Source: UK gaming-news outlet Computer and Video Games, and gaming blog PS3Fanboy.

　　What we heard: It took a fair amount of rumor and speculation to get there, but Sony finally confirmed last week that the PlayStation 3's next firmware update would include the oft-requested and long-promised in-game cross media bar (XMB) and trophy achievements. Unfortunately, the console maker did not reveal the full contents of that update or when it would be available.

　　Cue rumor and speculation. Waving the "exclusive" banner today, CVG reports that an anonymous tipster has leaked the contents of PS3 firmware update v2.40. Making Sony's promise of "some other new enhancements" appear as a modest understatement, CVG's leak reveals a bevy of features that will allegedly be part of the in-game XMB, listed below:

　　Friend category

　　View, send, receive messages

　　Manage downloads

　　Set the vibration feature of the controller

　　Sign in to PlayStation Network

　　Register friends

　　Manage Bluetooth devices

　　Terminate the game

　　Music category

　　Use the system BGM

　　Work the system BGM operation panel

　　Settings category

　　Assign controllers

　　View profiles

　　Game category

　　Set audio devices

　　Use the voice changer

　　The "exciting new feature" that Sony alluded to last week may be the background music (BGM) functionality. According to CVG's tipster, the newly added BGM feature will let PS3 gamers play, stop, skip forward and backward, repeat, and shuffle tracks. When song playback is stopped, the game music will reportedly pick back up. A similar feature is available through the Xbox 360 dashboard, which also allows streaming from external MP3 players onto the console.

　　CVG's tipster believes that Sony will loose v2.40 on the masses in "around three weeks," which would put it smack-dab in the middle of the most heavily publicized event of the year: the E3 Media and Business Summit. However, given that v2.40 promises to deliver two of the most frequently requested features to the PS3's firmware, and considering the ides of June are well in the past, the three-week time frame makes sense.

　　As one more bit of secret sauce that Sony is allegedly pouring out with v2.40, CVG's tipster dropped a few details on the mystery-shrouded Trophy system. The trophies will reportedly be 2D images and will be awarded as bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, with the top-tier trophy apparently becoming available only after all other awards have been collected in any given game. More importantly, the system will not feature an overall gamerscore a la Xbox Live Achievements. Instead, it will award experience points as part of a leveling functionality that the tipster did not expound upon.

　　As for what those trophies will look like, PS3Fanboy may have the answer. Earlier this week, the gaming blog posted with a measure of skepticism shaky-cam photos (pictured, top) of what a tipster claims to be shots of the trophy system in action. That information was apparently verified by another informer, who sent in a follow-up shot of a prototype gamercard (pictured, bottom). According to PS3Fanboy's second informant, experience points will be awarded in relation to the level of the trophy, and gamers will level up as these points accumulate.

　　The official story: "We can't comment on rumors or speculation."--A Sony representative, clearly looking forward to E3.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus on all counts.