Minimum Firmware Required for PSN

PlayStation Network

• The PlayStation Network, or PSN, is the name for the unified online services available on the PlayStation 3. The main component of the PSN is its online gaming features, including online multiplayer gaming and sending video or text messages to your friends. The PSN also encompasses the PlayStation Store, a digital store offering a variety of services to enhance not only your PlayStation 3 games but provide digital entertainment as well. In terms of gaming, the PlayStation store offers the ability to download games digitally and add new content to previously purchased games. For digital entertainment, the PlayStation Store allows you to rent or buy movies to watch on your PlayStation 3.

Firmware

• Firmware is the name of the system software used in the PlayStation 3. PlayStation 3 users download firmware updates to upgrade their PlayStation 3, giving it new abilities, such as new services you can use, upgrading parts of the hardware, such as increased Blu-ray player quality or patching found bugs or exploits within the PlayStation 3. A version number denotes what version of firmware your PlayStation 3 uses; the higher the number, the more recent the firmware of your system is. Sony releases firmware updates on a regular basis as they are constantly updating and upgrading the PlayStation 3.

Minimum Firmware for PSN

• When a firmware update is available, the PlayStation 3 prompts you to download it the next you attempt to use any part of the PSN, whether it is the store or an online game. Due to the nature of the firmware updates, as many of them fix security risks or bugs within the PlayStation 3's software, the PSN requires you to have the latest firmware for your PlayStation 3 before allowing you to log in. Whatever the most recent firmware is for the PlayStation 3, that is the version required to use any part of the PSN.

Updating Your Firmware

• You can update your firmware in three ways: through the PlayStation 3, through a USB drive and through a game that has an available update. However, most games have PSN updates that are often lagging behind the most recent one, making it not an ideal way to update your firmware if you want to connect to the PSN. The best way to update your firmware is through the PlayStation 3 itself. Navigate to the "System Update" option under "Settings" on your PlayStation 3's main menu. Follow the directions to update your firmware. After updating, you are able to reconnect to the PSN.