Sony has updated the firmware for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable to versions 1.90 and 3.52 respectively.

Already available in Japan earlier this week, firmware update version 1.90 for PS3 has also hit the US and Europe almost simultaneously (on July 23 in the US and July 24 in Europe) and it brings a lot of new features that should please fans.

According to Eric Lempel, SCEA Director for PlayStation Network Operations, the upgrade includes feedback coming from PS3 owners, who have requested the possibility to set a wallpaper directly from the XMB (“When viewing a photo, simply bring up the options screen by pressing the triangle button and selecting “set as wallpaper” from the options displayed”).

Many of the improvements brought by the latest update are referring to the XMB, including the option to eject game disks/ CDs/movie DVDs from inside the menu bar.

PS3 owners can also change folder classification, the CD output (“there are two requirements for this feature: the device you’re outputting to must support a sampling frequency of 88.2 kHz or 176.4 kHz, and your PS3 must be connected to that device with an HDMI cable or digital optical cable”), the video settings (even if they are already playing a game) or the upscale settings for PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games (again, even when playing). Forcing 24Hz output for Blu Ray over the HDMI cable and saving AVCHD type animations from a Memory Stick are also available, and Sony also added “Bit Mapping” for music fans, in the “Music Settings” category.

As for the Internet section, Sony’s firmware update adds some cool features like avatar moves during audio visual chat and emoticons, plus the possibility to save bookmarks and a useful security function in the browser’s tools menu.

The interesting part is that Sony has finally decided to bury its old SACD format (Super Audio CD), introduced in 2000. PlayStation 3 has offered support for SACD since the beginning, and the quality of sound the format offers might be enough for most users, but it seems Sony is really trying to make its high-end gaming console the best ever with this new CD upscale option.

The Japanese electronics behemoth has also upgraded PSP’s firmware to version 3.52, but if you’re into homebrew applications or if you’re simply not interested in the better PlayStation Network support 3.52 brings (the single feature included in this upgrade), then you should probably skip it.