Today is my birthday. At the ripe old age of 25, I feel no different to how I felt after turning 24, but like most birthdays this morning I've been overwhelmed with text messages, emails, cards and presents as a way of congratulating me on surviving this far in life. Only kidding.

So I'm wondering what news I will come across that will add to this feeling of ‘today is a good day’, and I find comment from Sony confirming that the reported problems associated with Firmware update 3.0 are being investigated. Senior Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media, Patrick Seybold, writes on the PlayStation blog:

‘SCEA is aware of reports that PS3 owners are experiencing isolated issues with their PS3 system since installing the most recent system software update (v3.00). Rest assured that we are looking into the matter and will provide an update here as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience, as it’s our mission to deliver the best consumer experience on all PlayStation platforms.’

We might even see a hotfix arriving before the end of the week, according to the Play 3 website. Ok, it’s not a day at a rally driving school, or a Diesel watch, but it’s a present all the same. Thank you Patrick.

Since its release earlier this week, Firmware 3.0 has become the new Marmite: some of us love it, some of us hate it.

The newest sore point, as noted on the official PlayStation 3 forum, relates to controller connectivity. Various models of Sony’s Sixth Axis wireless control pad – most notably the Ceramic White DualShock 3 CECHZC2H (pictured) – are failing to link to the PS3 post-update. LEDs for ports 1 & 2 will illuminate with promise, but the controller refuses to synchronise, even when attached via the USB cable in rare cases.

Resetting the controller, as suggested in troubleshooting section of the console's instruction manual, doesn’t solve the problem, and performing a complete system restore (as carried out by one of the forum members) won’t work either. It may be an isolated issue at the moment, but this is becoming a concern amongst PS3 gamers.

So far, Firmware 3.0 has already affected the ability to download PlayStation Store content on the PS3 Slim, and is even causing select titles to freeze-up during play. We sincerely hope the firmware’s latest teething problem will be its last.

It’s official (well, according to PlayStation LifeStyle, anyway):

Firmware version 3.0 for PS3 is now live. This new update has significantly refreshed and improved our console’s XMB to provide a range of new functions and applications, making navigation through menus a more efficient, pleasurable experience. Who’d have thought it?

After the break, we have a comprehensive breakdown of all that’s new, so be sure to do your homework before adopting the new interface.

Possibly the coolest new feature is the introduction of Dynamic Themes, which are animated backgrounds rich with movement, colour and sound. And guess who’s stolen the limelight by being the first to appear in a Dynamic Theme? Yes, Media Molecule's Sackboy. You will, however, need to spend a small fee of $2.99 at the PlayStation Store before he’ll run riot on your 1080p display - he’s not cheap you know!