The next PS3 firmware, v.3.70 will be released soon. It’s bringing a decent number of additions, but cross-game chat isn’t one of them. Don’t worry, it will show up sooner or later. What we will get is a couple automated features, changes to the PlayStation Store and enhanced 3D Blu-ray capabilities.

The NGP won’t have the same user interface that the PSP and PS3 has. The XMB was first introduced on the PSP as an easy way to navigate through all the available options the platform had to offer. As time went on, the XMB remained the same, excluding the addition of themes and new applications. With Sony’s upcoming NGP handheld, the XMB is gone in favor of LiveArea. To Sony, LiveArea is a better complement to the platform than the XMB could be.

The XMB has been a staple of the PSP and PS3 for years. Although the interface is quite bland, the XMB is simple to navigate. Everything is presented in a neat horizontal or vertical arrangement. With the Next Generation Portable, Sony has moved away from the XMB in favor of a new user interface called LiveArea.

The PSP refuses to back down despite some claims of impending doom. Today (September 2, 2008), Sony Japan let loose a few details regarding future firmware updates to the handheld. These updates will focus mainly on the networking capabilities of the PSP instead of adding more trinkets to the XMB. Luckily the update will work on all new and old PSP models.

PSP owners will finally be able to access the PlayStation Store without using the PS3′s remote play feature or a PC. Full games, demos, wallpapers and themes can be downloaded straight on the PSP through a wireless internet connection. While this feature eliminates the need for the PS3, another upgrade to the software further expands…

Google is everywhere, and it is only growing. Its next step is video game consoles/handhelds – but wait! It’s already on its way! The official Playstation.Blog has announced that version 4.00 of the PSP firmware is on the way, and it will include a Google internet search option in the XrossMediaBar (XMB).

So if you want to search for or see a webpage, you won’t have to go to the PSP browser and type in “www.google.com” or whatever the web address is. You can just go to the Google Search icon, type in what you want to find and then search. For people who absolutely hate having to type in web addresses in the PSP’s browser, this new addition will make things marginally easier. It also remembers your last 20 searches, so you can search through those instead of re-entering information.