PS3 firmware update 3.60 lands tomorrow, includes cloud saving

Sony has announced a new PlayStation 3 system update will be made available for download from tomorrow, Thursday March 10th. There’s usually at least one big new feature in these compulsory updates, and this latest revision is no different – firmware update 3.60 will include cloud saving, allowing users to store game saves online.

Alas, as is often the case in life, there is a catch: you need to be a PlayStation Plus subscriber to gain this feature.

If you are one of these special people, you’ll get 150MB of space to upload and dump saved game files. As a typical game save file is 1-2MB, that’s probably the equivalent of roughly 100 saves. You can then download a save you made from a friend’s PS3, which is jolly nice.

In a slightly cunning move by Sony, any save files you have will be made inaccessible should your PlayStation Plus subscription lapse, and will remain out of reach until you renew. You’ll have plenty of time to rejoin, however: save files are kept for six months before they get zapped.

[Via press release]