Sony has updated the PlayStation 3's firmware, taking the next-generation games console's system software to version 1.3. But the patch doesn't appear to fix the problem some users have had getting the machine to work with older, 1080i-favouring HD TVs.

So a variety of games publications claim. The 1.3 update adds the ability to select which HD resolutions you want the console to default to. It presents a list running from 480p up to 1080p - the PS3 will choose the highest resolution selected. Remove the tick next to the 1080p box and the PS3 will run at 1080i, and so on.

The addition of 1080i may appear to help users with 1080i-only TVs, but what the update doesn't do is force the console to upscale lower-resolution content to the preferred maximum. So if you have a game that insists upon 720p, it will still reject the 1080i setting and default to the crude 480p resolution, gamers who've applied the patch report.

Meanwhile, the update does provide a backup tool for the console's hard drive. It also adds support for Sony's upcoming Blu-ray Disc remote control and for some PS2 peripherals to allow them to work with PS2 games running on the new machine.

The patch also allows users to select the kind of video signal sent via the PS3's HDMI port: RGB or component-video, or let the PS3 choose.

Firmware 1.3 can be downloaded to a PC and transferred to the PS3 via a USB disk, or downloaded directly using the console's System Update software. ®