PS3: Dynamic themes, avatars, XMB functionality, and more in firmware update 3.0

PS3 firmware update 3.0 is available from now, having gone live in the wee hours of this morning.

That means PS3 owners are now able to enjoy a redesigned friend list, new XMB functionality, dynamic themes, and new customisation options for avatars.

There’s also a status indicator in the top right of the screen showing your avatar, your user icon, what you are currently up to, and a mail icon. Any messages you receive now appear in your friend’s respective profiles.

It’s mainly aesthetic tweaks, then, but that’s all you’ll be getting for the time being – this is the final PS3 firmware update of 2009. There are several more minor changes that I’ll list here as I find them, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: Footage of the Afrika theme in action (via PS3Blog.net). A must for zebra-lovers:

[Via SoftSailor, Pic]