Today Sony rolled out a number of upgrades designed to strengthen their online offerings for the PlayStation 3. A free firmware update today adds new systems to connect with social networks and their PlayStation Plus service is now available, offering exclusives, extras and free content to those willing to pay an annual fee. For more than four years PS3 owners have enjoyed free access online, today Sony will find out how many are willing to pay for the complete experience. 

PS3 Firmware v3.40

The new update prepares the system for all the new changes. Once in place you can then download the Video Editor and Uploader, a 40 MB tool that will allow you to edit any video clips you've stored on your PS3 and then upload them to Facebook or YouTube. At 100 MB you can also download the latest version of Photo Gallery which allows you to upload any photographs you have stored on your system to either the Facebook or Picasa web communities, with the added ability to browse and rate pics from others. Finally, you can now send photos directly to other PSN network friends on your list. In support of the new changes, Sony's released a Facebook app that let's you better integrate your PSN network profile with the social network.  

PlayStation Plus

Now available from the PSN online store, you can purchase a membership for $49.99 for a full year and three bonus months or spend $17.99 for just the three months themselves. The basic use of the PSN Network is still free, the deal that's being offered through Plus is that, for your subscription fee Sony will make a chunk of content from the store free and deliver exclusives like full game trials, early beta sessions, etc. You'll find the related content marked in the store with a golden plus. 

Initially the selection of content includes a free copy of inFAMOUS, Wipeout HD, Rally Cross, Age of Zombies, the Cuboid puzzle series, a Collision system theme, avatars for Fat Princess, free add-ons for Warhawk and Magic Orbz, and discounts a several other arcade games and add-ons.

Plus also unlocks the ability for your PS3 to automatically grab and download free content that it decides you'll like for you. You set the time, say between 4 am and 6am, and it powers itself on, grabs the content, and then turns itself off.

Is Plus Worth The Price?

Unless you have been planning to pick up inFAMOUS anyway, right now there's no must-have reason to make the upgrade. Yes, you're getting more than $92 worth of free stuff for at least $18, but it's not exactly content you might have been looking to buy anyway. As we get closer to the holidays and we see more and more hot titles hitting store shelves, I expect Sony will start dishing out Plus-branded content that will be very difficult to resist, better to start your three months or a year then.