PlayStation 3 firmware 3.0 is coming soon, bringing with it nex XMB functionality, a status indicator, a friends list redesign, dynamic themes, avatars, and much more.

Announced during Gamescom and highlighted at the PlayStation blog, firmware 3.0 doesn't revolutionalize the way we navigate the PlayStation 3, but it does bring some welcome changes. The most prevalent of the changes is a status bar in the top right of the screen, which shows your avatar, your user icon, what you are up to, and a mail icon, in case you have messages waiting.