[Giz Article] PS3's Firmware Updates Punish the Casual Gamer

[tatteredpotato]

Link

Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica lays out the one major reason why the casual gamer—the guy who plays only once every few weeks for a half hour at a time—would prefer the Xbox over the PS3. Firmware. Updates.

There are a couple compounding issues here, but they can all be lumped into the update/download scheme that Sony's set up for the PS3.

First, you've got regular system updates that add minor features every few weeks, instead of the major system updates (at most) twice a year that Microsoft does. Even with the major updates, Microsoft manages to push them out so both the download and the update process is fast. Not so with the PS3, which leads to the second point Kuchera makes.

...

This is actually a problem I encounter a lot with my PS3. I mostly play games on my 360, but it seems like every time I turn on my PS3 to do something, I have to spend at least 30 minutes waiting for it to update. The NXE update for the Xbox didn't even take that long. Sony needs to give the push updates to more than just the paid subscribers to the PSN.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Solution:

1) Wait 10 minutes for it to update
2) ...
3) Profit

Option 2:

1) Cry more

 

[tatteredpotato]

Solution:

1) Wait 10 minutes for it to update
2) ...
3) Profit

Option 2:

1) Cry more

Really for me they're usually at least 30 minutes for whatever reason.

PS I pick option 2.

 

[Beev]

They need to figure out why some people download so slow and others don't. My PS3 downloads updates insanely fast. They take maybe 5 minutes. I know plenty of people who take much longer, though.

 

[JackBurton]

They need to figure out why some people download so slow and others don't. My PS3 downloads updates insanely fast. They take maybe 5 minutes. I know plenty of people who take much longer, though.

I haven't timed mine, but 5 minutes it a pretty long time when you are waiting to get online. I really don't know why the PS3 is so slow. With my 360, updates download and install fast as hell.

 

[Spoooon]

Slow for me. No idea why. And for those people who only get to play for 30 minutes to an hour, ten minutes is a long time.

 

[smackababy]

Firmware updates are fast for me, but updating games holy crap. Day one patch of BBCS took long enough for me to drive 20 minutes to a store, buy something, and drive 20 minutes back and then wait 10 minutes for it to finish...

 

[Kabob]

They need to figure out why some people download so slow and others don't. My PS3 downloads updates insanely fast. They take maybe 5 minutes. I know plenty of people who take much longer, though.

That may be fast for you, but that's a weekly deal. The NXE updates that come once or twice a year (and are probably a good bit larger) take maybe 10-30 seconds for me.

 

[purbeast0]

yes i play my ps3 pretty much every few months cause 360 online is much better, and it is usually a scheduled time with my friends.

and of course, as soon as i turn it on, i have to wait an additional time to update the fw.

really really annoying. would prefer much smaller patches like 360 does, or to just have them a lot less frequently because very rarely do they add anything that i give a shit about.

 

[vi edit]

Between the system updates and the seemingly now required game installs (up to half an hour for some!) the PS3 is now back into PC gaming territory and defeating the purpose of why I even bought the damn thing. I just want to put in a game and play it.

 

[tatteredpotato]

yes i play my ps3 pretty much every few months cause 360 online is much better, and it is usually a scheduled time with my friends.

and of course, as soon as i turn it on, i have to wait an additional time to update the fw.

really really annoying. would prefer much smaller patches like 360 does, or to just have them a lot less frequently because very rarely do they add anything that i give a shit about.

This is pretty much how I feel. When I turn it on I just want to go do something, but half the time I'm stuck waiting 20 minutes for random updates to apply.

 

[Kabob]

Between the system updates and the seemingly now required game installs (up to half an hour for some!) the PS3 is now back into PC gaming territory and defeating the purpose of why I even bought the damn thing. I just want to put in a game and play it.

Come to the M$ side, the water's fine! :awe:

Kidding, it's not for everyone and I too would love a PS3 (for GT5 mostly) but that's an issue I didn't even realize you PS3 guys were suffering.

 

[Tristicus]

O hai gais, let's find something to complain about when we don't have anything else!

 

[smackababy]

Come to the M$ side, the water's fine! :awe:

Kidding, it's not for everyone and I too would love a PS3 (for GT5 mostly) but that's an issue I didn't even realize you PS3 guys were suffering.

I wouldn't really say suffering. I've never noticed it. I play my PS3 pretty much every day now. Oh well, once a good Xbox game comes out I'll fire that baby up again.

 

[tatteredpotato]

I wouldn't really say suffering. I've never noticed it. I play my PS3 pretty much every day now. Oh well, once a good Xbox game comes out I'll fire that baby up again.

Really if I played a lot it probably wouldn't be as bad, I think I might have compounded updates which makes things extra slow for me.

 

[vi edit]

Come to the M$ side, the water's fine! :awe:

Kidding, it's not for everyone and I too would love a PS3 (for GT5 mostly) but that's an issue I didn't even realize you PS3 guys were suffering.

I'm a tri-console household. But when it comes to PS3 exclusives or if the Xbox version isn't available I'll grab the PS3 version and pop it in only to be greated by a system update and then a lame ass install. I basically plan to wait for 30 minutes for any new game I grab before I can even play it.

 

[Kabob]

O hai gais, let's find something to complain about when we don't have anything else!

The PS3 only comes in black!?!? :awe:

 

[Thraxen]

Most casual gamers don't play online, so I doubt many notice. And you aren't forced to update unless going online or the store, so if you're just firing it up to play an offline game or watch a movie you don't have to wait for anything. I see this in action all the time at home.

We have two PS3s. My wife wanted one for the bedroom for BR/Streaming purposes along with some light gaming. She's the definition of casual. The bedroom PS3 is always out of date on the firmware and she never notices. Every few months I'll go ahead and do the update for her, but she never actually notices that either.

That said, Sony does get carried away at times. There was no need for this last 3.41 update. I don't know anyone that gives a damn about store recommendations. They should have held on to that one until they had some more stuff to go with it. Still, the updates typically take less than 5 minutes for me, so I don't really care that much.

 

[Terzo]

I'm a pretty casual gamer, I play at most a few times per week and don't often go online. I do find it annoying though, when I get a new game and I have to go online, install an update, restart the ps3, start the game, wait for it to install, and then wait for it to update.

Firmware updates are fast for me, but updating games holy crap. Day one patch of BBCS took long enough for me to drive 20 minutes to a store, buy something, and drive 20 minutes back and then wait 10 minutes for it to finish...

This is a pretty good representation. Last time I got a new game the updating took too long and I didn't get around to playing it that day.

 

[hans030390]

They need to figure out why some people download so slow and others don't. My PS3 downloads updates insanely fast. They take maybe 5 minutes. I know plenty of people who take much longer, though.

My PS3 downloads are extremely fast. A consistent 1 MB/s (megabyte) or more for firmware updates, game patches, demos, etc. I got this by switching to a new modem (went from a Motorola to a Linksys CM100). People can also get this by using Privoxy.

Sometime's it's network hardware related. Sometimes it's the ISP. Comcast is slow for me, but my previous ISP was fast with my PS3. Funny thing is, Comcast bought my old ISP, so I was running on all the same networking stuff at home (and Comcast kept the exact same plan our old ISP was giving us).

I know I've said this before, but there was a whole thread I created dedicated to this issue and non-official solutions for it (solutions mentioned above). That should fix the issues related to anything downloading on the PS3 and slow speeds. I have no idea WHY it does it. I wish Sony (or whoever) would fix it. If not that, I at least wish I knew what causes it.

 

[herkulease]

I do think the updates are excessive. If you look at the change log, some things are minor and easily can be rolled into a much larger update.

the thing though that bothers me on the ps3 is one of the updates turn my system into a fucking billboard.

 

[gorcorps]

I think the updates are BS as well. I'm much more than a casual gamer, and if I go to play a game only to see that I need some BS system update to run it... I'll let it run but play my 360 instead. It's even worse when you have friends over and go to play something, only to find you won't get to play for 20 or so mins because of some bullshit update.

 

[smackababy]

The thing is, any other download, I cruise around 1-1.2 MB/s, but on the PS3 it takes almost an hour to download a 100MB file. I am on 56k now or what?

 

[waggy]

I do think the updates are excessive. If you look at the change log, some things are minor and easily can be rolled into a much larger update.

the thing though that bothers me on the ps3 is one of the updates turn my system into a fucking billboard.

this is what is pissing me off. there are ads all over the fucking place now. its getting annoying.

 

[Beev]

As opposed to all of the ads on the 360 dashboard that I can't get rid of? If I can then someone please tell me how, because I've been trying to turn off ALL of the channels on the 360 dashboard except "My Xbox" and "My Friends." I do NOT need to see the shit about Madden, or Netflix, or anything else other than the game I'm playing.