Firmware 2.40 Arrives, Problems Reported

Firmware version 2.40 arrived triumphantly on PS3s around the world today, or did it? The update, which adds support for in-game XMB access, custom soundtracks and trophies, was an extremely hot commodity when it launched on Sony's servers around midnight last night. However, a number of problems have marred the release of the update.

The first problem with the 2.40 firmware was due to the massive demand placed on servers. Due to increased traffic, many users were unable to connect and download the patch until later in the day.

Some nasty software crashes also appeared to be caused by the new firmware. Among the problems reported with the firmware itself, some PS3 owners are experiencing lockups when playing certain games or using certain functions from the XMB. Some users report encountering a fatal crash during the opening "waves" portion of the bootup screen, after having installed firmware 2.40. Other users experienced crashes while playing games sch as Metal Gear Solid 4. Most of the problems seem to affect only the 60GB and 80GB models.

If you are thinking about updating, you might wish to hold back for a few days while the dust clears, in order to avoid any potential headaches.

[Update: Sony has now pulled the firmware from its servers, pending review.]