PS3 tricks Sony doesn't tell you

Got a PlayStation 3? For those of you that have picked up Sony's shiny black plaything, we've put together a Digital Home top ten of tips that you won't find in the user manual.
1) Play games from any country

Harbouring a desire to play Super Gaiden Ninja XI? Now you can. In fact, you can handily play any PS3 game from any country. On holiday in the States and spot the latest release at a bargain dollar-to-pound price? Help yourself. So far, at least, PS3 games aren't being region coded. That said PS2 and PS1 games are so you can't play a US title on a Euro console.

And let's not forget that Blu-ray movies are region-coded so the barriers aren't completely down yet.
2) The secret video reset

One of the most annoying aspects of the PS3 are its video settings. Take it up to the bedroom portable or round to a friend's house and there's a good chance that you won't be able to see anything on screen because your 'new' TV is running at a different resolution or using a different cable connection. And - because you can't see anything - you can't change it.

Until now. Shut down your PS3 then restart by pressing and holding the power button.This will reset your PS3 to its most basic 480p graphics mode so you'll be able to see enough to choose RGB SCART, component, HDMI or whatever from here.
3) See how much charge is on your pad

There's no indication of how much charge is left on the pad itself. Instead it appears on screen during games. Press and hold the PS button on any joypad. An indicator will appear, showing your pad's charge as a small battery. A full battery pic means a fully-charged pad. Neat.
4) Download game saves

Chances are someone out there has already beaten that boss for you and saved their game afterwards. Why not take advantage of it? Google 'PS3 game saves'. There are hundreds of finished and half finished game saves scattered all over the internet. Download the save you want - it'll come in a 'PS3' folder that you can lift onto a USB stick and put into your PS3. Go to the Game menu, choose your stick and the game save you downloaded should be right there. Press Triangle to copy it to your hard drive.
5) Make free video phone calls

You will need a USB headset (like the one you use for PS2 Socom) and an EyeToy camera. Plug in both via USB then go to your Friends menu. Choose a friend you've signed up earlier and press Triangle. Choose Start New Chat and type a message. Something like 'Videochat?' should do the trick. Now, providing they're in front of their powered-up PS3 (perhaps you could text them to tell them to be in position?) then they'll see your message and be given the option to accept your videochat.

Now, provided they too have a camera and headset, two windows will open, one showing you (so you can make sure you're looking your best), the other displaying your mate. Best of all you can hit Triangle again and invite more people to join your chat - up to a maximum of six. And the cost? Not a bean above your usual broadband connection charges.

6) Browse multiple internet windows

Open the browser (go to Network) and surf to a page you want. Now open up the menu with a press of Triangle and choose 'Open In New Window'. Enter another URL and then do the same again. Keep going until you've got six windows open. Now press L3 (done by clicking down the left stick). You're now in multi-page mode. Move the left stick to flick through the webpages as though they were bits of paper, then click L3 again to zoom in.
7) Upgrade your hard drive

We took the drive out of our PS3 and found it to be a Seagate Momentus 5400rpm 60GB 2.5inch SATA drive. We swapped ours out effortlessly for a Seagate Momentus 120GB 2.5inch SATA drive and it worked perfectly. Remove the cover flap on the bottom of your PS3 with a fingernail. Undo the blue screw and slide the drive over to the right and out of your PS3. Undo the four screws on the 'caddy' and remove the old drive.

Put your new drive in the caddy (it should be exactly the same size, of course) and re-do the four screws. Slot it back in and slide to the left to make the connections. Re-do the blue screw, pop the cover back on and restart your PS3. Say 'yes' to the message on screen and voila - new super-size hard-drive. (Go to Settings, System Settings, System Information to check).
Share your bought downloads

You can download anything you've bought from the store to five PlayStation 3s. This is useful if you've got more than one PS3 (of course) and also if you've wiped your hard-drive and don't fancy paying for the same download twice...

However, you can also choose to share your download with your mates. The PlayStation Store logs how many times each download has been downloaded by each user. On your mate's PS3 Create New User and log onto the store with your ID. You'll now be able to go to your download and see that you've already downloaded whatever it was that you paid for. You can now download it again, using another of your downloads and giving it to your mate for free. Or a small optional charge...
9) Force a PS3 to show your files

Put your photos in a folder called 'PICTURE' or your videos in a folder called 'VIDEO' or simply *force* your PS3 to look at your files on your stick regardless of what you called them or where you put them. Insert your stick and go to the menu option you want (Photos, Music, whatever). PressTriangle to bring up a menu and choose Display All.

This will show every file on the stick. It even works for a plugged-in iPod, though the multi-folder structure you'll reveal is a bit baffling. Still, your songs are in there if you've got the patience to find them.
10) Change your album art

When you import a music CD your PS3 automatically pulls down the album art and stores it with the tracks. Occasionally it gets it wrong, however, or it may simply not be able to find the art of your hipper, less commercial tracks. This is easily fixed however.

Download a pic of the art you need as a jpg on your PC and put it onto a stick (in a folder called PICTURE, ideally). Copy it to your Photo menu (press Triangle). Now go to Music and select the album folder with the offending art. Press Triangle and select Information. Go to the Photo menu and select your new picture. Bingo.

1. Save files from the web

Copying videos, music and photos isn't the only way to save media permanently to your console – you can also save files directly from the web. See a link to an MP3 you fancy? Simply click on the link with the X button and the PS3 will automatically offer to save it directly into your Music folder, ready to be played at any time.

It's the same story with videos – so long as the PS3 recognises the format, such as AVI or MP4 it will give you the option to save it directly to the video folder. For images, hover the pointer over a picture, press the Triangle button and select File, then Save Image and you'll have the option to save out to the photo folder.

2. Visualisations

One of the PS3's most impressive in-built features is missed by many people. The Gaia visualisation is an option when playing music, and is a high definition 3D representation of the Earth, based on NASA's stunning Blue Marble photography.

Simply hit the Square button while playing an MP3 or CD to flick through the various visualisations on offer. Be advised that Gaia is best suited to dreamy ambient tunes rather than pumping dance or heavy rock.

3. Turn DVDs into HD

Another fact that many PS3 owners miss is that their sleek black console is actually one of the finest DVD players on the market. In this era of high definition content, DVDs can look awful when they're splashed across a large LCD or plasma screen, but the PS3 has the processing grunt to polish them up to near HD quality.

While watching a DVD through an HD display, press the Triangle button and choose the AV Settings button, you will then see options for frame, block and mosquito noise reduction, and also an option to perform a full upscale on DVD content.

Video saved to storage can also be run with frame and block noise reduction by tweaking the same menu options.

4. Set up a media server

If you have a computer loaded up with music, photos and video, but don't fancy holding duplicates on a PS3 hard drive that will take up valuable space for game installs, there's a solution. Set up media streaming across your network.

What you need on your computer is software that has DNLA server capabilities such as Windows Media Player 11 or Tversity (www.tversity.com). On your computer, set the software up to share the music, video and photo folders, then on the PS3, select the Search for Media Servers option under any of the Photo, Music or Video columns on the XMB.

You should see a new option on your XMB any time your computer is switched on, which acts as the gateway to streaming your media.

5. Use other webcams

You may assume that the only webcam compatible with the PS3's video chatting capabilities is Sony's Playstation Eye. In fact, most standard PC/Mac webcams are supported, and many camera enabled games, such as Rainbow Six Vegas 2, offer similar levels of compatibility.

You can even use the Xbox Live Vision camera from Microsoft's rival Xbox 360 console if you're feeling particularly rebellious, and if your chosen camera has a microphone, that'll appear as a voice input device for chatting as well.

6. Playstation store on PC

Sometimes it's simply not convenient to download items on the PS3 particularly when downloads might be interrupted by an online gaming session or video chat.

These days, though, the PlayStation store is available on your PC or Mac and you're likely to find the interface and thumbnails load more quickly on your PC as well.

You sign in using your existing PSN account and can copy downloaded items using removable storage such as a USB drive or an SD card to transfer to your console.

7. Turn your PS3 into a PC

It's actually quite easy to turn your PS3 into a fully fledged PC, which is great for adding media and productivity flexibility to the piano black box beneath your TV. If you dig into the Settings, then System Settings menu you'll find an option to Install Other OS.

You'll need to back up the data that's currently stored on your PS3 hard drive to a USB device, but then by following some simple instructions you can download a copy of the operating system, burn it to a CD or DVD and then install it to your console's hard drive.

8. Access instant messaging

If you're a slave to Windows Live Messenger when you're online, but fancy browsing from the comfort of your sofa and television, Microsoft has a low profile version of Messenger available that is perfect for keeping in one of the PS3 browser's six available tabs as you trawl the web.

Simply head to http://mobile.live.com and select the Messenger option, then sign in as normal. Unfortunately, as yet there is no way to access Yahoo or AOL instant messaging networks via the PS3's browser.

9. Transfer classic PS1 games to PSP

You may have noticed that classic Playstation games such as Command and Conquer and Wipeout have begun appearing on the PS Store and that they can be saved to the PS3's hard drive. What you might not be aware of is that, if you have a large enough Memory Stick Pro Duo in your handheld, your purchase also gives you the right to transfer the game to a PSP registered with your PS3.

This means you can genuinely play the game either at home or away without needing internet access for Remote Play. Simply find the PS1 game in the game column of the XMB and press Triangle. You'll see the option to Copy, simply click it, connect your PSP via USB, then follow the on screen instructions.

10. Use PC peripherals

Browsing the internet on a console can be a drag, particularly if you're lumped with using a control pad and the onscreen keyboard to fill in online forms or hammer out emails.

Fortunately, the PS3 actually supports standard keyboards and mice, which work brilliantly with the PS3's in-built browser and even some games, such as Unreal Tournament 3. Sony's system will even allow you to pair up Bluetooth keyboards and mice.

If you have wired devices simply plug them into the PS3's USB ports (or a USB hub connected to the PS3 if you're short on free ports). If you're using Bluetooth peripherals head to the Settings column, then select Accessory Settings and then Manage Bluetooth Devices and follow the onscreen instructions to pair the keyboard and mouse to your console.

PC and PS3 Network Media Sharing

I have tried several filservers and I found the following two free products as best suited for my needs, I hope this information helps anyone who is not willing to upgrade thier PS3 hard drive yet. Although I do have 320GB internal and 1TB External that I do recommend you look into at some point into the future as the prices of this equipment is always coming down.

Media Streaming and Copying with TVersity Media Server

The TVersity file server is a Windows based DLNA fileserver and can be downloaded for free from the TVeristy website. The Playstation 3 will detect the application's file server as a Media Server, enabling you to have full read and copy access to any media files on your PC.

After downloading, installing and then launching the TVersity program you will be greeted by the front user interface. Top Left of the screen you will see a symbol that resembles a TV, click that and you will see the main menu that gives you have the option to launch the file server. With the filerserver up and running you can use the two button just to the right of the main menu. The Plus sign allows you to add folders to your TVserity library, and the next button refreshes your TVserity library.

Refreshing the library may take several minutes depeding on the amount of media files you have allowed the TVersity library access too.

On the PS3 go to any of the Media related XMB icons, such as Videos. Select 'Search for Media Servers' and 'Yes' to the confirmation message and your PS3 will look for and detect the TVserity fileserver (provided both are on the same network).

Now on the XMB you will see a new icon under the search icon you selected and it will have the TVserity logo you will recognise from the Windows based application. Select this and the PS3 will look into the TVersity library and list the folders and files you want to share. If you are in Video on the XMB you can only view video files, music on the Music XMB icon etc. go through the folders and you will see your files. Just move to the one you want and select it with the X button to start streaming the content.

Press the Triangle button and you will get the Copy and Copy Multiple option, allowing you to either copy one file or many.

NOTE: TVersity can transcode some media files so it can be played through the PS3, I am aware that their is small amount of filetypes that cannot be trasncoded but as yet I haven't come across any.

Background Downloading with Red Kawa's PS3 File Server

If you want to download media files from you PC and still have the ability to listen to music, surf the net or watch some of your video files then go for Red Kawa's PS3 File Server. Unlike TVersity, Windows Media Player 11 or Nero Home Media this application is not recongised by the PS3 as a Media Server. So you will not have to search for it in the same way, however this way is simpler.

The software works on Windows and can be downloaded for free from the Red Kawa website. After downloading, installing and launching the software on your PC you will a little window pop-up. It will tell you the server is up and running and it will give you an IP:Port number.

There are three buttons below, click the Lauch File Server button and you will see a webpage. Black background and white writing, if you goto the bottom of the webpage you will see a link for 'Settings' and when you click that you can input the folders you want the fileserver to look at. Each one must be inputted manually. Click the 'Save' option and go to your PS3.

Open your PS3 web browser via the Network XMB icon and enter the IP:Port number into the address bar that is stated on the Red Kawa File Server, which can be done by pressing Start on the PS3 controller.

You will now see the same black webpage with white writing, and like the writing on the webpage on the PC it is the entire File Directory on the PC hard drive. Each Folder is a link, and select that link will take you further into the file/folder structure that Windows holds.

To download the file you want, simply select it with the X button on you PS3 controller. You get the standard download screen and also the option to download the file in the background. So now that file and any other you want will go into the PS3's Download Manager in the Network XMB icon.

And make sure you add the address to your bookmarks by pressing the Select button on your PS3 controller. So next time, you can go straight into the PC when you launch the server next time.

NOTE: Background downloading doesn't appear to happen when playing a game or DVD/Blu-ray. But it works as normal if you are watching/listening to media files already transferred over or surfing the net.

there to much info to read lol

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

Who bLuE-_-FuSiOn Lol he deleted the posts on our forum. The author of this thread is the mysterious Kingkenny76. Because he started the thread it will remain open and maybe just maybe kk will show up some time

GuNka wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

Who bLuE-_-FuSiOn Lol he deleted the posts on our forum. The author of this thread is the mysterious Kingkenny76. Because he started the thread it will remain open and maybe just maybe kk will show up some time

so wait did bLuE-_-FuSiOn hack the forum and deleted all the posts???

sOs-Vlan wrote:

GuNka wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

Who bLuE-_-FuSiOn Lol he deleted the posts on our forum. The author of this thread is the mysterious Kingkenny76. Because he started the thread it will remain open and maybe just maybe kk will show up some time

so wait did bLuE-_-FuSiOn hack the forum and deleted all the posts???

noo he was moderator and he was able to delete posts but why he deleted them ? we still dont know that

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

GuNka wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

Who bLuE-_-FuSiOn Lol he deleted the posts on our forum. The author of this thread is the mysterious Kingkenny76. Because he started the thread it will remain open and maybe just maybe kk will show up some time

so wait did bLuE-_-FuSiOn hack the forum and deleted all the posts???

noo he was moderator and he was able to delete posts but why he deleted them ? we still dont know that

did you ever ask him?

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

GuNka wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn wrote:

there to much info to read lol

Yep, wayyyy to much haha

blue fusion is gone a long way back now this topic could be closed to replies only read it

sorry

Who bLuE-_-FuSiOn Lol he deleted the posts on our forum. The author of this thread is the mysterious Kingkenny76. Because he started the thread it will remain open and maybe just maybe kk will show up some time

so wait did bLuE-_-FuSiOn hack the forum and deleted all the posts???

noo he was moderator and he was able to delete posts but why he deleted them ? we still dont know that

did you ever ask him?

wow the answer may be so simple. lets just ask. y did we ever think of that.

bLuE-_-FuSiOn probably deleted the posts because he was an idiot. So we banned him straight away.

GuNka wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn probably deleted the posts because he was an idiot. So we banned him straight away.

damn he got effed over.

GuNka wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn probably deleted the posts because he was an idiot. So we banned him straight away.

I like how you're thinking

did he get a warning or was it just like. haha ur banned.

Xanderth wrote:

GuNka wrote:

bLuE-_-FuSiOn probably deleted the posts because he was an idiot. So we banned him straight away.

I like how you're thinking

haha so he musta been the worst guy huh, id hunt him down and kik him in the nuttttttsss

sOs-Kil wrote:

did he get a warning or was it just like. haha ur banned.

i dont think he got a warning, he wouldnt deserve it

he got simple banned cuz gunka found out that he deleted the posts so if any moderator will delete something without telling admins about it he'll get kick

soul_eater93 wrote:

he got simple banned cuz gunka found out that he deleted the posts so if any moderator will delete something without telling admins about it he'll get kick

ahhh ok i understand now, thanks

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

he got simple banned cuz gunka found out that he deleted the posts so if any moderator will delete something without telling admins about it he'll get kick

ahhh ok i understand now, thanks

sure m8 need other help ask

soul_eater93 wrote:

he got simple banned cuz gunka found out that he deleted the posts so if any moderator will delete something without telling admins about it he'll get kick

ya thats not right how someone would alter the website without telling one of the addmins

soul_eater93 wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

soul_eater93 wrote:

he got simple banned cuz gunka found out that he deleted the posts so if any moderator will delete something without telling admins about it he'll get kick

ahhh ok i understand now, thanks

sure m8 need other help ask

ok thanks

sOs-Vlan wrote:

sOs-Kil wrote:

did he get a warning or was it just like. haha ur banned.

i dont think he got a warning, he wouldnt deserve it

harsh but thats tough love.

sOs-Kil wrote:

sOs-Vlan wrote:

sOs-Kil wrote:

did he get a warning or was it just like. haha ur banned.

i dont think he got a warning, he wouldnt deserve it

harsh but thats tough love.

tough love in deed