One of the major advantages of subscribing to PlayStation Plus is having your console automatically download patches, content and even firmware updates at a pre-set time so it won’t interfere with your game time — who wants to pop down the couch, open your PS3 and load the game only to see that a mandatory update is required before you can even play?

The upcoming version 4.50 for the PlayStation 3 firmware will be bringing this feature to non-PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Also in the pipeline, data transfer between the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita using a network connection (WiFi and ethernet) which should alleviate the slooooooooooooow transfer via the propriety USB cable.

Full list of features available below:

• Auto download of system software updates has been expanded to support all PSN users.
• Auto download support of purchases made on the Web Store will be made available to all PSN users.
• New options for trophy privacy settings allow users to set which trophies are visible.
• Data can now be transferred from PS3 to PS Vita using wi-fi and ethernet connection.

The new firmware is expected to release sometime next week.

source PlayStaion Blog EU