Often first in the trade-in pile come Aug/Sept it looks like I could be keeping my copy of FIFA 09 for many years to come. Not because of any great improvements – though this is the best one yet, at least until 2010 anyway – but because this could be the last to feature Southampton FC. The potential implosion of the Saints has caused me anger, sadness and shock but – and I promise I'm dragging this rapidly around to gaming – nothing can match the intensity of the latest PS3 firmware update.
Ok I jest, but PS3 owners will at least now be able to text chat with up to 15 other players and sort their friends via online status. Not exactly earth shattering then, but further evidence of the PS3's increasing move towards Xbox Live functionality.
Currently you get what you pay for. Live, which costs around 40UKP a year, is more fully featured and easier to use than the free PSN. But the PS3's offering is catching up. Having said that text chat is not exactly practical when mid-Killzone session, and you have to wonder how useful it will actually be? Any PS3 owner here downloaded firmware 2.70 yet?
