In-game messaging en-route to the PS3?
Icon sparks speculation
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Sony may have made a slight PlayStation 3 faux pas by posting the image of a potential update to the XrossMediaBar (XMB) user interface that would give gamers access to in-game communications options.
Could this icon indicate forthcoming PS3 features?
The blurred image, which several sources have claimed appeared recently on Sony’s US site, is called “Friends & Messaging” and describes how users can talk to others during game play. It also says you’ll be able to say hello anytime you’re online, or have a video conversation with other gamers via, say, the PS3’s Eye camera.
The PS3's XMB GUI menu
The feature could be an update the PS3’s XMB, an award-winning Sony GUI that allows users to cycle through icons spread horizontally across the screen. The GUI was developed prior to the PS3, but it currently lists around nine categories of options, such as PlayStation Network and Friends, on the console.
At this stage, it’s pure speculation as to whether the image is really an indication of upcoming improvements to the PS3's communications abilities, via the XMB. Or, sadly, it may just be a well executed bit of Photoshop trickery that’s got gamers and hacks around the world sitting on the edge of their seats.
Sony couldn’t be contacted when we went to press, but Register Hardware will bring you more news as we have it.
COMMENTS
In game chat my ar5e...
Those who say messaging is built into the PS3 games are themselves missing the point!
Some games support it because the game developers themselves added it, which means if you are in one game, and your friends are in a different game or are listening to music or watching videos, they simply wont be able to talk to each other!
When Sony build it into the system itself, developers wont need to do it, and so everybody will be able to talk or video chat with anybody else on the PS3 no matter what theyre doing.
I own a PS3, I can see its shortcomings in relation to XBox Live, Les Armstrong and Anonymous Coward (above comments) are idiot PS3 fanbois who dont know what standardisation is and how important it is.
The sooner Sony bring it on the better, as the PS3 is still young.
And the same goes for the other things, like having unlimited XMB access from within games, and being able to access system settings from within Remote Play via PSP and a thousand other things I can think of.
Missing the point
PS3 already has chat in game, the article is about messaging people in game when you are not in a game. Like the Xbox 360's Dashboard
Good
All multi-player games should have the options for video chat, voice chat and instant messaging as standard plus online leagues.
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