PlayStation 3 owners are receiving version 4.00 of the System Software as Sony has started pushing it out. Version 4.00 for the PlayStation 3 comes ahead of updates in the pipeline for the first couple weeks of December for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS. The Xbox 360 update will, in fact, be a complete interface overhaul to the new Metro interface, and will be the biggest update for the platform since the 2008 New Xbox Experience update. The 3DS update will be a bit tamer, with it adding the ability to firm 3D video, transfer software between devices, download game demos, and download software while in sleep mode.

As for the Version 4.00 update on the PlayStation 3, the majority of the update is to support the launch of the new PlayStation Vita which arrives in Japan on December 17th and then in North America and Europe on February 22nd.

Once the update is applied, the PlayStation 3 will be able to transfer video, images, music, and game data to and from the PlayStation 3 console. In addition, you will be able to register your Vita as a “Remote Play” device.

Beyond the new Vita support, the update also adds upscaler output support and cinema conversion for Blu-ray content. Additional language support has been added for English U.K. and Brazil. New privacy settings allow users to block other users from sending both messages and friend requests. Finally, if you happen to be a PlayStation Plus member you will now be able to choose what software is updated by the Automatic Update feature (but you have to be a PlayStation Plus member for this).