That's right, another firmware update - and less than a month after the last one, too. Whether you're a fan of frequent updates or not you won't be able to enjoy this latest revision to its fullest without access to a PS3. A miniature update, by all accounts, that adds two PS3-based features to your favorite handheld. Eric Lempel details v3.95, which will be "made available shortly" on the PlayStation.Blog. The update contains the following:

• While playing PSone games on your PSP, you can now customize how the buttons are assigned by going to [Controller Settings] > [Assign Buttons] and select [Custom]
• You can now quit Remote Play and choose to turn off your PS3 or leave it on after quitting. This is useful if you are performing a download and want to quit Remote Play, but still want your download to continue on the PS3. Select [Quit and Turn Off the PS3 System] or [Quit Without Turning Off the PS3 System] from [Quit Remote Play] when you press the HOME button on the PSP system.

[Update: Firmware is now available through Network Update.]

A late night update of the PlayStation.blog reveals that a new firmware update will hit PSP today. 3.93 will, as usual, expand support for PSN titles. However, it will also revamp the oft-forgotten internet radio feature of the handheld. According to the post, there are "20 new internet radio players to enjoy." Not only that, "the new players are organized into more specific styles of music so that PSP users can easily find what they are looking for and listen to their favorite genres." The current rendition of the radio is a bit disorganized -- anything will be undoubtedly be a step up.

Ready for Skype? Here it is! Get it by accessing Network Update on your PSP. Here are the official details:

• Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles has been expanded.
• Skype has been added as a feature under Network.* (Only for PSP-2000 series.)

For more details on Skype and their free and paid calling services, visit the Skype official website. Note: Skype requires a PSP headset with remote control.

[Thanks, Jorge H.!]

Our friend at PSP GadgetZ has just uploaded a new video, highlighting all the features of the Japanese version of firmware 3.80. While the rest of the world must be satisfied with internet radio (which we are), the Japanese get the very cool ability to record shows from their 1seg tuner. Yes, the PSP is a DVR machine in Japan, and we're incredibly jealous.

PSP firmware 3.73 is now available via Network Update. Strangely, this update does not list any improvements before installation begins. We're going to assume it means:

• Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles has been expanded.

We'll keep on playing around with the new firmware to see if anything significant has changed. To download the latest update, run Network Update on your PSP.

Update: Al De Leon from SCEA added: "With this update, operation of the UMD™ (Universal Media Disc) drive has been improved to address cases in which the UMD drive occasionally suspends and fails to reload data. Updating the system software to version 3.73 will resolve this issue."

A new firmware update is available for the PSP. Version 3.72 doesn't seem to add much functionality, other than expanding support for PlayStation Network titles. All in all, a pretty lackluster update - those without a PS3 needn't even bother. Sure, Sony could have snuck in some extra secret stuff, but we're betting not. If you want it, however, go and get it. A PS3 update is expected soon and PSP v3.72 does lend credence to that theory. We're remaining cautious, however. We'll let you know more as it happens.

[UPDATE] The EU PlayStation website has confirmed that firmware v3.72 also has support for the PS3's Remote Start feature which will be included with PS3 firmware v2.00.

The latest PSP firmware, v3.71, is available right now via the network update command from your XMB. So far internet reports tell us that the update does ... well, not a lot really. Despite Sony's talk of "new, user-requested features", there doesn't seem to be any evidence of any additional functionality at all. Perhaps something will pop up later.

We suspect v3.70 might have held a security loophole and Sony, for once, caught it before the homebrewers did. So while the update doesn't yet do anything visible, you can feel safe in the knowledge that your PSP is safe from homebrew ninjas. Probably.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Regardless, Sony have also said that new themes will be available for download at some point on PlayStation.com, the official PSP Site and the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation Store? That sounds great, but why stop there. We'd love to have demos, wallpapers and videos made available that way, too.

Don't you love these late night PSP firmware updates? Wake up and enjoy the following new features:

• You can now set custom themes in [Theme Settings] under [Settings].
• Support has been added for assigning buttons in [Remote Play].
• A scene search feature has been added under [Video].
• Sequential playback is now supported under [Video].
• Simultaneous playback of content under [Music] and [Photo] is now supported.

Yes. Photos and music can now be played back simultaneously. We're going to go into more detail about the firmware features later in the day, as we get more time to test things out.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in! Photo by ThisIsTheChris]

For homebrew enthusiasts with TA-082 or newer motherboards, who have a patched idstorage key and cannot upgrade their 3.11 firmware to 3.50 to use the 3.50 downgrader, and don't have access to Pandora's Battery, team N00bz has a solution for your extremely specific problem.

Their new 3.11 downgrader will let you go down to firmware 1.50, at which point you could then do lots of homebrew goodness. You will need a copy of Lumines to pull off the downgrade. Detailed instructions can be found here. As usual, we must warn you that there is a risk of bricking your PSP, so use at your own risk.

Yet another surprise PSP firmware update strikes Network Update tonight. PSP Update version 3.52 doesn't offer much new:

• Revisions to strengthen security have been added.
• The number of PLAYSTATION Network titles that can be played under [Game] has increased.

Hopefully, this means that we're going to see a new surge of downloadable PS1 games on the PlayStation Store later this week? Certainly, we're having a blast with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

[Thanks, Random!]

Firmware 3.50 and 3.51 have hints at an upcoming new feature for PSP. Hidden within np9660.prx, coders have found that this will allow Sony to load official PSP games from Memory Stick. Although there will undoubtedly be plans for hackers to take advantage of this code, it's great to see Sony finally step closer to the promised PSP Store that we've been waiting for years. Upcoming firmware will most likely support downloadable PSP games. Imagine, being able to download Wipeout Pulse from your PSP, instead of walking to a store and buying the game. It can happen ... but how soon?

[Via Exophase]

Days after a Lumines exploit allowed all PSPs to be downgraded, Sony has released a minor security patch in the form of firmware 3.51. This incremental update doesn't offer any new functionality. Rather, it corrects the flaw found in Lumines. Those that are interested in upgrading to the latest firmware should use Network Update from their PSPs. Officially, the update includes:

• Revisions to strengthen security have been added.

And that's it.
[Thanks, Reuban!]

Homebrew on PSP systems with firmware 3.50 was thought to be impossible ... until now. An exploit was found in the classic puzzle game, Lumines, that allows a Hello World application to run on the system. Users must download a special program, and install it on the Memory Stick. When launching Lumines, the exploit will be taken advantage of.

This is a huge win for the homebrew community. Most likely, downgraders will be created to take advantage of this exploit, which will allow all modern PSP owners to revert to a homebrew-capable firmware. Most likely, Sony has already heard about this exploit, and is working on a new firmware to ensure too many people won't be able to take advantage of this flaw.

[Update: Now included a video, via MAXCONSOLE]
[Thanks, Merc25!]

According to QJ's "insider" at Sony, firmware version 3.50 allows UMD games to use the full 333MHz of the PSP. If true, this is great news but brings up a few questions. Using the total available processing power will potentially allow for smoother framerates and quicker load times. The problem, however, comes with the battery life. The reason games are locked to 266mhz (only one game has been allowed to use even that much - Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters) is due to the very limited battery life when the PSP runs at full speed.

This would coincide with Kotaku's PSP redesign rumours, which claim to have a much heftier battery life due to a much more economic screen. If this feature really is already in the current firmware update, does that mean we will be seeing a redesign much sooner than we expected?

[Update: Developers have confirmed that new 3.50 SDKs allow for full clock speed use.]

[Andrew's note: Older games will not run at the higher clock speed. However, any new games developed from this point onwards will be able to utilize the full clock speed of the PSP. This is intrinsic to firmware 3.50, and any new games that require 333MHz will need firmware 3.50 or above.]