Sony Announces In-Game XMB, 'Trophies' Bar For PS3

In a weblog post on the company's PlayStation.Blog service, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that at an unspecified future date, the version 2.40 firmware upgrade for the PlayStation 3 will offer in-game XMB functionality, and a "trophies" reward system. The post, by Eric Lempel, SCEA's director, PlayStation Network operations, offers few details beyond a promise to include this functionality in the version 2.40 firmware update, which does not have an announced release date. The next firmware upgrade will be version 2.36, which will improve compatibility with some PlayStation titles, and which will be released "soon" according to Lempel. The exact functionality that the in-game XMB will provide is unclear, and Lempel did not go into specifics. Trophies are widely seen as the answer to Microsoft's popular Achivements on the Xbox 360, and were expected to be integrated as part of Sony's delayed virtual world Home. Lempel promises more details on trophies "soon". Home's release has been repeatedly pushed back; the open beta will now not begin till this fall. SCEI CEO Kaz Hirai recently asked PS3 users to "wait a bit longer" for Home, promising that the delays would help ensure the company would be able to provide "new gaming experiences that are available only on PlayStation Home."