PS3 Adds Upscaling, New PSP Remote Play Features

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) on Wednesday announced the forthcoming release of a new software update for its PlayStation 3 video game console, expected to be released in North America on Thursday, May 24. New features in the new release include video upscaling capabilities and more PSP Remote Play functionality.

The upscaling technology in this software update will improve the picture quality of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games played on the PlayStation 3, and will also show movies up to 1080p resolution. Classic games will look even better, according to Sony, and Blu-ray Disc videos will be maximized on big-screen TVs that connect to the PS3 using HDMI.

The new update also expands the functionality of Remote Play, a capability first introduced with the console that provides the ability for PlayStation Portable (PSP) users to view content stored on their PS3 remotely on their PSPs, such as photos, videos and music.

Initially, Remote Play enabled PSP users to remotely access content on the PS3 as long as both units were on the same network. With the new software update and a forthcoming update for the PSP (version 3.50), PSP users will be able to view entertainment content anywhere on the Internet they can get a connection.

The 3.50 software update for the PSP is expected to be released next week.

The new PS3 software update will also enable PS3 users to stream media content stored on DLNA-enabled devices onto their PS3 systems. Other feature upgrades include support for copying saved data to memory cards, and photo printing, viewing and editing.