games, game trailers, and demos as well as over 4,200 movies and TV shows. Additionally, Sony threw support for DivX 3.11 into the mix as well, enabling PlayStation 3 owners the ability to watch media files utilizing the older video codec.

Yesterday Sony quietly unleashed an update for its handheld PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming system, updating the firmware to v5.0.3. Nothing exciting came with the new firmware release, only a security patch that addresses security vulnerabilities in the system software. The update could actually be Sony's fix for the GripShift exploit, a buffer overflow vulnerability discovered in the three-year-old game at the beginning of the month.

Recently Sony announced its December 2008 numbers, claiming that the company sold 3.6 million PlayStation 3 consoles in the United States by the end of 2008, an increase of 40 percent from the previous year. 726,005 units alone were sold in December, an impressive increase of 92 percent from the month before. The company also saw a 116 percent increase in software sales during December as well, with hits such as Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet hitting the top of the charts.

Although firmware updates are a necessity in keeping the console secure and feature-rich, upgrading the firmware can lead to potential problems. Wise PlayStation 3 owners know to hold off on updating the firmware right away, as previous upgrades have "bricked" consoles in the past. For more details on how to update the PlayStation 3's firmware, head here.