Playstation 3 Firmware Annoyance

[VideoGameCritic]

I hate to "pile on", but you guys are going to love this story.

Today I was playing my PS3 games and reviewing the games, but when I loaded Resistance, I noticed my TV switched to 480p (via a message in the corner of the screen).  I looked at the game box and it said it supported up to 720p.  So I played around with my settings but the game wouldn't load in high resolution.

So I searched the Internet and found out that the PS3 firmware has a bug in that it doesn't know how to switch resolution properly on some HD TVs.  Can you believe it?  I never had a problem like that with my "old" Xbox 360.  The newsgroup said you needed to do a system update via the Internet.

I wasn't planning to connect my PS2 to the Internet, but Resistance is one hell of a game, and since the PS3 had built in wireless, how hard could it be?  After all, setting up withless on my Nintendo DS took about 2 minutes.

So I go to network settings, follow the prompts, and it looks like it's going well.  Then when I go to test, it says it cannot make an Internet connection, and instructs me to do a system update.

So I hit the  system update icon and it says 1.32 is available.  I proceed to download, and it sits at the download progress bar at 0% for 10 minutes before failing an giving some crazy 8-digit error code.  So then it was back and forth messing with the Internet settings, but to no avail.  Sony, you're killing me.

Back on the Internet, I read that a lot of people have problems connecting to Sony's site.  Apparently the wireless connectivity in the PS3 is really, really weak, so they recommend connecting via a direct line.  (On another note, people also complained abouth their servers being down or busy).

So I unhook my PS3 from my mess of wires and drag that thing up to my computer room.  Since there's no TV in there, I had to haul one in from another room.  I got to set everything up using the composite video cable that came with the system (it was useful after all), but nothing came up on the screen.  I realized the system is only configured for HD, so I had to haul the thing back to the basement to hook it back up and reconfigure it for low resolution. 

Bring it back up and connect, and thankfully, it started downloading.  It wasn't very fast though.  I took 10-15 minutes just to download the thing, and then another 10 minutes to install it.  In the middle of the process I had to hook in a controller using the USB cable for some reason.  The firmware update did work and in the end I could run Resistance at 720p, but what a hassle that was.

When I was searching the newsgroups, I also heard some people mention that gamers should "get used to updating a lot" because especially if you game online, Sony requires frequent updates.  Apparently PSP on-line gamers are already familiar with this.

I just thought I'd pass on that unpleasant experience.  I don't plan to play online, so hopefully this update will last me for a while.

[Edward M]

600 bucks for the system and the wireless has major problems?   That's horrible considering the DS is 130 and I have no problems with its wireless.  Looks like I will be waiting to buy a PS3 until they get some better models.  Thanks for the warning.

[Leo1]

Hopefully Sony gets back on track soon, but we also have to remember that problems are common at system launches. Even the Nintendo Wii isn't immune to it. There are lots of reports of issues of graphic garbage on screen due to overheating causing heat damage to the GPU. And thats using mostly proven technology that most gamers viewed as bulletproof the last generation. (Edit - Stumbled across this in 2011 and had to mention the double layer disc issue that many early Wii's had to be serviced for once double layer releases like Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart were released).

Something as simple as another firmware update could resolve this PS3 issue if the wifi is flawed due to a software issue. Doesn't strike me as likely to be a major issue in the long run.

[sega saturn x]

[QUOTE=Edward M]

600 bucks for the system and the wireless has major problems?   That's horrible considering the DS is 130 and I have no problems with its wireless.  Looks like I will be waiting to buy a PS3 until they get some better models.  Thanks for the warning.

[/QUOTE]

You must have a magic DS because none of the ones I've ever used have had wi-fi connection that didn't disconect for no good reason.  Even when I was just doing player to player it cut out like crazy, and forget online.  I was lucky to get 2-3 matches without the thing giving me an error message.  In the end none fo the games justified the headache.

[m0zart1]

[QUOTE=sega saturn x ]

You must have a magic DS because none of the ones I've ever used have had wi-fi connection that didn't disconect for no good reason.  Even when I was just doing player to player it cut out like crazy, and forget online.  I was lucky to get 2-3 matches without the thing giving me an error message.  In the end none fo the games justified the headache.

[/QUOTE]

 

Weird.  I've never had any problems with connecting my DS to my wireless network either.  I'll be sure to keep mine behind so I can someday harness its magic.

[feilong801]

@ VGC: Wow, just, simply, WOW.

 

@ everyone else: Yep, you always roll the dice as an early adopter. You all know about my graphics chip deal. Must be some bad hardware in some a the Wiis, becuase it really doesn't actually get that hot.

 

My DS works perfectly, with no magic required. Wireless internet can seem to be plagued by "gremlins," though. Spent many an hour running through the house "power cycling" various devices. Though, when I think about the hassle of trying to do wired internet through my house (which isn't big but is a ranch, so it is pretty wide) I usually come to the conclusion that wireless is still better.

 

In all seriousness, of all my wireless devices, the DS fails the least amount of time. And you're crazy not to think online Mario Kart isn't worth the hassle.

 

-Rob

[Shawn]

I never have a problem connecting my PSP. When I had the DS that was simple as well. That sounds like a major hassle. Maybe your set up is too far from you router. If your wireless router is several floors up that may cause problems that aren't necessarily anything to do with the PS3. Of course, it is still a major pain in the ass. Sounds like you are enjoying Resistance.

[VideoGameCritic]

[QUOTE=Shawn]

I never have a problem connecting my PSP. When I had the DS that was simple as well. That sounds like a major hassle. Maybe your set up is too far from you router. If your wireless router is several floors up that may cause problems that aren't necessarily anything to do with the PS3. Of course, it is still a major pain in the ass. Sounds like you are enjoying Resistance.

[/QUOTE]

My router is two floors up, but my laptop and DS report a "strong" signal from down there.  It was only my PS3 that said it was weak (23% !!)

[sega saturn x]

I don't have a clue why but when me and my buds had 4 player advanced wars going the game just dropped at least 4 times, ruining it.  Since those advanced wars sessions are quite long this was just painful.  We were only like 4 feet away from each other as well.

[Adamant1]

Yeah, it has happened to me a couple times as well, and a friend of mine somehow always drops out after she's completed one course, making it pretty much impossible to play against her online.