The PS3 firmware updates have been the talk of the town lately, but let's not forget the PSP gets updated, too. On top of which, one of the most significant in the history of the handheld is now scheduled to drop on December 18, and it's one PSP owners in Japan are definitely going to want. According to IGN, the following features will be included in update version 3.8:
The first is BB Mobile Point Demos, which means that when you're in the vicinity of an access point for Yahoo BB Mobile Point, you can access the PlayStation Spot retail download service directly from the PSP. Obviously, this means you can pick up demos while on the go, which is very cool. Next up is the ability to record TV programs, provided you have the PSP 1seg tuner. The shows will be recorded to the Memory Stick Duo, and as you browse the 1seg channel guide, you'll find that some will even let you flag them in advance for recording. You just can't record multiple shows at once, and not surprisingly, you also won't be able to play a game or access the Internet while recording. Last up is Internet radio compatibility, which is exactly what it sounds like- you can listen to streaming Internet radio broadcasts via any Internet radio player.
We have no idea if any or all of these features will arrive in North America, but we sure hope they do. This is one heck of a big update, and we'd like to think Sony wouldn't limit it to Japan…then again, they've been known to do that before. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything new.