PS3 Firmware 1.50: Buy games on PS Network with Felica phones or Edy contactless electronic money cards

SCEJ announces the PS3 firmware version 1.50 today adding an electronic money payment system, so you don’t always need a credit card to buy games online anymore. First, pick up the electronic money PaSoRi reader/writerfor your PS3, connect it via the USB port on the console, update the firmware to version 1.50, then you are all set to add money to your Network Wallet and buy games on Playstation Network with your Felica phone or Edy money card. Felica phones are phones with built-in a contactless electronic money chip, these phones are able to show on the screen the balance on your money chip, record of latest transactions, the stations you passed by, your flight boarding pass, movie tickets, Tokyo Disneyland queue reserve ticket and purchase coupons.

The Edy card only does the e-money storing but it’s a separate “touch-and-go” card like the Oyster Card in the UK or the Octopus in Hong Kong, but those started out as stored value tickets for trains. Apart from the new electronic money support, firmware version 1.50 also improves the AOSS W-LAN security with the choice of 128bit WEP, WPA-PSK(TKIP/AES) protocols. Minor updates such as the ability to save log-in password for PS Network login and the support for Korean Hangul keyboard are also introduced. The firmware 1.50 will be available on Jan24 and it is for PS3 in Japan only, there is no word on upcoming updates for the American consoles as we are writing. — Sam Chan

Press Release [SCEJ]